Episode 485 – We’re Going To Cross Some Lines
This Week In Jeep
Two Famous Names Team Up To Make Jeeps Better
A Randolph County custom auto builder and a conversion company in Boone North Carolina have partnered to offer performance engines for Jeep vehicles. Richard Petty and Petty’s Garage of Randleman North Carolina have announced a collaboration with RubiTrux to exclusively offer Petty’s Garage custom engine packages for new Jeep Wranglers and Jeep Gladiators. Following more than a year of testing, the announcement comes just after Jeep announced the factory 392 HEMI in Jeep Wranglers. While the Gladiator does not currently offer a factory HEMI option, RubiTrux offers years of experience converting Gladiators to OEM HEMI power or higher performance engines. The partnership brings together one of the winningest names in auto racing with one of the top names in custom Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators. Both companies are recognized leaders around the world for automotive quality and performance. The two companies will debut their collaboration on April 23 during Jeep Beach at Daytona International Speedway. It is the largest outdoor Jeep event in the eastern U.S., attracting thousands of Jeep enthusiasts from across the U.S. as well as other countries.
So he said it in the wrong way – SO WHAT?!?
I’m not a huge college sports fan. There’s just too much to follow and I don’t have that kind of free time. Not to mention what they are allowing the staff at colleges to get away with nowadays, but that’s a different show. Chances are that by now, you’ve heard that Baylor beat Gonzaga on April 5th for the first men’s basketball national championship in the school’s history. Congratulations are definitely in order. And so thought a local Jeep dealership, whose general manager Ted Teague said he would be providing Baylor coach Scott Drew with the use of a customized Jeep after the men’s basketball team won the NCAA tournament. Teague said that the dealer had given Baylor women’s coach Kim Mulkey the use of a Corvette and wanted to keep the tradition going for Drew. Why was this particular Jeep so special? Well, it was part of a parade in Waco on Tuesday celebrating Baylor’s championship, so it certainly had some public attention.
Ok, so what’s the problem then? Well, it was during this announcement while on the air with a local tv news affiliate, when Teague made a comment regarding the recruiting practices of said coach, that if interpreted through the lens of today’s cancel culture could be deemed insensitive in some way. “Coach Scott can enjoy it and he’ll use it to recruit and pull some people out of the hood,”
If you watch the video of the interview, you can tell that Teague realized what he said on live television probably wasn’t the most politically correct way of saying what he meant.
Despite the man’s immediate remorse for the comment, Baylor of course had to be a snowflake and the panties were a-bunching. The next day Baylor tweeted out in a joint statement from Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades and Head Coach Scott Drew saying that they wouldn’t be taking the SUV.
“The remarks of Teague do not align with our institutional values or the culture of our athletic programs. We can confirm we are not accepting the Jeep driven in the parade on Tuesday. As a department, we are committed to recruiting a diverse group of student-athletes, coaches, and staff, all of whom are valued members of our community.”
Oh boo-effing-hoo! I’m sick and tired of everyone looking for any excuse at all, no matter how far you have to reach for it, to get offended. This was a general manager of a dealership, who went out of his way to pull a brand new Jeep from his inventory, then went out of the way to lift it, put some sweet wheels and tires on it, then gave it a full Baylor college-themed wrap to really help draw the attention to the coaches recruiting efforts. But no. We don’t see the countless hours of the various techs and companies it took to customize this Jeep and the money spent to make it all happen. Nope, all they see is an opportunity for unwanted, unneeded, and in my opinion unwarranted public outrage. Talk about sore winners. Sheesh. If you would like to make your own conclusion, we’ll have a link to the video clip of this interview in question in the show notes for this episode at Jeeptalkshow.com
Tech Talk with Jeep Talk
Listener Question – Silicone Hoses
This weeks topic comes in from Joseph P. from Goldendale Wa. He asks:
“Do silicone hoses make any difference for off-road?”
First off, thanks Joseph for writing in. Ultimately silicone hoses are better than those stock OEM rubber hoses for a variety of reasons. (Not the least of which is looks.)
If you want to give a little love to your engine compartment, swapping out those rubber hoses for silicone ones will not only make it look better but yes, there are some advantages for running silicone too. In this segment, I will go over the TOP FIVE reasons why silicone hoses are often considered superior to rubber.
- Flexibility and resilience
Silicone hoses benefit from superior flexibility compared to rubber. There’s just no comparison. And what’s better, is that they maintain this flexibility over their entire lifespan, unlike rubber hoses. I’ve seen radiator hoses literally crumble apart at the ends.
Silicone reduces the risk that your hoses will split, harden, or even become dry rotted due to storage or environmental factors.
- Lifespan
Silicone hoses last practically forever and might possibly outlast your Jeep. Because they have such a long lifespan, they can average out to a lower cost per mile or per year, compared to rubber hoses, even though their upfront cost is typically higher.
Some manufacturers even offer lifetime warranties on their products. Try getting that kind of service for a parts store radiator hose. But buyer beware, not all silicone products come with a warranty.
- Operating Temperature Range
One of the main reasons people change to silicone is the operating temperature, after all…. it’s all about thermodynamics. The idea is that most reinforced silicone hoses for Jeep applications will retain the temperature of whatever is going through them without letting the heat or cold bleed into the engine compartment. Jeeps run hot enough as it is when wheeling, you don’t need your radiator hoses (for instance), bleeding off a bunch of heat into the engine bay only to be soaked up by a cheap rubber or plastic intake tube. Silicone hoses are, inside and out, more resilient to extreme temperatures than rubber any day of the week. If you’re building a racing or competition vehicle of any kind or just adding some horsepower to your Jeep’s engine, silicone is definitely the way to go.
- Noise and vibration control
Silicone has a good ability to dampen sounds and vibrations, keeping a quiet and stable profile. Rubber has been known to be a source of noise due to the friction between the rubber and the mating surface. Since silicone is smooth as glass inside and out, the friction coefficient is dramatically reduced both at the connection point, as well as throughout the hose length. Think of how much less turbulent the airflow would be in the intake system if you were able to get rid of all that accordion tubing.
- Aesthetics
One of the most obvious advantages of upgrading the hoses under the hood of your Jeep is how they look. There are often times, (depending on the manufacturer,) many different colors available too. I’ve even seen camouflage! So if you have (or want) a theme going on under the hood, this is the best way to accomplish that.
Of course, if you’re not into that sort of thing, that’s totally cool too, and almost any hose manufacturer will have everything in black as well.
So to circle back and answer the original question, YES, silicone hose does make a difference, in many ways, both on and off-road. BUT… it’s not all sunshine and rainbows though. There are certain applications where silicone is NOT the best choice.
The molecular structure of silicone does not play well with oil, fuel, and other oil-based products. So using silicone for something like a fuel filler hose, or for say an oil filter relocation or dry sump conversion would not work for very long. There are some companies that are now putting a lining into their silicone hoses to prevent this, but that of course comes at a premium. If you are still looking for an enhanced look, and want something that still offers some improvements, consider braided lines with AN fittings.
When installed in the same engine bay as a full silicone hose swap, your Jeep will like it just rolled out of a race garage and will be ready to take on the most extreme conditions with the utmost confidence. In case you’re curious, the average price for a full silicone hose upgrade kit, including both upper and lower radiator hoses, both heater core hoses, and all the clamps you’ll need, will generally run you about 150 to 200 dollars depending on the company and how extensive the kit is.
Must-Have Stuff Pick-of-the-Week for your Jeep!
HPS Red Reinforced Silicone Radiator + Heater Hose Kit – Jeep Wrangler TJ 4.0L $180.50 https://amzn.to/3aghZgv
HPS Performance is one of the biggest and best companies in the automotive silicone hose market. They’ve been supplying the automotive, agricultural, military and marine industries for over 14 years. The link we’ll have for you is for the TJ, but kits are available for your Jeep too…
Providing all the benefits we discussed in this episode and competitively priced.
Jeep Talk Show Interview
Monika Kalenski with https://www.mekmagnet.com/
Campfire Side Chat
Carpet in a Jeep? Good idea, or just a place to collect pine needles, sand, and mud?
You can join us around the virtual campfire every Thursday night at 9:45 pm (Central Standard Time) when we record the latest episode. Subscribe to our newsletter to get weekly reminders and how to join via Zoom, or follow us on Facebook (https://facebook.com/jeeptalkshow) for notifications.
Links Mentioned in this Episode
NEXEN Tires USA
Jeep 4-1-1
https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver
The 4×4 Radio Network
Interact With The Show!
https://jeeptalkshow.com/contact
Jeep Talk Show on Facebook
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Rat Bastards Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ratbastard
MekMagnets
Silicone Tube Manufacturer
https://hpsperformanceproducts.com/
Silicone Tube Kit For TJ (must have item)
Jeep Dealer Interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MUrkzD1Rco
