A rant? Lots of TERRIBLE advice in the "In real life" Jeep Community.

[Toro34]

I'll throw my 2c in.
I think the issue is the abundance of choice. New Jeeps (and most new vehicles in general) are vastly more capable than those of years past.

A stock Jeep will do 90% of the trails most people commonly hit with someone that knows the limits and capabilities of the vehicle.

I think Jeep tried hard to push the 'Lifestyle Vehicle' angle, and sales show it worked. With that, lots of new ppl are around and choosing Jeeps instead of Porsches, Gladiators instead of mini vans etc.

IMO, more people should be on here touting the benefits of driver training and experience prior to throwing straight to a set of 44s, D80s and a Demon swap just because it's available. The stock Jeep and the Demon will both get you to the mall and the public camp site

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[Gvsukids]

Case in point, I am often encouraged to put skid plates, a lift, and 35's on my truck

There's already plenty of skid plates.

 

[ChrisNLA]

There's already plenty of skid plates.

For my needs, yep! The fuel tank skid on the Gladiator, specifically, is built a lot stronger than the tank skid was on my 2016 JK. I 'reshaped' the front of the fuel tank on that Jeep and ended up adding an entire skid set (including under the engine/trans) but those got a considerable work out on fourteen different badge trails across the country while running 33s.

Keep in mind, my buddies doing the encouraging are in rigs on 37's, and run stuff like Cliffhanger, The Rubicon Trail, Golden Spike, etc.

My pockets aren't deep enough to feel comfortable doing all that in this new truck

 

[Pzred]

I used to get involved in this crap… you should get this or that and it all ends up being about researching and researching .. some talking to others. And remembering that it’s your Jeep you do what you want to do

 

[Wolf Island Diver]

I wrote a whole big thing that could have made a nice article for The Atlantic, but let me just distill it down to this slightly smaller thing. A lot of people are full of ?. Unfortunately we men have this tendency in spades, especially when it comes to technical stuff. Personally I think this is a function of performative masculinity and the need to appear as an authority on things. So men tend to fill the gaps in their knowledge with BS. And a lot of men live for telling people how it is, and swear by things and other clichés.

The “real life” aspect unfortunately doesn’t mean much anymore because a lot of what people believe about any particular subject is a function of what an algorithm has put in front of them. That neighbor talking over the fence is just as likely as not to be regurgitating something he saw on a website engineered by neuroscientists to elicit a dopamine response by appealing to his interests and biases. It could be sponsored marketing, it could be misinformation from Fancy Bear. It just depends on the subject and who paid the most money. AI will make this worse in the coming months and years. Good luck. Personally, I think we’re ducked ?

The only partial mitigation for this is to seek multiple opinions including contrary opinions on any specific subject. Conventional wisdom by technical experts, actually has a boringly good track record. But that doesn’t mean they’re not totally wrong to sometimes. Check sources even when you agree with something. Be suspicious of extreme camps on either side of an issue. Avoid falling into the trap of tribalism, rejecting one set of sources while not properly vetting or interrogating some other just because you agree with them on other issues. Be aware of your own and others common cognitive biases. I actually keep a list of cognitive biases on my phone. Realize that people are trying to sell things. Realize that people don’t do empathy well. I don’t mean save the whales empathy. I mean the more pedestrian empathy of mentally putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. This goes for positive advice just as much as it goes for judging people.

My father had a rather extreme, yet only semi-serious interpretation of the world. I think it’s still valuable rubric to apply over the information you receive from people. He used to say that everyone was either an idiot, a crook or a crazy person. My mother always wondered which category she fell into in his opinion. My own updated version is obviously that everyone exists on a spectrum of all three simultaneously.

 

[Orange01z28]

You don’t need to regear until you get to 37s. Period

 

[TheGrendel]

I totally agree. Don't forget getting looked down on for not buying high-end suspension components even their JT is just a DD like mine is

not to say there aren't jerks out there when it comes to this. some times, we suggest things because some of the lower end chinesium really is lighting your money on fire stuff. but, there are definitely jackholes that want make fun of people and not really help.

 

[Toro34]

The “real life” aspect unfortunately doesn’t mean much anymore because a lot of what people believe about any particular subject is a function of what an algorithm has put in front of them.

Agreed. The more info out there, and the easier it is to come by, the more the possibility of misinformation.

There's def a ton of arm chair quarterbacks out there. Here I am touting driver experience, getting to know your vehicle, and I haven't been off road in YEARS. Lol

 

[Hootbro]

My father had a rather extreme, yet only semi-serious interpretation of the world. I think it’s still valuable rubric to apply over the information you receive from people. He used to say that everyone was either an idiot, a crook or a crazy person. My mother always wondered which category she fell into in his opinion. My own updated version is obviously that everyone exists on a spectrum of all three simultaneously.

My Grandfather was the same way. He had a saying "Everybody is an idiot, except me and you. Truth be told, I am starting to have doubts about you".

 

[six_speed_sarge]

I totally agree. Don't forget getting looked down on for not buying high-end suspension components even their JT is just a DD like mine is

oh man, this.

my '21 sport is my daily - use it for getting the kids to school, getting to work, camping trips, and for basic truck stuff on the weekends. my nextdoor neighbor is a car guy and used to have a decked-out wrangler unlimited - 37s (with huge wheels that were not going to do him any favors if he ever actually took it off road), light bar, winch, etc. He sold it and now has a superduty that is on a 4 inch lift and massive wheels, etc. he's a car guy and has a garage full of tools and is always tinkering on his truck or on his subaru WRX that he "races" on the weekends.

many times since i've had my truck (which is basically bone stock and I like it that way), he's chastised me for having stock suspension and the stock A/T tires.

dude, I love my truck the way it is. when it's paid off at the end of next year, i'm going to get some beefier tires and do a couple of bigger cosmetic upgrades. but while i'm still paying it off, i'm not spending thousands on suspension components and lifts and the like. plus, it does what I need it to PERFECTLY FINE! and it even does pretty well off-road the few times i've had the opportunity, fully stock!

anyway /rant. I love all of the builds I see on this forum and online, but I love my truck stock (for now, anyway).

 

[Summitsearcher]

Due diligence over opinion every time. Pretty handy arrow to have in the ole quiver. Just buying a Prius does not make you an EV expert. Research, investigate then decide.

 

[GWolgamott]

I feel like a lot of that is just people selling things, thinking they know more then they do, or just have cultish mentality to having to have it just so. I've taken my wife's Renegade, the modern subcompact thing that is, down some muddy holes without getting stuck... well mostly just to see how'd it fare. Point being I wasn't trying to water forge it and not going to take my mostly stock sport through a mud-run. But I know it can still do plenty without upgrades, so mine are mostly just because I want them aestically or because I don't want to rub vs is my commute going to cost me double in gas if I change this or that. If I do something not needed then I just make up a story on "why I needed it".

 

[BHoch]

It’s all about proper research. I like that people put all of these different parts on their Jeeps. As I get to see and hear great examples of what to and not to do with mine. I’m also a less is more person when it comes to mods. Looking for the minimal update that gets what I really want. Call me cheap. Sure I’ll wear that badge next to the trail rated one on the fender. I’ll never do hard core trails. But will take it on the easier level ones. So no desire to do anything more than a level and 33” tires. No desire to go large enough to regear. Hoping I won’t want to on 33”s. It’s my daily. Hope to keep it that way for a very long time.

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