6 (Almost) FREE Grenadier Upgrades You Should Do Immediately!

The Grenadier has proven itself to be one of the most capable off-road vehicles on the market. As with all vehicles, however, there are still several annoying quirks that can drive Grenadier owners nuts. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars making yours more trail-ready and personalized.

John from Owl covers six useful upgrades that are nearly free. Some just make your life easier, whereas some drastically improve handling. With a little bit of effort and a couple of bucks, you can make your Grenadier that much better.

#1: Using Slap Bands as Reminders

We’ve all been there — you’re packing up camp, get in your vehicle, and drive away, only to realize later down the road that you left your leveling blocks behind. Or maybe you even left something on the roof and forgot to take it down.

Slap bands (yes, the wristbands) are a useful trick for remembering everything before you drive away. You can buy blank ones on Amazon for less than $10 a pack and write what you need on them. You can slap them right around the steering wheel so that you have a visual reminder right in your face as soon as you get ready to leave.

#2: Tinting the Safari Windows

Sure, the safari windows on the top of the Grenadier are an extremely nice touch. But that doesn’t mean they don’t heat up the entire cabin when the sun’s shining directly above (all too common in the Southwest). Tinting is an easy and affordable solution for this problem.

You don’t need to waste money bringing your Grenadier to a shop to have the safari windows professionally tinted. Most people don’t realize that these window panels pop right out. Grab a roll of window tint or thermal wrap on Amazon and apply it yourself.

#3: Tightening Turning Radius with a Quick Bolt Adjustment

For how compact a vehicle it is, the Grenadier has a huge turning radius. This can be frustrating when you’re trying to make a tight U-turn or are navigating windy trails. The cause of this is a little bolt on the steering knuckle. It sticks out too far and gets locked against a piece of metal on the control arm, preventing you from turning the wheel any further.

As John demonstrates in the video, you can remove this bolt and tighten down the stop nut to make it flush against the head of the bolt. This allows you to screw the bolt into the steering knuckle further, allowing you to turn the wheel more before the bolt hits the metal piece on the control arm. If you want even more space, you can replace the nut with a few washers.

Important Tips:

• Don’t remove the bolts completely, as this will cause too much play in your steering. 
• Use some anti-seize on the bolt threads to prevent the effects of any corrosion.
• Test the steering after this upgrade to make sure that you don't feel any binding.

#4: Adjusting Your Steering Caster

Caster is an element of alignment. It’s defined by the forward or backward tilt of the steering axis from the center of the wheel. Picture a low-rider Harley — the front wheel has tons of caster. More vertical caster means tighter turning, but at the cost of more wander on the highway. This is a bit of an issue in Grenadiers.

Luckily, you can easily fix it for free. There are eccentric bolts on the lower control arms that you can adjust to increase your caster “tilt”, effectively moving the lower part of the wheel forward. This is a huge help at highway speeds, as the Grenadier will track much more easily.

This upgrade requires the use of an aftermarket steering stabilizer.

Pro Tip: Owl’s Steering Pump Upgrade fixes this issue and others, including eliminating the steering pump whine and making it so that the wheel returns to center after turning.

#5: Reducing Noise by Zip-Tying the Low-Range Shift Cable

The low-range shift cable under the Grenadier is secured by a plastic tab, in theory. However, it breaks way too quickly and results in the cable hanging down, touching the driveshaft. This can create an annoying noise, but it can be cheaply fixed with a zip-tie and a drill. 

While there is a bracket that’s sold for this same purpose, a zip-tie does the trick just as well. Drill a hole in the heat shield underneath, using a piece of wood or metal as a backing piece so that you don’t drill too far. Wrap the zip-tie around the cable, secure it, and you’re good to go.

#6: Protecting the Windshield with Stick-On Trim

This cheap upgrade can save you thousands, and it’s something that the Owl team recommends you do on your Grenadier sooner rather than later. The Grenadier windshield is extremely prone to cracking and chipping, especially in desert climates where there are lots of loose rocks floating around.

The outer black portion of the windshield can’t be fixed by windshield technicians when it gets a chip; the whole thing has to be removed, costing thousands. One of the best ways to prevent any cracks or chips from developing in this area is to lay down some 3M stick-on trim around the perimeter. Here's some helpful tips for application:

• Start and end the trim in the upper right and left hand corners of the windshield. You can hide the seam underneath the plastic covering that's there.
• Use a heat gun on corners. This allows you to soften the trim and bend it to shape so you can use one continuous piece around the windshield.
• Make sure that the trim is fully adhered to the windshield by finishing it off with a decal roller.

Cheap Grenadier Upgrades That Pay Off

There you have it — whether you’re trying to fix a wide turning radius, highway wander, or you just need help remembering things as you leave your campsite, there are many inexpensive upgrades that will make life with your Grenadier better.

If you’re looking to go beyond basic upgrades, Owl’s got everything you need to improve the performance, off-road capability, and visual appeal of your Grenadier. From bull bars to suspension upgrades, we’ve got it all, so start shopping our premium Grenadier accessories today.