Episode 618 – Minding your Manners and More
This Week In Jeep
Jeep Returns to The Jurassic Cinematic Universe
Dogs may be man’s best friend, and Jeep dogs always get extra points.
But in this latest ad by Jeep, we see that a Wrangler’s best friend is a dinosaur. Well, not exactly. This new ad ties into the latest, and reportedly final, installment in the “Jurassic World” movie franchise. Which opens in theaters on June 10th.
The ad’s release date, also just so happens to coincide with National Dinosaur Day. This and other useless information are found only on the Jeep Talk Show!
In the commercial we see a man discovering a baby Carnotaurus freshly hatching in his yard in the imprint of a single giant dinosaur footprint… because that’s a thing now. We also clearly see that his Jeep Wrangler 4xe is very clearly plugged-in and charging at the edge of his garage. He pledges to take care of the pet dinosaur, and they soon go adventuring, in and out of the Wrangler, terrorizing non-dinosaur having non-Jeepers, like that damn nosey neighbor Mrs. Crannits and her yippy little rat dog, that was almost an easy lunch. They make a point to highlight the Jeep’s quiet electric mode when the dinosaur is catching some Z’s in the back as if it was a worn-out pooch after a day of wheeling and frisbee catching. The ad, part of a global campaign for the Stellantis SUV brand, represents the latest example in recent years of a Jeep tie-in to the franchise that kicked off in 1993 with “Jurassic Park.” In 2018, actor Jeff Goldblum, who plays mathematician Ian Malcolm in the movies, reprised his role — sort of — behind the wheel of a Wrangler giving chase to a T. rex. Jeeps and dinosaurs are for the most part forever locked together in perpetuity by the movie-making geniuses who chose a Jeep to star in a dinosaur movie. As for this newest installment in the Jurassic Park franchise, there are actually (purportedly) several Jeeps that make an appearance, a Wrangler, Gladiator, and even a vintage Grand Wagoneer.
What Would it Cost to Upgrade The Prize Though?
So this is pretty cool. A local dealer in West Virginia is giving away a Jeep.
And all you’ve got to do to win it is hit a hole in one. Hancock County Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram will serve as a hole-in-one sponsor for Saturday’s 32nd annual Rotary Charities Golf Scramble.
The dealer is offering a 2022 Jeep Renegade as one of the hole-in-one prizes. Over $5,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded and all proceeds will benefit local Rotary Scholarships.
The only question is… what would it cost to upgrade to a Wrangler?
Dammutt… Not Again!!!
Back in 2020, the latest generation of the Jeep Wrangler received a punishing “Marginal” rating after flipping over not once, but twice in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s driver-side small overlap crash test. Despite the automaker’s reported attempts to resolve the issue with structural modifications to the vehicle’s design, the 2022 Jeep Wrangler flipped over again in the latest round of IIHS testing. If it has to be said, vehicles don’t usually roll over from front-impact collisions, and it’s particularly alarming on a convertible vehicle like the Wrangler. It’s unclear what specific modifications Jeep made to the 2022 model year vehicle, but it is clear that it did not work to mitigate rollover risk. Back in 2020, the 2019 model year Wrangler did not roll over in Jeep’s private testing. It did roll over in an audit crash test by the IIHS, the first time any vehicle had flipped in the driver-side small overlap crash test. It rolled over again after Jeep requested a modified second test. “Structural modifications made by the manufacturer did not eliminate the issue,” for the 2022 model year, according to the IIHS. The test vehicle this year was a 2022 four-door Wrangler with the roof removed, windows opened, but doors attached. Here’s what happened to the vehicle and crash test dummy occupant: “The safety cage surrounding the driver held its structure well. The restraints also effectively controlled the movement of the dummy, though the test indicated a significant risk of injury to the driver’s left leg and foot, and the combination head and torso side airbag didn’t deploy. However, tipping onto its side presents an additional injury risk beyond what the standard criteria are intended to measure, in part because the IIHS test does not include a dummy seated on the passenger side.”
However, as is pointed out in the report, the convertible Wrangler puts occupants at higher risk of ejection in such a crash, which puts occupants at greater risk of injury.
The 2022 Wrangler’s “Marginal” safety rating in this category of crash test means it’s automatically disqualified as one of the Institute’s “Top Safety Picks,” which requires a minimum “Good” rating in the crash test. And for what it’s worth, the 2015 model year Wrangler, the previous generation, did not roll over in the same crash test.
“LUCY! YOU HAVE SOME ‘SPLAINING TO DOOO!”
Newbie Nuggets with Wendy
Trail Manners
Trail etiquette and trail manners are two completely different things; however, they do go hand in hand. Tammy has covered trail etiquette a lot and so has the show. I personally have done several episodes myself (eps: 430, 490 & 531) and this got me thinking that since we all support trail etiquette and clean up and preservation I wanted to mention some trail manners that newbies may not be aware of. And quite frankly, there are a lot of off-roaders that may not be aware of good manners either.
Now I’m not going to bash a certain vehicle or off-roading stereotypes of who might need some lessons in manners, I really just want to help educate you, the newbie Jeeper out there as to what good manners are when wheeling.
First off, if you wheel with people that are rude, and do some of these things then stop wheeling with them. You aren’t obligated to wheel with anyone that doesn’t adhere to the silent code of trail etiquette.
Good manners of course start at home, but I’m not here to coach you on home life, what I mean is that if you have a solid foundation for being kind & courteous, you are already ahead of the game with trail manners and most people you meet along the trails are very courteous and polite.
1) When wheeling, you may come across another group that you either pass along the way, or they are traveling the trail in the opposite direction. For goodness sakes, say hello to your fellow off-roaders. I can’t tell you how many times we run across people who are mad, angry, or maybe just stressed out. Now I know they may have a broken jeep and are simply limping to get off the trail, but honestly, it doesn’t take much to smile and say hi as you pass.
We were in a group of about 10 jeeps and a single jeep was coming the other way on a single-lane road. Now the proper thing to do was for the single jeep to back up and find a spot to get off the road, you would have thought I was asking the women driver (yep women) to give up her firstborn by the way she huffed and puffed and blew a gasket that we had SOOO many jeeps and that SHE had to back up. Standard procedure on a flat narrow road is if you have fewer jeeps, you find the turnout and backup, etc. It’s almost impossible to back up 10 or more jeeps in a group when a single jeep can find the space needed to let the larger group pass. Sucks to be her and you would think being out in the open beautiful 
outdoor climate, she could have at least smiled. Oh Well
2) When you decide to park and take a break, think about getting off the road completely. If the trail is narrow, wait to stop until there is plenty of room for your entire group and make sure all the jeeps are off the trail so others can pass. Again, we were out with a group and sure enough, we came upon jeeps that are parked in the middle of the trail with kids and dogs running all about. It even took a few moments before they realized we were there and needed to get by. HONESTLY? Hate to mention this, but YOU are not the only ones on the trails. Newbies, make sure you get off the trail when you need to stop.
3) And when you find that perfect lunch spot, maybe it’s a serene shade tree or a stream, or maybe a vista point with incredible views – make sure you don’t crowd or invade someone else’s serene spot. This happened to us: We were parked under a tree and sure enough, 8 other vehicles in one group decided to stop right next to us – that’s not so bad, however, their party was way louder than ours and it took away from our serene moment. Then another group of 6 off-roaders came by and stopped on the trail to enjoy themselves and then another 5 out-of-towners parked their rigs right next to us. I guess we have great attraction LOL. The only thing I can say is if this was the only spot on the trail (which this was not) then at least be courteous to others. As all these off-roaders drove by and through our spot, NO ONE smiled back or said hello. I said hi to all of them. So RUDE! We all are out there to enjoy the same thing, let’s share in that. And on the other hand, if you are new and this is where you want to stop, ask the existing jeepers if it’s OK to park there, or OK to hang out for a moment. Don’t just assume because you are new that everyone wants to be friends either. It’s a fine line and you will know pretty quickly who is friendly and who wants to be left alone. Maybe YOU want to be left alone!
4) Yielding to horses: Not sure what state you are in, but check to see what the yield laws are in your state. In California, the equestrian (horse and rider) has the right of way on all roads and trails. PERIOD. Even hikers have to yield to horses. If you wheel where riders are present, slow down. Maybe even stop and shut off your louder engines. Approaching a horse/rider at any speed can be dangerous for them but also could cause major damage to your jeep. Always stop and wait for the rider to direct you as to stop, or move you through. Most riders need to collect their horse, or just make sure there is enough room for the vehicles to pass. Most often riders out on the trails have pretty solid and trail-worthy horses, but every once in a while a younger horse may spook and that’s a disaster you don’t need or want to be involved in. Horses are allowed on the Pacific Crest Trail here on the west coast. This trail starts on the Mexican border and ends at the Canadian border. Many of our jeep trails cross the PCT so we are always aware there may be equestrians on the trails.
5) Passing other jeepers: I have mentioned before that when you pass other jeepers/off-roaders you hold up the number of fingers for the number of jeepers behind you in your group. This is done all the time off-road with motorcycle and quad riders. But if you are new to off-roading and Jeeping, it’s a common courtesy. This lets them know more is coming and they don’t try to move forward and possibly create a problem if passing is narrow or sketchy. We use hand signals to signify that 1, 2, 3, etc. are behind us. But that hasn’t always worked. I realized that most other Jeepers have no clue why we are holding up fingers. Some may get the wrong idea. When we use our hands and fingers, we usually get a peace sign back, or a “jeep wave” and mostly it’s a “deer-in-the-headlights” look or a puzzled “what the heck did they flash us with a finger for”. So we have started to just stop and let the first driver of the opposing group know how many are in our group. Seems talking the old fashion way is the best. If you are in a group the leader will more than likely handle this, but if you are leading, think about that communication. It’s just good manners.
6) Trash pick-up: Make sure that everyone in the group is picking up their trash before you leave a lunch spot or break area. Being new is no excuse for littering. All off-roaders should be stewards to take care of the trails and help keep them open. If you are wheeling with litterbugs, pick up their trash and then promise me you will never wheel with them again LOL
Most of what I covered is common sense to me. Be kind to others and they will be kind to you. Most everyone we have encountered has been wonderful and very nice. It’s what we love about Jeeping, it’s the friends you make and the people you meet. Sometimes there’s a group that doesn’t think this way. That’s OK for them, but you need to set a higher standard for yourself and those you run with.
Another Celebrity sighting: Bill was asked if The “Wendy” on the show was HIS Wife- he felt elevated LOL. Shoutout to longtime JTS listener Scott. He got some training with us and loves the show – thanks for listening, Scott. Now quit being a Rat Bastard LOL
Jeep Talk Show Gladiator Update
I know I don’t complain much but…
Email a week before the event from Discount Tires for a free rotation and balance!
I didn’t buy the tires from them.
After making the appointment I called to verify.
Nope, free rotate, but charge for balance.
I was going to see if I could get the spare rotated in but after I found out there was a charge for balancing I just canceled the appointment.
I was upset that I was told something in an email that wasn’t correct. Don’t get my hopes up and then charge me.
Must-Have Stuff Pick-of-the-Week for your Jeep!
Alien Sunshade Jeep Wrangler YJ and TJ
PROTECTION FROM THE SUN WITH THE TOP DOWN EXPERIENCE: one of the must-have Jeep Accessories for blocking the scorching sun.
VERY EASY TO INSTALL: The Alien Sun Shade requires no tools or modifications to your Jeep. The included mounting system wraps around the roll bars for a rigid, noise-free, snug fit that won’t damage the paint.
WELL MADE & GREAT QUALITY: All Alien Sunshades are made from high-quality polyester, have double-sewn edges, and come with treated metal grommets to provide long-lasting protection from the sun without fading.
LEAVE YOUR ALIEN SHADE ON: once you install it, you don’t have to remove it. The YJ and TJ Alien Sun Shade fits under the factory hard and soft tops.
TOPLESS BUT BETTER – Alien Shade Tops are a game-changer and are a must-have for any Jeep Wrangler TJ or YJ owner who drives with the top off. No extra wind noise and no more sunburns. Available in EIGHT different colors to blend in with your build theme, and comes with a 10 Year Warranty.
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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