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Jeep Wrangler

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  • jefferson1964jefferson1964 Member Posts: 330
    Thanks for all the input on the lifting the jeep. I already want to go higher like 3" to 4" on a lift with a 1" Body lift and know darn well it would look great and work well. However, the price to get what i want done is close to $2,000 for the kit and installation and the wife just wont go for it...but at $230 i get no argument and i can do it myself..at least i think i can, lol..........
  • jefferson1964jefferson1964 Member Posts: 330
    I was curious as to what PSI anyone running the Goodyears that come on the rubicon. Ive got mine at 40psi had em at 30 for a while,,,nice ride but was prematurely wearing out the tires and is why im getting such a loud whine now that ive rotated the tires. Im thinking 40psi for the street is good but need validation as i really dont know....
  • randyacerandyace Member Posts: 96
    Tom: You're still nuts!!! Are you serious? Pic #2 is unbelieveable....wow....

    If I haven't already identified myself as completely off-road ignorant...I have to ask: In pic #1, surely you are scraping the sides of Thelma Jane?? I would also suspect your fender flares take some punishment.

    (My wife just looked over my shoulder at the pics...I believe she muttered something to the effect "don't even think about it!")

    I keep reminding myself that's why I got a Jeep in the first place. I'm going to have to start sometime and get eXcalibur broken in.

    Could I maybe start with a PuppyLeg???? :blush:

    Randy
  • mac24mac24 Member Posts: 3,910
    I don't have one, but what pressure does your manual recommend?
  • cbeascbeas Member Posts: 14
    Jon Robert,

    Honk if you see me. I'm in and out of Pelham all the time. I lived in Stonehaven in Pelham before moving to Helena a few years ago. Maybe we can find a dirt pile to explore around here together sometime when the new car smell wears off!

    Chad
  • cbeascbeas Member Posts: 14
    Tom,

    Thanks for the welcome and the invitation. Maybe someday I can break away for a weekend for a beginners lesson with the famous tsjay!

    Chad
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Randy:

    No, Thelma Jane was not touching anything, not even her flares.

    I DO have misshapen flares from flexing and tires getting shoved into them, and the flares have been "scoured" on rock walls in some of the gullies I have run, especially from the failed attempts to run Buttpucker Gulch.

    Yeah, that guy in the second picture got a little out of shape, huh? His left front tire was in contact with the side of the gully, I think.

    Come on up, Randy. You don't have to run anything you don't want to try. There's plenty of fun to be had just doing some of the easier stuff.

    Tom
    Have you hugged your Jeep today?
  • jonrobertjonrobert Member Posts: 3
    I would love to get the jeeps dirty!! I actually took it out with a friend of mine the day I got it. The land in Helena that is owned by the Beardens (behind the quarry, etc) that is being developed. It backs right up to our neighborhood. We drove all through that and ended up driving right out of the woods into our neighbor's back yard. Needless to say they were pretty suprised by our visit!
  • erickplerickpl Member Posts: 2,735
    My wife saw some of Tom's pics and was admittedly nervous when she went there with me.

    EVERY TB obstacle has a bypass of some type if you do not want to do an obstacle. You can go to TB and come back with as little or as much damage as you want. :)

    If you do an obstacle, you always run the risk of bumping or scraping or bending.

    But it is worth it. My passenger fender is a bit tweaked, but I love it.

    -Paul
  • koolbreeze2koolbreeze2 Member Posts: 252
    Very nice picture. I like the same colored flares . The Elves are also a nice touch:) John
  • keatskeats Member Posts: 412
    I've had the stock MTRs on my Rubicon at 35 psi since new. I'm at 12K miles now and no signs of wear. Can't emphasize enough staying on a good tire rotation schedule every 3 to 5K.
  • goducks1goducks1 Member Posts: 432
    Caught on film while waiting to be sent to the Detroit Auto Show in a couple weeks.
    image
  • 4rider4rider Member Posts: 96
    " bought the $300 winch vs. not having one any time soon. "

    It sounds like a great deal. Is there a link you can provide so I can get more info on this winch? thx
  • keatskeats Member Posts: 412
    What a shame, no more paddle handles...
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Top 10 Car-Themed Gifts for Kids

    Check out the Wrangler link under the Fisher-Price Power Wheels category. Even comes with an FM radio in the dash!

    Steve, Host
  • jefferson1964jefferson1964 Member Posts: 330
    Mac,

    I checked the manual....i seem to have the regular unlimited manual and not one for the rubicon....just noticed last weekend..... :-(
  • jefferson1964jefferson1964 Member Posts: 330
    The Rock Krawler brand....i found a website that is offering nice christmas discount and free shipping on Rock Krawler lifts...so i can pick up a 3" on the cheap or a 2" even cheaper....Its just i have never heard of em before like teraflex, rubicon express..etc..

    Good or bad..Thanks, Jeff.......
  • div2div2 Member Posts: 2,580
    Santa brought our son a Power Wheels Wrangler eight years ago; time flies... :(
    Anyway, he must have driven it up and down our half mile farm road/driveway ahundred times. He took real good care of it, so it still looks new-and holds a parking spot in the heated garage.
  • erickplerickpl Member Posts: 2,735
    I've heard not so good things about their Liberty (KJ) kits, but no experience of their Wrangler kits.

    Sorry.

    How much you wanting to spend on a lift?

    -Paul
  • goducks1goducks1 Member Posts: 432
    Closer shot of that door:

    image
  • 06tj4banger06tj4banger Member Posts: 39
    It's been a while since I posted, but I have been busy with my dog Bailey. He had surgery recently to have 2 tumors/growths removed. I haven't heard from the lab yet, but the last one was not cancerous. Hope everyone is doing ok!

    -Rob
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Rob:

    Hoping and praying for the best for Bailey.

    Keep us posted.

    Tom
    Have you hugged your Jeep today?
  • wpowellwpowell Member Posts: 125
    I found the winch at Sam's Wholesale Club (owned by WalMart, I think they are national). It is rated at 7,500#, packaged with a roller fairlead and "universal" mounting plate that would probably work on a CJ, but not my TJ. Looks identical to the Black Mountain 8K# that is advertised in all of the rags. Can't really speak to performance or reliability yet, but if it extracts me once it'll be worth the $300 because I'm typically in the woods without another vehicle around. I've only unwound and tensioned the cable at this point.

    Mark
  • wpowellwpowell Member Posts: 125
    I have one still in the box awaiting delivery by Santa to my kids (4 yr old girl, 18 month old boy). It will be loaded on my utility trailer and hauled behind my Wrangler to my parent's house on Christmas day. Got that mental picture? A Rubicon tow vehicle pulling a Fisher-Price trail rig :blush:

    Mark
  • erickplerickpl Member Posts: 2,735
    Be sure to get a pic of that! :)

    -Paul
  • 06tj4banger06tj4banger Member Posts: 39
    Tom,

    Thanks! He is doing great since the surgery...just waiting on the lab results.

    -Rob
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    What Paul said; be sure and post a pic of the rigs. Maybe you can find a ditch somewhere and recreate Tom's famous (infamous?) BP Gulch pic with the kids too.

    Gee, when I was a kid I was nailing roller skates (with steel wheels) to 2x4's....

    Steve, Host
  • erickplerickpl Member Posts: 2,735
    Heh, I know about THAT... and I thought my Jeep was getting top heavy! :)

    It took nothing to roll that kind of sled! :)

    -Paul
  • embeedueceembeeduece Member Posts: 260
    I just got caught up on 111 posts. My head hurts from reading about tire rotation.

    I bought one of those Wrangler Power Wheels by Fisher Price yesterday. Think I first heard of them here in this group -- might have been a picture Tom posted a ways back. A child being "pulled over" by highway patrol or something like that.

    My nephew and nieces got such a kick out of riding in my Wrangler -- more so than any of the rides at Disneyland -- I decided to get them their own Jeep.

    If you do decide to get one, trust me and get it online -- even if it takes a while to ship. I had a hilarious comedy of errors trying to fit the Power Wheels Wrangler box into my actual Wrangler. (Ironies abound.) Suffice it to say I was having to try every configuration possible to make it fit. Top up, top down, rear seat folded up, rear seat removed, doors on, doors off... Ugh.

    For the record, it appeared to me that the Jeep is available in red from WalMart and yellow from Toys R Us / Amazon. You can also find a Barbie version, a Fireman version, a few others. But the basic one is red or yellow.

    Also, I saw in my Big Lots circular, that they've got some last generation ones (i.e. no working FM radio, and different colors).

    More info than anyone probably wanted, but if you're in the market for one, there you go.

    BTW, if any of these toy Jeeps develop death wobble, I'm seriously giving up.

    -Mike
  • div2div2 Member Posts: 2,580
    My son flipped his Power Wheels Wrangler trying to drive it up a rock retaining wall.
    Bad news: Didn't have my video camera.
    Good News: The roll bar actually works!
  • wpowellwpowell Member Posts: 125
    There are so many knowledgable, experienced Jeepers here that it isn't often that I have advice to offer up. I missed a chance a couple of months ago, but its Friday so I'll offer it up. Some of you may recall that I bought a cheap winch and it took me a month or so to get around to installing it. During that time I was having dinner with my very proper, religious, stiff in-laws when my wife announced that I had bought a winch for my Jeep but apparently didn't know how to install it, to which I replied "I've been mounting wenches (note spelling) since before you were born". My wife, who is only 2 years my junior, actually laughed; my in-laws did not. If you ever find yourself headed down this trail I would suggest that look for the bypass. On second thought, I think I would do it again. :P
  • 99tj99tj Member Posts: 187
    Mike, hilarious post! Love the Death Wobble toy Jeep comment.

    Randy,
    Back in August I went to the Paragon, PA Jeep Jamboree and had a blast. It was my fist off-roading experience and I loved it. I signed up for the mild stuff and that was more than enough for me. I didn't realize I could have so much fun going 1 mph. I did come away with some minor scratches from limbs and brush, but I went in with that in mind.

    Something to keep in mind if one of the 2006 Jamborees is near you.

    -Dan
  • jeff62301jeff62301 Member Posts: 310
    I velcro strap one to the roll bar, all the way to the back of the jeep.

    jts
  • jeff62301jeff62301 Member Posts: 310
    I put my spare in the rotation because I don't want a 3 year old unused tire hanging off the back of my jeep when its time to replace the other 4.

    I may not want to buy BFG ATs the next time I buy new tires.

    jeff
  • wpowellwpowell Member Posts: 125
    I carried mine around behind the back seat for a while, but I worry about things like that flying around in a crash. With my luck the thing would decapitate me. I drilled two small holes in the edges of the blade and have it secured across the radiator support rods with two 1/4" bolts with wing nuts and a velcro strap around the handle. Easy to get to, out of site, no rattles...seems to work well so far.

    Mark
  • barnz_69barnz_69 Member Posts: 75
    Hi everyone,

    Hope everyone is having a happy and safe holiday season.

    Anyhow, I was just wondering...

    I'm planning on getting some new tires and wheels (BFG MT's and AR black wheels)in the new year, and am curious as to whether or not the spare tire carrier can accomodate a tire size 30x9.5 or 31x10.5? I haven't quite decided on the size (I have the four banger, so I'm leaning towards the 30's), but I just want to know if the spare carrier can accomodate, without any issues, a tire of either size.

    As always, thanks for your responses.

    Ryan

    PS: I am already sure of the MT's...I encounter lots of mud when I off-road, so a good mud tire is necessary. However, can someone recommend the proper wheel size (15x7 or 8)to accomodate such tires.

    Again, thanks!
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Ryan:

    Get some 15 x 8 rims with 4" backspacing. Then you can use the 10.50" wide tires without rubbing anything with the inside of the tires. You MIGHT need to adjust the steering stops is all.

    I would go with the 31 x 10.50 tires, even with the four banger. Your Jeep will look much better with the 31's, and you'll have that extra 0.5" ground clearance that just might be important sometime.

    I like your choice of tire and wheel. That's the combo I run, BFG Muds and AR767 wheels.

    Tom
    Have you hugged your Jeep today?
  • barnz_69barnz_69 Member Posts: 75
    Thanks, Tom, I'll take your advice. The one inch probably won't make too much a difference to the four-banger, but it may on the trail.

    Will a 31" fit on the spare tire carrier?

    Ryan
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Ryan:

    Yep. I was able to use the standard spare tire carrier with no modifications for my 31 x 10.50 spare.

    Tom
    Have you hugged your Jeep today?
  • erickplerickpl Member Posts: 2,735
    30's are too small. :)

    31's make a huge difference and that .5" may mean the difference as to whether your differentials clear an obstacle or the high center in a rutted trail. Ask me how I know. :)

    -Paul
  • barnz_69barnz_69 Member Posts: 75
    Thanks a bunch, guys, I really appreciate it. I'll definitely go with the 31's then!

    Ryan
  • gman1259gman1259 Member Posts: 209
    I replaced my 30” tire package with a set of Rubicon tires and wheels. When I put the wheels side by side the 31's looked huge. I am surprise that I am only getting ½” more of clearance.

    Are the 30” tires they sell on the Wrangler really 30”?

    By the way, my speedometer appears to be dead on with the Rubicon tires.
  • mac24mac24 Member Posts: 3,910
    Yes, the 30" GSAs really are 30" in diameter. Don't forget that the Rubicon wheels are 16" compared to your original 15" ones, and the MTRs have a more pronounced tread pattern, both of which combine to make the Rubicon wheel/tire package look bigger than perhaps it really is.

    Your observation on the speedometer is correct. The speedo gear supplied for the 30" tire/3.73 diff is about 4% optimistic.
  • randyacerandyace Member Posts: 96
    Dan:

    "...going 1 mph."

    That's funny...sounds exactly like what I would/will say. Thanks for the encouragement!

    Randy
  • drewmeisterdrewmeister Member Posts: 168
    I'm really wanting to do this same thing. How has it worked out? I've been watching a bunch of ebay auctions, and even saw one local, but I won't have the money for another month...

    I remember that Fourwheeler did an article once comparing a bunch of 33's from different brands, and they did vary quite a bit (from like 32 to 34 actual inches). Might be worth measuring my GSA's when I get home to see the tale o' the tape...

    Seems that my auto-tranny takes even the slightest opportunity to shift instantly into overdrive and ping the motor. There is a pronounced ping at around 1700 rpm, and the tranny wants to shift into OD on any long hill in traffic, until the accelerator is jammed or the OD Off switch is set. I'm worried about this tendency to become worse with taller tires.
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Drew:

    You know it really doesn't hurt anything to drive with the OD locked out. When you are in territory that makes your tranny want to shift to OD when you don't want it to, just leave OD turned off. Only use OD out on the highway, not around town. Even on the highway, if you get into hilly country, leave the OD turned off. That will help you get up the hills, and it will help you keep your speed down going down the hills.

    Tom
    Have you hugged your Jeep today?
  • mac24mac24 Member Posts: 3,910
    .......the tranny wants to shift into OD on any long hill in traffic, until the accelerator is jammed or the OD Off switch is set. I'm worried about this tendency to become worse with taller tires

    It probably will, as you're changing the overall gearing.

    Tom explained it nicely, the switch is there for a reason.
  • davids1davids1 Member Posts: 411
    Check out the tire manufacturer's web sites. They have specs and sizes (true dimensions) of most, if not all, of their tires. That should allow you to make a good comparison between tires.
  • mac24mac24 Member Posts: 3,910
    Should probably add that the deeper the tread, the more the diameter will change as the tire wears within its acceptable limits.
  • drewmeisterdrewmeister Member Posts: 168
    Ok, not to be contrary, as I appreciate everyone's advice, but I sort of disagree. I worked for Dodge for years doing service writing, and I know that the switch exists for a reason. However, the reason is meant to be improving engine braking downhill, and controlling speed, especially when towing. I have owned several other vehicles with OD lockout switches, and did not find it necessary to constantly have to jam the throttle or hit the switch to keep the vehicle from lugging itself down to a stalling speed while going UPHILL. As you can imagine, this is a bit rough on the gas usage, as well as the plastic bumpers of the poor folks in front of you. The TCU (transmission control unit) should sense the vacuum situation, compare it to extremely low rpm and vehicle speed, and shift down by itself. Otherwise, what you have is not an automatic, but a clutchless manual. I'm saying the throttle position setting for this is wrong on newer Wranglers with the 42RLE. My XJ had none of these issues, even when lifted. Even my Windstar minivan never had this problem, and could deal with relatively slow highway driving without constant fiddling with switches to maintain speed. And it was super-heavy with less horsepower. I'm just saying it may be a design error. This is my third Jeep, and the only one that was so aggravating to drive in heavy traffic. No offense meant, but after giving Jeep profit on three vehicles, I'm allowed to gripe a little.
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