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Jeep Talk Show

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Episode 521 – Jeep Tries Again With New 8sp Trans

This Week In Jeep

Jeep Will get a NEW 8-speed Transmission

Stellantis announced Thursday that it will spend $229 million to retool three of its Indiana plants to produce a new transmission that could eventually appear in electrified Jeep, Ram, Dodge, and Chrysler vehicles. The announcement represents an early piece of the company’s planned $35 billion global investment in electrification and software through 2025.  The company has said it’s targeting more than 70% of its sales in Europe and 40% of its sales in the United States to be low-emission vehicles by 2030.

At the company’s Kokomo Transmission Plant, the investment would retain 662 jobs. 

The retooling at the Kokomo Transmission, Kokomo Casting, and Indiana Transmission plants will allow the company to build a fourth-generation, eight-speed transmission. 

The new transmission will offer flexibility because it can be paired with internal combustion engines, as well as mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid propulsion systems.

According to the early research, the new transmission would deliver improved fuel economy, provide pure electric range and help vehicles meet future emission regulations. Brad Clark, Stellantis’ head of powertrain operations, called the news an important stepping stone toward the company’s electrification goals.

Those close to the project are calling this new eight-speed transmission the ‘multi-tool of trannys. You know, way back in the day, I was a little drunk, and I stepped into the wrong nightclub and saw a multi-tool tranny for the first time. Certain things just can’t be unseen. BUT THAT’S NOT WHY I CALLED. This is going to be Jeep’s most versatile transmission that supposedly can be easily adapted for a variety of applications and vehicle types, allowing Jeep the flexibility to adjust production as consumer demand for electrified vehicles grows over the next decade. Stellantis’ electrified offerings will be expanding significantly in the coming years, both in the United States and around the world. The company plans to launch a plug-in electric hybrid Grand Cherokee next year and has said it will have a battery-electric Dodge muscle car and Ram 1500 pickup by 2024. With all the issues Jeep and its various parent companies have had over the years with the first three generations of this eight-speed transmission, I predict lots of bugs, and a rocky start to this new product. Who knows, maybe now that Jeep has a different parent company, things will be different, but I for one, won’t be holding my breath.

What Makes a Jeep More (or Less) Expensive To Insure?

Bankrate, LLC is a consumer financial services company based in New York City. Bankrate.com, perhaps its best-known brand, is a personal finance website.

According to Bankrate’s 2021 study of average automotive insurance premiums, the national average cost of car insurance for full coverage is $1,674 a year, or about $140 a month. Still, as we all know, the actual cost will be highly dependent on the make and model of the vehicle you are insuring. For instance, insuring a 1989 Volvo 240 would cost substantially less than insuring a 2001 Cadillac Eldarado. For what it’s worth, Bankrate reviewed the annual cost of car insurance for Jeeps to determine how different models impact the amount you pay in premiums. Not that any of us would let that cloud our decision to own or drive a Jeep of one kind or another, but I thought that despite insurance being a very dry subject, this would be interesting information if nothing else for comparison’s sake. Now I’m not going to go into ALL the details of just HOW any one insurance company calculates the rate for anyone driver and their vehicle, but they are all different,  and they all use a risk analysis that is done on both drivers and vehicles. Not only does your driving record come into play, but also the crash rate stats per make/model as well as price of replacement parts of said vehicle, and of course the safety features that come with the vehicle. Looking at a comparison of two very different Jeeps, the Wrangler, and the Grand Cherokee, the latter costs an average of $1,531 per year to insure with full coverage. For the bare minimum coverage, that price drops down to just $516 a year, but you certainly wouldn’t want to get in a wreck or be a victim to theft or vandalism of any kind with that kind of policy. Although the average cost of minimum coverage for the Jeep Wrangler more closely matches that of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, its average rate for full coverage is considerably lower. Full coverage for the Jeep Wrangler averages well below both the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the national average at just $1358. A lot of that likely comes down to replacement costs of parts and the typical availability of them. Now as we all know, it’s not just the driver and the vehicle. Rates can vary drastically from one insurer to another, and that’s why they say it’s good to shop your options at least once, if not twice a year. USAA and Erie offer some of the lowest rates for both models according to the Bankrate research, while State Farm came in as one of the highest average rates. Keep in mind your rates could be higher or lower, depending on where you live, driving history, and claim history.

As we all know, not all Jeeps of the same model are created equal. Jeep insurance costs may be higher or lower depending on the included features of the vehicle. 

While some features are optional, there are standard features on both the Grand Cherokee as well as the Wrangler which could help keep premiums more manageable.

Premium reducing features would include such things as; all those driver-assist technologies that I have repeatedly touted as being worse for drivers, the insurance companies however deem worthy of a safety bonus for you. Airbags are another one, as is park-assist actually. You’d be surprised how many insurance claims are put in every year that involve someone making a parking error. Again I say, learn your vehicle, don’t rely on technology to do what you are more than capable of doing, should you simply have the desire and capability to learn how. Ok, one last little bit of common sense for us seasoned drivers, but for those who are new drivers, the coverage options you select also affect the cost of your monthly premium, as you could select more coverage to build a more robust policy for you and your Jeep. Each state has its own minimum insurance requirements to protect other drivers while driving. However, most financial experts agree you should purchase more insurance than the bare minimum required in order to receive greater financial protection. One option is to purchase full coverage instead of only the minimum. Full coverage includes comprehensive and collision coverage, which can pay toward your Jeep’s physical damage due to a covered accident or other events, such as theft. The big takeaway from all this is that there are many factors at play when it comes to calculating insurance premiums, and they all should get some consideration the next time you shop for insurance for you and your Jeep. 

Jeep Talkshow Interview

Simon Martin – Counteract Balancing

Glass beads to self-balancing tire/wheel

counteractbalancing.com

Jeep Life – With Jeep Momma

Hole In The Rock Trail (UT)

Hi Tony, Josh, and Wendy… A little history lesson today. In the spring of 1880, a direct supply and access road connecting southwestern and southeastern Utah was completed. Known as the Hole-in-the-Rock Trail, its direct penetration through the Colorado River gorge and surrounding topography shortened distances over alternative routes by up to hundreds of miles. Built by Mormon pioneers answering a mission call to colonize the southeastern section of the territory, the trail provided a crucial link for one year before the most rugged stretches were bypassed with the opening of Hall’s Crossing.

The mission which resulted in the trail’s construction was initiated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to secure peaceful relations with the Indians and to open the area to further colonization. After four months of exploring for a feasible route to their intended destination, the pioneers selected a direct route from Escalante. Although it was the least explored of all the possible routes, it was by far the shortest.

As winter approached at the end of November 1879, 250 men, women, and children, with 80 wagons and 1,000 head of cattle, found themselves up against terribly broken, seemingly impassable terrain. The settlers had been en route for more than two weeks when they reached the 1,200-foot-deep Colorado River gorge, sixty-five miles southeast of Escalante.

For six weeks, the men labored on a wagon road down the sandstone cliffs to the Colorado River. Built by chiseling and blasting a path through a steep crevice named the Hole-in-the-Rock, their road stands today as a testament of pioneer ingenuity and determination. Construction consisted of cutting away a 40-foot drop-off at the top of the crevice, moving huge boulders, leveling high spots, filling depressions, and widening crevice walls. To avoid the steep grades near the bottom of the Hole-in-the-Rock, the pioneers tacked their road onto the face of the north wall of the crevice. The tacked-on road was supported by oak stakes secured into holes drilled into the crevice wall at two-foot intervals.

After driving the wagons through the Hole-in-the-Rock and ferrying across the 300-foot-wide river, the emigrants proceeded east out of the river gorge. On 6 April 1880, after another ten weeks of grueling labor in harsh winter conditions, the missionaries reached a sandy bottomland along the banks of the San Juan River where they established Bluff City.

A hundred miles of road built after descending the Hole-in-the-Rock crossed some of the most rugged terrains in North America. Deep ravines and washes were crossed, trails down thousand-foot drop-offs blasted, deserts traversed, paths through thick cedar forests cut, and steep cliffs ascended. Many grades required seven spans of horses to pull the heavily laden wagons, and the worst stretches could be identified by the blood and matted hair from the forelegs of the struggling teams.

In all, the trek took six months. Food supplies were depleted, and teams had been worn to the point of exhaustion. Two babies were born en route and, miraculously, no one had died. The pioneers had toiled under the most trying of circumstances in a harsh land. Most significantly, their ordeal forged them into a self-reliant colony ready for the formidable tasks of nurturing peace with the Indians, controlling the lawless who sought refuge in the area, irrigating with the unruly San Juan River, and eking out a living from the sun-baked land.

This path is now a Jeep Badge of Honor Trail in Utah.

Not to be confused with Hole in the Rock Road. Hole in the Rock Trail is a long Slickrock trail beginning near Highway 273 about 13 miles east of Halls crossing marina and ending at the head of Cottonwood Canyon 3 miles shy of Lake Powell. With its steep hills bare sandstone crossings, scenic vistas and views of natural rock bridges, and a dug away the most challenging part of the trail. The dugway leads up to Grey Mesa. The Jeep Badge of honor rates the trail at a 4 to 6. To put it in perspective the Rubicon Trail is rated 1 to 10, Hell’s Revenge is 3 to 6. Our plan is to take on this trail next weekend.  It is a long trail which we will do in 2 days.

Some folks have pushed and done it in 12 hours, but that is during times where the days are longer. We will be camping out in the middle of nowhere. It’s a one-way in and one way out. If all goes well the plan is to head out next Friday and drive to the starting point outside Blanding Utah. Stay tuned for an update on the next episode of the Jeep Talk Show.

Links Mentioned in this Episode

NEXEN Tires USA https://www.nexentireusa.com/

Trails 411- POWERING Your Adventure https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver

The 4×4 Radio Network http://4x4radionetwork.com/

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