Episode 702 – NEXEN ATX Tire Giveaway!
This Week In Jeep
Like Peanut Butter and Jelly
After more than 35 years of exclusively providing premium factory soft tops for the Jeep Wrangler, the Jeep brand has officially chosen Bestop to offer three official Jeep-licensed soft tops to JK Wrangler owners. The world-famous Trektop, Trektop Glide, and Trektop Pro will be available in Premium Twill and Black Diamond fabrics at Bestop.com and supporting Bestop resellers. This latest collection will be the first time a premium Bestop soft top will showcase the Jeep brand on select tops. Scott Baird, The VP of Sales and Marketing for Bestop says that this is a special opportunity for the Wrangler family to fit their Jeep vehicles with the brand they love and the quality they deserve like never before. Jeep and Bestop have a long history of being a part of each other’s story. Together they have inspired people to enjoy the outdoors, and the unique open-air driving adventure. Scott Baird wasn’t the only high-ranking executive to chime in on this momentous occasion. A man that was just on the show recently in fact, Jim Morrison, Senior Vice President and head of the Jeep brand for North America said “The Jeep brand is defined by open-air freedom, and Bestop has been a key partner in developing that for the Jeep customer. Responding to the Jeep community with these new JK soft tops is a great way to give our customers exactly what they are looking for.” Bestop Inc. is the world’s largest manufacturer of soft tops and fabric accessories made with North American-made craftsmanship and is a sister company to Tuffy Security Products, Baja Designs, PRP, and many other big-name brands you know, love, and trust. For more information about Bestop, and what they can do for YOUR Jeep, head over to www.bestop.com
Multiple Jeep Models Being Recalled
Are there really more recalls in the past few years or are we just simply paying more attention to them? Stellantis has three more to add to the pile of recalls we’ve already seen this year alone. This latest batch however focuses on the Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Gladiator, and Ram 1500. I think I just heard a lot of Jeepers’ ears perk up. The first is an add-on to the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 fuel high-pressure fuel pump recall that has already claimed nearly 140,000 Jeeps and Rams from the 2014 to 2020 model years. Seems EcoDiesels from 2020, 2021, and 2022 model years didn’t get fixed in time, either, and now they’re joining the herd. The potential issue and recourse are the same as previous recalls of this nature. The pump failure can introduce mechanical debris to the fuel system, cutting off the supply of fuel to the engine. You obviously don’t want this to ever happen. Earlier comments from Jeep’s parent company Stellantis suggested failure could come on gradually rather than spectacularly, meaning drivers may notice noise from the pump or even a Check Engine light before the vehicle becomes completely un-drivable at what will likely be the most inopportune time. Owner notification letters are expected to go out by December 2nd, but if you are already experiencing issues, contact your local dealer. The fix is a trip to the dealer for the replacement of all components in the fuel system that are failing, have failed, or suffered from failure. The remaining recalls are brand new and hot off the press. The 2021 Jeep Wrangler, 2022 Ram 1500, and 2022 Jeep Gladiator need a little bit of love with their front seat belt retractors. The automaker’s internal investigation team uncovered some improper friction welder maintenance at a supplier resulting in badly welded micro gas generators on the retractors. Sounds almost like we’re talking about components on a spaceship, doesn’t it? What all that techno-jargon means is that in the event of an accident, faulty retractors might not provide the proper restraint of the occupant in a crash, increasing the possibility of injury. Letters of notification for this recall will go out to owners by December 2nd telling them to hit up their local dealer for new seat belt retractors so that they won’t die! The last recall is all about the 2022 and 2023 Jeep Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid. There are nearly 14 thousand units of the off-road PHEV that need their high-voltage packs looked at. Some of them might have incorrect fasteners securing the 200-amp fuse in that pack, potentially causing so much excess heat around said fuse that it fails. If that happens, the battery can’t provide any power and the Jeep will have to resort to using the internal combustion engine. Drivers might be alerted with a dashboard light or altered driving performance, and there are even a few reports where a fire occurred. The fix is a day at the dealership to have the fuse fastener inspected and possibly replaced. Better not let this one slip through the cracks Jeepers, and check with your local Jeep dealer to see if YOUR Jeep is affected in any one of these recalls.
Newbie Nuggets with Wendy
Thinking about upgrading your rock sliders?
Rock sliders are one of the best items you can add to your jeep IF you want to prevent body damage when crawling over rocks. But rock sliders aren’t just for preventing body damage. However, sometimes people put sliders on to use as a step to get into their jeep. Some jeeps, like the Rubicon, come with some form of a rock slider from the factory. It may be a simple rail attached below the doors and run along the length of the jeep in between the front and rear tires. The purpose of rock sliders is to help you “slide” over or around rocks without the rocks scraping the lower body panel. They are designed to help you pivot around or on top of a rock and come in many designs and styles. We really got to use ours during our JTS Big Bear Event two weeks ago.
Choosing sliders is really a decision best made by deciding what type of wheeling you plan to do. Fire roads, easy trails, and daily drivers are good to go with whatever is stock on your jeep. But if you wheel through mud, sand, or rock crawl you may be considering an upgrade to a stronger rock slider. This field is HUGE in deciding which ones to buy. Just go to any event and you will find everyone has something different. I’ve narrowed the field down into three separate groups to help you decide if you need to upgrade or not.
The first group is the standard rock slider. These are the ones that come from the factory on the Jeep Rubicon. They are a single rail and simply mounted with a few bolts into the body. They work great for your average easy trails with minimum rock contact, help with road gravel not hitting the bottom panel of the body and give the jeep a beefier look. If you are not doing much off-road driving there is no reason to change these, unless you want a different look or just want to build that mall crawler with more awesome steel. Also, you may be able to find some take-offs from someone who has upgraded their Rubicon. They would bolt on to any JK, JL, JKU, or JLU similar to the Jeep they came off and they wouldn’t cost much. Buying used is a great way to add rock sliders without shelling out lots of $$. This may be a stepping stone on your way to bigger or better sliders as well.
The second group is where it gets interesting. With so many players in the “rock slider” field, it was hard to narrow it down. I chose two for this episode but honestly, there are so many brands out there. Extreme Terrain & Poison Spyder has fairly durable sliders. Extreme Terrain has sliders that have LED lights (Tony??) built into light your way. Poison Spyder has aluminum or Steel to choose from. And prices will range from $250 up to $950 depending on the brand and options you choose. These brands are sturdy and will help you get through most average trails without a problem. Other sliders come with steps protruding off the main tube. I recommend sliders that don’t have the permanent steps protruding out so they don’t get hooked or ripped off by the rocks. I see too many “tube steps” ripped, or torn on some trails. You have to decide what you are doing with your Jeep and choose function over looks.
https://genright.com/products/jeep-jk-4-door-rocker-guards-aluminum.html
https://rockslideengineering.com/product/step-slider-set-for-jeep-gladiator-jt/
The third group is what we have on our jeep and is really designed for the “rock crawling” we do. Our GenRight “boat-side” sliders actually attach to the body side with nutserts drilled into the body panel and wrap around the body and bolt to the frame underneath to create almost seamless protection to the skid plates and keep us from getting hung up on rocks. There are no protruding steps or bolt heads to get hung up on the rocks. They are true rock “SLIDERS” and are extremely strong. We have used our sliders to pivot around huge boulders plenty of times and we don’t have to worry about body damage. They attach to the body and frame in several places and are very rigid. They will run around $1,500. Our GenRight sliders have worked the best for the type of wheeling and crawling that we do.
There are other brands that have automatic drop-down steps, like Rock Slide Engineering, that are really nice and cost about $2,700. They are a great choice if you need a “step” to help get in your lifted jeep. The steps deploy when the door is opened and then retract once you close the door. They also have a disable switch so they don’t drop when you’re in a tight spot in the rocks and need to open your door.
https://genright.com/products/jeep-jk-4-door-rocker-guards-aluminum.html
https://rockslideengineering.com/product/step-slider-set-for-jeep-gladiator-jt/
There are so many variables to rock sliders it may make your head spin: Built-in narrow steps, tube designs, solid steel, or aluminum. Some sliders attach to just the body, some attach just to the frame, and the strongest attachment to both. Most sliders can be installed in your garage or driveway & you don’t need to take them to a shop. Others may need help with installation and some come in raw steel and will need to be powder coated. Do your research to find the ones that fit your budget and your style of wheeling. Just be warned, like all upgrades, you will be out-wheeling and see someone else’s rock sliders that you can’t live without.
“DIY your Jeep… you’re gonna bleed”
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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