This Week In Jeep:

Major Deal Between Big Satellite Comms Co. and Jeep

Jeep has forever been known as the king of the offroad, and its heritage has carried it with mixed reviews into the world of overlanding over the last decade or so. Wranglers aren’t exactly plush on space or storage so it’s no surprise the reception the Gladiator has seen in the aftermarket overlanding and expedition wheeling markets. And it is this foray into uncharted waters that Jeep is now finding traction, and with that comes partnerships with other big name companies in the overlanding world. SPOT offers off-road enthusiasts and back-country adventurers’ critical connectivity in remote areas of the world. Products include emergency response and international S.O.S. services, giving peace of mind to hundreds of thousands of users globally.  To date, SPOT has achieved over 7,000 rescues, in more than 100 countries. This week, news broke that a licensing deal between Globalstar affiliate SPOT LLC and the Jeep® brand has been finalized. As part of an effort to expand its footprint in the overland adventure market, Globalstar is developing an exclusive new line of Jeep and SPOT co-branded products. What this means is that it gives Jeep the  ability to offer its customers endless opportunities to pursue their adventures once the road ends, in a connected and safe manner. This is going to give both SPOT and Jeep users a link to a brand they can trust with their lives. Imagine being able to link up to your JEep to call for help, or your Jeep being able to tell searchers where you are in relation to where the vehicle is. There are so many possibilities for hikers, climbers, and overlanders that this may open a new level of emergency communication, one that may very soon be built into the Jeep you buy.

Jeep plus Pole plus Colorado Mountainside = FAIL

A rather odd incident occurred on one of Colorado’s scenic highways and byways this week. Ordinarily a news story about a Jeep in an accident in a state that has some world class off road destinations may not garner a second glance. But this is one of those that stood out, and you’ll quickly understand why. According to the Lakewood Police Department a black 4 door Jeep Wrangler hit a light pole before charging several hundred feet up the side of the 6,800 some-odd-foot tall Green Mountain. Jeep’s can pretty much go anywhere and DO anything, but I’m sure it’s safe to say that police in ANY jurisdiction wouldn’t take too kindly to someone turning a 50 foot pole of a street light into a hood ornament and then trying to do some hill climbs OFF of a designated trail.  (i mean if you’re ON a designated trails and you’re treading lightly, who am I to judge your choice of a hood ornament)  But since “Driver McNobrains” couldn’t get his light pole bearing Jeep up the sheer face of a six thousand foot mountainside, the Jeep eventually became stuck, came to a stop and the operator bailed. It’s strange, even though the incident is still under investigation, there have been very little details released surrounding this whole thing. We know the light pole had become one with this Jeep after being ran into by said Jeep, and we know the driver ran thru town with his fancy new Jeep mod, and then went off roading where he failed to perform a successful hillclimb and ran from the rig when it stopped and was caught moments later.  You know on second thought, I think we know enough. 

Jeep Life:

America’s Best Kept Off Roading Secret

Wow what a coincidence! My plan was to share America’s best kept secret of off roading and luck would have it… I was able to sneak out to this place for some amazing off roading this past week.  Last Fall Neil and I ventured across America and met some really awesome Jeepers and wheeled some cool places in the West like the Sedona Red Rocks, Southern California, Colorado and Kingman, Arizona. When you think of great wheeling most people think of Moab or the Colorado Mountains or even the Rubicon Trail. Don’t get me wrong these places are amazing to wheel. The scenery is spectacular and the trails are awesome. The Rubicon Trail is on my bucket list. Moab was on my bucket list, as was Colorado. But Kingman Arizona wasn’t even on my radar for wheeling. Luck would have it we needed to do some official business this week and it happened to bring us to the Kingman Arizona area again. The third time we’ve been there. When you hear Kingman you usually think of Historic Route 66, which don’t get me wrong there is part of Historic route 66 that had me dropping the fbomb left and right. I highly recommend if you are ever in the area take historic Route 66 from Kingman to Oatman Arizona. What a spectacular scenic drive. Plus Oatman is a cool little mining town with burros roaming the streets. I had a plastic grocery bag with some socks, decals and a kit kat bar in it. This old ass walked right up to me and snatched onto that kit kat bar in my bag and tore it right out.  Needless to say I never got to enjoy that chocolate bar. This eight mile section of Historic Route 66 has 191 turns, curves and switchbacks. Motorcycle enthusiasts love to ride this route. It’s amazing drive in your Jeep as well. A great stop on this curvey mountain road is a little stop call Cool Springs. A place to grab a hot dog, drink and get some cool souvenirs. Okay so that’s not the best kept secret but a cool little Jeep Life trip. The best Kept secret is the wheeling in the Kingman Arizona area. There are 40 to 50 named trails with over 10,000 miles of two tracks just in Mojave County alone. This is the county that was able to stop BLM from closing down trails with a little help from Ric Swatts. Now these trails aren’t just your everyday trail where you wheel a moderate trail then hit difficult obstacles a couple of times on the trail. These trails are one big long difficult obstacle with huge rocks, ledges and waterfall climbs winding through the Wall=i=pie Mountains or the Black Mountains. A mile long trail could take up to five or six hours. The first time we went to Kingman… we hit the trail Homecourt. I thought we were on the trail but we were actually on the two track to the trail. These trails to the trail are challenging in a different way especially if you are afraid of heights. There’s a lot of tight curves and switchbacks up and down the mountains. So it’s like a double bonus. This is the case for most of the trails in Mojave County. The six trails we have hit have all been in washes. They have been the most technical trails I have ever been on. The last time I was there wheeling my Jeep I wheeled the trail Twister a very difficult trail without a spotter. It seems I have upped my game when it comes to that technical wheeling. I do have a long ways to go as I still need to work on my throttle control. I’m a little timid when it comes to that skinny pedal. So if you are ever in the Kingman Arizona area look up the group Rocks and Wheels. They are a great group of wheelers who can take you out for some amazing technical wheeling. Also don’t forget to check out the Historic Route 66 from Kingman to Oatman!

Tech Talk With Jeep Talk:

Keep Those Doors Coming Off EASY for Years To Come.

So it seems everywhere except where Wendy lives is starting to get warmer and show us signs that summer is right around the corner. And with all this nice weather and the promise of warmer temps ahead, it’s likely got you thinking of taking the top off and enjoying that open air experience that only comes with owning a Jeep Wrangler. And what completes that experience more than taking the top off? Taking the doors off too! It’s truly open air driving at its finest. Or so you thought.  You’ve taken off the hinge bolts and now have pulled, pushed, yanked, reefed and swung those damn doors back and forth so many times, you’ve built up a sweat! You’re trying your hardest to get those doors off, and nothing seems to work. You’ve done pretty much everything you thought you should do, and the things still won’t budge. Well that factory door hinge pin bushing design really isn’t the best, and that’s where all your problems are stemming from. If your doors are truly stuck then there are a few things you can do. Searching online will reveal anything from the dangerous to the stupid, so be careful what you decide to do in the end. People seem to gravitate to either using some form of a hoist or ratcheting strap contraption attached to the ceiling to provide an upward pull, OR…. I’ve heard of people having a lot of success using a jack and a length of wood to distribute the force and not bend metal. But that just sounds like a bad day in the waiting. Then there’s those who use the hinge bolts as punches, and hammer against them after unthreading them about halfway. This seems to work well, but you take a high risk of damaging the body with a missed strike, or stripping the threads of the hinge bolts if you hit too hard too many times. My solution is a lot slower but alot safer, and that involves a liberal amount of penetrating oil. Lubing up those hinges more than they ever should be with a high grade penetrating oil (no wd40 is not the same thing) will help loosen things up as you work the door back and forth.  Letting that oil work for a while is the key to this, the longer you let it sit, the better it will work, but it WILL work. Now, here’s where the trick comes in. We don’t want you having to do that every year, or every time you wanna go doorless. The trick is… that once you DO have your doors off, you install a set of Delrin bushings to replace the factory ones – making future door removal quick and easy once and for all. It’s a simple mod, but something you will definitely appreciate when it is time for those doors to come off again, even if it’s a year or more down the road. So grab some penetrating oil, apply it to those stubborn factory door hinge pin bushings, and then read up on door removal techniques and get a set of Delrin bushings while the oil does its thing.  There are a million places that both sell or make these things so I wont bother pointing you in a specific direction here. Just know that these things are out there, and will make your Jeep life a whole lot easier.

Newbie Nuggets:

Using a spotter

One of the best things I did early on was jump in the driver seat of our Jeep. We had been going out on runs and obstacles for a while and Bill said, “You want to drive?” Well that was the start of learning something new that I had no idea I needed and wanted.  When you first drive, it seems simple. Just like on a regular highway, until you come to an obstacle. Now here in Big Bear we don’t have simple rocks to climb or basic obstacles. Rocks tend to be spread out into one long continuous obstacle. Being new it was hard to comprehend the line I needed to pick and the way the jeep would operate. This is where a good spotter comes in. I was fortunate to have my husband, Bill, as my first spotter. His entire life of off-roading and jeeping gave me confidence that he would keep me on the right line and get me through the obstacle. This gave me a solid foundation of what to do and how to do it.  Using a spotter is very essential for beginners. You are learning all kinds of nuggets and how your jeep needs to navigate through the obstacle. A good spotter has some great qualities and not all are created equal.  A good spotter is patient and calm. This is probably the most valuable of qualities. Having a patient and calm spotter allows you the driver to remain calm and get through the obstacle with ease. A good spotter gives good and clear commands. This may seem obvious but I have seen all kinds of weirdness out there from double commands, to yelling (especially husbands to wives) to giving the wrong commands, to you name it. What I’m saying is you the driver can decide who will spot you. It’s your choice to use a spotter, or not, AND to choose your spotter. If you feel more comfortable with your significant other, like I did, then that’s your choice. If you want to use someone else in the group, then do so. Just a note for anyone whose significant other didn’t choose you: Get over it. This is about them learning. Don’t be that guy, or gal!  There are some things that will help you when using a spotter;  1) Once you decide to use the spotter: stick with them. They are your “eyes” once you get closer to the obstacle. Their job is to guide you over the obstacle with ease and help you navigate through.   2) The spotter’s job is to help you “line up” for that obstacle. This may include you having to back up several times so that the rear tires align with the track they want you to proceed with. 3) Once spotting begins, PAY ATTENTION. So many times I see this, we get someone lined up, only to have them stop paying attention and do their own thing. Stick with it and as hard as it may be, don’t take your eyes off the spotter. They are there to help you! 4) Stick with the spotter until you are finished: I see this all the time, a jeep gets part way through and the driver thinks they are clear and stops watching the spotter and guess what – their tires slip off the rock and you are now balancing on your drive shaft. And then it’s just fun fodder for the spotter to try to figure out how to get you back on track. 5) You may experience multiple people trying to help you through an obstacle at the same time. We all LOVE to help… however you need to listen or watch one spotter at a time. And those of you helping to spot a newbie make sure you are the only one giving the direction. There are some commands that you should be aware of. Some spotters use verbal commands and others use non-verbal commands. Both have pros and cons, I tend to prefer the non-verbal and I’ll explain why in a moment.  Let’s start with verbal commands. These are probably the most commonly used. It seems that most people are good at speaking their directions and most drivers listen. Sometimes the verbal commands can get lost in translation especially if a newbie isn’t familiar with what the spotter actually wants them to do. Tone of voice and patience is important here for the newbie. Verbal commands can be misinterpreted, not heard and/or confusing. Verbal commands also lend themselves to allow the driver to look away from the spotter while they “wait” for the next verbal command. Some Verbal commands that are used; Driver, or turn driver: turn your wheels toward the driver Passenger, or turn passenger: turn your wheels toward the passenger side Easy: easy on the throttle or brake Control your rear: when coming off an obstacle, slow down and ease the back end off the rocks so you don’t bounce your bumper off the rocks. STOP: Very important for you to STOP and FREEZE if you hear this command. You may have no idea what is about to happen if you don’t STOP. Let’s move on to the Non-Verbal commands, or hand signals. These tend to help  the driver keep their eyes on the spotter. There is no verbal command and the driver has to pay attention. The commands should be easy to understand and obvious. Other words, make the hand gestures simple but large and not obscured by clothing/gloves. For example, I was spotting on a run and it was a really cold day. The gloves I had on were black, my jacket was black and the drivers couldn’t see my hand signals as easy. Once I removed the gloves and got my hands away from my body, no problem.  Some common hand signals; Point left: use finger pointed left for driver to turn right Point right: use finger pointed right for driver to turn left Come forward: hand up with palms facing the spotter and a come forward motion Go back: palms facing the driver held out while pushing motion indicates to go back or reverse. Climbing up/down a rock: the spotter will point to the tire and use their open palm in an up or down motion to indicate that tire (or tires) is about to up a rock or come down off the rock. STOP with a closed fist: Really important when a jeep is stuck and people are helping to move rocks under the Jeep, etc. Closed fist signifies that the driver MUST NOT move. This means don’t turn the wheel and DON’T let your foot off the brake. The Jeep might move and pinch or trap someone’s fingers, or worse. Happened to me. I was helping to move rocks for a stuck jeep, my husband was spotting and this driver let his foot off the brake and the jeep rolled forward. Luckily I was not injured but I thought my husband was gonna blow a gasket. That driver got a verbal lesson in STOP means STOP and don’t move.  The best and my favorite hand signal is the mirror imaging. I learned this technique from Don Alexander (with Jeep 4-1-1) The spotter holds their hands up as if they were holding a steering wheel with their hands in the 2 o’clock and 10 o’clock position. The spotter moves the hands (as if turning the steering wheel) in the direction they want the driver to turn. The driver sees this and applies the same motion. It’s amazing to watch this actually work and takes some time to get used to actually doing (if you are spotter). The best thing I can say is this mirror image can show small or large movements. Compare that to someone saying “driver”. What does that actually mean? Is that a tiny turn, or a full lock turn? With the mirror image, the spotter is showing you how much to turn. If they move a tiny bit, you move the steering wheel the same, if it needs to go full lock, then you go full lock. Visually it’s the best, in my opinion.  Visibility of the spotter is also very important. It’s vital for the driver to see the spotter clearly at all times and for the spotter to clearly see the driver. The spotter may need to adjust their position so that you can see them. If you can’t see them speak up. Sometimes the jeep may be in a climbing position and the spotter needs to get to a higher plain so you can see them. Likewise coming down off an obstacle, the spotter may need to be lower down so you can see each other. As a newbie driver, I recommend you get out and look at the obstacle for yourself before driving though it. Watch other jeeps go through and watch how that spotter is getting them through. Also, before you begin ask the spotter how they will be spotting you. You need to understand what commands (verbal vs non-verbal) they will be using. Once you start driving over obstacles, I can tell you it is very exhilarating. Using a spotter is beneficial to learning what your jeep is capable of and how that feels. BTW using a spotter is a badge of honor. It means you tackled a tough obstacle (whether it’s your first time or you are an experienced driver). Having an extra set of eyes is so powerful. Don’t be afraid to use a spotter – that goes for all you experienced drivers too!  Tony, Josh, Tammy I know we all have used them, but what are some of the things you wish were done differently when you used a spotter? Or any nuggets you want to add on using a spotter?

Must Have Stuff Pick-of-the-Week for your Jeep!

Body Armor Tub Rails – $185.99 w/ Free Shipping

Chances are that if you listen to this show, you have taken your Jeep offroad, know someone who has or does, or at the very least, have SEEN another Jeep who likely goes off road. And the one thing all those have in common? Well, yes, they ARE Broke, but no I’m talking about one of the most common pieces of armor one puts on a Jeep. Rock rails. Virtually every offroading Jeep has them, and they are arguably one of the most critical pieces of armor we can put on a Jeep. But as we add more, do more with our Jeeps, the modification list just gets longer and longer. Many Jeepers at this point find themselves owning a Jeep they take offroad often. Maybe even in those tight, technical, trails, or in the rock for some rock crawling. At that point armor is a must, no question about it. But most of us don’t have tube fenders or an exo cage and those rock rails can only protect so much of your Jeep before you find yourself needing more protection. What happens when you get deep into those rocks, or those trees are a little tighter this year then you remember them being?…. and suddenly the side of your Jeep is in contact with that fir, spruce, alder or some large random outcropping of rock. Your Bushwackers or other plastic type fender flare may survive the encounter if they’re flexible enough, but how do you protect the tub of your Jeep without going to the extent of outfitting a full exo cage or springing the loot for a set of tube fenders? The answer is what are called Tub Rails, and there are a few manufacturers that are starting to come out with more and more versions of these. The ones I’m highlighting today have the specs to get the job done and a lifetime warranty from a company who stands behind their product. So if you need some serious tub armor for some serious offroading, but don’t want to spend a fortune,  then you’ll want to get your hands on these right away. The link we’ll have will take you to the set for any 97-06 TJ Wrangler, not the LJ’s though, but there are versions for virtually any other Jeep including XJ’s, so be sure to find a set that works for you.

https://www.extremeterrain.com/body-armor-4×4-tub-rails-tj-4322-jeep-wrangler.html

Links Mentioned in Episode 433: 

Rocks and  Wheels Offroad  Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/RocksNWheels/

Jeep 4-1-1 YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver

 

This Week In Jeep:

Don’t Look Now – It’s a Recall – Right Behind You!

Over 300,000 vehicles from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles are subject to a new recall involving glitchy backup cameras, according to documents FCA filed with the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration earlier this month. The recall involves models from the Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler brands. The affected vehicles may house a software problem that causes the rearview camera feed to remain on the infotainment screen after the driver shifts out of reverse. Vehicles affected include the 2019-2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, Wrangler, Renegade, Ram 1500, and 2500 pickups, Dodge Durango and even that damn Chrysler Pacifica is involved too. Unfortunately Certain 2020 Jeep Gladiator and Cherokee models are also included. The problem can occur with these vehicles when equipped with either the 8.4-inch or 12-inch infotainment screens only. The glitch puts each vehicle out of compliance with federal safety standards and the  NHTSA says the “lingering rearview image can distract the driver” which increases the risk of a crash, which we all know can KILLL you. FCA will notify owners of the affected vehicles and owners will need to bring their vehicles to their local dealer. There, they will receive updated software to fix the issue. If you think your vehicle is affected, you can contact the NHTSA through their website, contact your local dealer, or just look for notices to start arriving in the mail May 22.

It’s Officially In Production – 1000HP Jeep Gladiator “Maximus”

To many of you Hennessey’s Maximus 1000 is old news. Afterall the announcement came in May of last year. (…”that’s like SO last spring!”….)  But after nearly a year of testing the heavily modified, Hellcat V8 powered Jeep Gladiator pickup, the Jeep world got word this week that this beast is finally making its way to prospective owners. Oh, and Hennessey put together a sweet video showing just how extensive (and awesome) its “testing” really was. Apparently much of the testing was done in the desert where team Henneesey undoubtedly had a blast tearing around the dunes in a Jeep truck with supercar like power. The video is full of huge rooster tails, amazing drifts, and some insane jumps the likes of which you’ve not seen a Jeep do before. Yea, that’s right I said jumps, and I’m talking full on 100 mph desert race truck style jumps with sick hang time and this Jeep handles it like a pro. The video is simply not to be missed. The Maximus makes an eye-watering 1,000 horsepower and has an utterly unstoppable 933 lb-ft of torque to put all those horses to immediate use.  It also sounds absolutely tremendous. Terrifyingly aggressive doesn’t begin to describe the exhaust note of this thing, and it’s something that will undoubtedly haunt your dreams for nights to come. Among other things, the completely custom stainless steel exhaust setup, a complete ECU re-tune, custom radiator, and race inspired fuel system were all added to help the supercharged V-8 reach the nearlyhyper-car level power it can produce with a flick of your toe.  But thankfully, the people at Hennessey didn’t stop at the Jeep’s engine bay. The Maximus also receives a six-inch suspension lift with top of the line King shocks, Dana 60 axles front and rear with completely upgraded internals, and Hennessey-branded 20-inch wheels with BFG 37-inch KD Off-Road Tires.  It also comes with a jaw dropping custom interior and a price tag that will have you clutching your chest. The Jeep Gladiator Maximus by Hennessey Performance will cost you $225,000 and is limited to 24 units. Four of those have already been delivered. For those balking at the price tag, It does at least come with a 3-year/36,000-mile warranty!….  That’s not bad for something almost completely aftermarket. http://hennesseyperformance.com/vehicles/jeep/gladiator/

 

Auto Industry Hits Sales Glut In First Quarter of 2020

Analysts expected it, but we finally have hard numbers to show a deep decline in automotive sales in the first quarter of 2020. While things hummed along through January, and mostly February, any gains were almost completely wiped out in March as stay-at-home orders and shutdowns swept over the US in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Sales of all FCA’s brands combined resulted in a 10% decline year over year. The automaker sold a total of 446,768 vehicles between Jan. 1 and March 31, compared to 498,425 vehicles during the same period last year. FCA noted “strong momentum” in January and February, but the figures for March weren’t enough to carry FCA into the positive. Chrysler sales slipped 5%, and even Jeep wasn’t immune to the slowdown. The crown jewel of FCA posted a 14% drop in sales. Dodge was down, too, with a 20% decline. Fiat saw a steep dive at 49%, while Alfa Romeo sales fell 14%. It wasn’t all bad news, though. Ram sales grew 3% overall, and Ram trucks, specifically, saw a sales rise of 7%. Despite my seemingly endless trash talking in the last week or so about the drivetrain components of the Chrysler Pacifica min-van, it’s sales grew 5% while the Chrysler brand as a whole was down 5%. Odd numbers for an odd time we’re facing right now. And with as much uncertainty as we are seeing currently, I think it’s safe to say that numbers for the first half of the second quarter will likely look similar at least to what we see here. Ultimately it’s up to the dealer networks though, to work together to standardize and streamline the concierge buying experience where the entire process is handled remotely or virtually and you take delivery of a sanitized new vehicle without having to shake anyone’s hand. It’s not my cup of tea, but I like to make people squirm in person, it’s just something I do.

Radio Comm Tech:

This is Jon and on today’s radio comm tech I am going to discuss the last and frankly the best option for vehicle communication…ham radio. We have discussed it numerous times before and for good reason, it is far more capable than the other radio options however it is a little techy and does require a test. The license is also good for 10 years but unlike GMRS a ham radio license only covers a single individual. There are three license levels for ham radio, Technician, General and Extra. Depending on the license a ham operator can have access to frequencies from over 275 GHz to 135 kHz… that means very little to the majority of the listeners but let me assure you that is A LOT of frequencies. Most mobile vehicle to vehicle communication though happens on 2m or 70cm frequencies which is can be used by the entry level Technician licensee. The HF frequencies allotted to the General and Extra licenses are generally for the ham radio hobbyist though they could be used in more remote areas where repeaters may be sparse. You can get radios with only one band or range of frequencies or with multiple band capabilities.  2m and or 70cm antennas range from about 19” or so up to about 60” tall. HF antennas become larger and more complex. Some mobile ham radios can also track your Jeep and send text messages and emails. This is part of what is called APRS, check out Episode 196 where I dove more in-depth on APRS.  Ham radio also has use of repeaters which can extend your range up to about 100 miles… or if they are part of a linked repeater system they can transmit your signal out over your state or multiple states. Some internet linked repeaters can put your signal out on the other side of the country or into different countries. Typically for off road or back country travel a single repeater or a local state linked repeater system is the most useful. Unlike the other radio service options, ham radio is frequency agile and not limited to set specific channels and as such ham radios generally do not come pre-programmed so you must program your repeaters of choice either manually or using a computer. Even if you use a computer it’s always a good idea to know how to manually set the radio in case you have to tune to a repeater you may not have saved. The test really holds people back from getting their ham radio license, even though it’s not hard some people either don’t want to put the time into studying or feel they shouldn’t have to take a test. For those people GMRS is a great alternative and very much like the 70cm ham band as they are quite close in frequency. But for those that want the ultimate radio comms for vehicle to vehicle over longer distances or to possibly reach out in case of an emergency then ham radio is for you. Now in a true life or death emergency when no other forms of communication are available someone may use any frequency they want to facilitate help even if they are not license, however it’s always best to have experience on the radio so that you know what you are doing should an emergency arise and this only comes from the experience of operating the radio under a valid license. Some previous episodes to check out are episode 132 – How to get your ham license and episode 153 – Ham radio saves lives. We have had many other ham radio discussions over the years but they may not be mentioned in the show notes so they don’t show up when searching the Jeep Talk Show archives. If you have any questions about ham radio or any other the other radio services I have mentioned go to jeeptalkshow.com/contact  This is Jon….over and out.

Jeep Life:

Must Have in Your Recovery Kit

Last week’s Episode I shared two must have apps for Jeepers/Overlanders/Camperlife or just anyone looking to do some dispersed camping. I also shared some helpful tips on the different camping opportunities. The apps are GAIA a GPS app and I-overlander a place to find those off the grid camping spots. As I venture into a different realm of Jeep Life I have been discovering new little tidbits. On this new Jeep Life Journey I am learning something new  every day. Sometimes more than just one thing. Wendy recently shared items to put in your recovery kit. I have done blog posts and videos on this too. There is always the basics but as we do more wheeling and more camping I am finding some what I call odd ball items. Here are my Top 3 Odd Ball items. Number 3 is from a couple years back when I banged my steering stabilizer and was unable to turn my steering wheel. This was an easy fix but at the time I was a little freaked because I didn’t know enough about steering stabilizers. We just needed to take it off and I was good to go. I didn’t realize you really don’t need the stabilizer…kinda like a gallbladder. To get the factory JK stabilizer off you need a 18 mm wrench. So that tool is always in my tool box. Then this past fall I tore my valve stem in Kingman Arizona. That torn valve stem let all the air out of my tire and I rolled the bead. My Jeep was in a precarious position so changing the tire was going to be difficult. We didn’t need to do that. There was a super easy fix. The colby valve. We just took the old valve out and screwed in the emergency colby valve, added air  and Wah Lah. The tire was good to go. The valve is still in the tire. I finished the trail and another 5000 miles to finish the rest of the trip. It’s still holding up today. It’s my spare tire right now. So Number 2 the Colby Valve. Funny a lot of the old school wheelers didn’t know anything about it and were pretty impressed. The number one item I discovered I needed to add to my Recovery Kit is a file. No not a fingernail file but a ….. file. The YJ we were wheeling on our trip was having some axle wrap issues. The axle wrap tore up the bolt which beat up the pinion nut on the rear. As we were headed to Mojave Road on a super annoying washboard gravel road the bolt gave. We needed the file to straighten the threads on the end of the bolt. There were 5 Jeeps there and not one of us had one in our tool bag. Granted some didn’t bring all their tools since it was a super easy trail ride. But boy did we all go out and buy files when we were done. We would have been stuck on that isolated gravel road for a long time if it weren’t for a passerby in a pick up. The nearest hardware store was about two hours away. It so happens he had a file we used. Turns out he and his buddies were Clampers. We had no idea what clampers were but we do now. Order of E Clampus Vitus, a men’s fraternal organization with chapters scattered around Gold Country.  a nonprofit historical organization. They take care of and erect historical monuments in Southern Cali. Normally this break down of sorts would have ruined my day because we were off schedule. Now I look at these bumps in the road as opportunities. Another lesson I learned last fall on my first adventure. We met some really cool guys and learned some history. We actually ran into them again the next day. I now relax and let the adventure lead me. It’s good to have a plan but also good to be flexible and to take advantage of those bumps in the road. They can turn into some amazing things. Next week I will share the best kept secret in the off road community.

Tech Talk With Jeep Talk:

1997 TJ – 2.5L Engine Troubleshooting Issues 

We get a fair amount of emails coming into the show every week, and sometimes it’s hard to keep track of which one is for what part of the show. But I got one this week that stood out among the rest since it was addressed from a former coworker. At first I thought it may be spam, I’ve had friends and former coworkers, even family members’ old email accounts get hacked, and I’m suddenly getting spam from them. But this …wasn’t that. In fact, my former co-worker Charles (hey Choppy) had a buddy with a technical problem on his Jeep and thought we’d be the perfect source for some help. The email states that the buddy has a 1997 Wrangler with a fresh rebuild on a 2.5L Iron Duke. Says there’s a weird metallic sound or screeching noise when coming off-idle on the throttle and it bogs bad, but starts and idles just fine. He went on to say that another friend of theirs has the same problem after a rebuild too. So what could this be? Unfortunately I would have to be there in person to get a better understanding of exactly what is going on, but we’ll go over some things regardless and maybe help in the troubleshooting process. The Iron Duke engine (also called a 151, 2500, Pontiac 2.5, and Tech IV) is a 151 cu in (2.5 L) Straight-4 engine built by the Pontiac Motor Division of General Motors from 1977 to 1993. GM also began selling the engine to AMC, for use in their 1980 model Spirit, Concord and Eagle, and (as the Hurricane engine) in base-model Jeep CJs from 1980 through 1983 including the CJ-8, CJ-7, and CJ-5. The 151 is often called Jeep’s “Iron Duke”, but is actually a Pontiac engine designed to replace the Chevy “Iron Duke” I4 engine. This particular inline 4 was not very powerful, had almost no aftermarket support, and was generally considered to be gutless but economical. And it was that reputation for being relatively reliable and efficient that carried the 2.5L option into future years of Jeep models. In 1984 AMC introduced its own four-cylinder engine design with an even 150cu of displacement but carrying the same 2.4L moniker. In 1986, the AMC 2.5L four cylinder engine gained throttle body injection in the XJ Cherokee applications. This same engine in the Jeep CJ models used a carburetor.  The YJ Wrangler application of the 2.5L, introduced with the 1987 models, came with TBI, making this feisty little engine the first use of fuel injection in a Jeep. From 1997 to 2002 it was marketed as the “Power-Tech I4”, and was produced through 2002 for the Jeep Wrangler, as well as for the Dodge Dakota pickups. Choppy’s friend’s Jeep has been around now for the better part of 23 years, and likely has a couple turns on the odometer too. Although we got indication that this engine has a fresh rebuild, it’s unclear as to whether that was done at a shop or over the course of a couple weekends while the music plays and the beer flows. Was it just a top end rebuild? How much checking was done afterwards? How’s the compression after the rebuild? Were the new rings installed properly? Was the head gone through by a machine shop and fully rebuilt too? There’s just too many questions we need answered to really dial down the exact issue this Jeep engine is having. What we can do is look at some common issues that COULD cause the symptoms we’re seeing here. If it starts and runs fine, then chances are the timing and ignition are all fine but it wouldn’t hurt to verify. We can also assume that there is adequate fuel getting to the engine, but I would put a gauge on it and make sure that it’s getting 50PSI (± 5psi) under load to rule out any problems with the pump or regulator. Even though the gas might be getting TO the engine, we don’t know if it’s getting delivered properly to each of the cylinders.  So we’re going to need to see what sort of condition the injectors are in, and whether or not they’re operating as they should. The exhaust is another area I would look at. The engine might be fresh, but what about those O2 sensors? And what’s the condition of the catalytic converter? Faulty o2 sensors can send bad info to the computer in a 97 wrangler causing all sorts of power loss, but this would generally throw a code and illuminate the check engine light in the dash. The same can be said for the results of a plugged up catalytic converter. If the exhaust can’t freely flow, then the engine can’t breathe well enough to make power under load. There could even be an issue with the throttle position sensor not sending the right info to the computer. Again the engine may be freshly rebuilt, but do we know how old the sensors are? As far as the screeching noise coming off acceleration goes, this too can be all kinds of things, and the tone, pitch, and what sort of changes the noise goes through with various other factors at play  are all things we need to know. Does it still happen after it’s warmed up? Does the sound change at all with speed, rpm, temperature, or direction? Does it happen in reverse too? Is the sound even coming from the engine? could it be driveline, axle or transfer case related? Maybe it’s just that somebody forgot to put the mounting bolt back in the distributor lock down tab. Did someone lose an earring or a 10mm socket in the distributor cap? Or maybe the fan shroud is looser than your mom on a saturday night and every time you take off it moves into the fan. Maybe there is something wrong with the clutch fan or the fan itself. It might be that the belt tensioner or water pump pulley is going out. There could literally be a hundred different sources for that noise and all we can do is guess. I like troubleshooting, it can be fun sometimes if you go about it like a treasure hunt, since once you find out what’s going on it’s like finding treasure. Granted, in this case it’s the kind of treasure that ends up COSTING you money than providing it, but still. Unfortunately for my former coworkers friend, I just don’t have enough information to provide anything but the vaguest of guesses. I’ve got their contact information and I plan on reaching out in person since these guys are somewhat local to me, and we’ll see if we can’t get things a little more narrowed down for them. In the meantime, good luck guys, and honestly, I hope you’ve already figured it out and it was nothing major.

Newbie Nuggets:

When you are new to jeeping, one of the questions you might have is “who else has a jeep and how do I connect with them”? There are lots of avenues to find other jeepers, you just have to start looking. Since we all have some extra time on our hands, what a great opportunity to  search for ways to connect with other jeepers once we are free to move about the planet. I’m talking about jeep clubs, groups or meet-ups and events. Now hear me out, there are some good things about these options that you may not be aware of.  I know some of you may be thinking – “yeah but I don’t want anyone else along”, or “I can do it by myself”. And that’s OK, but when you are new, you may want to find a group, club, or event  to attend so you can gain more knowledge. Half the battle of being new is finding good info and good mentors to learn from so that you can become the jeeper you always wanted to be. OK I kind of stole part from the Army recruiting commercials, but you get my point. Let’s start with exploring Jeep Clubs. Now for those of you already in a club, you may agree that the first time you attended a meeting, it was a bit uncomfortable because you didn’t know anyone and you may have felt a bit out of place. But after a while it was comfortable and you have made some great friends in the process. –  Jeep clubs can be a good source for learning and expertise – One thing I prefer is being around like-minded people. We all want to jeep in some form and it helps you gain confidence. Our local jeep club has everyone from brand new drivers, to years of experience, to stock jeeps off the showroom floor on up to heavily modified jeeps and we even have a few jeep racers in our club. Lots of options to gain knowledge from everyone at some point. –  Clubs generally have runs each month. Some offer multiple runs each month and others may offer fewer depending on the size and experience level of the members. Our club offers runs in all three levels, green, blue and black diamond. We try to offer one easy run and one more difficult each month.  I love seeing a new member or new driver gain confidence and then start to lead runs. So amazing to see their journey. –  Clubs offer ways to help maintain trails. I mentioned in a previous episode that trail etiquette includes maintaining the trials. Our club participates in the adopt-a-trail program in So. Cal. and we manage/maintain three trails in the mountains of Big Bear. What a great opportunity to help clean up, shore up and fix broken and damaged trails. –  Clubs usually do charity work – our club has a scholarship program where we donate $$ to a deserving graduating high schooler that will be attending a trade school. The money we raise throughout the year through various events gets donated to this program.  Other clubs may offer other types of charity involvement. –  Clubs usually have a monthly meeting – mostly around a dinner – and clubs generally have a requirement to “join”. Like attend three meetings and participate in a run, or one club I know of has their criteria to include an overnight run. That club wants to make sure the members are active jeepers. Depending on what type of jeeping you want to do, there are lots of clubs out there and I’m sure you can find one that fits your style. You can research jeep clubs on the web and check out their individual websites. See if what they are doing lines up with what you are passionate about. Another option besides clubs are groups, or meet-ups – this is usually a group formed by other jeepers (or off-roaders) and may consist of all vehicles equipped for off-road, not just jeeps. This is a great way to get out on the trails and meet other jeepers. You can find them on Facebook, in chat rooms, etc., and a simple google search will turn up all sorts of options for you to check out. As an example; We have several local groups in the So. Cal. area. One is the So Cal 4×4 Trail group that offers runs all the time. Some are with large groups, others are smaller. The runs and difficulty is listed and you decide if you want to join the run or not. Another group is the So Cal Jeeps and they offer runs as well. One other that is more specific is the High Desert 4×4 Recovery. They are a group that helps others that get stuck or stranded on highways- not just jeeps. There are groups out there specific to certain vehicles, like wranglers only, or Toyotas. Others may be specific to a region, or type of wheeling. It’s really fun to research what groups are in your area. You might be surprised at what you find. And there is generally no club to join. You show up for the run and have some fun.  Another option to consider is Events. These are typically a gathering by an organization, trying to raise awareness of the trials, conservation, or maybe doing a fundraiser for a charity event. Events can be found by googling your town’s visitor page, posters in local shops, or FB. Attending an event and participating is a great way to see what it’s all about. Whether you go to buy something you just got to have for your jeep, or can’t live without, or you want to support that charity, events are a great opportunity for those in the jeeping world. Vendors at events love to share their info and what better way to spend a day learning things you didn’t know you needed to know – or maybe you did want to know. The experience at an event can also open the door to clubs, groups, and other events that may be of interest to you. For Example, Josh mentioned on a previous episode about Tread Lightly that is committed to recreation access in many regions. It’s a fabulous organization with lots of information about preserving and maintaining our trails. I wanted to thank you Josh for bringing that up. Perfect example of sharing info;  Josh shared this information and I didn’t know that it existed. That’s how the jeep thing works, we all share something and we all can learn something. Tread Lightly link is in our show notes https://www.treadlightly.org/  Realistically, being new can be a little lonesome at first – kind of like what we are experiencing now with self-isolation and waiting for the day we can get out and wheel again. If you have a buddy who helped get you into jeeping, then you already have some suggestions and ideas to follow. But if you are new and navigating this alone, reach out to us and let us know what information you’d like help with. I’m sure between all of us we will find an answer.  Tony, Josh, Tammy what clubs, or groups do you belong to or follow. As always you can view some great videos on our YouTube channel Jeep 4-1-1 (https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver) with lots of tips, tricks & techniques. The website info is in the show notes.

Interview with:

Josh was recently interviewed on The Conversation with Stu about Jeeps and the Jeep Talk Show!

Links Mentioned in Episode 432: 

Hennessey Performance 1000 HP Gladiator “Maximus” For Sale $225k https://youtu.be/wC05xDPQIpk http://hennesseyperformance.com/vehicles/jeep/gladiator/

Clampers (E Clampus Vitus)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_Clampus_Vitus https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-clampers-history-20171110-htmlstory.html

Josh Appears on Other Podcast

“The Conversation” With Stu” Link to Josh’s Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9L6n0MD42U
The Conversation With Stu YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrKqJ3JdKaPDck6zWbspIKQ

TreadLightly! 

https://www.treadlightly.org/

Jeep 4-1-1: 

https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver

Jeep Weather:

Hey Jeeper, Mitch here, today is the 3rd of April 2020, and it’s time for your weekend Going Topless-Jeep Weather Report. Finally, there is warmer temperatures out there plus with social distancing being the new culturally acceptable norm, then taking that top off and getting out on back roads is even more important than before. First place to check out topless is Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Get some take out food and explore its 60 miles of beaches. Topless weather starting today at 70, tomorrow 68, and Sunday some clouds at 66 degrees. Next, take your tops and doors off in Phoenix, Arizona. Beautifully sunny this weekend with great hiking trails in the area. Take it all off this weekend as the whole weekend should be 85 degrees. Or… we could get away from everyone to Gilmer, Texas which is nearby to the Barnwell Mountain OHV trails. Make sure you go all Sahara top on your Jeep and have good Mud-terrain tires on since it’ll be raining here all weekend. Today 66, tomorrow 62, and Sunday back up to warm 73 degrees. Don’t forget to use the #JeepTalkShow on social media for us to see those pictures. If you have any suggestions or want to know YOUR local weather in an upcoming episode. Go to JeepTalkShow.com/contact in order to find all the ways to get a message to me. I’m Mitch and its always great weekend to Go Topless if you’re brave enough! Just Go Topless responsibly.

Newbie Nuggets:

To air down or not to air down. That is the question and why and when you would want to. Airing down the tires is simply letting air out of your tires. Now when I first started, the thought of taking air out of perfectly good tires made no sense to me. I thought less air meant a flat was coming soon and then place me in the middle of nowhere with no way to get help – Yikes. I was convinced it was not a good idea. Well, I quickly learned the importance of airing down and now I do it every time. There are a few good reasons to air down. One, it gives you a smoother ride. Sometimes on a rocky road you may want to smooth out the ride to keep the fillings in your teeth from rattling out. Other reasons to air down are to get better traction over obstacles like rocks, mud, sand or snow. Less air in the tire makes a larger contact patch thus giving you more traction. Also, with less air in the tire the tread and sidewall become softer which allows the tire to wrap around the sharp edges of the terrain giving a much better grip. And since it is softer, both the tread and sidewall become more compliant to these sharper objects and will tend to wrap around rather than allowing that object to poke through the tire. Imagine a balloon filled to capacity and another one with less air in it. The high pressure balloon will pop easier than the low pressure balloon. We pretty much air down every time we go out now regardless of the trail. You don’t really need to air down on a fire road or even an easy trail, but I think you’ll find it really helps the suspension and smooths out the ride if you do. Besides when you come across an obstacle you are ready to conquer it if you are already aired down. There are a few ways to air down. One of the easiest is a Deflator. I like the one that Extreme Terrain offers (Rugged Ridge Tire Deflator Kit; Stainless Steel Item J15518). It’s a set of four, is easy to store and very easy use. There are lots of versions on the market with some that are automatic deflators and are calibrated to exactly the PSI you want to air down to. Deflators range in price so do a little research before you buy and see what fits your budget. Now using these deflators makes the job easy and besides, it beats using your thumb, or a nail, or a rock you found on the trail to let the air out and  then using a regular old-fashioned tire pressure gauge to check each tire. Yeah, no thank you. The deflators are really cool – they screw on like a valve stem cover except they depress the valve core and continue to release the air until you unscrew them. You can put all four on at the same time and then rotate back through all four tires to check the air pressure using an air pressure gauge. Once the tire is at the pressure you want, simply unscrew the deflator and move to the next tire. Look for a gauge that has a low range (0-60), it will be more accurate and easier to read the 12-14 PSI range than one that has a range of 0-250. A question that comes up a lot is what pressure should I air my tires down to? The answer is: it depends on your tires, the weight of your jeep, the type of tire (A/T vs M/T), the manufacturer and of course what you are trying to do with your jeep. Basically there is no easy answer or “a one size fits all”.  You may hear some air down to 12 PSI – or others say they are at 8 or 10 PSI. A general rule of thumb is to air down until your sidewall begins to bulge. Another rule of thumb is to air down about 75% of the overall height of your normal sidewall. For example, if you have 10 inches of sidewall at regular HWY pressure, you can air down to the point where you have 7 ½” of overall sidewall. For rock crawling and harder surfaces, a higher pressure may be needed to keep the tire bead seated on the wheel rim. If you have bead locks you can go lower because the tire will stay seated. However, it’s not a good idea to have to low a pressure that you roll or pinch the sidewall when you’re in a tight spot that puts a lot of weight on a small part of your tire and/or sidewall. But, if you are jeeping through mud, snow or ice a lower PSI may be needed so that you get a larger contact patch and distribute the vehicle weight better. In last weeks episode I mentioned you don’t want a lot of wheel spin as it can damage the trails and airing down really helps to eliminate major wheel spin by distributing the weight over a larger tire area. Here are some examples of different tire pressures we tried. Our first tires were a BF Goodrich AT that we aired down to 12-13 PSI and we did OK. That particular tire had a stiffer sidewall and harder rubber compound and we noticed sometimes the tires wouldn’t grip enough to get over some obstacles. Now years later we have the Nexen Roadian MTX and we only have to air down to 14 PSI. Same tire size as the BF Goodrich, but the Nexxen sidewall is much softer and the tire compound & design are more tacky and provide more tread contact patch. So it really depends on your tire and performance. Each tire brand could be different along with the tire size and weight of the vehicle. You almost need to try it and see what works best for you and your tire. I would suggest starting with a higher PSI in the beginning and if you notice slippage or no traction on an obstacle, then perhaps lowering the PSI will help. Trial and error is your best bet. I can tell you that when I’m spotting jeepers and I notice someone struggling with wheel spin on an obstacle I ask what they are aired down to. Most of the time they are not aired down enough. It really does make a difference. When you are done wheeling, it’s now time to air-up before getting back on the highway. Driving at highway speeds with low air pressure is not generally recommended for most tires. It’s more difficult to control the vehicle at HWY speeds and with low pressure the sidewalls bulge and straighten with every revolution of the tire causing the sidewall to constantly flex, causing a lot of sidewall heat which could cause a blowout. Airing up is as simple as adding air back into the tire. How do you do that if you are out on the trail? There are several options and costs to consider when looking for compressors. One brand is Viair. It’s reasonably priced and it saves you from using your old bicycle pump to put air in and your buddies won’t have to wait on you. There are lots of brands but we started out with the Viair 450c (https://www.viaircorp.com/).  It is a continuous output 100% duty cycle. This means you can run it until you are aired up without shutting it off to cool. Less expensive models are typically 33% duty cycle which means you‘ll need to shut them off occasionally as you air-up to let them cool which means it will take you longer. The compressors come with the necessary gear to attach to a tire and fill it up. You will need that tire gauge we discussed earlier to make sure each tire is set to the correct PSI for your tire and vehicle weight. Once all four tires are filled, you are ready to hit the road. We have used the Viair system for years and my Husband Bill set up a hose system for us that connects to all four tires at the same time so each tire pumps up evenly and we don’t have to keep checking each tire. It’s been a great set up. Other options for airing up are compressed Co2 gas. We were introduced to Powertank (www.powertank.com) and let me tell you the difference is night and day. We still use the “all four tires system at one time” but instead of 20 minutes to fill the 37’s we are down to about 5 minutes or less. It’s such a great set up. Keep in mind that you’ll still need access to an air compressor when the tank gets low but we seem to get about 6-7 air-ups on one 15 gallon tank. The initial setup will cost you but you have options to research. We do keep the Viair compressor on board, just in case we run out of Co2, but I hope we never have to. Just take the Co2 tank to a beverage dispenser vendor and get it refilled. It costs about $15 – $25 per re-fill but the time savings on the trail is huge. AND you can run air tools off the tank should you need a trail repair. Josh, Tony, Tammy, what PSI are you airing down to when you are off road and what type of systems do you use to air down and air up?

Tech Talk With Jeep Talk:

Now for a quicky specific to the TJ wrangler guys. Every now and again a tip comes up that has you scratching your head wondering how it is you’ve had your Jeep for this long and didn’t know about this one little thing. You might call it an easter egg, but it’s more of a hidden adjustment in something most of us take for granted. What I’m referring to is the adjustability of your Jeeps washer nozzles.  I don’t know why they didn’t do this on the XJ’s but on some of the TJ wranglers, Jeep installed adjustable windshield washer nozzles. In the heads of the nozzle ends are actually two separate pintles that each spray out at roughly 30 degree angles, so that with the nozzle on the passenger side, and the one on the drivers side, you have four points of spray across roughly 120 degrees of windshield.. That is if things are all properly adjusted. And it’s easy to do if they aren’t! …if your washer jets aren’t spraying in the right spots you can easily re-adjust them to spray where the washer fluid will do the most good. And all you need is a paperclip or a clothing pin. Each nozzle has a small, recessed spherical metal nozzle tip that can be rotated to spray all over the place if you want, and in fact some people have fun and aim them towards the side so they can spray their friends or that douchebag in the convertible that just cut you off. Regardless of your intentions or motivations,  you can’t do it with your fingers. The hole in the end of these spherical nozzle ends are just big enough to fit a small paperclip or clothing pin into. And with a little force with your make-shift tool shoved into the end of these, you can simply rotate them into a new position. Don’t get aggressive with the penetration or the rotation, if it doesn’t go in or rotate easily, it may be frozen, and you’ll need to work it loose. Soaking the nozzle with a hot wet soapy rag will help dissolve road salts and other gunk that is preventing you from inserting your tool, or rotating the nozzle end. Worst case scenario, you may have to get in there with a Q-tip and some CLR to help break things loose. Once things are able to move around, make your adjustments and test ‘em out. It may take a few tries to get it perfect, but once you have it, they’re set, and you shouldn’t have to mess with them again for quite a while.

Jeep Life:

If you asked what the definition of Jeep Life is you would get a very different answer from every Jeeper. Jeep Life is unique to each Jeep owner. For me the meaning has changed over the years as I experience different aspects of the life from daily driver to weekend warrior to extreme wheeling to light wheeling from mud to sand and rocks to modifications and upgrades. I could go on and on. You get the drift. Since pretty much day one of being a Jeep owner, I have shared my Jeep Life story on my blog then adding the Jeep Talk Show podcast and YouTube. I love the fact that I have inspired others to live the Jeep life in their own way, by sharing my story and experiences. I just never know what little tidbit in my journey will help someone else. Sometimes it really surprises me. My Jeep Life has now turned into #camperlife/overlanding but I still love those rocky trails. I know a lot of our Jeep Lives have been disrupted. Even with the disruption I am going continue to add those tidbits as we all try to navigate this new life we are now living in. As you know lockdowns are happening all over the US which is preventing alot of folks from getting out and living the Jeep Life.  While we were in the Moab area last week another one of those lockdowns happened. A sheriff’s deputy from San Juan County just south of Moab had to do something he told us he never in his life time thought he’d have to do. He had to kick us off BLM land, Bureau of Land Management. Only residents of that county were allowed to be on the land. Even though these are Federal Public lands the Sheriff of each county has jurisdiction of the land in a public health situations. The order came just 4 days after we were there. We totally understood, packed up camp and headed back to Colorado. We were seeing this happening all over the West not just near Moab. So before you decide to head out to wheel I would check the area you are going to. I know several Jeepers still are planning on wheeling this weekend. Our adventure has been put on hold, but I sure have learned so much in the past two weeks about Jeep life. Over the next couple of episodes I am going to share some of those tidbits with you. The first and I feel this has been a game changer for us is two very important apps every Jeeper and Overlander should have. They saved us so many times out on the trails and roads. Gaia GPS… This is such a great app. Even those dirt roads and Moab trails are on this app and you will always know where you are on the trail. In the middle of the desert we followed along on Mojave Road which has so many “roads/trails”leading off it, which by the way crosses a dry lake bed (actually it was muddy for us after rains the night before. It went on for miles and it could have been so easy to wander off the right path and end up miles from where you want to be.  When we were on the Top of the World trail, our first time, it was easy using this app to make sure we stayed on the right route. BTW the view at the end of this trail is the most amazing view on the planet. I have never been in such awe. If there is just one trail you have time for when you go to Moab this is the one. The view is unbelievable. However this trail can be challenging at the end and during the middle it’s very, very bouncy. I also set the world record for picture farthest from the edge. It’s a pretty scary drop even if you don’t have a fear of heights. The other app essential to us is I-overlander. We are all about free. Campgrounds and hotels can get pricey when you are traveling a lot. I-overlander works great if you are camping in your Jeep or have a camper. I.e. overlanders, vanlife, camperlife etc. the app is a group effort by you and others to share those “secrets” of the cool spots you find. It will show you spots others have used for dispersed camping on public lands such as BLM and National Forest. Dispersed camping is the term used for camping anywhere in the National Forest OUTSIDE of a designated campground. Dispersed camping means no services; such as trash removal, and little or no facilities; such as tables and fire pits, are provided. Some popular dispersed camping areas may have toilets. Generally, overnight camping is NOT allowed at trailheads, picnic areas, day-use parking areas or any other areas that don’t allow overnight parking. When using a dispersed camping area, the general rule is to be a minimum of at least 100-200 feet away from any road, trail or water source. You need to be aware if you are in a National Forest or National Park or BLM lands. They are all totally different places with different rules. Typically you can’t disperse camp in National Parks. They have specified campgrounds and usually have fees. You can also disperse camp on BLM lands which are west of the Mississippi Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Again these are lands different from the forests and National parks. The ioverlander app also shares local fee based campgrounds, “boondocking” spots and places to get water. Boondocking is camping without any hookups outside developed campgrounds. Federal agencies refer to boondocking as dispersed camping. It can also mean dry camping and off grid camping. Typically boondocking is in Trucker Gas Stations, Walmart parking lots, Cracker Barrel parking lots. On our way to Kingman Arizona it was getting late and there were no places to spend the night. So we pulled over in a gas station and popped up our camper and went to sleep. When we were in the Mojave Desert off the main roads are what I call “off shoots” where you can go to set up your camp site. You can tell these are off shoots because they look well traveled and some spots have “fire rings” from previous campers. Just don’t go making your own off shoot. After awhile you get the hang of it. Mojave Road is a great getaway to learn all this. Next week I will share one of the best kept off roading locations in the States for some amazing technical wheeling. And on later episodes some must have in your recovery kit you would not have thought of.

This Week In Jeep:

Green Jeeps Going Too Far?

Jeep intends to become  “the greenest, most sustainable SUV company,” according to the brand’s global president, Christian Meunier in a press release earlier this week.  But yet here we are, and as we record this episode, the automaker doesn’t have a single plug-in vehicle here in the U.S. Jeep is betting on the long game however, and the higher ups believe that the U.S. will move to electrification faster than the experts have predicted even with Jeep more or less arriving a little late to the game. Going electric is also giving Jeep an opportunity to improve the capabilities of their trucks and SUVs and make it even more exciting to drive both on and off the road. Or so they have claimed. Most of us know by now the sheer power and torque capabilities of an electric drivetrain. One look at the videos on youtube of the Tesla’s launch mode capabilities will settle any doubt in this regard. But Jeep’s aren’t Teslas, and I for one hope they stick to their offroad first heritage in the years ahead. We’ve also known for many months now that plug-in hybrid versions of the Renegade, Compass, and Wrangler are all due this year. And it looks like the Renegade 4xe is going to be the first to arrive in European showrooms in the coming months. While FCA hasn’t confirmed whether the Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (or PHEV) Renegade and Compass are headed to the U.S. or not,  it has heavily teased the electrified Wrangler coming here . We’ve of course reported on that a few times over the last year here on the show. What’s interesting though, is that we’ve heard rumors and leaks from inside the FCA camp which are now telling the public that these electrified wranglers will be built using the exact same components as the Pacifica Hybrid min-van. I’m going to pause and let that last part sink in a little bit. Were you paying attention? Did you hear that all you electric Wrangler fans? Yeah, I for one will NOT be getting excited over minivan parts comprising the majority of my offroad vehicles drivetrain.  If you’re listening Jeep…?…., this is a blatant cop-out and you should be ashamed of yourself for taking the easy way out. That’s not very Jeep like and you know it. I personally think it would be better for the brand to put off electrification for a year or even two, to have the design teams work on more robust offroad ready electric drivetrain options for the Wrangler. I mean seriously? Minivan drivetrain components on a Jeep? Well if ever there was a mall crawler rated Jeep badge to slap on the side of a vehicle off the showroom floor…. I think the Electric Wrangler is the one. What’s confusing, is that all these rumors of mini-van components for the electric wrangler are focused exclusively to the US market… with zero hints that this manufacturing faux-pas will be carried over to other markets. What is interesting though, is that even if these hybrid or electric Wranglers ARE made with mini-van parts, there are rumors floating around that these systems will be tweaked to give the vehicles some serious performance chops when it comes to acceleration, even if they are more likely to break down with the rigors of offroad abuse. If you’ve ever ridden in a Jeep, you know that most of them have a zero to 60 time measured in minutes not seconds. The rumors going around are saying that these new electric or hybrid wranglers will be capable of 0-60 times in the sub 6 seconds range.  Thats serious chops when it comes to street cred. Certainly compared to the typical acceleration of a Wrangler anyways.  Jeep had previously declared that there would be four electric vehicles in Jeep’s global portfolio by 2022, but it hasn’t solidified any of those yet. So again, I guess a lot of this is up in the air at this point, but I’m sure we’ll get some more electrified Jeep news in the coming weeks.

This is going to Piss some people off. I just know it.

Fiat Chrysler Automotive is beginning to reveal its playbook for advertising during the coronavirus crisis and addressing a U.S. market where many consumers have been rattled by both gross negligence and overreaction by locals and those in charge. And it’s made the average consumer fearful to spend hard earned cash on virtually anything now from toilet paper to Jeeps because of the uncertainty we have allowed this pandemic to create. So far, with its focus on the bread-and-butter Ram and Jeep brands, the company has provided us with a breath of fresh air in a myriad of fear mongering ad campaigns about this virus. Taking a more practical sense approach Jeeps advertising teams combined empathy, inspiration and social-responsibility messages with selective promotional messages. It’s clean, the images look nice, and it instills more of a feeling of hope and inspiration instead of the fear, over sensationalization and doubt we’re being subjected to constantly. I for one applaud Jeep for their ingenuity with this. It’s a nice change of pace and I wish there was more of it in the media right now.So let me paint the picture for you. For example, Jeep has been posting a few things on social media under a #StayOfftheRoad theme that is a play on the #StayHome meme that has become the battle cry for every municipality in the nation. And I couldn’t agree more, stay off the road by playing more in the dirt. Doesn’t that paint a much nicer mental image than the latest splash art for the current spread projections of the virus in someplace like Chewjekistan? Not enough for ya? Here’s another one. A new post on Twitter, for instance, depicts the view from under the hood of a Jeep, looking out through the front of its iconic grill as if you yourself were the very  engine of the Jeep — providing you a view not of a beautiful rock formation or sunset, but of the back of a garage door. Why? Because the Jeep isn’t going anywhere these days. That’s almost sad too, because it’s not the Jeep’s fault it’s owner has been brainwashed to think every single atom of oxygen in the environment is somehow laced with weaponized Covid-19. It’s pathetic really, but the ad does instill a bit of hope, with some text at the bottom saying “With a little patience, the views will get better.”  I’d like to think that with a little common sense the views CAN get better.  And that the person seeing it will remember their highschool biology, and realize their Jeep is safe and so are they as they get in it and head out in the wild yonder to explore uncharted trails and scenic vistas. It’s an example of Jeep inspiring people to use some common sense for a change. And it’s a far cry from the onslaught of orders we see virtually everywhere now demanding us to stay inside, because if we get an itch to go out into mother nature for some trail time we’re somehow killing someone’s grandma in the next county over. These are wake up calls people, from the brand that is the champion of being “off the road.” The general idea seems to be about conveying a little more optimism and speaking to the conviction of the American people. Instead of telling us if we step outside we’re no better than a serial killer and a menace to society. We as responsible Jeepers with two brain cells to rub together, know that pulling our Jeep out of the garage or driveway and hitting the trails is not the same thing as licking the ice cream containers at the grocery store, or having an uncontrollable sneezing fit in a convalescent home tour. It’s time we take back our trails, and exercise what it means to be a Jeeper. I’m not telling you to disregard orders, or act like there isn’t a care in the world. But if you use some common sense, and we can get others to do the same, we can face this with more logic and reason instead of with fear and emotion, and get back at least somewhat of what we can consider normal life.

Links Mentioned in Episode 431: 

Top Pick Of The Week For Your Jeep:

Select Increments Centra-Pod – $74.95

https://www.extremeterrain.com/alterum-centrapod-8795-yj.html

 

VIAIR: 

https://www.viaircorp.com/

 

Jeep 4-1-1 YouTube Channel:  

https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver