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Jeep Talk Show

A Show About Jeeps!

Episode 438 – It’s NOT The Jeepster We Wanted

This Week In Jeep: 

We were just kidding people

Last week we reported about the first mass Jeep gathering to take place since this covid epidemic first began. The annual Go Topless Day event fills the sands of Crystal Beach on the Bolivar Peninsula.  Galveston County sheriff’s office had their hands full last year when over 100 arrests were made and 400 calls were made to the local 911. We reported on this too, and in making light of it quoted the 2013 movie Wolf of Wall Street, when we said those are rookie numbers and that we need to get those pumped up. WE OF COURSE WERE JUST KIDDING! But despite our pleas for Jeepers to represent the JEep world in a positive light , there were still DOUBLE the arrests from last year, totalling 200 people taken into custody for offences ranging from DUI, disorderly conduct, public indecency, driving without a seat belt, assault, …and the list goes on. As if this isn’t enough, two people were shot at this year’s event. According to the A.P. the shooting happened Saturday, when a group of men started fighting, which led a group of nearby women to start fighting, and that’s reportedly when ((QUOTE)) “a husky male discharged a firearm into the mayhem and injured two of the men.”  Those two individuals were subsequently airlifted to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston with non life threatening injuries. But stil, this is not the kind of reports we need to be hearing about after the first big clear weekend of lifted restrictions. I will say this though… In most of the pictures, videos and news clips I’ve seen from all this…. In every one of them, there were more ford trucks than anything else. I’m just sayin’ …. Maybe it’s not our fault… Still…

Here We Go Again (cue whitesnake)

If you are one of the tens of thousands of people who have been listening to this show for 5 or 6 years or more, than you are likely all too aware of my feelings towards FCA’s executive decisions over the years on which name badges from Jeep’s past are resurrected for whatever whimsy or hairbrained idea they come up with. I made no effort to hide my opinions on the regurgitation of the Cherokee name badge they slapped on the ass of the abortion that they released back in 2015. And when the “cutest yutest that ever was” was forced down our throats sporting none other than the iconic Renegade name badge from the CJ era, it was all I could do to contain my angst and disappointment over what was without question as much of a bad choice as the RE-use of the Cherokee name. Using the Renegade and Cherokee badges for two vehicles based on failing Italian car platforms is if nothing else a disservice to Jeep history and  not what I call paying homage to what made those names icons in the Jeep world. But I digress. As much as I would like to revisit old tirates, i’m afraid this report fall just shy of a full on deja-vu, as it seems there are rumors that FCA may once again festoon a renowned and cherished Jeep name badge from yesteryear on something that doesn’t deserve it. This oddly enough won’t be the first time this will have happened to….  “The Jeepster.” There have actually been five incarnations of the Jeepster name. The first was before Jeep was Jeep, when Willys-Overland unveiled the first Jeepster in 1948 as a more car-like take on the more rugged Jeep Truck. That effort only lasted two years on sale before retirement. In 1966, Kaiser visited the Jeepster’s grave to try again, this time targeting the Ford Bronco and Toyota Land Cruiser with a model that came in four body styles and remained on sale for six years, earning the respect and admiration of true blooded Jeep lovers everywhere for decades to come.  In 1998, Jeep showed off a Jeepster concept channeling the Willys-Overland version that, again, looked like someone gave Chrysler a Jeep to turn into a Chrysler, but for more money. It ended up resembling a dune buggy more than anything. Then, in 2018, Jeep took a Jeepster concept that channeled the Kaiser model to Moab for the Easter Jeep Safari. That was the red one with the white top that many of us very much wanted to make it to production. Now, for the fifth stab at it, FCA is announcing that Jeep has a 2020 Renegade Jeepster Edition on the way. So will this be a top of thine trim, or a limited edition with some never before seen tech? NOPE… To add yet another notch to the disservice to the name badge belt, the new Jeepster will be based on the bottom of the line, stripped down, entry-level Renegade Sport trim. Oh and if you want any other color than white, it will cost you a minimum of $245. History holds that the Renegade, like a few of the Jeepsters of yore, is a temporary application of something that isn’t going to last, and we will likely see it again in the future. But I don’t think anyone can argue that  this isn’t the return anyone would have hoped for the Jeepster name.

If you’ve got a news tip, or you have a response to any one of our stories, make sure to let us know by phone or by email, just head over to Jeeptalkshow.com/contact to find out how.

Top 5: 

Top 5 Jeep Rules (stolen from a meme on Facebook…)

  1. Get in, Shut up, and hold on!
  2. Don’t tell me how to drive!
  3. Always watch for cops!
  4. Never tell me the odds!

And the number one Jeep Rule…

  1. No you cannot drive!

Jeep Life:

I posted a video April 1, 2018 on my Youtube Channel (see below) Top 5 Jeep Wrangler Easter Eggs, a tribute to the Willy’s Jeep. Back in 2010 Jeep “hid” easter eggs in the Wrangler as a tribute to the iconic Willy’s Jeep. I listed the Top 5 that I found in my Jeep and asked others to share their finds in the comments. Some were the silhouette of Willy’s Jeep on the wheels and the corner of the windshield. There was the Jeep grill also etched in the cup holder and there are many more. Jeep has placed these Easter Eggs in other Jeep models as well. A couple of days ago I started getting notifications of comments on this video from two years ago. Then I noticed the views jumped up a lot. In less than a week this video got 15 thousand views. I was like what in the world is going on. So I did some research. A 20 year old college student discovered an Easter Egg on her Jeep and said I didn’t know this existed. She posted it on Tik Tok.  By The Way TikTok is a video-sharing social networking service owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company founded in 2012.. It is used to create short dance, lip-sync, comedy and talent videos. HEEEEEELLLLLOOOO 20 year old college student where have you been. This story is even in the USA Today!!! WTF!!! I shared this 2 years ago and I never got an article in the USA today!!! So I decided to reach out to the USA Today “Trending Technology” reporter. I messaged him on Twitter. I shared that these Easter Eggs have been around for a decade, since 2010. They are a tribute to the Willy’s Jeep. The Jeep that won the War. I told him these young Jeep owners need to have a better understanding of these Easter Eggs. I hope he will dig a little deeper and elaborate on his story. I then tweeted him.  @BrettMolina23 those Jeep Easter Eggs have been around for a decade. Have to say I scooped you 2 years ago. LOL.  This new discovery by the 20 year old has rejuvenated my video. 15K views in less than a week. So  Now it’s all the rage for these young vehicle owners to share the hidden designs on their cars and Jeeps, sharing Easter Eggs on TikTok and Twitter. One TikTok user found a hidden spider design in the gas pump of their Jeep. Others have posted finding flip flop icons -The Renegade- lizard carvings – The Compass –  and drawings of miniature vehicles. HEEEEEELLLLOOOO that’s the Willy’s Jeep!  But do they know the Jeep JL Willy’s Edition when you turn up the gauge brightness level you will see an original Willy’s in the display. The Jeep Renegade trailhawk has dozens of these easter eggs. And I just discovered under the hood latch of my Wrangler it has 7 slots Yes 7! This college student wrote “Jeep was really trying to get me” with the laughing emoji. HAHA no they weren’t they were making a tribute to Jeep History! It had nothing to do with you.  She said in her video “So I bought my first car (IT”S NOT A CAR) and a fun fact about Jeeps is that they have a hidden animal called an Easter egg,” she continued: “Well, I couldn’t find my Easter egg for the longest time, and one day I was pumping my gas and I saw a spider coming at me. I realized it was my Easter egg.”  One tiktok user wrote  Dude it’s true 🤭 I’m so stunned. Found some of my Jeep Easter eggs. Still need to find the animal !  another wrote I just thought this was a paint blotch,” “It’s a Jeep on a hill.” HEEEELLLOOOO it’s the WIlly’s Jeep.  Okay Rant over. But seriously. Google is your friend. Even the reporters of the two stories could have done that … just a little research and found the background info.  Instead they said Jeep didn’t respond to their request! So on another note. Speaking of older Jeeps. We have sold the white YJ and now are on another rebuild. A 1969 Yellow CJ5. I got to drive the Jeep the other night. WOW! Pretty cool. I felt like I was in the TV Show Mash driving Alan Alda to a triage scene. It is a 3 speed with manual steering. The steering wheel feels like I’m driving a bus. And if you thought your Jeep was bumpy. This one wins the prize.  We drove topless and doorless and with the windshield down. There’s a video on my facebook page where we went live. It’s a pretty cool little Jeep. I am told however this Jeep has suicide steering. A lot different steering than my Jeep. Instead of me trying to explain what suicide steering is I thought I would let one of our Jeep Experts share… Josh

Tech Talk With Jeep Talk: 

Air or E-Locker Strength for 37” Tires

It’s been a little while since we pulled a tech question from the old mail sack. So this week, we’re featuring one of our latest entries. John writes in and says;
“I am currently researching for new axles on my JKU Rubicon. Not going with anything crazy, but I will be running 37″ toyo m/t (heavy tire). I’m currently settled on a dynatrac pro rock 60/44 combo with 5.13 gears. My question is about the lockers. my choices are Eaton electric or ARB. Since I have factory lockers, I thought that I could use factory connections and run the electric lockers. Would it be better for the 5.13 carrier to spring for the arb set up?” 

First off, thanks for writing in John, and it sounds like your Rubicon is well on it’s way to beastdom. Sounds like you’ve done your homework too, as I think you’re on the right track with your axle selection. You’re very much right though, the tires you’ll be running are likely the heaviest on the market. There may be heavier out there, but in the the most popular 37” version that is 12.5” wide and fits on a 17” wheel the Toyo is the heaviest out of the six most popular brands. For instance, The 37” BFG KM3 comes in at 77.4 lbs, and is only beat in being the lightest tire by the Goodyear Wrangler MT/R with kevlar that comes in at 73 lbs. The 37” version of the tires I run, the Procomp Extreme MT2’s come in at 83 lbs, 10 lbs less than what those Toyo’s are. And the Cooper STT and the Falken Wildpeaks both are closer to 80 lbs. Tire selection just isn’t about how it looks on the Jeep or how deep the treads are. So when you’re shopping for your next tire upgrade, don’t forget to take weight into consideration. And real quick, John your gear selection of 5:13’s for 37’s is a great choice, but if this is going to be just a toy jeep and not daily driven, I’d almost recommend stepping into the 5:29’s for a little more torque down low. You’ll still have almost the same gear tooth engagement, AND this will also give you a little room to move into 38’s or even 39’s down the road if you want, and still be well geared. But let’s get back to the question about locker strength. With 35 spline axles, and ½” axle tube wall thickness along with a host of serious strength upgrades that Dynatrac puts into the design of their axles, the weak link in this setup is definitely going to be the u-joints. Honestly, the two choices of locker John is looking at for his JKU rubicon are both excellent choices, and as far as strength goes, neither one leaves much to be desired. But there are a couple considerations that John and you listening might want to be aware of. Although trying to use as much of the existing wiring as possible for a new E-locker system is commendable, it may not be the best choice. Those switch locations in the end, are just that, a location to which just about anything can be put. And another switch of similar design or type can be put in its place. The reason why I’m bringing this up is this. If you are a Jeep Rubicon owner, you have most likely discovered that your lockers can only be engaged when the transfer case is in LO range and you are moving at 10 MPH or less. This has less to do with the switches themselves, and more to do with the factory wiring which prevents the lockers from being engaged while you pass that semi doing 88 miles an hour. In Episode 258 – we talk about how to modify these switches to work like normal locker on off switches do. And if you want more background on lockers and differentials, please go back and listen to Episodes 302, 303, 304 – for our three part series on the topic of differentials and lockers. That being said, E-lockers are just as capable and strong for that matter than most of the other lockers out there. The internal components work very much in the same way as cable actuated lockers like OX lockers or pneumatically controlled lockers like ARB. The way they are installed really doesn’t affect the carrier any differently from one to the other either, because in many ways how they mate with the carrier is the same. But myself and others have questioned the reliability of E-lockers over the years and whether or not they have the same longevity as other traction devices. And let’s not forget…  There is something to be said about warranties too. Eaton E-Lockers are only guaranteed for one year against manufacturer’s defects. ARB however provides a 5-year (Air Locker) and 2-year (Compressor) warranty that covers defects against workmanship or materials. And if that alone isn’t enough to sway your decision think about this. Since its inception in 2007, more top 3 finishes at King of The Hammers have had vehicles that used ARB air lockers. This is one of the hardest if not harshest offroad races in the world, and if ARB is there, standing behind their product, and consistently helping racers place in the top three, I’d say that’s good enough to put under my Jeep or yours. The switches you already have can be rewired to work with an aftermarket ARB system, or you can get replacement switches, or even a switch panel to mount switches elsewhere in the Jeep if the switch thing is a deal breaker. And in that case you can still replace those old factory locker switches with ones that control some rock lights, or a disco ball, or a hitch mounted margarita blender…you get the idea.
John, I hope this helps your Rhino Rubicon reach its next level, and be sure to share with us what you end up going with, and some pics of that bad boy when it’s done too!

Newbie Nuggets:

Leading a group run

At some point you may want to lead a group on a trail run (or maybe you have been asked to lead a run). It’s really fun to lead for several reasons. 1) You get to pick the trail/run, 2) you are in charge and 3) there’s no dust. YEP probably the best part of being the leader is no dust!!! After you have been on multiple runs in the middle of the pack or toward the back, trust me you will want to lead a run. And once you do, it will be hard to be in the middle of the pack ever again.  So what is involved with leading a run? Depending on the size of the group and if it’s a club or organized run, it’s pretty simple to set up. First you need to get the details of the run; 1-   Pick the trail, the date, time and place to meet up. Sometimes groups may meet somewhere far from the trailhead and caravan where they’ll meet up again. This is where you will usually air-down and have the driver’s meeting. 2-   Describe the details of the run and what is needed on that trail. List minimum rig setup based on whether the run is an easy, medium or difficult trail. 3-   List the minimum requirements for that trail, like tire size, lift, lockers, and any body damage that could occur, etc. 4-   List the meeting time and departure time. Jeep groups are known for leaving on time. As a leader that’s your job to ensure the timing of everything. 5-   Some runs need a head count for various reasons, so if you need that, list an email or phone for everyone interested to RSVP to. On the day of your run, show up early. Once you are at the trailhead air down. This gives you time to meet and greet new members and also to verify rigs and get waivers signed (if required) Greet everyone- part of being a run leader is welcoming new drivers, newbies and old friends. Trail leaders are typically great ambassadors for off-roading. 1-   If needed, get all attendees to sign the waiver. You can ask for a volunteer ahead of time to collect the signatures – this leaves you time to meet and greet. Have a clipboard and pen ready to make it easy to get signatures. And don’t forget about kids – adults need to sign waivers for all their kids in attendance 2-   Verify rig equipment. If you stated that this run was difficult and a brand new off the showroom jeep shows up with no upgrades, you need to decide if that driver should or should not drive their own jeep, or at least let them know their Jeep won’t look the same at the end of the trail because they’ve been winched over most obstacles. It’s a tough spot to be in, but may be necessary to mitigate trouble later on. This may require asking them to leave their jeep and ride with someone else, or risk body damage. 3-   There is a basic list of items each jeep should carry for off-roading. Listen to Episode 426 for a basic list of items. Most organized jeep club runs require certain items in your jeep to participate. Check with another club member to find out what is required. Ex: one club run we did with a huge group had a jeep inspection to see if we had all the items on their checklist we were given ahead of time. We were then issued a windshield sticker to show we had the items needed for that run. Most everyday runs we do, we are not checking to see if you have a fire extinguishers, etc. But we do make sure the requirements are met for the type of trail like lift, tires, body damage etc.. 4-   Determine if you have any newbie drivers and place them behind a more experienced driver. This will help you navigate tough spots and reduce possible problems and delays on the trail. Don’t put all newbie drivers together either. It will be more like herding cats! Try to space them among others with more experience 5-   Pick a tail gunner. This person will be at the back of the pack and will be your eyes as to any issues or delays. The tail gunner also lets you know that the pack is moving or has made the last turn, etc. The tail gunner should be an experienced jeeper. If the group is more than 15 jeeps I would suggest a mid-gunner. It just helps keep the group together and there is help midway if needed 6-   Select the channel for the CB or HAM that all participants can listen to. Most clubs have their own designated CB or HAM channel. Good suggestion if you, as the leader, have additional hand held radios that you can lend to anyone who doesn’t have the equipment. We have been on runs and use both CB and HAM – some drivers have only CB or HAM. As the leader, if you are using both, you will need to convey any messages on both types of units. 7-   About 5-10 minutes prior to the departure time, start your driver meeting. This is where you welcome everyone, and discuss any information about the trial. Normally we discuss things like, no alcohol, asking for help/spotting guidelines, waiting for the jeep behind you if there is a turn, or waiting to make sure the jeep behind you gets through an obstacle. Also mention general plans for the day, bathroom breaks, lunch spots etc. 8-   Once the meeting is over, it’s time to start the run. Enjoy and when you stop for a bathroom break, remember men go to the left and women go to the right, because women are always right. Keep track of the time during lunch. It’s easy to get caught up in conversation as time passes. Leave enough time for lunch and yet keep the group moving. Once lunch is over let everyone know it’s time to move on. When the lead jeep starts out, most everyone hurries back to their jeep and away you go. 9-  At the end of the run, make sure everyone airs back up and gets on their way. There may be a couple that still need help airing up. One of the hardest things to predict is how long a run will take. Since none of us has a crystal ball, a good suggestion may be to pre-run the trail to see how much time it took and also the condition of the trail. Severe damage to a trail could slow the run and we all know most runs take a bit longer than anticipated. Most jeepers don’t really plan other things on a trail day just for that reason. Anything and everything can go wrong. It could be a flat tire, to breaking something that requires a repair on the trail. Then you can see why you need tools on board. LOL Josh, Tammy & Tony, what are some other things to add about being a run leader. Reach out and let us know your newbie story, (or if you have a topic or suggestion for Newbie Nuggets.) And if you want more info check out my YouTube channel “Jeep 4-1-1” with more tips, tricks & techniques.

Wheeling Where:

Scottsdale Arizona and Pomona California Off-Road Expo’s have both been rescheduled for October.
Stay tuned for other off-road events news

Links Mentioned in Episode 438: 

https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver
https://youtu.be/r_IHnlTF16Y