JL-JLU-JT Crawler Ultimate Clearance Highline Front Flare

BEHIND THE DESIGN

When we set out to design the Ultimate Clearance Highline front flare for the JL-JLU and JT we had a list of requirements that we knew had to be addressed to make this flare the best on the market. Debris buildup between the flare and the body, allowing full use of the factory hood latch, a seamless transition from the body mounting surface to the flare, the ability to switch easily from our standard flares and of course as much additional clearance as possible were some of the items on the top of our list.

Ultimate clearance was the main goal but maintaining the Nemesis style had to be achieved as well. When deciding how high to go we knew we did not want to go beyond the hood line as that look does not blend with the Jeep so instead we stayed just below and followed the upward slope of the hood to give the flare a more aggressive look and gain just that much more clearance. With going that high we had to then attack two of our other issues. The hood latch, there was no way we could just cut out for the latch so instead we spent the time making the dive on the nose land just perfectly between the base plate for the flare and the latch so that no modifications are required to the latch to install the flare. The second issue was having the body be exposed between the flare base and the top plate. While others use a skeleton like structure we designed a complete transition plate that covers as much of the body as possible. This may not seem like a big issue but if you paint or powder coat your flares a different color than the body you will find out how important this design feature is.

After manufacturing the number of flares that we have and knowing that our alignment and fitment was spot on we decided that using a modified version of our existing base plate would be the best foundation to build the Highline flare. By maintaining all of the existing flare mounting holes that we use on our standard flares existing customers are now able to remove the standard flare and bolt on the Highline flare without drilling additional holes. The baseplate does allow for some additional trimming of the body for additional clearance should the customer choose to do so, and the removal of four of the existing flare mounting tabs from the Jeep is required to complete the install.

We can confidently say that we spent as much time fine tuning the back edge of the flare that contacts the body as we did on the rest of the design. This was the make it or break it point on the project. If we could not get the top plate of the flare to flow seamlessly with the body there was no reason to keep going. Now, we did have experience with this before as our first generation JK flares sat against the body instead of the flare pocket so we knew we could make it happen. After hours of measurements and test pieces we achieved the fitment we were looking for. As with all manufacturing we do have to build in a tolerance for not only Jeep to Jeep but also the differences in the body from the left to right side on the same Jeep. Once the line was set we added just enough space for a strip of cushioning foam that allows for a seamless fit between the body and the flare eliminating any chance of dirt building up between the two. 

Once again as with all Nemesis products we strive to identify and solve not only the main purpose of a part but look at what else we can do to provide as much value to our customers as possible with our parts. There are many choices available but when you compare the fit, finish and complexity of a Nemesis product you will never be disappointed in your investment. 

PRODUCT COMPATIBILITY

• Currently we are unaware of any compatibility issues with this product
• If you have questions about fitment with your specific build please contact us at [email protected]

SPECIALTY TOOLS REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE INSTALLATION

• Nutsert tool with a ¼” - 20 mandrel (Available under the tools section of the website) 
• “W” size drill bit (Available under the tools section of the website)

PRODUCT NOTES

• See – The MORE INFORMATION Tab – located above, for detailed product specifications
• See – The INSTALL INSTRUCTION DOWNLOAD tab – located above, to download detailed instructions for this product