Episode 351 – Will Jeep Release a Rubicon Pickup?
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This Week In Jeep:
Jeep and Dog Stolen From Couple at Hospital
Speaking from experience I know all too well what it’s like to have something stolen. Some of our long time listeners know that I’ve had numerous experiences with something leaving my possession unwarranted. So when I saw this story flow like a tidal wave through social media over the last week or so, my heart reached out to them as I could definitely relate to certain elements of their story. Samantha Worley of Yelm Washington says she had a severe panic attack middle of last week, and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital in Tacoma. Her husband, Richard, followed along in their 1991 Jeep Cherokee with Ivey their 5yr old Labrador in the back. They were in the hospital for about an hour before Richard decided to go check on the dog. That’s when he came to discover the empty parking spot where the Jeep, and his dog once were. The couple checked with hospital security, who told them it wasn’t towed, and there was no broken glass. They called Tacoma police, and reported the crime.
At the hospital, the wife just coming down from a full blown panic attack, and now they have no Jeep and no dog. Feeling utterly hopeless and violated, the couple did what most of us would do in times of loss, and turned to social media for help and support. Seeing that they cared more about the dog than the Jeep, Neighbors and strangers alike from around the area offered to help look for the dog themselves and the story was shared more than 100 times. Richard Worley – the husband – says for the couple, the dog is everything.
“I just got out of the Army recently and was struggling a bit. She’s not technically a therapy dog, but she is to us,” he said.
Without their Jeep, the couple couldn’t really get out and search much for Ivey…. and they think the person may not have even known about the dog until later down the road. Their biggest fear at this point, was that the dog could still be in the Jeep and that they just dumped the rig somewhere and left her in it. The story all but went viral. Thankfully, Wednesday, the Jeep was found. And keeping nearly to the only connection she had to her home, ivey the 5yr old lab was found nearby, in good health, and very happy to be reunited with her family.
Off Road Trim For Jeep’s New Pickup?
September started off with some lackluster spy photo releases of the upcoming 2019 Jeep Pickup. We are of course still awaiting the official name, but for now we’re calling it the Scrambler. The last batch of pics we saw had heavy vinyl camouflage covering up much of it. This time there’s far less blankets hiding the goods. There’s still plenty of the garbage bag-like material obstructing the eye, but we can finally make out some of the details. As expected, there aren’t too many surprises–it still looks like a Wrangler, but with a pickup bed …..and all the details so far seem to support that.
There are a few interesting new developments to report this time. The last time we reported on the Scrambler test mule, it was noted that it had a mishmash of components from older JK versions of the Wrangler, and even some Chrysler 300 components. Those all seem to be gone now (thank god) and have finally been replaced with some modern equipment from the JL version of the Wrangler. But not just ANY JL Wrangler…. It seems Jeep has heard our concerns about whether or not the new pickup was still going to retain the off road prowess of it’s Wrangler Cousin.
In a few of these new spy photos you can just make out the distinctive black interior with red trim from the current JL Rubicon. On top of that, it has a nice set of chunky 285/70R17 Falken off-road tires that are also hallmarks of the Rubicon Trim. So if it acts like a duck and quacks like a duck, …are you thinking what I’M thinking?…. We may very well have an Rubicon Trim Level Option for the new Scrambler when it comes out.
Off-road enthusiasts should rejoice in the fact we can confirm for the first time there will be rock rails on the Scrambler. We can’t really make out much else through the vinyl though, but it’s a promising sign. We’re fast approaching the time for a full reveal from FCA. I mean like any day now! My gut though is telling me that we won’t see a full reveal until some time this Winter, …fingers crossed of course.
Contributor Segment:
Steve 4.3LXJ – Jeep Tips!
Wrangler Talk:
Women’s Wheeling Day Tammy Takes It To the Next Level
Tony and Josh I am going to get a little teary eyed Four years ago I was welcomed into a community with open arms. I was given support and encouragement like I have never received before. My joy for a new passion began to grow from an incredibly positive environment while I was surrounded by other women in a new sport I was starting out in. This set an amazing foundation for a love that continues to this day. That community was the offroading community, specifically women off roaders.This past Saturday was the sixth annual Women’s Wheeling Day event at Rausch Creek Off Road Park. The largest all women’s off road wheeling event in the United States. My 5th one. They created this event with a vision of a day on the trails where women can be among their peers in a welcoming and supportive environment. One of the founders had a bad first experience offroading and she didn’t want that to happen to other women. This event grew from eight women wheelers that first year in 2013 to a couple of hundred this year. In 2014 I joined the event as a first time woman wheeler, and the past three years have actively participated volunteering my time as a tail gunner. A tail gunner works with the trail guide to safely guide off-roaders through the trails. I was the tail gunner for Group 13, a group of Jeepers new to the trails. All but one of the women had never laid a tire off-road with the exception of snow and sand. Some were nervous, some were excited but apprehensive not knowing what to expect. It was nearing the end of the day and we headed over to the Northeast section of the park where there were a lot of green trails. However some of these trails were effected by teh floods of this summer. We were told the soem of the greens were now blues or blacks due to the wash outs and other flood damage. However they shared with us the “good” ones. During our ride the Grand Cherokee punctured a tire on an exposed tree root so we took the time to change the tire. We decided we weren’t going to make it back in time for the raffle so we turned around which made me the trail guide. I ended up being the trail guide for a small part of the day. I had the opportunity to guide these first time off-roaders up and over obstacles. They were able to gain confidence each time they successfully traversed the trails. It was an amazing day seeing the smiles and hearing the hooray’s as we wheeled around the green trails at Rausch Creek Off-Road Park. To give back to a community that I call my family and have come to love fills my heart with so much joy. To help give these first timers the confidence to continue to take their Jeeps off-road is worth more than my joy of wheeling on the more difficult trails. I am counting the days to next years event where I will volunteer my time to be a trail guide. These women have thanked me for the awesome day they had but I need to thank them for giving me the confidence to know I can trail guide. The confidence to know I can successfully spot a Jeeper through and obstacle.
Interview with:
Ryan Ward a.k.a. Dr. Moab
Loose Screws Tour October, Big NAXJA 35 anniversary, Friend Flying in from Australia
Tech Talk With Jeep Talk:
Listener Jeff W. – Write-In Question
This week we have a tech question that is common to just about any Jeeper regardless of the model or year of Jeep they drive. And it’s a topic that any of us new to the offroad world may ask or hear at some point. And that is tire size. Jeff W. went over to Jeeptalkshow.com/contact, and used our info there to reach out to the show and submit his question. He writes: “I am new to jeepin’, bought my JL Sport back in July and am ready to start upgrading. I have been researching larger tires and am getting conflicting information maybe y’all can help me with. I am thinking of going to a 33” tire and have seen where some say no lift required and others say it will slightly rub. A simple solution I have found was to replace the Stock Springs and shocks with shocks and springs out of a Rubicon which should net about 1 1/4” of lift. What are your thoughts on doing this? Love the show and have been listening to back episodes while I work, keep up the good work. Thank you, Jeffrey W.
Hi Jeff, thanks for writing in. Information is coming out of the woodwork about the new JL and JLU Wranglers. They’re quickly becoming one of Jeep’s best selling vehicles. Stock they’re nothing to laugh at with an all new axle and drivetrain that is already steps above previous generations. However, that’s not say there isn’t room for modifications. That’s what we do to our Jeeps once bitten by the bug. We modify, improve, and make them our own. Jeff is no exception, and he’s already off to a good start knowing what he wants and what he wants to do with it. The problem is that never lasts for very long, and I give it a year before Jeffrey here is contemplating 37’s. …..But i digress. Jeff’s concerns are valid and worth noting. He knows being new to the sport, he’s not going to know everything, and he’s going to get overwhelmed quickly with all the info that’s out there, so getting the facts is good place to start. The JL Sport comes stock with 31″ tires, while the rubicon comes with 32″ tires. They are actually metric versions of these and the true tire size is a little larger. Now… It’s true that Jeff could turn to craigslist or ebay and try his luck picking up a set of takeoffs from someone who has already lifted their Jeep and is selling their old factory stuff. And hopefully he doesn’t get screwed or end up with overly worn parts. There is some slight debate over the exact net gain in lift, but lets say for the sake of argument it’s about 1″. Now I don’t know where Jeff is from, but around here the older JK rubicon springs and shocks can be had for right around $100 – $150. For the brand new take offs from a 2018 JL, they range on average from about $300 – $400. There is another option though. Companies like Extreme Terrain sell what are called “Leveling Kits” for the 2018 Jeep Wranglers. These come in different variations that will range from a very basic spacer kit, to a more complete kit that even has shocks. All Jeeps come with just a little rake. That is to say that the front is just a pinch lower than the rear of the Jeep. This is by design and is because of things like crash safety, aerodynamics, and fuel economy… all things we do NOT buy a Jeep for. So a leveling kit addresses this uneven stance while simultaneously giving you a tiny bit of lift. Typically around 1 to 1.5 inches. This allows you to run a slightly larger tire making your jeep a little more capable and a little more aggressive. Now Jeff just bought his Jeep and it’s still going to be under warranty. And although any leveling kit can be installed in an afternoon with common hand tools, we start getting into possible warranty issues. Technically this can be considered a modification to the Suspension and may void his warranty. Mopar makes a small 2” lift kit that keeps the warranty and let’s you run 35” tires. This typically runs in the $1500 range, and we haven’t addressed the install or even new tires yet. So that may be an option well out of reach for Jeffrey. In any case, a lot of this is going to come down to budget, and one place you may be able to save some money on IS the tires. TireRack.com is a good place to see what’s out there, and what sort of reviews they’re getting. Comparing prices of metric to standard tires in some cases you can save a couple hundred bucks by sacrificing a couple hundreths of an inch in size. Of course you have to have the right size wheel to match, so you may need to do some searching around to find the right combo. That’s not to say of course keeping the factory wheels isnt an option. The stock 17” alloy wheel found on the sport trim level is plenty capable of supporting a 33” tall tire or a metric equivalent. But here’s my bottom line piece of advice for Jeff or any new Jeeper that is in a similar position to Jeff. Reach out to your local Jeep clubs. Find someone with a set of 33’s and offer to buy them lunch if they let you do a little tire comparison. I’ve done this for people on multiple occasions. Take a pair of my wheels and tires and temporarily mount them on someone else’s Jeep. They get to see their ride in a new light, get to determine if the tire size they are thinking of will fit, and if there will be any other issues, like brake or steering component clearance. For a few minutes of work, it can generate a ton of useful info that will be immeasurably valuable in the coming months. Alright Jeffrey, I hope this helps. Yes you can likely fit 33’s with no problems on your current stock suspension, HOWEVER, you will have issues with rubbing when towing or carrying heavy loads, or when you go offroad and the suspension starts to cycle more than it does when on the highway. BUT if you can put off on that aspect of Jeep ownership for a while, be mindful of how you drive, you can focus on your wheel and tire selection now, and address the suspension in a little while as you save up for that warranty saving lift kit.
Jeep Momma Product Review:
JeepMomma Coupon Code at Root One Six
We all love to get new Jeep Parts and Accessories. AND… We all love a good discount! I have a discount on Jeep parts to share with you. Check out Root One Six dot blog. https://www.rootonesix.blog/ Click on the Link Here Then at the top of the page click Great Gear!When you get ready to order use the coupon code JEEPMOMMA to receive 10% off! They have some really cool items. Check out these grab handles! I have them installed in my Jeep and LOVE them! If you are in need of changing your diff gear oil or swapping out your Diff Covers I highly recommend Lube Lockers. I use them and they are so easy to install! Root One Six Fire Pit, the traction jack and Root One Six Hammock. All three of these items are on my Wish List!
Nicky G:
Nicky G Gets Stuck and Calls For Help
Wheeling Where:
Jeep Beach West 2018 is back!
http://pismobeachjeepfest.com/
JeepToberFest 2018
http://www.ocalajeepclub.com/jeeptoberfest/
Links Mentioned in Episode 351:
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