Jeep’s Revival Plan: Cherokee Return, V8 Engines, and Mastering Off-Road Spotting

Welcome back to another action-packed episode of the Jeep Talk Show! Join hosts Tony and Greg Nickel, the lead installer and tech at Platinum Drivetrain Works in Hutto, Texas, as they dive into the world of Jeeps, off-roading, and everything in between. 📞 Reach Greg at the shop: (325) 248-4000 for all your gear, axle, and differential needs! In this episode, we cover: Jeep News: Jeep’s Q2 2025 sales are up 1% year-over-year, driven by Wrangler and Gladiator models, despite Stellantis’ 10% U.S. decline. Is Jeep on the road to revival? We discuss Stellantis’ CEO promising the return of V8 engines and the Jeep Cherokee, plus the impact of mismanagement and tariffs. Spotting 101: Greg breaks down the art of spotting in off-roading—how to guide drivers through tough trails, what makes a good spotter, and why trust and clear communication are key. Perfect for newbies and seasoned wheelers alike! Jeep Community Vibes: From epic off-road adventures to the importance of keeping Jeeps accessible for all, we talk about why Jeep is more than just a brand—it’s a lifestyle. 🚗 Want to join the Jeep Talk Show crew? Become a Patreon subscriber at jeeptalkshow.com/contact and unlock exclusive perks while supporting the show!📢 Help us grow: Like, subscribe, share, and comment on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform. Drop us a 5-star review to keep the Jeep community rolling!📩 Got ideas or questions? Send them to jeeptalkshow.com/contact.🌐 Stay connected: Follow us on social media and sign up for our newsletter for the latest Jeep news and must-attend events. Thanks for riding along with us! Watch out for those pointy rocks, and let’s hit the trail for more epic adventures. Broadcasting since 2010! 🚙💨 #JeepTalkShow #OffRoading #JeepLife #Wrangler #Gladiator #Spotting Welcome to Jeep Talk Show, the ultimate podcast for Jeep enthusiasts! Join Tony, and, the crew as we dive into off-road adventures, Jeep Wrangler 392 updates, Jeep Gladiator camping, and the Jeep Cherokee relaunch. From $130K Jeep resale trends to Gladiator tent reviews, we cover Jeep modifications, off-road gear, and events like Easter Jeep Safari and Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion. Get expert Jeep 4xe towing tips, lightweight truck camper insights, and off-road trail guides for Jeeps. Subscribe for weekly Jeep news, join our community at jeeptalkshow.com/discord, and hit the trail with us! Head to https://jeeptalkshow.com to explore our world of Jeep madness, subscribe, and let us make your day a little more rugged and a lot more fun. Ready to roll with us? Let’s hit the trails together! #Jeep Talk Show, #Jeep podcast, #off-road podcast, #Jeep community, #Jeep off-roading, #Jeep Wrangler, #Jeep Gladiator, #Jeep news, #Jeep modifications, #Jeep accessories, #off-road adventures, #Jeep events, #Jeep 4xe, #Wrangler 392, #Jeep camping, #Jeep trails, #Jeep Wrangler 392, #$130K Jeep resale, #Jeep infotainment bricking, #TuneOutdoor Gladiator tent, #RealTruck trail access 2025, #Jeep Gladiator camping, #lightweight truck camper, #$13K Jeep camper, #Jeep Cherokee relaunch 2025, #Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion, #Easter Jeep Safari 2025, #Jeep Badge of Honor app, #women off-road Jeep podcast, #Chic Chat Jeep podcast, #Jeep off-road gear reviews, #best Jeep accessories 2025, #Jeep 4xe towing tips, #off-road trail guides for Jeeps

https://youtu.be/v6XnDncc1AM

https://youtu.be/v6XnDncc1AM

All right, here we go for another flagship episode to Greg’s back He hasn’t learned his lesson yet and apparently you guys haven’t either because you’re back here for the show I hope your guys are watching us on YouTube or rumble because we do we get all dressed up I mean, I’ve got my old gray t-shirt on and you’re not wearing your platinum drivetrain shirt for a show No, I changed into changed into something that was halfway clean and not soaked in gear well when I got to the house and got busy packing and Sorting and so now I’m over here covered dirt and sweat and I need to change and shower all over again That’s perfect for a Jeep show. Absolutely All right This is Tony and welcome to the Jeep talk show Greg tell well tell people who you are and who you’re with and all about that(…) Hey guys, if you haven’t met me yet Greg nickel I’m the lead installer lead tech at Platinum Drivetrain works located Hutto, Texas Easiest way to reach me if you can’t get on social media is gonna be through the shop phone 325 24 84 thousand all things related to gears axles and differentials with some other stuff thrown in just for good measure So, you know Greg we were just talking about it’s really difficult to get people to send in questions emails Feedback all the whole nine yards. They could just call you on the phone. You’re not doing anything, right? You can just If I don’t ask your boss deep and you know in a differential or I’m just not there one of the two so(…) So it could have been this or a gynecologist, which one do you think?

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Elbows deep I mean

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I’m wanting to bet you a shiny nickel that that that particular job is not all that the younger man Oh, hey, they would like you to believe it is like well It’s like mold of mold joke a nude beats beach sounds like a good idea till you get there

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Yeah, and then you realize that it’s mostly men and they’re pretty much, you know past their prime and I didn’t think testicles I dropped that low. Yeah, dude I had a dentist back in the day that he was telling me a story about him and his wife Travel into one of them places and this is why they’re prepping me for oral. So I had to have Yeah, yeah, so it’s wisdom teeth getting cut out so they knock you out to do it and so he’s like here in a minute We’re gonna put the gas on you and you’re gonna count backwards. But anyway, so it’s almost like he was talking to the to the Assistant, you know, he’s like right there the wife and I were on this beach and such and such someone so and I’m walking Around looking at all these dudes

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And then okay, mr. Nagel start counting backwards and I’m just like oh wait wait what so Here Craig I’m just gonna point something out here real men don’t get knocked out when they’re the wisdom teeth are removed I had three moved at one time and They gave me the laughing gas And of course they numbed the area, but they had all three out. It wasn’t it was no big deal. I Insisted I wanted to be out because I had to cut out all four of them They were impacted my jaws and I was trying to they tell you about how you like it works like a like a mechanic type thing Where you push the tooth in and it releases and comes out. Yeah, that’s what he told me No, he had to cut mine out too and I swear to God Something I was all numbed up and gassed up and stuff and I still felt a sharp pain to this day I believe that was a nerve snapping it really really hurt Everybody reacts to that stuff the the anesthetics and all that stuff. They were is that right? Yeah, I’m saying the right anesthetic anesthesia I’ve tried it before and I don’t know what it is about my physical makeup But just the shots alone if they don’t get cracking as soon as things go numb for whatever reason It just doesn’t last very long on me so I Put a hole with the heel of my boot in a chair one time where they were doing just I had a tooth that Cracked and got infected and they just did they’ll yank that sucker out But it was a couple of shots a little bit of the gas But by the time they actually got started going I could feel them like, you know, they start working that and they say Oh, yeah, you’re you. Oh, yeah, you’ll feel some pressure pressure

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No, I can fucking feel that stop. Please and they’re like, are you sure what I’m biting on your finger This light this reminds you it’s this impression. So my mom was was born in 1922 and she has experiences with the dentist before they had anesthetic She would have to go to the dentist. She had PTSD before PTSD was a thing She had PTSD about the dentist and I can understand why I believe it. I believe it. I’m one of those people Freaking hate going it’s just it’s Well, thanks for joining us on dental today. No, this is this is not dental today on tonight’s episode Jeep q2 numbers rise

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People that are dubious about this. I know spotting ends and outs and teaching versus technique and that’s gonna be Greg because I don’t know nothing about no spot and at least not Spotting Jeeps. All right So a little bit of news here to start with Jeeps downfall spotlighted a Bloomberg feature Detailed Jeeps struggles under Stellantis those rat pastors not Stellantis Bloomberg blaming mismanagement profit focus and trade tensions with the Trump administration for eroding the iconic brands market share the Peace contrast Jeep heritage ads like Harrison Ford Super Bowl spot. I’ve never seen that one I’ve heard about it, but I’ve never seen that one. I gotta go look that up on the on the youtubes But Harrison Ford’s Super Bowl spot emphasizing choice between gas and electric models with Internal woes so yeah, I mean, I don’t know about you Greg, but I certainly think that Jeeps or Stellantis is(…) Management or mismanagement certainly has been a prime player in Jeeps downfall(…) Yeah, I’m gonna I’m gonna go with that well before I’m gonna try to blame politics I know a lot of people want to you know, the tariffs this so nobody likes the times I’d always learned in school tariffs are a bad thing

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Were we were we taught right? I’m I’ll know I never sat down and ever done any of the research to know one way or the other Well, why would we care work? Yeah, why would we care?(…) Yeah, yeah, I mean if I can tear off another country for podcasting boy, I’m in there I mean, let me

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They gotta pay extra to listen to the Jeep talk show Yeah, so but boy, I mean it looks like we’re getting 600 billion dollars of tariff income this year of everything Wines out like the first half of the year has started I mean if the money’s there something’s working you would think I’m money money for nothing and chicks for free So I don’t think it’s gonna be there But uh, but yeah The checks in your house no chicks I’m almost certain it’s chicks for free because you know There’s for singing about yes, there was yeah

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Shicks are free that’s interesting. What is it out there? What is it guys? Do you think it’s chicks or checks? I think it’s chicks

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Free free checks doesn’t in the same free chicks me Money for nothing and chicks for free. Yeah, I mean that fits we’ll go with that All right, so CEO promises revival Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa outlined a turnaround including bringing back v8 engines and the Jeep Cherokee he emphasized

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Listing to customers who were I’m sorry who screamed for those features with Cherokee relaunch Filling a gap left by its 2023(…) Discontinuation the Greg word did you feel that did you feel the the gap whenever they stopped making the the new?(…) KL or whatever. Let’s be honest the five seven him. He’s were I mean just a couple of steps above the 3.6. Pennestar and suffered from all the same problems if not more so So I’m like if you’re gonna bring it radically improve it and and make it more I

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Don’t know just more of a

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Not so exclusive I think that’s like for people that are in that in the price put it in a decent price right? I think it’s what you know. Yeah, I it doesn’t have to be like, you know(…) $150,000 trailhawk all-wheel drive with 750 horsepower That’s a luxury sport utility that you’re never gonna take off-road unless you’re like that guy that Wheels is Ferrari in the dirt, but I’m just saying it’s the pricing initially on the 392 is in my opinion When they were putting them in the gladiators, it was ridiculous. Yeah, and now You heard my idea. Yeah, right. Yeah, you heard my idea right as far as pricing goes your idea Well, you come out with the the 392 him He’s I mean continue it in the with the Wranglers put it in the gladiator Which is what they’re planning on doing and instead of pricing it at a hundred thousand hundred and ten Whatever they can get get out of it. Of course now nobody’s gonna believe you when you say it’s the final edition But instead of doing that why don’t you I mean this is like sales 101 and I don’t know sales So keep that in mind. This is sales 101. So It’s a Rubicon, right? So it say it’s sixty five thousand dollars And so you get all the bells and whistles with a Rubicon(…) $65,000. Hey, would you like for us to put a himmy on that for you? It’ll just be an extra ten thousand dollars That’s only a hundred and twenty five more a month instead of

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Let’s how can I add that him you to you on there for an extra forty thousand dollars? I mean, come on I mean, well again, I if if and this is I’m no, you know economic expert I’m no, you know, but you’re a consumer Know what you would do. Yeah If it were me, I would rather sell a couple of million units at 50 or 60 K each Then selling a couple hundred thousand every year for the one, you know 110 120 and up Well, that’s been the problem because I think Stellan is going for the elite vehicles They were going they were going for the money and that kind of greats against the nerves of your your average Jesus off-road Jeepers, it’s not about exclusivity. It’s I mean, it’s more of a family community, you know Like anybody can get into this and enjoy it You don’t have to have a six-figure income to go wheeling and enjoy yourself It can be done on a budget and and yeah There are people that simply buy them and drive them because it says him me on the side or because it says Rubicon And they don’t ever off-road the thing and there’s nothing wrong with that But that’s not as far as what I’ve seen in the market and with the community and stuff That’s not your mainstay of a Jeep owner or potential Jeep buyer Well, you know, we have a Jeep talk show team member bill who has a 392 I think he’s the only one in the group that has a legitimate from the factory 392(…) and in 2023 We all went out to EJS and he was wheeling the shit of that thing I remember on we were on Hills revenge and we were both looking at the the the gauge to tell us that our tilt Going down up and down He was he was telling me what he was reading I think I was like a degree off from where he was cuz my vehicles a little longer though the gladiator but yeah, and you know, he actually bought a jail you I’m sorry a jail to go with that and Then he I think in 2024. I think he took the jail out there So he said he actually has two Jeeps and ones of 392 four-door and a two-door. So Yeah, I mean that that’s really cool. It sounds great. He actually gave me sent me a little recording of the 392 starting up Oh, it sounds so nice. Oh, they’re fun to drive don’t get me wrong It’s kind of like we talked about horsepower versus torque I mean any healthy mildly healthy v8 is gonna be fun to drive

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You know, but is it like you mentioned is it worth an extra thirty forty thousand dollar premium? Just to have that badge on the side of the Jeep and go. All right, stop If you’re a successful youtuber, what the hell I’m not so I’m not gonna be getting one All right, so here’s the(…) Yeah, here’s something we teased at the top of the show sales context Jeeps q2 2025 sales rose one percent Year over year. It’s going up. So there’s so they’re saying there’s a chance

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So and this was driven by the Wrangler and gladiator sales(…) bucking Stellantis is ten percent US Decline so Stellantis overall has a ten ten percent decline but Jeep sales are up So I think that I don’t know that the new management has had an opportunity to make a change yet But I think people are anticipating some good stuff coming from Jeep and it was Bob Broadenworth Who’s in charge of the the Jeep? The Jeep brand in USA now, so I certainly hope so because we all love Jeep and we want them We want Jeep to do good, but we won’t do it the right way. Damn it. They just need to listen to us. Yeah

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Guarantee you there’s too many Executives sitting around those big fancy tables and they’re big fancy chairs that just aren’t reading the fucking room You know, they’re there. They’re chasing the wrong dollars.(…) Yeah meetings are saying It dawned on me that you know not not too long ago there was a big what was it was it a year ago year and a half ago whenever there was a the

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They they had a strike and they wanted more money Yeah, and I think it was a bad time to want more money. I mean it was a very bad time Understand why because we ordered the wife’s Jeep and it caused a massive delay on getting delivery of hers because she had a special order Left-hand drive for her job. Yeah, so I mean I think that that was I mean, I understand Prices for everything are up. They’re still up things are getting better But the the prices were up and of course they got to charge more and then they have to make money So if you were Stellantis And you wanted didn’t want to have to pay as much if you made fewer vehicles(…) Then you might need fewer workers You may not need them in the shop and you know built in them very much So that might have been one of the reasons why they were going towards luxury vehicles luxury Jeeps

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It’s possible. I don’t think it’s outside the room of possibility because that’s how corporations like that will absolutely operate You know consumer demand is only one part of the equation So yeah, that’s when people is like why can’t they do this? Why’d they do that? You know the whole debacle which I’m gonna call it a bakl is definitely a Marketing faux pas where we’re taking this v8 away last edition, you know final edition this and that and it’s well Holy crap does sold really well. Let’s let’s just bring it back for a little bit like you can see what happens It’s like well now you’re gonna piss people off because it’s like tease them and then snatch it away and tease them again and you go That’s a good way to turn a lot of people off to your product guys at the bar crying in his beer I had a final three ninety two. Oh Yeah, I guarantee you a bunch of them that sold it above fucking retail guys that were paying premiums above and beyond retail on Those things thinking they were getting into an investment collectors item

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Sorry, that’s bad luck. Yeah. All right Greg, so I think everybody knows but let’s assume we got newbies that don’t know So what is spotting spotting sounds like is it that movie trained spotting? I you know, I don’t know what that’s about But it’s about drug abuse. Is it like is it like is it like bird spotting where you go out there and make little warbling noises? And take pictures draw images. What is what is spotting in the off-road world? So spotting in the off-road world is when somebody outside the vehicle is standing there giving you directions and or instruction And normally this is to compensate for what the driver cannot see or cannot feel(…) Or maybe not know what the hell they’re doing That’s also yeah, it’s a huge one So in essence, it’s supposed to be a really simple thing You know I’m giving you directions to a help you navigate the obstacle and or trail and be hopefully keep you from tearing anything up or getting anybody hurt Yeah, I see something getting wonky and I don’t like it I’m telling the driver stop, you know Or we have to make an adjustment. Everybody has their own techniques I’m not real fond of hand signals. I prefer just really loud Specific commands when I’m spotting I’ll say driver if I want you to turn driver I’ll say passenger if I want you to turn passenger forward slowly or you know, stop, you know Simple easy to understand if you’re in a larger group Like we talked about the GRMS and radios and stuff two ways not too long ago That’s another like if you’ve ever seen some of the professional race teams and stuff those guys are wearing headsets So they can hear each other communicate So not unlike having a co-driver but the co-drivers outside the vehicle so they can see and observe Everything that you can’t from your vantage point the driver’s seat. So for a lot of people that’s invaluable I mean and it’s gonna help build your confidence because the more you experience that with somebody you can trust guiding you Spotting you the more you learn. Okay, that’s what that feels like. This is what I need to do in this situation You see the rock or whatever the obstacle is so, you know and you get a feel for(…) How quickly it comes up and what it feels like like you say so you’re actually learning how to navigate Off-road by on your own So the thing I’ve always brought up when it came comes to spotting. How do you know you have a good spotter?

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That one can be tricky because if you are a newbie You don’t really know the difference so it helps if you’re not first in line to maybe observe You know from the sideline without you know getting involved and just pay attention to who’s saying what doing what I will be the first One if I’m guiding a newbie group or I’m at a group Edit any event or a trail or something where there’s a large number of people and you’ve got two or three four guys all Hollering at the driver at the same time. I’ll tell it shut up one person spots pick a number Yeah, you know pick a number and if your spotter just this is again This is one of my tells that I can I can tell you right now from personal experience If it’s a good spot or not if they just stand in one spot With their drink or whatever beverage or snack and they never move from that one spot They’re going. All right, come on. Keep coming. Keep coming your own sire. Now turn left turn left, you know that guy No, I’m not gonna listen to that guy. You know somebody that’s paying attention is gonna be changing angles and looking and yeah Get down a little bit it is they’re gonna be you know A lot more careful about where they’re putting moving side to side so you can see tire placement Yeah, you know so stuff like that and and you obviously don’t ever want to spot somebody into something that their skill level doesn’t Necessarily support, you know, I tell my newbies all the time when I do take them out So I’m not gonna put you in anything. I can’t get you out of one way or the other So if a driver starts to panic that’s like all full stop shut her down Everybody step back take a break because I’ve seen it happen You’d be surprised how many people that are new to the off-road world the first time they go a little off-camber Those down scared in the Jeep it can feel like oh god I’m gonna flop this thing is a such a strange feeling I when you when you’ve been a level ground or maybe done a flyover on a highway your whole life and it’s all It’s nice. Yeah, first time you go 15 degrees off one way or the other you’re like, oh my goodness It really starts to get but that’s also where the adrenaline comes in It’s like going to the amusement park and getting on the the Not the trolley. What do you call the thing the the ride? When you get on yeah, yeah, it’s either gonna scare you to death or you’re gonna have a ball or maybe both and then you’re like Do I do that again or scare your balls to death? Yeah(…) Okay

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Yeah, I’m I am as far as technique versus training I honestly like to promote especially for newbies that they at seat time. There’s no such a practice and train Absolutely. You think it’s a good idea for the for the newbie to ask to get behind somebody Let them see what the spotters gonna do with the vehicle ahead of

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There’s nothing wrong with saying hey, I don’t want to be first. Yeah Yeah You have the vantage point of seeing where they put that vehicle’s tires versus how the vehicle reacts or if the driver Like that line doesn’t work for him and you see something different or the spotter goes Well this Jeep with a different wheelbase and the different tire size versus the guy behind and that’s the other thing if you can get Behind a vehicle that’s just like yours. Maybe maybe it’s a different and stuff But at the same law length wheelbase and if it’s lifted about the same, yeah, absolutely. It makes a huge difference I made sure that I followed gladiators and moab. Oh It helps it helps immensely because you’re not you’re not gonna get away with the same stuff Like you go to potato salad hill or you know the hot tub or something like that in a two-door on, you know 35s Versus you know a gladiator that’s on 40s that the wheelbase difference makes all of the difference in the world on an obstacle like one Of those two so yeah pick your battles wisely folks It’s that is there’s nothing wrong. We’re taking a bypass. There’s nothing wrong with saying hang on a second here I’m concerned about this and and talk to the spotter what’s happening you tell them I want to stop I want to back out. I want a winch Whatever don’t don’t ever let anybody browbeat you or convince you or bully you into doing something. You don’t feel comfortable doing a it’s your vehicle It’s not theirs and I there’s very very few people out there that will ever take responsibility On a financial level if they’re spotting advice ends up being not good It’s just gonna be cool video for YouTube or Instagram, right? You’re gonna you’re gonna get a bunch of clicks and views for carnage But oh and the crowd is gonna be just more than happy for you to have carnage. Yeah So that’s a lot of people watch those kind of videos like watching NASCAR. We’ve talked We want to see the crashes. Well, this guy making or dizzy tump it, you know, that kind of thing I’m to the point these days because I’ve just been doing it for so damn long. I don’t really use the spotter that often It’s every once in a while if I’m in a really obnoxious position or something. That’s a new trail to me I might ask, you know a local or even the wife. Hey, how does it look from your vantage point? but 99% of the time these days I drive with we(…) For affectionately refer to it as driving by Braille My know what my vehicle feels like if I’m scraping a diff scraping a frame rail scraping a suspension link I know what that sounds like I know what feels like and I know what my jeep’s gonna do when it reacts to my input versus the you know the obstacle(…) Not something that you want to do with the vehicle that you’re trying to drive home, you know from the trailer You’re not trailering it It’s not something you probably want to do if your vehicle is financed in some form or fashion Because driving by Braille can get you into a lot of trouble you you you get overconfident you think I got this The largest tire I’ve ever experienced is 37 up at Gold Mountain in California And it was I didn’t have any problems with the thing whatsoever I mean, I had a problem getting over a minor shelf and Wendy hollered at me and said do you have lockers on I said no nobody told me to turn them on turn on the lockers That I that I drove up and over it so no problem But anyway, so I’m thinking that once you get to a certain size tire It really depends on the terrain, but I think most off-road off-road terrain 40s or 42s It’s almost point-and-shoot for the majority of the trails(…) It it definitely you’re you’re definitely knocking on the door if you’re not there already and and you know inside like mine going Just just making the change of mind from 42s to 45s. It’s like cheating The the tires I’ve got now are so damn big that stuff that I used to because that you know when I first did the Ton swap on mine I just started out on 40s, but my wheelbase is so long the 40s literally were not tall enough my breakover angle sucked So I stepped up to 43s ran those for a bit and then drop back down to 42s And I could get away with a lot of gnarly stuff is how my axles are built and everything but when I put the 45s on

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It was it was a game changer as much as I hate to sound the stereo. What do you call it the cliche? Yeah, the stereotype, but it is I mean the tires are so damn big that stuff stuff that would make a Jeep on 40 struggle Mine, just like it’s nothing you know so well That’s why that’s why we make these modifications is because yeah We’re trying to build a Jeep that can go wherever we want it to go easily exactly and exactly of course the the Obstacles can get bigger at that point too, and then you put yourself in a different class of individuals You’re out there with other people running 45s. You’re building your skills up and even more you’re learning more I mean you there’s there’s not a time that I’ve been out with my Jeep in the last five or six years that I haven’t Like done something that I haven’t done before or done something a little easier that maybe gave me You know trouble before certain obstacles and whatnot and so every time out. It’s I’m still learning I mean for all my years of oh you have to be if you weren’t learning it wouldn’t be any fun Yeah, no you got so let me let me make sure they can place it and they don’t want to broaden their skills And there’s nothing wrong with that verify me around this verify me on this statement

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You can you do not have to build your Jeep to 45s 54s 102s You do not have to build a monster truck to go out and have a good time off-road And you will and you will not be left behind if you have 37s Or if you even have 35s it really depends on the platform I mean a TJ with 35 is that’s that’s pretty pretty hardcore without changing out the axles so or an extra So I mean yeah, or an extra with any phone stop jail you Rubicon and do things with it You know on the basically factory-sized tires that would scare you know an entry-level wheeler So don’t think you have to spend no no tens of thousands of dollars This is just a sickness that Greg has and in many of us have this sickness to a varying degree And I guarantee you if I had the money Oh, I think it’d be a blast to have the gladiator on 40 45s and this it gets parked in the driveway anyway Yeah, the stuff I used to enjoy and I don’t want to say entry-level It’s like you’re more milder media. You know mid-level trails. I Could do it two-wheel drive now So it like it takes all the fun out of stuff like that so if you have a favorite trail That’s a scenic driver. You know or an overlay in type scenario or something Having a rig like mine. It takes all of the challenge out of it It takes all of the fun out of it Any means there’s fewer trails that you could go to that are challenging you keep having to it’s looking for that next Adrenaline fix looking for that next crazy line that next big gnarly obstacle. It’s like how hard can I really push this thing? And it doesn’t mean you’re not gonna roll it and it doesn’t mean you’re not gonna break anything Yeah, no if you ever get to see mine up close, it’s it’s literally it’s a it’s a smushed beer cane at this point It’s a raisin there’s not a single square inch of straight sheet metal left on my rig a lot of people will look at that And go you why why would you disrespect the Jeep like that? I’m not disrespecting and I’ve built it to do this with it and I am prepared to accept the consequences of body damage Doesn’t bother me. It’s a trail rig. I just so happen to drive it every day when it’s running so let’s look back to the Dammit, I’m brain farting on stuff. I’m thinking about my food downstairs Look back to yeah, look back to the spotting. So I’m thinking that Now I’ve been on runs where there it’s just a line of 15 to 20 Jeeps and there’s no spotting You’re just going down the trail and it may be that the trail just isn’t Significant enough to have spotting but sometimes you have newbies in there and they may not feel comfortable Just following the Jeep ahead of them even though it’s something right because to them it may not be simple There’s there’s one spot you probably know this spot in Hidden Falls where it’s a waterway and there’s a rock Actually, there’s a pointy rock on one side and there’s a Another rock face on the other side and you have to thread through there and that pointy rock is really scary and it’s on It’s on the passenger side. That’s right before the gatekeeper of FM2 Right before the gatekeeper of FM TRO Well,(…) I mean because you’re talking about yes, these are rocks the way they’re shaped I know exactly spot you’re talking about Even my Jeep is big and badass as it is I can’t crawl over either one of those you have to be when I go through that spot it literally squeezes Dying I’m afraid of scratching the genome now you’re not

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It’ll tear something up if you get it wrong by a half an inch three-quarters of an inch one way or the other you’re gonna put A rock through your window or you’re gonna knock a hole in your top or something. Oh, yeah It’s not like you’re going through there 20 miles an hour. You’re going slow and you know, very careful through that Yeah, yeah, but you know what I’m saying? So there’s things like that that people aren’t used to You know the best the best thing they’ve done is they’ve gotten real close to that pole at McDonald’s one time and it scared the hell out of them

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It’s also important I’m gonna I’m gonna add this before I forget if you are a person that is stepping up to spot for someone else Known to you or not known to you doesn’t matter bear in mind that you are accepting Responsibility in some form or fashion for the safety of the people in that vehicle. Yes So, you know, it’s not about the the monetary value of the rig. It’s about the safety of the folks inside So you really like you mentioned earlier with when make sure that their vehicle is in the proper mode for what you’re having them Attempt to do make sure they’re strapped in seat belts harnessed whatever Nobody’s no kids in the back hanging arms out the windows or any any crap like that, you know Be smart about what you’re doing and make sure you just do a quick mental check And if you see something that catches your attention Just like a newbie asking for help don’t hesitate to tell the person behind the wheel. Hold up. No, wait We’re not gonna do this yet. You need to do ABC, you know something like just be on be on your and if they get upset With you because you’re because you’re dictating spot for that’s right walk away Walk away It’s it’s not worth it If they want to be Billy badass and put the thing on its lid with their three kids in the back and the family dog No, you don’t want that on your conscience But he also on a spot this guy you might even say have everything okay, you know, what’s going on here. Do you have any questions? Yeah(…) If it’s like no damn questions Honey, give me a beer, you know, and I’m not saying there was like that, but you know, I’m talking about those So yeah walk away don’t don’t put yourself in the middle of that because you don’t you don’t want to Don’t spot and don’t spot if you’re not confident in what you’re doing Exactly, you know because people are what you’re doing. Yeah Of course then if it is the first one or two people up the hill and they see you screwing up the first two rigs And the first guys rig they’re not gonna listen to you And then you’re standing up there telling them turn turn turn and they’re not listening because they saw what happened with the first one So they’re not gonna pay any attention to you anyway But no, it’s it is very much a matter of mutual respect and trust Especially with people that aren’t familiar with one another if you go to an organized event where they have what they people call them a guide Or a trail boss or something along those lines You know, it’s 99% of time. That’s somebody that has some level of significant experience So you can feel more comfortable with that But if it’s just a group of people you fall in with and you don’t know anybody from Jehovah Be mindful of who you’re listening to be mindful of what you’re doing because you know It can get expensive in a hurry and somebody could get hurt It’s it’s an error You mentioned that because that’s the other thing if you are see people doing stuff that you’re not comfortable with what they’re doing Maybe they’re drinking maybe they’re drinking out of glass bottles and throwing them and crashing them on the rocks and stuff That is probably Yeah and celebratory gunfire I would be that would be another thing that I’d say

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Just here drive away Go away get away from those, you know I I enjoy getting down and stupid on the backside of the mountain in the woods redneck style This is much as the next good old boy, but I do it with people that I know

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That’s your people and you’re comfortable with them that’s fine, but you know, we’re crawlers that were aggressive crawlers, so there’s a difference between You know drunk idiots that just want to act the fool You know and I’m not gonna pick on anybody in particular side-by-side owners That really like to push the envelope of what’s socially acceptable as far as trail etiquette is concerned But good Lord, you know common sense will get you through mostly any situation you find yourself in Don’t be that guy that doesn’t want to use common sense. You know, you’ve heard the saying don’t be that guy You know by the way, I was gonna say by the way The side-by-side and don’t be that guy. It’s time for Nikki G Do you know there was I think it was last week. I think it was last week where I said Here’s Nikki G and then there was a long pause and there was no Nikki G You forgot to put it in I forgot to put it in So let’s see if we get let’s see if we get lucky this week. It’s time for Nikki G Do something enter do something entertaining just in case I forget to

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To fix this and post

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Take it away Nikki

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There you go, alrighty Well, are you ready to join the Jeep talk show crew become a patreon subscriber today at Jeep talk show comm slash contact And you can see all kinds of things there and you could unlocks exclusive perks while supporting the show Keep the adventure rolling by leaving us a five-star rating and review on your favorite podcast platform to help grow our Jeep community If you’re watching us on YouTube, don’t forget to like subscribe share and comment comment. Damn it. We want to hear from you Yes

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Comment good or bad. I don’t care. You don’t like something we’re saying are doing tell us about it We have something we’re doing a good job if you don’t something to talk about and maybe maybe you got a topic to come up with Greg’s got two topics to come up with because we just did our last one tonight So yeah, stay in the loop by following us on social media signing up for our newsletter for the latest Jeep news and must attend events Got questions and ideas for next episode send it our way Jeep talk show comm slash contact Thanks for riding along with us watch out for the pointy rock and let’s hit the trail for more epic adventures. Thank you, Greg Thank you, Tony. We’ll see y’all have a good night broadcasting since 2010(…) You’re my friend. You’re my new friend