Episode 551 – PowerTanks, Doughnuts and Doors
This Week In Jeep
A DOT Approved OEM Tube Door Alternative – Called “Doughnut”
In a patent published just two days ago, FCA (now Stellantis) has had donut doors in mind for the Wrangler since at least May of 2017. The patent in question was applied for over three years ago, but it’s just seeing the light of day now. Simply titled “Automobile,” it’s not even a technical patent. It simply lays out some aesthetics in a series of images, not even mentioning the word “door.” The only language used to describe what we see is “The ornamental design for an automobile, as shown and described.” If you remember, Jeep debuted a similar design in the “Switchback” concept shown at the 2017 Easter Jeep Safari.
Jeep also presented the new JL-body truck with these doors all the way back in 2018, although they never made it into production. Unlike the patent images, however, these doors were only seen on the two-door Wrangler, not the four-door. They also aren’t visually similar to what we saw back in 2018. In the official reveal of the 2018 Wrangler JL, Mike Manely, then CEO of Jeep, stood on stage with a black Jeep, flanked in the background by two holl climbing Wranglers, a yellow one on the right, and a red one on the left. The red Wrangler having the see-through doughnut-style door in question. That design’s opening was much smaller, and didn’t have as much a recessed body roll into the opening as this current design does.
Although these doors likely won’t ever be a factory option, they will however more likely be seen as a dealer option, or part of a door package option that may include half doors, these, and full doors. Seems like a lot to hang on the wall, right?
Either way, this door design would definitely not come with any kind of a window, save for one that would be unfolded and velcroed into place. A nice summer-only doorless alternative, but not one that I think will see many orders. What do you think?
No Crossbow But Lots Of Injuries In Pursuit Of Stolen Jeep
The boys in Essex county are back at it again. Chasing down dumb criminals who stole a Jeep. You may remember our dumb criminal story from Episode 523, where a guy stole a Jeep and wielded a frickin CROSSBOW at the cops. This time, there was no crossbow, but four of the Essex County Sheriff’s department are licking their wounds after a pair of crashes involving a Jeep whose driver is being sought by authorities.
The wild incident unfolded around 7 p.m. when sheriff’s officers got word that a stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee was being driven through Bloomfield in the area of Bloomfield Avenue and Ampere Parkway. When sheriff’s officers tried to pull over the Jeep, the driver instead slammed into the marked patrol vehicle, deploying the airbags in the vehicle and causing minor injuries to two sheriff’s officers. The stolen Jeep then kept driving, continuing on to East Orange St. where another sheriff’s office vehicle picked up the pursuit. As both the Jeep and the sheriff’s office vehicle rounded a turn in the area of North 15th Street and Eaton Place, the patrol vehicle crashed. One sheriff’s deputy had to be treated for a broken ankle while another suffered broken toes. The stolen Jeep navigated the turn but was later found abandoned about two miles away in Irvington.
Anyone who saw the driver in that area is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 973-621-4111.
Amazon in a Jeep?
Stellantis, Jeep’s parent company, has entered into a wide-ranging agreement with Amazon. The deal will actually put even more software into Stellantis vehicles, Amazon software to be specific. And what does Amazon get out of this? They get to put Stellantis’s electric vans into Amazon’s delivery fleet. Now, whether or not this means Amazon delivery drivers will finally have a vehicle that can get up your driveway, we don’t know. Other automakers have reached similarly wide-ranging agreements in the past year with major tech companies. Ford announced a deal last year with Google to provide data hosting services for the automaker and to provide software for its cars.
GM also announced a deal with Microsoft that involved the software company investing in Cruise, the self-driving car company in which GM is also a major investor, while also providing data hosting services to both GM and Cruise. So if they can do it, why not Stellantis then too? It is said that Amazon and Stellantis will work together on a variety of projects in the coming years. Besides in-vehicle software, the deal will include vehicle development work and training for software engineers.
In-car software developed with Amazon would be available in a sort of in-car app store, offering software tailored to the specific brands. For instance, a Jeep might offer an off-road driving coach or digital inclinometer. A Pacifica minivan could have entertainment suggestions or enhanced multimedia interfaces like Amazon Fire TV in every headrest. The apps could also work with Amazon’s internet-connected home products, such as security cameras and thermostats. Answer the doorbell ring from the trail, or crank the heat in the house while in rush hour traffic. The software will begin appearing in the 2024 model year vehicles, as Stellantis rolls out its own new in-car software platform. The companies did not say how much money was involved in the deals or exactly how many vehicles Amazon will buy except that it will be in the thousands annually. Good, now maybe this means a quicker end to the whole supply chain issue.
Tech Talk with Jeep Talk
TOPIC/QUESTION: Speaker Selection For YOUR Jeep (series)
In Episode 548 we began a new series all focused on selecting the right speaker for your Jeep. But since all Jeep models are different, and everybody has different ears, I felt it necessary to go in-depth a little more than just 
rattling off a list of speaker sizes for different models and years of Jeeps. You deserve more than that. My goal at the end of this is to arm you with a ton of knowledge that will help you not only find the right speaker for your Jeep, but the right speaker for the kind of music you listen to, and more importantly, how to avoid some common traps, and how to get the most bang for your buck. If you’ve listened to Episode 548, then chances are by now you know what size speaker you need for which location in your specific Jeep. Is it the dash speaker, does your Jeep have speakers in the door? Maybe it’s for that soundbar. Regardless, now that you know the size of speakers you’re looking for, it’s time to narrow things down further. The first question I used to ask people when I worked in the industry is what is it that you are trying to accomplish? This is a tricky question because the answer is different for everyone. Is it just replacing a blown speaker? Or is there a particular “sound” you’re trying to achieve? There is a whole scale to every aspect of car audio, and it can get confusing for many people pretty quickly. So let’s start with the most basic of needs, replacing a blown speaker. This is 
going to be the most common scenario, because most people don’t really care about exactly “how” their music sounds, especially in a Jeep. But as Jeeps age, so do their components, and the older the Jeep, the older the speakers, and the technology used in yesteryears Jeeps is nowhere close to what it is today. So the speakers themselves may actually be degraded beyond proper working conditions just because of their age. Or maybe the sound system was just turned up too loud, and one or more of the speakers blew out, it can happen at a lower volume than you may think if the system has been tuned improperly. Ok so real quick I should probably cover what a blown speaker is and what it means without getting overly technical. In most situations, it will be pretty obvious. The sound from one or more speakers sounds …funny. Maybe it has a popping sound to it when there’s music present. Maybe speech sounds unnatural or distorted, almost fuzzy. Maybe there is a complete lack of treble or there’s no bass at all, and you’re only hearing a small amount of the audio. The most obvious condition is that a vital component to the speaker’s function has completely blown out, and it no longer functions at all. A Lot of people will just ignore this, as it’s not a huge issue to them and may let the problem persist for months or years. Although rare, a blown speaker has the potential of causing further damage to the internal amplifier of the stereo if neglected for too long. If this sounds like the situation you’re in, then you should be looking for a couple of things in your speaker of choice when shopping for a replacement. We’ll get into that in the next tech talk. For now though, if you have a Jeep with one or more speakers that no longer work at all, it would be in your best interest to have the system checked to make sure the built-in amp of the stereo is still working properly. There’s a chance the speaker isn’t working for another reason altogether. 
If that ends up being the case, then don’t give up on speaker selection even if your focus has now turned to replace the head unit. Although replacing the stereo may improve the overall sound quality somewhat, it will only make a blown speaker sound worse. In any and every vehicle, regardless of the stereo, replacing stock speakers of any condition with new aftermarket ones, will result in dramatically better sound. Between now and the next tech talk, if you haven’t already, find out the speaker sizes for your year and model of Jeep, ask yourself what it is you’re trying to accomplish, and finally set a budget. All that info will come in handy in the next Tech Talk.
The Jeep Talk Show Interview
Steve Sasaki – PowerTank!
Jeep Life – With Jeep Momma
Happy New Year Tony Josh and Wendy! Here is wishing we all have a fabulous year!
I wanted to thank you guys for your understanding and patience with me. Sometimes I think maybe I should change my name from Jeep Momma to Drama Momma. I understand this podcast is about Jeep stuff, but over the past seven years, I feel like you all are my family. Not just Tony, Josh, and Wendy but every person who is out there listening. I have even met several of you over the years. You have taken your time to drive many miles to meet me and wheel with me. That has always touched my heart. Many of you reach out personally and send me emails and messages. I believe I owe it to you to let you know what is up in my life. Well… I am no longer in Colorado or have anything to do with Colorado 4×4 The Jeep Rescue League. When I was still in Colorado, I was slowly being pushed out. I didn’t realize this until after I left. I found a lot of clarity in my experience once I got out and away. I was able to see things more clearly once I removed those rose-colored glasses. It was a hasty emotional crazy exit. I was extremely devastated by the events that transpired. I was in love and gave so much and the treatment I received was shocking. I invested my heart and soul plus a lot of time and all the money I received from my divorce. Just under $30,000. I lost it all. I am ashamed and embarrassed by the whole experience. I feel like I should be on Dateline, or they could make a Lifetime movie out of my experience. I was played by a very manipulative person. Sadly, others were part of the fallout and played as well. Now I am in Minnesota with my sisters who are taking care of me helping me to heal. I have no idea where I will be going next. I only know for now I am continuing to do what I love so much and that is my YouTube Channel, My Blog, and this podcast. I am also working on finding a therapist so I can set good boundaries, so this doesn’t happen again. My youngest son told me, “Mom you have bad taste in men” I think he is a smart kid. I wanted to head to Moab and find a job but the housing market there is very troubled. So for now I am battling the freeze your face of winters of Minnesota. I have written the story of my experience in hopes to help others not fall for the same manipulation I did. I am hoping to self-publish it on Amazon. We will see. In the meantime, Jeep Life with Jeep Momma is back. Next week I will share Jeep Mommas Top 10… Yes Tony… Ten Must-Visit Small Towns in America!
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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