GSAs are not a good snow tire, neither do they work well in mud. They work well on the highway and are reasonable on most off road surfaces including rock. They also wear very well. Like virtually all tires, they benefit from being aired down when maximum traction is required at low speed.
It may be that your tire pressure is correctly set, but if the pressures were last checked when the weather was warmer, or when the tires were warm from being driven, then your tire pressures could be too high, which would aggravate the problems you were having.
Also, ABS or not, don't hit the brakes, just feather them, and try to use engine braking whenever possible. I'm sure that this doesn't apply to you, but it's amazing that some people feel they have to drive using pressure on either the brake or throttle. So many times I see brake lights coming on before a corner, when just lifting off the throttle a little earlier would more than suffice. Ok, rant over!
Yes, you're right, what would my old physics teacher say!
Just to clarify, the relationship between the temperature and pressure of a gas is directly proportional when the volume remains constant. However, the effect is the opposite to that which I posted previously. In other words, as temperature increases so does pressure and the pressure decreases as the temperature drops.
Too late now to edit the post to save my embarassment. I can only claim senility and multitasking as a poor excuse!
However, as you say, the point remains that high pressure may still be the problem.
If I were in Chicago, I'd go with dedicated snow tires, for sure. I don't so I've replaced the GSAs with BFG AT/KO tires and I'll (hopefully) find out soon how they do in snow (one place said snow levels of 6500, radio said 4500. I'm hoping for 4500 since I'm just under 6,000).
I also second using engine braking as much as possible - I prefer the manual Sport to the auto Unlimited in snow for that very reason.
>>>>Since you got me to respond, I might as well refer back to post 20312. "Birdjaguar" noted up to 25 mpg in his 4-cylinder wrangler. I thought I was the only one getting anywhere north of 20 mpg (my best is 24-25 mpg, also in a 2.5L I-4). >>>>>>>
Ya, I get b/w 20-25 mpg. Can't say why it varies so. Brand of gas? Weather? Road conditions? Even if all is relatively similar, it still varies. :confuse:
This is why I got a 4-cylinder, it cost less, and costs less to run, and I only off road every blue moon, so I don't need the off road power that much. Although I do miss the power of the bigger engine. Oh, well.
Actually...... and a score of others will correct me if I'm wrong.... I don't think the 4-banger gives up all that much in off-road mode. The bigger issue is driving uphill into a stiff headwind, trying to maintain something remotely close to highway speeds. My own experience has been that I can practically drive up a vertical wall if I take it slow (in my own 4 cyl), but semis are likely to pass me if I'm driving into the wind on I-44 through the Ozarks.
That aside, I do get decent mileage (mpg) for a brick on wheels if I don't push it. Plus, I've paid as low as 1.819 per gallon recently here in Okie-land.
My next Wrangler will more than likely be a 6. All in all, "Eugene" has done allright by me; so maybe I'll let some automotive-gifted buddies convince me to drop in a more serious powerplant and convert him from a daily driver into a special "mo-chine"!
I think your experience this morning was unusual. I live in the Chicago area. This morning, in my area, the snow was over a layer of ice. Treacherous as heck. I did not have to drive in it but did walk in it for a quarter or mile or so. Very difficult. Also, I can verify that you were not the only one hitting curbs.
My TJ Wrangler does very well in snow. On ice, it is a handful.
In Maryland we only had one 'good' snow storm last year which I attribute to the fact that it was my first winter with a 4wd vehicle. When I drove the Jeep in the snow in 2wd if felt terrible. When I switched to 4wd it drove like there wasn't any snow. To clarify, the snow was only 4-6 inches deep, not compacted, not icy and I didn't try to drive fast. I have an X with the stock GSA tires.
I would agree with redrocker's assessment. My 4 banger does quite well on the trails I run with Tom at TB. My only issues have been related to differential clearance and lack of lockers - an issue for most stockish Jeeps on 30x9.5's.
My wife noticed as we climbed a hill at Dogleg in TB that the passenger wheels weren't spinning. She took that as my engine not having enough power to turn em. I told her mine were going nuts! It was a case of the open diff turning the wheels with least resistance. I can fix that.
On the highway, once it is warmed up, it can run 70 - 75 with little to no problem (other than crazy gas consumption). On hills though... 50-60 is the norm. No problem, it's a Jeep, not a Ferrari!
I just got back from a family vacation to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving. We flew there from Maryland and rented a Ford Taurus for the week. None of us had ever been to LV before so it was all new and interesting, but that's not what I wanted to tell you all about.
As we flew over the SouthWest my daughter (12) and I were noticing what looked like thousands of miles of unpaved roads. When we got to LV we took one day and drove out to Red Rock Canyon. We could go back and spend a whole week hiking there! It was awesome.
Later that night we hopped on I-15 south and drove to California because my daughter had never been there and we wanted to see what the sky looks like without haze and light pollution. Oh my.... I've never seen so many stars. We could actually see the Milky Way.
On the way back to Vegas we decided to never tell the Jeep about all the off road opportunities we had seen. We're afraid it might run away from home!
Next Thanksgiving we're considering going to Arizona and doing the Phoenix/Sedona/Flagstaff/Grand Canyon tour. If only I had enough time off to drive there...
I lived in soCal, away from the lights of Los Angeles. We lived at 4,200 feet elevation in the Tehachapi mountains. No lights at all. Seeing the Milky Way and SOOO many stars, it was incredible. The closer you get to the coast, the more light polution you get.
We've done the cross country drive, but not in a Wrangler.
Red Rock is incredible - try Moab or Bryce Canyon for some mind boggling stuff!
Monument Valley in AZ, Yosemite in CA, Yellowstone in Wyoming... the western terrain is truly awe inspiring to those who have never seen it in person. To this day, I still remember the first time I saw El Capitan at Yosemite as we drove out of a tunnel in our JEEP Grand Cherokee. We had Enya playing in our CD player (seemed to fit the mood we were in) and to this day, whenever I hear it, I think of Yosemite.
Could someone with access to the FSM (Mac?) tell me how the overhead pod speaker wires are coded? I thought I had the polarity right based on info from another forum, but I'm concerned that I may have them reversed. Within the pod inself both sides are the same: one brown with yellow tracer and one brown with blue tracer. Just need to know which is positive. Thanks in advance!!
You don't mention the year of your Jeep, but for '99 and '02 the left rear + is brown/yellow, and the - is brown/light blue. The right rear + is dark blue/white, and the - is dark blue/pink.
What year is yours, and do those colors match what you have?
Sorry, you're right I should have been more specific. I have an '05 (with "7 speakers", but that shouldn't matter). The colors I mentioned are inside the pod and likely don't correspond to the runs back to the head unit. I say this because within the pods they are the same color for both left and right: one brown/yellow tracer and one brown/blue tracer. To clarify for those who may not have seen the disconnected pod, there is a modular connector that plugs into the pod, then a "dongle" inside the pods that connects to the dome light with one plug and the speaker with another. Its the wiring in this dongle that has me stumped. Thanks!
My information currently only goes as far as '03 (which is when most of the recent major changes occured). However, the color coding for the rear speakers is the same on the '03 as the earlier models. It would appear that you have the correct colors for the left rear speaker and that for some reason it has been duplicated for the right rear.
Have a look at the harness at both the head unit and the subwoofer. The colors should match the ones in my previous post there as well, except for the right rear + which becomes Grey/Dark Blue at the sub.
So you were in Vegas for Thanksgiving? You have to admit, the weather was very nice then (I was there, too). One of these days I'm going to take my brand new Panasonic camera, purchased today, to Red Rock Canyon or Valley of Fire (not all that far north of Vegas) and have a grand time. Be glad you didn't have to drive that rental car to LA - we ended up taking a dirt road that parallels Hwy 58 so we could avoid the traffic back-up at Four Corners. The first time we drove it was in the Sport, and as I remember, there were only a couple of places that really needed 4x4. However, this time it was really soft and it sure helped to have the Unlimited in 4Hi. It saved us at least an hour and maybe more, and we had a good time playing in some sand.
If you get a chance, bring your Jeep out here - it is so much fun! And if you want to see the Grand Canyon, there's a North Rim overlook, called Toroweap, that can only be reached by 80 miles of dirt road. Totally different type of view - you can see down to the Colorado river, almost a straight drop (at least that's what the photos look like). I haven't made it out there yet, but I hope to one of these days.
>>>>>The bigger issue is driving uphill into a stiff headwind, trying to maintain something remotely close to highway speeds. <<<<<<
Heh-heh, I know that feeling...whenever "the Sopwith Camel" encounters an incline on the highway, the speedometer goes counter-clockwise, unless I get some good momemtum before starting to go up. If I can't get up to some decent speed, no matter how much I floor it, it just won't go. :surprise: Then I have to shift back a gear, and watch the needle jump to the red area of the dial, then it'll pick up some speed.
I feel Snoopy would drive this car, with his goggles and long scarf, flowing in the wind... with the soft top down...I can hardly wait for spring!
No dog will ever replace my Ross Allen, and I will never love another dog as much as I loved (and still love) Rossie Pup. However, Hank is making his own place in my heart; he is not infringing on Ross's territory.
Hank has been wheelin' with me twice now, and he is off to a great start as a Jeep dog. He really seems to enjoy it, and he behaves himself very well.
This pic was taken yesterday at Turkey Bay just before we hit the trails.
My, my, my, Tom....Certainly appears to be a heart-felt smile developing on your face again! Sure looks as if Hank has found a place not only in your heart, but in Thelma Jane as well!
I'm very, very happy for you.
By the way...the last pic you posted of the "incredible lean" was awesome. Did you get...what do y'all call 'em...."trail pinstripes"?? That is some picture.
Yep, Randy, I have to admit that a love is beginning to develop between Hank and me. I will never love him or any other dog as much as I love Ross Allen, but I can still love him A LOT.
Here's a pic with even more lean. This was taken at a place where you have to go around a tree as you run the lower part of Dogleg. You have to climb the bank with your right side tires to get around that tree. This was not taken at just the right moment to capture the greatest lean, but there's still a pretty good amount in the picture.
Now here is a picture taken in Buttpucker Gulch last October. This is as crazy as I get. I have taken some damage in BP Gulch, and I have not even attempted it in a long time. I think you can see the potential for damage, huh?
As a matter of fact, I didn't make it that time. Just a little further up, the right side slipped down into the deep part of the gully, and I busted the right rear corner of the hardtop. Tub took a little damage too, but the tub corner protectors kept me from getting a lot of sheet metal damage. I had to use the winch to get out of there.
Tom - Regarding picture #2... IF THAT WERE ME, I would just get out and leave it there... go to a Jeep dealer and buy another one! More to the point, HOW in the world would one get out of that situation??
As you can tell, I am a very new Wrangler owner... haven't even had the chance to go off roading in the Northern Virginia area.
I have a 2005 Rubicon Unlimited with the Goodyear tires that came on the Jeep. I was at the mileage for a tire rotation 12K so figured I would do it myself. I did what the manual said and that was the rear tires move up front and the front tires cross over to the rear. Now im getting a little stearing wheel shimmer at very low speeds not a biggie but the main problem is the road noise from the tires has at least doubled..really!!! I had some road noise as expected but this road noise increase is unexceptable...i can hardly think and am now cranking my stereo to mid 20's and a phone call is out of the question. Are the tires directional? maybe the manual is for standard tires on a wrangler unlimited not the goodyear? I dunno but any help would be appreciated....Thanks, Jeff
I may just have to go back to the way they were and let em wear that way no rotation...anyone have this experience?
The MTRs have to be rotated a lot. They are notorious for being loud after rotations. I rotate mine every 5000 miles, and even then you're going to notice some additional tire whine for a few hundred miles.
I have experienced both problems. keats is right about the noise settling down after a few hundred miles. I also rotate mine at about 5,000 miles to reduce the time wear patterns have to develop. If you increased you air pressure, that might also contribute to noise.
The slight shimmer in the steering turned out to be a slightly bent wheel which had been on the back and caused the problem when it was moves to the front. I convinced the dealer I had never been off road or hit anything. It was replaced under warranty.
It's quite normal as the tires adapt to their new positions and the wear evens out. If you rotate your tires more frequently (I do it every 3k when I do the oil), you'll notice the effect far less.
Just as important is to include the spare in the rotation. Not only will you get more miles from your set of tires, but they will all have similar tread depth, which is important in avoiding differential wear or damage if you have to use the spare.
That's where you need to have a good spotter. You cannot see much from behind the wheel. It may not be too obvious in that picture, but you are going uphill pretty steeply while running that gully. About all you can see through the windshield is the hood of your Jeep, some sky, and some tree tops.
When you make it through Buttpucker Gulch, you thank your spotter and give him all the credit.
The trick to getting through the spot that I was in when that picture was taken is to get your left side tires as high as you can on that vertical wall, and make the right side tires take most of the weight of the Jeep. That wall on the driver's left is just too straight up and down to hold the Jeep with side bite on the tires. That's why you purposely lean the Jeep over to the right side, getting as much weight off the left side as possible.
I got through that place OK, but just beyond that place the gully gets a little wider, making it hard to straddle the deep part without one side slipping down into the deep part in the middle. You have to be on just exactly the right line to get through that part.
I'm not even sure it can be done any more, unless you have full width axles. The gully has widened over time, and I don't think I am ever going to get back in there.
Thanks for the response....i really thought i did something wrong but guess not. I didnt think about putting the spare in the rotation...good idea......I'll probably switch it out this weekend.......
I didnt think about putting the spare in the rotation...
Just use the same tire position every time (I use the right rear). Do the normal rotation, then switch the spare last of all. I also use this as an opportunity to inspect the inner sidewalls for damage, and to the clean the inside of the wheels which is hard to do normally.
Very slow on the site lately. Perhaps Range Rover Defenders are taking over. Well we are expecting 10" of snow tonight. We always get snow in Connecticut but 10" in the middle of Dec? Not looking forward to it. Go Easy, John
Hi Gang - Sorry I've been so quiet. I've tried to keep up on posts but work and family stuff has only allowed barely enough time for me to lurk here. I hope everyone is doing well and staying "calm" as we head deeper into The Holidays. Yes, I'm one of those guys that waits until the very last minute when I can't deny it any longer and frantically realize I need to buy presents in the final hours. So, the "calm" part is directed at me :P
Anyway, finally had my first snow drive in my Wrangler Unlimited and I love it!! Not that I haven't been loving or hugging my Wrangler since I bought mine in May. I had a blast coming to work this morning. There was three feet of snow piled up at the base of my driveway this morning from neighbor's plowing service. I never could have made it to work this morning if I still had my Honda Civic...no way! My Wrangler shot through the snow bank without even feeling it. I was almost disappointed that it was so easy. I drove up steep, slippery hills without problems in 4-Hi. I didn't even need the 4-Hi once I got to some two-track zones of roads but it sure was nice to stick it back in 4-Hi as I approached drifts across the roads. Very, very cool. :shades:
I'm sure nothing new to truck owners but I sure like the shear height of clearance underneath the Wrangler in deep snow. It is so nice just getting in and out without sitting down into the snow to get into or out of a car. I'm so used to years of opening a car door...wait...I mean clearing a swath of snow away so I could open the door and then crouching down, holding my breath as I get into a fetal position so I can get into my car with snow going up my pant legs...I love stepping up out of the snow and down into the snow.
Have to get back to work now but just wanted to share my feelings of my Wrangler in the snow. She handled great even with the stock GSA tires. Sure, in 2-Hi, the Wrangler's rear can get loose a little bit but I've missed that in all the years of owning a front-wheel drive vehicle. I feel the road conditions can be read better with rear-wheel drive and I actually feel more secure knowing I can use the rear-swing-out turn as necessary...might just be me but I've missed rear-wheel drive. In 4-Hi, my Wrangler is such a beast compared to my years of controlled slides in all my other vehicles on snowy Michigan mornings like today.
I have just knocked off the snow with a brush (being careful of not trying to scrape the window), and didn't try to take off any underlying the ice. Maybe it's just where I live or what, but I don't find a whole bunch of ice accumulating on the soft top's windows. And by the time I hit the freeway (about 15 minutes) the windows are fine. Our snow is either powdery or else heavy and wet, not frozen together as a solid mass.
And dispite the weather predictions of partly or mostly cloudy skies, we had our first snow shower this morning! Bring on winter!
Wish it had been so easy for me last night. Generally not too bad, but I almost wrecked the LJ. Came down a hill in traffic, with a stop sign at the bottom. We got 8-10 inches of snow all day. Waiting was a short-trailer semi with that nice metal angle-iron bar below the trailer doors for a rear bumper. As I got within 10 yards or so of the bottom I hit the patch where all the other vehicles sliding had polished it to glass-smooth. Brakes locked up, I became a passenger. Granted, it was just barely sliding, but there was no stopping it. Hockey-puck. I realized within about 10 feet that the bar on the trailer would catch the Wrangler right across the headlights. At the last moment, the trucks turn came up at the four-way, and he moved into the intersection. Saved by inches. I was going slow enough not to have totalled the Jeep, but I sure wish I had ice studs rather than GSA's at that moment.
and get some BFG AT's. They are pretty good in snow/rain from what I hear.
However, I've done some slides in parking lots after rain because all the oil on the asphalt made it like a skating rink. Once I remembered that little tidbit of info, it was fun to spin the Jeep around.
But on the road, the AT's are pretty secure, but keep in mind, no tire will be perfect in those conditions.
Snow = brake lightly and early
I slow down as much as possible w/o using the brakes and try to minimize their use in those situations.
Last year we had a 4 day ice storm. I kept my Rubicon in 4 HI the entire time. The Rubicon gearing allows you slow down really fast without having to use the brakes, and the MTRs really didn't do too bad.
.. I'm about to drop the cash to purchase some 31x10.5 BFG A/T KO's. I'm seriously considering getting some different rims at the same time, just to make my Jeep a lil' more.. unique.
I was browsing over on Quadratec, sheesh there's alot to choose from! Any suggestions?? There are prices ranging from around $70 all the way to $235 per rim! Just wondering if anyone else swapped out there rims and enjoy their new ones.
Tom: Don't take this the wrong way, okay? But you know something? You're crazy! That is insane...Yoweee...Those pics make my palms sweat!
I'm still such a wuss....raining here today, and had to drive through a construction area, resulting in mud on my Jeep without the fun of getting to get her off-road... :mad:
I'm going to have to find someway to get to TB to wheel with you....but we're definitely going in Thelma Jane! She's apparently used to your, um, "experiences"!
It would be absolutely FANTASTIC if you could come wheel with me at Turkey Bay!
Don't worry, you could take your Jeep. We never put newbies into something like Buttpucker Gulch. Like I already said, I'm not going back in there any more myself.
There are bypasses for the obstacles that you would prefer not to tackle. There's no pressure on anyone to do something that they don't want to try. We are not out there to have a contest to see who is the bravest (or craziest). We go out there to have fun.
Comments
It may be that your tire pressure is correctly set, but if the pressures were last checked when the weather was warmer, or when the tires were warm from being driven, then your tire pressures could be too high, which would aggravate the problems you were having.
Also, ABS or not, don't hit the brakes, just feather them, and try to use engine braking whenever possible. I'm sure that this doesn't apply to you, but it's amazing that some people feel they have to drive using pressure on either the brake or throttle. So many times I see brake lights coming on before a corner, when just lifting off the throttle a little earlier would more than suffice. Ok, rant over!
Terry
Just to clarify, the relationship between the temperature and pressure of a gas is directly proportional when the volume remains constant. However, the effect is the opposite to that which I posted previously. In other words, as temperature increases so does pressure and the pressure decreases as the temperature drops.
Too late now to edit the post to save my embarassment. I can only claim senility and multitasking as a poor excuse!
However, as you say, the point remains that high pressure may still be the problem.
I also second using engine braking as much as possible - I prefer the manual Sport to the auto Unlimited in snow for that very reason.
Ya, I get b/w 20-25 mpg. Can't say why it varies so. Brand of gas? Weather? Road conditions? Even if all is relatively similar, it still varies. :confuse:
This is why I got a 4-cylinder, it cost less, and costs less to run, and I only off road every blue moon, so I don't need the off road power that much. Although I do miss the power of the bigger engine. Oh, well.
That aside, I do get decent mileage (mpg) for a brick on wheels if I don't push it. Plus, I've paid as low as 1.819 per gallon recently here in Okie-land.
My next Wrangler will more than likely be a 6. All in all, "Eugene" has done allright by me; so maybe I'll let some automotive-gifted buddies convince me to drop in a more serious powerplant and convert him from a daily driver into a special "mo-chine"!
Y.H!
Gary
I think your experience this morning was unusual. I live in the Chicago area. This morning, in my area, the snow was over a layer of ice. Treacherous as heck. I did not have to drive in it but did walk in it for a quarter or mile or so. Very difficult. Also, I can verify that you were not the only one hitting curbs.
My TJ Wrangler does very well in snow. On ice, it is a handful.
Terry
YMMV.
Yours in Jeep Coolness,
Dave
Annapolis, MD
My wife noticed as we climbed a hill at Dogleg in TB that the passenger wheels weren't spinning. She took that as my engine not having enough power to turn em. I told her mine were going nuts! It was a case of the open diff turning the wheels with least resistance. I can fix that.
On the highway, once it is warmed up, it can run 70 - 75 with little to no problem (other than crazy gas consumption). On hills though... 50-60 is the norm. No problem, it's a Jeep, not a Ferrari!
-Paul
As we flew over the SouthWest my daughter (12) and I were noticing what looked like thousands of miles of unpaved roads. When we got to LV we took one day and drove out to Red Rock Canyon. We could go back and spend a whole week hiking there! It was awesome.
Later that night we hopped on I-15 south and drove to California because my daughter had never been there and we wanted to see what the sky looks like without haze and light pollution. Oh my.... I've never seen so many stars. We could actually see the Milky Way.
On the way back to Vegas we decided to never tell the Jeep about all the off road opportunities we had seen. We're afraid it might run away from home!
Next Thanksgiving we're considering going to Arizona and doing the Phoenix/Sedona/Flagstaff/Grand Canyon tour. If only I had enough time off to drive there...
Yours in Jeep Coolness,
Dave
We've done the cross country drive, but not in a Wrangler.
Red Rock is incredible - try Moab or Bryce Canyon for some mind boggling stuff!
Monument Valley in AZ, Yosemite in CA, Yellowstone in Wyoming... the western terrain is truly awe inspiring to those who have never seen it in person. To this day, I still remember the first time I saw El Capitan at Yosemite as we drove out of a tunnel in our JEEP Grand Cherokee. We had Enya playing in our CD player (seemed to fit the mood we were in) and to this day, whenever I hear it, I think of Yosemite.
Glad you had a great trip!
-Paul
Mark
What year is yours, and do those colors match what you have?
Have a look at the harness at both the head unit and the subwoofer. The colors should match the ones in my previous post there as well, except for the right rear + which becomes Grey/Dark Blue at the sub.
Mark
If you get a chance, bring your Jeep out here - it is so much fun! And if you want to see the Grand Canyon, there's a North Rim overlook, called Toroweap, that can only be reached by 80 miles of dirt road. Totally different type of view - you can see down to the Colorado river, almost a straight drop (at least that's what the photos look like). I haven't made it out there yet, but I hope to one of these days.
Heh-heh, I know that feeling...whenever "the Sopwith Camel" encounters an incline on the highway, the speedometer goes counter-clockwise, unless I get some good momemtum before starting to go up. If I can't get up to some decent speed, no matter how much I floor it, it just won't go. :surprise: Then I have to shift back a gear, and watch the needle jump to the red area of the dial, then it'll pick up some speed.
I feel Snoopy would drive this car, with his goggles and long scarf, flowing in the wind... with the soft top down...I can hardly wait for spring!
Hank has been wheelin' with me twice now, and he is off to a great start as a Jeep dog. He really seems to enjoy it, and he behaves himself very well.
This pic was taken yesterday at Turkey Bay just before we hit the trails.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
I'm very, very happy for you.
By the way...the last pic you posted of the "incredible lean" was awesome. Did you get...what do y'all call 'em...."trail pinstripes"?? That is some picture.
Dedicating this post in memory of Ross Allen....
Randy
Here's a pic with even more lean. This was taken at a place where you have to go around a tree as you run the lower part of Dogleg. You have to climb the bank with your right side tires to get around that tree. This was not taken at just the right moment to capture the greatest lean, but there's still a pretty good amount in the picture.
Now here is a picture taken in Buttpucker Gulch last October. This is as crazy as I get. I have taken some damage in BP Gulch, and I have not even attempted it in a long time. I think you can see the potential for damage, huh?
As a matter of fact, I didn't make it that time. Just a little further up, the right side slipped down into the deep part of the gully, and I busted the right rear corner of the hardtop. Tub took a little damage too, but the tub corner protectors kept me from getting a lot of sheet metal damage. I had to use the winch to get out of there.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
Cool pic's! I need to take a trip down there one of these days and meet you guys.
-Rob
As you can tell, I am a very new Wrangler owner... haven't even had the chance to go off roading in the Northern Virginia area.
Lots of education to come, I am sure!
Chuck
I may just have to go back to the way they were and let em wear that way no rotation...anyone have this experience?
They will start to quiet down after a while...
I have experienced both problems. keats is right about the noise settling down after a few hundred miles. I also rotate mine at about 5,000 miles to reduce the time wear patterns have to develop. If you increased you air pressure, that might also contribute to noise.
The slight shimmer in the steering turned out to be a slightly bent wheel which had been on the back and caused the problem when it was moves to the front. I convinced the dealer I had never been off road or hit anything. It was replaced under warranty.
Terry
Just as important is to include the spare in the rotation. Not only will you get more miles from your set of tires, but they will all have similar tread depth, which is important in avoiding differential wear or damage if you have to use the spare.
That's where you need to have a good spotter. You cannot see much from behind the wheel. It may not be too obvious in that picture, but you are going uphill pretty steeply while running that gully. About all you can see through the windshield is the hood of your Jeep, some sky, and some tree tops.
When you make it through Buttpucker Gulch, you thank your spotter and give him all the credit.
The trick to getting through the spot that I was in when that picture was taken is to get your left side tires as high as you can on that vertical wall, and make the right side tires take most of the weight of the Jeep. That wall on the driver's left is just too straight up and down to hold the Jeep with side bite on the tires. That's why you purposely lean the Jeep over to the right side, getting as much weight off the left side as possible.
I got through that place OK, but just beyond that place the gully gets a little wider, making it hard to straddle the deep part without one side slipping down into the deep part in the middle. You have to be on just exactly the right line to get through that part.
I'm not even sure it can be done any more, unless you have full width axles. The gully has widened over time, and I don't think I am ever going to get back in there.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
-Paul
Just use the same tire position every time (I use the right rear). Do the normal rotation, then switch the spare last of all. I also use this as an opportunity to inspect the inner sidewalls for damage, and to the clean the inside of the wheels which is hard to do normally.
:shades:
Anyway, finally had my first snow drive in my Wrangler Unlimited and I love it!! Not that I haven't been loving or hugging my Wrangler since I bought mine in May. I had a blast coming to work this morning. There was three feet of snow piled up at the base of my driveway this morning from neighbor's plowing service. I never could have made it to work this morning if I still had my Honda Civic...no way! My Wrangler shot through the snow bank without even feeling it. I was almost disappointed that it was so easy. I drove up steep, slippery hills without problems in 4-Hi. I didn't even need the 4-Hi once I got to some two-track zones of roads but it sure was nice to stick it back in 4-Hi as I approached drifts across the roads. Very, very cool. :shades:
I'm sure nothing new to truck owners but I sure like the shear height of clearance underneath the Wrangler in deep snow. It is so nice just getting in and out without sitting down into the snow to get into or out of a car. I'm so used to years of opening a car door...wait...I mean clearing a swath of snow away so I could open the door and then crouching down, holding my breath as I get into a fetal position so I can get into my car with snow going up my pant legs...I love stepping up out of the snow and down into the snow.
Have to get back to work now but just wanted to share my feelings of my Wrangler in the snow. She handled great even with the stock GSA tires. Sure, in 2-Hi, the Wrangler's rear can get loose a little bit but I've missed that in all the years of owning a front-wheel drive vehicle. I feel the road conditions can be read better with rear-wheel drive and I actually feel more secure knowing I can use the rear-swing-out turn as necessary...might just be me but I've missed rear-wheel drive. In 4-Hi, my Wrangler is such a beast compared to my years of controlled slides in all my other vehicles on snowy Michigan mornings like today.
I LOVE MY WRANGLER!!!
And dispite the weather predictions of partly or mostly cloudy skies, we had our first snow shower this morning! Bring on winter!
At the last moment, the trucks turn came up at the four-way, and he moved into the intersection. Saved by inches. I was going slow enough not to have totalled the Jeep, but I sure wish I had ice studs rather than GSA's at that moment.
However, I've done some slides in parking lots after rain because all the oil on the asphalt made it like a skating rink. Once I remembered that little tidbit of info, it was fun to spin the Jeep around.
But on the road, the AT's are pretty secure, but keep in mind, no tire will be perfect in those conditions.
Snow = brake lightly and early
I slow down as much as possible w/o using the brakes and try to minimize their use in those situations.
-Paul
I was browsing over on Quadratec, sheesh there's alot to choose from! Any suggestions?? There are prices ranging from around $70 all the way to $235 per rim! Just wondering if anyone else swapped out there rims and enjoy their new ones.
Thanks.
Looks
Material (aluminum vs steel)
To accomodate larger/wider tires
Steel wheels will be cheaper and heavier than aluminum.
Lower backspacing numbers will mean they stick out further from the body and allow wider tires.
Have fun with your search, but be sure to find wheels with 5x4.5" bolt pattern.
-Paul
I'm still such a wuss....raining here today, and had to drive through a construction area, resulting in mud on my Jeep without the fun of getting to get her off-road... :mad:
I'm going to have to find someway to get to TB to wheel with you....but we're definitely going in Thelma Jane! She's apparently used to your, um, "experiences"!
How's Hank doing?
Randy
It would be absolutely FANTASTIC if you could come wheel with me at Turkey Bay!
Don't worry, you could take your Jeep. We never put newbies into something like Buttpucker Gulch. Like I already said, I'm not going back in there any more myself.
There are bypasses for the obstacles that you would prefer not to tackle. There's no pressure on anyone to do something that they don't want to try. We are not out there to have a contest to see who is the bravest (or craziest). We go out there to have fun.
When can you make it???
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?