Texas ONLY Jeep!

State-specific Jeeps started with CARB-compliant California, well now Texas is getting a gas-guzzling ICE 2024 Gladiator!.  This Special Gladiator COMES in bright RED as all Jeeps should be.

Well this Jeep, Texas Trail should only be in RED

This new version of the Gladiator celebrates Texas, the largest truck market in the United States. Based on the Sport S trim level, the Gladiator Texas Trail stands out with meaty mud-terrain tires, a body-colored hardtop, and Texas-inspired exterior decals.

Buyers will have seven colors to choose from: Black, Bright White, Granite Crystal, Hydro Blue, Firecracker Red, High Velocity, and Anvil.

Power comes from the tried-and-true 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, which makes 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. It spins the rear of the four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission and a two-speed transfer case, and it unlocks a 7,700-pound towing capacity.

Available only in Texas, the Gladiator Texas Trail carries a base price of $49,985 including a $1,895 destination charge. For context, the 2021 Texas Trail costs $41,930 including a $1,495 destination charge, and the 2024 Sport S starts at $43,290. Sales will start in May. If you want a special-edition Gladiator but live outside of Texas, a new Jeep Beach Edition model also joined the line-up for the 2024 model year.

I’m going to point out the Jeep Talk Show’s influence here.  I’m a Texan, and I have a RED Gladiator with the max tow package AND it’s a Sport S!  Thanks Jeep, but give the Jeep Talk Show a little love and tell everyone Jeepers can thank us for this great Texas Gladiator edition!

MotorTrend is no more

The video streaming service MotorTrend+ is shutting down.  Content is being moved to Discovery+ and MAX at the end of March, this month.  Many of the MotorTrend+ subscribers will receive an email with instructions on how to access Discovery+.  MotorTrend+ subscriptions who signed up through a third-party partner will not be moved over.

MotorTrend news, reviews, and shopping tools will continue to be available for free on its mobile apps and websites.

Other shows from MotorTrend include “Roadkill” with David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan (“two guys behaving badly with cars”); “Texas Metal,” following Ekstensive Metal Works, where owner Bill Carlton and his team design and build “outrageous, enviable cars and trucks”; “Kevin Hart’s Muscle Car Crew,” in which Hart and his friends try to transform from car enthusiasts into a legit car club; and “Hot Rod Garage,” featuring Lucky Costa, Tony Angelo and Alex Taylor joining forces to build hot rods “in every shape imaginable.”

MotorTrend and HOT ROD magazines are not affected by this change and will continue to be published.

Streaming services merging.  Rumors about Paramount+ merging with Discovery+.

I’ve heard of people subscribing to Paramount+ for Star Trek shows, and canceling when the season is over.

Checking Discovery+ and I see a show I watched until we cut the cord, Graveyard Carz.  I’m going to start watching this one again.

Newbie Nuggets with Wendy

To Mud or Not To Mud

That is the question. Do you like the mud or not? I think most jeepers have a clear opinion of what they like. It’s either yes or no.

To be fair I need to clarify: I live in So Calif – the Big Bear Mountains to be specific. We don’t have mud – well not really. The pictures on FB and videos on YouTube I see with jeeps in the mud from all over the country are not the kind of mud we have. Our very dry climate makes for a very sticky, clay base that is tough to get off. So my disclaimer is that some of you in the country only have mud to wheel in and I applaud you for that. The mud we get is from snow runoff, water crossings, or the occasional rain storm and it doesn’t happen very often. So with that clarification, I am only talking about the mud we have out here. 

Back to our mud: for the record I HATE mud! I know there are lots of listeners here in SoCal who probably LOVE the mud and the idea of mud. When I see the perfect picture of a jeep driving through a mud puddle and that perfectly timed shot of the spray of mud evenly to both sides of the front of the jeep is great and looks like fun, however, I am not doing mud! There are times when it’s unavoidable so we have to drive through it. We drive through very slowly. Trying not to splash too much of that sticky stuff up underneath and all over. 

The clean-up is very harsh. What I mean is that after EVERY run Bill and I like to make sure everything is still attached, LOL, and if there is mud, you have to wash the jeep before you can inspect it. That means we have to get the power washer out, hook it up, and clean the Jeep everywhere! Before you can inspect the Jeep. For us in winter, we would also have to drain the power washer so there isn’t any water left to freeze and then expand, and crack something. It’s not worth the extra effort for those few moments of the “thrill” of splashing through mud for us. So mud is NO GO for us. 

But I do love the pictures of jeeps in the mud and I love watching someone else go through it and splash around. Maybe it’s because it’s their clean-up and not mine LOL.

So what do you prefer? Mud or no mud? Let us know, I’d be curious to also know what you use for clean-up and if you really, really enjoy it! Who knows, maybe I’m missing something.

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

Fabrication Freezy, with Larry, JeepingMo

 Start videoing 

With the big epic trail rides coming, everyone will want to record and document the rides.

As many of you know Duke and I have been clover the country creating YouTube videos of our adventures.

So I thought I  would share some of the tools we use to create and publish our content.

The biggest investment will be your camera, Two of the big players are GoPro and DJI.

We migrated to the DJI cameras, for me they provide good stabilization for the trail.

A little movement is good, but it quickly becomes unwatchable if the video is bouncing around.

You will want to buy a couple of extra batteries per camera.

And for the storage of the data, most cameras take mini SD cards.

I suggest buying the largest card your camera will recognize, there is a limit.

Now you can use shotgun mics if you are recording the sound in front of the camera, and they are a Great War to record on the trail, that way you don’t have to manage the batteries for cordless mics also.

If you are going to do interviews, or want to do a vlog-style video on the trail. Wireless mice work great.

Two  I would suggest are the DJI wireless or the Rode video go 2 mics. And you can get adaptors for the mics to be used on your phones also.

Both are good.  We use the Rode mics, but I know the DJI mics work great too.

I even use Rode shotgun wired mics. But don’t forget your wind sock or dead cat, nothing ruins sound quicker than a little bit of wind.

Selfie sticks are good, but if you’re trying to record the trail there are a couple of ways to go.

There are several mounts that you can buy and several are very specialized.

But I like a good suction cup mount they work great, I have been using them for years.

One thing I have found out over the years.  Try to not put your camera in the cab unless you’re recording what’s in the cab.  The glair looking through the dash is horrible, and the glass is always dirty.

You will want some storage, I would suggest you buy at least a 2-terabyte drive. You will be surprised how fast that will fill up.

A Google Drive is also great for sharing files with a group of people.

So once you have your footage what is next, there are several video editing programs.

A great one that is free, unless you want to unlock higher functions is DaVinci Resolve.

There are a lot of videos on YouTube for how-to’s.  I also use Lumafusion, but it is for Apple only.

There are several other devices and systems, but these will get you started.  Don’t discount how good your phones are also.   Just get started and keep progressing.

Must-Have Stuff for Your Jeep!

Multi Ports USB Car Charger, 96W 6 Port QC3.0 Fast Adapter Multiple Ports, with Four Quick Charge 3.0 Port, 12V-24V Multi-Device Cigarette Lighter for Smart Phone & Tablets Charging $23.99

https://amzn.to/3IsJW5y

 

Steering Wheel Optional?

We had several Jeep Talk Show listeners reach out to us about this story.  They’re excited to hear what we have to say about it.  Snide comments, of course. 

Just about the same time, Elon Musk’s brother was talking about future Tesla not having steering wheels, Chrysler recalled more than 300k Jeep Grand Cherokees over the loss of steering.  I mean unless you have FULL SELF DRIVING steering is important, right?

Stellantis-owned Chrysler is recalling more than 338,000 Jeep Grand Cherokees because of a ball joint issue that could result in a loss of control by the driver, potentially leading to a crash. Duh!

No reports of accidents or injuries tied to the recall have been reported.

As a remedy, dealers will replace the upper control arm pinch bolts for free. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on April 12, 2024.

Rented Jeep Drives off a cliff

A 27-year-old male rented a Jeep, I’ll guess it’s a Grand Cherokee, in Hawaii.  At about 3:30 am the driver drove off a cliff, a 40-foot drop, with the Jeep landing on its roof in the ocean.  The driver managed to evacuate the Jeep which was washed out 100 yards to sea.

Campers near the landing, no Moon Lander jokes please, helped the driver back onto dry land.

Why do you think the driver drove off a cliff?

1. What’s it like to be weightless?
2. Has SIRI gained artificial general intelligence and was trying to kill the young man?
3. The Hawaii County Police Department told Island News that the man driving the Jeep is 27 years old and was visiting from Canada.
   Canadian?!?!? We have our answer! lolIs Jeep’s marketing too aggressive and this man truly believed Jeep is a go-anywhere vehicle?

Newbie Nuggets with Wendy

Update on Bill’s progress

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and thoughts – it’s very much appreciated. Words are not enough of how blessed we are. TY

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

 

 

 

Fabrication Freezy with Larry – JeepingMo

Trail Tools

We all have our list of items we take when we are going to be on the trail.

I thought I would give you my top 5 in honor of Jeep Momma being on the show.

Now depending on what type of trails you’re doing this list could change. And they are not in any order. And most of them are good to carry every day in your rig.

#5 The obvious set of tools put together for your rig.

#4 fluids, every jeep will be different. Now you don’t need enough to

     change every fluid on your rig. But I do suggest that you have

     enough to top things off.  a can or bottle of most should do it. And

     as part of that an expandable oil pan works great on the trail.

#3 trail welder, now I carry a Bun trail welder. It will require a couple

     batteries to weld

    with. You can always pull them out of the jeeps, or carry a set of

    batteries.

    Trail welders come in many brands and prices. The bun welder is

    around $300, you

     could also upgrade to a premier power welder that runs on the

    replacement

    alternator that you buy with it. They are a couple thousand, but

    more versatile.

#2 Tire Management, there are a couple of items in this one.

6     First one is glue treads for that sidewall that you puncture while

     wheeling.

     Colby valve, for that valve, stem replacement once you rip one off

     on the trail.

     Now it is assumed, that if you let the air out you can air back

     Up

#1 .fire extinguisher, you can you a traditional  style extinguisher, or

     the element extinguisher.

Must-Have Stuff for Your Jeep!

Do you have badge envy?  Before 2024 your Jeep JL or JT just has one trail-rated badge on it.  On the driver’s side.  With the removal of the external AM/FM antenna on the 2024 models a second badge has been added.  Well, you can update your prior year model with the OEM 75th Anniversary badge!  Sure it won’t match the other side, but who’s going to walk back and forth to check it?  Besides your mother-in-law.

Only $40.54 from Amazon.  Get it in time for EJS!

https://amzn.to/3wB9wCH