Ares - Build Thread

[chorky]

Funny that you mentioned this when you did.

In terms of Sirius reception, it's fantastic. Far fewer drop outs than I used to have. However I realized about a week ago that I no longer have onboard GPS. I thought that the sirius and GPS antennae were separate, but now I'm not sure. I don't ever use the onboard GPS so I didn't notice whether or not it happened immediately after swapping out the antenna.

I'm out of town for work, but when I get home I'll probably plug the old antenna up to see if that fixes the GPS and will go from there.

I would be curious to hear your results. If it did allow your GPS and mobile app (to unlock/start) to function, I would be very interested. Trying to find a solution to allow for these functions to work to also put an over cab rack - but don't want to have problems with signal.

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[TheHops]

I would be curious to hear your results. If it did allow your GPS and mobile app (to unlock/start) to function, I would be very interested. Trying to find a solution to allow for these functions to work to also put an over cab rack - but don't want to have problems with signal.

For sure. I'll post up any findings.

Another idea I'd entertained is just running the stock antenna to my roof rack. I'm sure it's waterproof, since it's on top of the roll bar. I'd just be sure that the connections are well-sealed. If I could find a decent little bracket, that would probably be the best move.

We'll see!

 

[NeatFreq]

This build is so well done and superbly documented. Well done

 

[TheHops]

This build is so well done and superbly documented. Well done

Appreciate the kind words!

 

[TheHops]

The lift install video is finally up! Feel free to check it out, and do the whole like/subscribe thing if you're into that!

 

[Jeeperjustin]

It was more than I wanted as well. I was hoping all of the weight I have would keep it down to 3" max, but I definitely don't hate it as it sits now. I figure I'll give it a few weeks and measure again to see where I'm at. I'll report any changes.

hey I was just wondering if the lift has settled at all? I’m planning on buying the same lift for mine I just want to make sure it’s not too tall for what I want it for.

 

[TheHops]

hey I was just wondering if the lift has settled at all? I’m planning on buying the same lift for mine I just want to make sure it’s not too tall for what I want it for.

It did. I'm out of town so don't have it in front if me to measure, but if I recall it settled to around 3.25" on all corners. That's much more in line with the 3" or so that I expected.

Again, your mileage may vary, as I have some extras (air-spring bump stops and HD rear springs) that I'm sure add a little bit extra. Then again, my rig is quite heavy, so who knows how that balances out. Overall though, I'd plan for 2.75"-3" on your average rig.

 

[TheHops]

Built some poor man's roof ramps today out of 4x4x12 ft lumber and some L brackets to assist with solo loading the new RTT. This thing is a beast. I also reworked my rooftop setup to accommodate the larger tent. It's a Freespirit Recreation Evolution V2 (Long).

I'll likely have some videos up soon on the new tent/roof setup. Stay tuned, if interested!

 

[Benbean66]

I'm liking your setup. How do you like the Evo 2 RTT? I'm debating between that one and the Intrepid Geo 2.5.

 

[TheHops]

I'm liking your setup. How do you like the Evo 2 RTT? I'm debating between that one and the Intrepid Geo 2.5.

Appreciate it!

TL;DR, I think it's a great tent. The quality is top notch.

I've only spent one night in it so far, but I like it a lot. The footprint is massive compared to the Skycamp Mini and loading is more complicated, but aside from that it seems like an upgrade in almost every way. My only gripe (sort of) is the lack of any type of rain fly, but having that would compromise the ease of setup...so it's a tradeoff. The tent does have TONS of ventilation though, so I think even in the summer, sealed up, with a small fan it would be fine in the rain.

Also, despite being much larger and heavier, I've actually seen an improvement in fuel economy, I assume due to how much slimmer it is when stowed.

 

[Brandon Glads]

Great build buddy ! keep it up

192.168.100.1 192.168.1.1​

 

[TheHops]

Great build buddy ! keep it up

Thanks man! Doing what I can haha.

 

[TheHops]

TL;DR, I'm switching from 35s to 37s and expect to see performance improvements across the board.

I will be making the change from Nitto Ridge Grappler, 35x12.5R17 E-load tires, to BFG KO2, 37x12.5R17 C-load tires.

I recall saying early on in my build that I had zero interest in going over 35" tires. Well, fast-forward a little over three years and here we are. So, what changed my mind?

• I installed a Clayton 2.5" lift that ended up giving me over 3 inches front and rear. If I had gotten 1.5" to 2.5" of lift, as I had expected to considering the amount of weight I have added to my rig, I would have stuck with 35s. There is more than enough space for 37s in the wheel wells on my Rubicon. I have been running this lift for about 9 months now.
• I relocated from the south (TN), to up north (upstate NY), and wanted/needed to purchase snow-rated tires. Since I was going to make a purchase anyway, now was the time to do it.
• I came across a deal that I couldn't pass up.
• Science (more on this below).

I have always preached function over form in terms of my build, and that fact isn't changing. I have never come across conditions where my 35s did not get me through. Having said that, I now have the space for 37s. Initial thoughts are that I'll see reduced fuel economy...but I'm not so sure (reference the data below). Also, the extra ground clearance and the snow rated tires will be huge once the snow starts to fall in terms of several feet instead of inches up here off of the Lakes. I did a brief review on my youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@TerraOutdoors) of Ridge Grapplers in some mild winter weather in TN and they did perform admirably. Having said that, that was snowfall in inches with some light ice. Snowfall up here will be an entirely different animal.

I loved the Ridge Grapplers, and have had poor experiences with KO2s in the past, so we'll see how this goes. I had a sidewall separation on the highway with the last KO2s that I ran several years back. I'm hoping and praying that I don't experience anything like that with these tires. The price on these was right, so this is BFG's last chance to win me over.

So, the science behind the change. I actually crunched some numbers, and my findings were that the induced stress on the drivetrain will be *less* with this tire change. By running the numbers to find the resulting lever torque at each wheel, here's what I found. Size/weight specs were taken directly from manufacturers.

Force applied in order to roll must overcome static friction. Static friction is calculated by the force an object exerts (normal force) multiplied by how "sticky" the surface is (coefficient of static friction). I used a .8 constant for the "stickiness." With that in mind:

Nitto Ridge Grappler, 35x12.5R17, E-load
268.48 N static friction * .441452 m (or, 34.76 inch overall diameter divided by two--which is 17.38 inches from fulcrum to outside of tire) = lever torque of roughly 118.5 Nm to start rolling

BFG KO2, 37x12.5R17, C-load
230.56 N static friction * .46355 m (or, 36.5 inch overall diameter divided by two--which is 18.25 inches from fulcrum to outside of tire) = lever torque of roughly 101.8 Nm to start rolling

That means induced stress will be reduced by 16.7 Nm per wheel. That is significant, especially considering the fact that I will be going *up* in tire size. With a manual transmission, I may still need to regear down the road (I rarely come out of 4th gear on the highway as-is), but the reduced stress, and the reduced weight/rolling mass of each wheel, almost makes me wonder if I may see an *increase* in fuel economy. Time will tell. Regardless, the expected increase in performance due to clearance/snow rating, the expected improvement in road manners going from E to C load, and the reduced stress at the wheels/on the axles was enough for me to buy-in and make the change.

I'm excited to get them mounted up, and I'll be sure to post up some pictures and my impressions of the differences in feel and performance.

 

[TheHops]

The data is in, and I'm blown away.

Same speed on cruise control. Same stretch of road. Very similar conditions (winds 9-12 mph, left quarter headwind). Both data points appropriately programmed to correct tire size by Tazer. Same Jeep loadout. Here's what I've got:

35s:

37s:

The two pictures are taken from video clips of a run between the same two signs on a stretch of highway going in the same direction. 35s returned a range of 14 - 16 mpg. 37s returned a range of 19 - 22 mpg. This was by no means done in a controlled environment, but it's about as good as I could get. Science is undefeated.

I will say that I'm...very surprised by this. And sure, there may be 1-2 mpg of error, but 6 mpg gain? Wow. Even if real-world ultimately translates to just 1 or 2 mpg of gain, I'd still be ecstatic about that.

At 11 pounds lighter per tire, I can feel the reduced stress on the driveline. Takeoffs and braking are smoother. The Jeep starts rolling with less effort. Shifts feel more leisurely. With the same driving habits I continuously found myself driving several mph faster than usual at identical points on my commute across a couple of days. Also, notice the roughly 200 rpm reduction while holding the same speed on 37s (I know this is a result of tire size and not weight, just pointing it out). Finally, the ride is MUCH more plush. I ran 32 psi on 35s, and have 30 psi in the 37s. My only regret is that I didn't make this change sooner.

While I likely will regear in the future when budget allows, I can confidently say that the Jeep drives better now than it did before. We'll see how it is after I run a few tanks of fuel through it. Can't wait to get it off road to test out that side of things.

Pictures/comparison coming soon!

 

[TheHops]

Here's a quick video I put together on how to fix bad satellite reception associated with a rooftop setup/blockage. It involves rerouting the signal from its stock location on the roll bar to beneath the wiper cowl.

I tested the system after install with a roughly 20 minute drive and had zero cutouts, as opposed to the typical pattern of 5-10 second breaks in reception every 20-30 seconds or so. Check it out if you have similar issues!

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