Offroading for Noobs! Help? Tips? Suggestions?

[PyrPatriot]

What part of IN? If you are more central/northern you can go to Redbird nature park and wheel at the Jeep Badge of Honor trail there (or others), usually having plenty of other Jeepers to help out. If you live in the southern part say close to Loserville KY you can cross the river to Daniel Boone National Forest 2hrs away and have lots of wheeling there on the Daniel Boone Backcountry Byway.

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[Sazabi19]

Oh they got you now!

"They" have my info already lol, but I try to make things harder on others to find. I'm a govt. employee, not much for me to hide working with LE and first responders honestly. There's a lot of info to be gained from the pics I've posted provided anyone cares to scrape it. I just like my privacy.

@PyrPatriot Central Maybe I can do both? Are those easy and won't do damage (if I'm careful)? I want to find a group to go with and have Jeep friends! lol

 

[PyrPatriot]

"They" have my info already lol, but I try to make things harder on others to find. I'm a govt. employee, not much for me to hide working with LE and first responders honestly. There's a lot of info to be gained from the pics I've posted provided anyone cares to scrape it. I just like my privacy.

@PyrPatriot Central Maybe I can do both? Are those easy and won't do damage (if I'm careful)? I want to find a group to go with and have Jeep friends! lol

I for one can attest that I did several trails in the DBNF on a stock Jeep Gladiator Sport with 32” mud terrains. Slight scraping of skid plates at some points and pinstripes is the most I incurred. Recently we followed a completely stock Sport 2dr JL on worn out street tires. They did fine for all but a couple spots, and that was due more to traction issues than anything.
If you look for the YouTube channel Gladys the Gladiator you can see what it is like and join us, as we go nearly every weekend. Next outing is the 20th. At some point I want to do the Redbird reserve with another forum member here and see how our “stock” rigs compare, his being a Rubicon on 35s and mine being a Sport Max Tow on 35s

 

[Sazabi19]

I for one can attest that I did several trails in the DBNF on a stock Jeep Gladiator Sport with 32” mud terrains. Slight scraping of skid plates at some points and pinstripes is the most I incurred. Recently we followed a completely stock Sport 2dr JL on worn out street tires. They did fine for all but a couple spots, and that was due more to traction issues than anything.
If you look for the YouTube channel Gladys the Gladiator you can see what it is like and join us, as we go nearly every weekend. Next outing is the 20th. At some point I want to do the Redbird reserve with another forum member here and see how our “stock” rigs compare, his being a Rubicon on 35s and mine being a Sport Max Tow on 35s

I'd love to go, but I work on the weekends I'm off Mondays and Tuesdays lol. I have some time off in July though (2 weeks) so maybe I can join you guys then. Also, is pinstriping usually something that you can wipe off? Or how bad is "pinstriping"?

 

[PyrPatriot]

I'd love to go, but I work on the weekends I'm off Mondays and Tuesdays lol. I have some time off in July though (2 weeks) so maybe I can join you guys then. Also, is pinstriping usually something that you can wipe off? Or how bad is "pinstriping"?

It usually buffs out. Some are deeper cuts in clearcoat than others. My Destroyer Grey JT has a thicker coating, and the black paint color on black JTs makes scuffs and pinstripes show up more. To prevent, you can always get a 3M wrap or some coating, but those run a few thousand dollars. The worst marks on my JT’s body you have to really search for

 

[Sazabi19]

It usually buffs out. Some are deeper cuts in clearcoat than others. My Destroyer Grey JT has a thicker coating, and the black paint color on black JTs makes scuffs and pinstripes show up more. To prevent, you can always get a 3M wrap or some coating, but those run a few thousand dollars. The worst marks on my JT’s body you have to really search for

Thanks for you posts. I dunno what I'm going to yet to help minimize them. I will see if maybe I can meet up out there in July.

 

[Mark Doiron]

I don't post my location on purpose, I like my privacy. For the sake of this though saying I live in IN doesn't hurt I think I specified that in another thread I have on here too, just don't want it posted everywhere or on my profile.

I have a couple good friends who live somewhere in Indiana with whom I've been wheeling in Moab. But, since we're now into privacy, and especially since they're not members of this forum, I won't tell you anything about them beyond that they are active in a great club in the state, and the husband is the sales manager at a Ford dealership who loves his Jeeps.

Edit: Here he is on Poison Spider Mesa at Moab during EJS a few years back ...

Oh, shucks, there I let the county slip through.

 

[wvyankee2]

Edit: Here he is on Poison Spider Mesa at Moab during EJS a few years back ...

Oh, shucks, there I let the county slip through.

Awesome LOD Rear bumper/Carrier!

 

[BLK HOLE]

I would join a club and go wheeling with them. You'll learn the most with help/spotters and experienced people.

 

[Bonanza]

I would join a club and go wheeling with them. You'll learn the most with help/spotters and experienced people.

Eh. Depending on the club, that might be a huge turn off. I have trouble with patience, and club rides seem to go so slowly that it would drive me crazy. But I'm sure there are plenty of good clubs out there, but personally they aren't for me. I started in the back of a YJ on a two Jeep trailride, and then wanting my own Jeep to drive. I've been in a 2 or 3 Jeep group ever since, and we've wheeled every trail in Southern CA-- (Claw/Johnson) Hammers, Big Bear, San Diego, Anza, Ocotillo, etc.

The pic below is the Jeep I traded in for my JT. Notice the dented stock bumper? Who cares! It's cheap. The 2 door I had before that, I wheeled stock as well, street tires and all. I wheeled my JT max tow Sport with the street tires as well, but immediately went to 3.5" lift and 37s because I know from experience what I'll need for what I'm doing.

Starting off, I agree that exploring fire roads is the best first step. You'll learn how the Jeep suspension and steering respond off the pavement. You'll begin memorizing the delay between front tires clearing and obstacle, and then the rear, to get the spatial "blueprint" of your Jeep. Ultimately, for me, wheeling is blankly staring ahead while memorizing where an obstacle is below the visual hoodline, and lining up the tires and driving by feel. It's hard to articulate, but you'll know once you get experience. For a specific obstacle, depending on the incline, you might as well be blindfolded so learning the feel is muy importante.

Will it break? Depends. (On you). If you go slowly, you likely will not break anything stock. Breaking parts is almost always a result of too much throttle. If you're stuck, more gas likely won't help. The most important thing to not-do offroad, to avoid a broken part, is having a tire spin in the air, and have it gain traction by contacting the ground-- snap! I've wheeled a JK dana 30 on 35s, a JKUR on 35s, and now the JT on 37s. I've smashed and bent a lot of metal, but never had to be towed home.

The worst damage I've suffered was a bent axle from going too quickly in the desert and looking out the drivers window. Didn't notice a huge whoop, and it felt like I was in a car accident. Ouch. From there, next up was a bent oil pan, and bent exhaust manifold flange, both from having my tires slip off icy rocks onto a line I didn't want. Long story short, if you are paying attention, and going slowly, the chance of breaking anything is very low. The stock skid plates are actually quite good.

If you're keeping it stock, I'd still recommend skid plates at the back lower shock mount brackets. They won't get damaged, but if you're turning it in you can just unbolt the skids and have it look mostly stock. The first mods to my JT were sliders. I destroyed my last sliders on my JKUR, and its the most used armor IMO.

No need for a winch, just a HF tow strap and a friend when you're starting. Everyone started somewhere. Just build confidence on easy stuff. And have fun.

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