Thursday, September 29, 2011
Oil and Hello!
Well, i haven't posted in a while... i've been calming down. But now that i'm cool as a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce, watch out for a flurry of posts about jeeps!
i just changed the oil, it was black as the paint (Ding! change oil light came on the day i changed it). So it has fresh oil now, it's going to need it, we're going to Uwharrie tomorrow!
Just before my 700 mile trip to Raleigh NC, i also grabbed a new serpentine belt. The OEM belt had some noise after 35K miles and that really muddy weekend we had 2 weeks ago.
There's lots more maintenance coming in the next few posts, covering lifting the jeep, adding tires and a great CB install.
Cheers!
P.S. I'll edit this post with the miles later today.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Growing Pains!
Well, i need to post some pics of my stock 2008 JK. Every time i climb underneath to change oil or clean, i notice the customized components, exhaust, skid plates, control arms, etc. If i take 3 grown men with me wheeling, we tend to level out the trail and that's just no fun!
So, i jumped. Let's start with all the internet research i did. Let's not, there's too much and you can do it yourself! Listen, in the end i found a guy who specifically loves JKs. The guy who loves YJs recommended a $500 Full-Traction coil and sprint kit. Great!
I call back and talk to Jerrod, the owner me thinks and he talked me into the premium 3" lift kit. It's not listed on the web site for one, so you won't find it there. It's the basic kit with a few more extras. It adds quick disconnects for one. Most importantly it adds adjustable track bars. Who cares? Well, if you like your axels off center you care. It also adds upper control arms to get the caster correct. If you care how it rides ON the road, you want the alignment right. So, i'm in.
i drive in, drop off a jeep and 22 hundred duckets, then 8 hours later pick up a jeep that is 3" taller.
Man will it look cool! i'm so excited for my friends to see me with my cool looking j33p!...
No i'm not. i don't care. What was sold to me is a suspension where the cold rolled MI steel springs won't relax like my stockers have. i've been sold no more climbing under with an 18 and 19mm set of wrenches to disco the swizay. i'm sold components that allow for much for articulation without stressing out the sub par components of the rock solid stock ride.
If it does 3" with a great rode ride then it's worth it. Yep, could have gotten it 3" taller by buying a kit myself and hoping i don't lose my hands while compressing those coils. No thanks, i'll keep my hands thank you, they're worth more than 2200 cabbages.
Ya right, prove it you say and being a fine judge of bourbon and an all around great person... you're absolutely right.
This is supposed to be done on the 19th. i need to be in Morrisville soon for work. I'm gonna put the 3 more inches through 700 miles. Then i'm going to work. Then i'm going to buy a day pass at Uwharrie National Forrest. i'll have the iPhone 4 with the larger gee bees with me. i will have pics and movie ready with a trail review. i know those trails VERY well and have been over them all in this jeep many times. Let's see what 3" will do! That's what she said anyhow.
Ah hem, yes, the stock tires are staying on. This same group, Unlimited Offroad Centers, gets Rubicon pull off rims/tires so i think i'll be in for some of those before the snow flies. Which could be next week ;-)
Take care fellow wheelers, posers and wanna bees!
So, i jumped. Let's start with all the internet research i did. Let's not, there's too much and you can do it yourself! Listen, in the end i found a guy who specifically loves JKs. The guy who loves YJs recommended a $500 Full-Traction coil and sprint kit. Great!
I call back and talk to Jerrod, the owner me thinks and he talked me into the premium 3" lift kit. It's not listed on the web site for one, so you won't find it there. It's the basic kit with a few more extras. It adds quick disconnects for one. Most importantly it adds adjustable track bars. Who cares? Well, if you like your axels off center you care. It also adds upper control arms to get the caster correct. If you care how it rides ON the road, you want the alignment right. So, i'm in.
i drive in, drop off a jeep and 22 hundred duckets, then 8 hours later pick up a jeep that is 3" taller.
Man will it look cool! i'm so excited for my friends to see me with my cool looking j33p!...
No i'm not. i don't care. What was sold to me is a suspension where the cold rolled MI steel springs won't relax like my stockers have. i've been sold no more climbing under with an 18 and 19mm set of wrenches to disco the swizay. i'm sold components that allow for much for articulation without stressing out the sub par components of the rock solid stock ride.
If it does 3" with a great rode ride then it's worth it. Yep, could have gotten it 3" taller by buying a kit myself and hoping i don't lose my hands while compressing those coils. No thanks, i'll keep my hands thank you, they're worth more than 2200 cabbages.
Ya right, prove it you say and being a fine judge of bourbon and an all around great person... you're absolutely right.
This is supposed to be done on the 19th. i need to be in Morrisville soon for work. I'm gonna put the 3 more inches through 700 miles. Then i'm going to work. Then i'm going to buy a day pass at Uwharrie National Forrest. i'll have the iPhone 4 with the larger gee bees with me. i will have pics and movie ready with a trail review. i know those trails VERY well and have been over them all in this jeep many times. Let's see what 3" will do! That's what she said anyhow.
Ah hem, yes, the stock tires are staying on. This same group, Unlimited Offroad Centers, gets Rubicon pull off rims/tires so i think i'll be in for some of those before the snow flies. Which could be next week ;-)
Take care fellow wheelers, posers and wanna bees!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
MI Maintenance
So i'm in MI and summer is fast approaching. Hehe, ya in NC it's been there a while. In MI however, jeep maintenance has some disadvantages, mainly it's COLD!
When i got here for instance, i re-took the running boards off. Sure, no problem, get under the jeep, losen a few bolts and bamb, job done. Right? No, in a cold garage in MI you first put down some moving pads to shield you from the cold. While you're under there, the snow is melting and dripping on your face, in your eyes and in your mouth. Yuk!
i have also been so busy that i have neglected my blogging, boooo! So to recap, we rented a lake home in MI. We moved out of our home in Apex, NC, which incidentally i handled without my wife. What a chore! The stuff we took to the summer home fit in a 6x12 dual axle covered Uhaul. i was so busy that i didn't write the mileage down when changing the oil prior to making the trip to MI. Yep, i pulled that bad boy with my jeep (fresh oil). It took it like a champ, getting 17mpg. I have the towing package with the 373 rear and it did a phenomenal job. I couldn't ask anything more from it.
I just changed the oil again at 27,706 miles. That was at about 3000 miles give or take, so the change before driving up here must have been around 24K something. The last post showed that i changed it at 22,250 so there was no long change in there.
So lets talk about tires! In Raleigh my stock tires were awesome. I mean, on the road they're responsive, tire wear is great, there's no road noise. Off road they were great! What's that you say? How can stock tires be great? Well, we primarily went to Uhwarrie where the terrain is rocky and sandy with very little mud. There you don't need great tread. When I trashed a tire i would go and get a new (used) one mounted for $58. In MI? Oh man do they rot! They suck bad in the snow for daily driving. They suck in the rain! They're expensive! MI wheeling involves copious amounts of mud and these are simply a road tire, a complete failure in the mud.
So i'm looking for tires. Guess what? 18" rims suck! The prices for the same tire in 16" are not only cheaper but you have a much wider range of choices. So the hunt for rims and tires begins. i think that now that i'm dealing with mud i'll also need at least a rear locker. First let's get some rims and tires, then lets deal with a locker.
This brings me to the real jeep knowledge: Build a rig for it's purpose. i see all these tricked out jeeps and ask myself, "do they really drive all over the country and experience vastly different terrain?" i highly doubt it. They just look cool right? i guess if investing 25+ grand makes you look cool and you have it laying around then go for it. But i have that attitude, don't be a poser. Build your jeep for the conditions you ride in. Don't know what the conditions are? Get out there and wheel. Find out what sucks and fix it. Don't buy a winch cause they're on sale or look cool. Get a winch when you've been stuck with no one to help! Be practical damnit and keep the jeep spirit alive. Get inventive!
When i got here for instance, i re-took the running boards off. Sure, no problem, get under the jeep, losen a few bolts and bamb, job done. Right? No, in a cold garage in MI you first put down some moving pads to shield you from the cold. While you're under there, the snow is melting and dripping on your face, in your eyes and in your mouth. Yuk!
i have also been so busy that i have neglected my blogging, boooo! So to recap, we rented a lake home in MI. We moved out of our home in Apex, NC, which incidentally i handled without my wife. What a chore! The stuff we took to the summer home fit in a 6x12 dual axle covered Uhaul. i was so busy that i didn't write the mileage down when changing the oil prior to making the trip to MI. Yep, i pulled that bad boy with my jeep (fresh oil). It took it like a champ, getting 17mpg. I have the towing package with the 373 rear and it did a phenomenal job. I couldn't ask anything more from it.
I just changed the oil again at 27,706 miles. That was at about 3000 miles give or take, so the change before driving up here must have been around 24K something. The last post showed that i changed it at 22,250 so there was no long change in there.
So lets talk about tires! In Raleigh my stock tires were awesome. I mean, on the road they're responsive, tire wear is great, there's no road noise. Off road they were great! What's that you say? How can stock tires be great? Well, we primarily went to Uhwarrie where the terrain is rocky and sandy with very little mud. There you don't need great tread. When I trashed a tire i would go and get a new (used) one mounted for $58. In MI? Oh man do they rot! They suck bad in the snow for daily driving. They suck in the rain! They're expensive! MI wheeling involves copious amounts of mud and these are simply a road tire, a complete failure in the mud.
So i'm looking for tires. Guess what? 18" rims suck! The prices for the same tire in 16" are not only cheaper but you have a much wider range of choices. So the hunt for rims and tires begins. i think that now that i'm dealing with mud i'll also need at least a rear locker. First let's get some rims and tires, then lets deal with a locker.
This brings me to the real jeep knowledge: Build a rig for it's purpose. i see all these tricked out jeeps and ask myself, "do they really drive all over the country and experience vastly different terrain?" i highly doubt it. They just look cool right? i guess if investing 25+ grand makes you look cool and you have it laying around then go for it. But i have that attitude, don't be a poser. Build your jeep for the conditions you ride in. Don't know what the conditions are? Get out there and wheel. Find out what sucks and fix it. Don't buy a winch cause they're on sale or look cool. Get a winch when you've been stuck with no one to help! Be practical damnit and keep the jeep spirit alive. Get inventive!
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