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Here is one cool bit of engineering on the Jeep. I'm sure most of you know that Wranglers have drain plugs in the floor. The winter mats actually have a hole in the mat that lines up perfectly with the drain plug at the lowest point of the mat so water drains right out of the truck when you pull out the plug. Great for spills, but awesome to park in an insulated garage during winter at night so the slush and slop drain out and don't freeze to the inside of the windshield the next day when it is parked outside at work. Very cool.
FCA/Jeep are known for putting lots of "easter eggs" on their newer products, so it's kind of fun to look for them. I know when they released the JL a few years ago they put a topographical map of Moab on the floor mats, so may be the same as the one in the photo you posted. It's also possible they uses a topographical map of the Rubicon trail on some of them.
I think you are really going to love your Jeep. We've been offroading ours since the week after we purchased it back in March 2012. We've probably run 40 or 50 different trails in it over the years, many of them several times. Below are some pics of us the first time we ran the Rubicon trail back in 2014. It took us 3 full days to run the entire trail, which is about 16.5 miles. The Jeep's changed a lot since then, but it was still able to make it through the entire trail without needing a strap or having any issues.
Thanks man! That trail looks gnarly!! I am going to have a lot of fun playing in the snow with this thing. The wheels and tires arrived today and the shop immediately stripped out one of the wheel studs and lug nuts because they took an impact to it before threading it on completely. (And this is why I usually do not let anyone else work on my cars.) Fortunately I don't pick it up until Tue, so the new lugs from Tire rack should be there in plenty of time.
I have the Macan calipers, they're made by Brembo.
Ah, right! I had forgotten that they were Brembo. Everything bolt on easily and work properly with no weird programming issues like I saw in some discussion threads? I'm sure I'll be tempted again on this next time I need new pads.
I think that secretly a part of me has always wanted a badazz compact truck since the black Toyota in Back to the Future. I didn't realize it until I started picking out rims and subconsciously picked a similar color scheme.
Wow funny you say this, that scene always kinda stuck with me too. Never really thought about going the truck route, but achieving a sporty/stealthy look that seemed to have come right from the factory has always been a goal of mine. Never made to connection to Marty McFly, but makes sense now that I think about it.
Surprised like everyone else that you didn’t end up with some cool sports sedan, but like you said car ownership is a journey.
Now you just need to get Biff to give the Jeep a nice wax job
Wow funny you say this, that scene always kinda stuck with me too. Never really thought about going the truck route, but achieving a sporty/stealthy look that seemed to have come right from the factory has always been a goal of mine. Never made to connection to Marty McFly, but makes sense now that I think about it.
Surprised like everyone else that you didn’t end up with some cool sports sedan, but like you said car ownership is a journey.
Now you just need to get Biff to give the Jeep a nice wax job
"Now Biff, don't con me!" I think I needed something to "cleanse the palate" of always trying to squeeze a little more performance out of my car. Then again, I am not in a huge hurry to sell my car and I still really enjoy driving it so I may just keep it around for a bit until I find a worthy replacement. It will definitely be something with next level performance. I pick up the Jeep tomorrow and I never thought I would be this excited about a Jeep, but I am pumped to be able to blast through the snow and haul stuff at will now. I think it will be loads of fun in the summer with the top and doors off too. If I keep the Jeep my next sports car will not need to be compromised or have 4 doors so this opens up the possibilities quite a bit.
4DRZ congrats on the purchase, hope it turns out to be everything you want it to be. Stay away from the interwebs because you may go down another modification rabbit hole!
I can't see myself getting into a truck without a fun car in my garage. Not enough bad weather here for my to justify the need for a truck/suv. The Gladiator towing a 400z would look very cool in my book
4DRZ congrats on the purchase, hope it turns out to be everything you want it to be. Stay away from the interwebs because you may go down another modification rabbit hole!
I can't see myself getting into a truck without a fun car in my garage. Not enough bad weather here for my to justify the need for a truck/suv. The Gladiator towing a 400z would look very cool in my book
Thanks man! I pick up the new ride tonight. I don't plan to do any serious off-roading so I think the modding will be relatively minor for me. But I did already get a new set of wheels and tires for it already.
I am definitely leaning toward a new Z to throw on the back unless the new STI is really good. Then I would probably sell the Jeep.
I've a friend in college that bought himself a brand new 1987 Jeep after college graduation. He still has it today. Still looks brand new. Kind of weird how it's survived in such a crazy good condition, but it did.
From what he tells me (all the freaking time), 1987 was the last year that "Jeep was Jeep", before the brand was sold by AMC/Renault over to Chrysler. Not sure how any of that is brag-worthy, but he thinks so. And like I said, the car is pristine 34 years later.
Having been down that road before, I'd say the year they retired the 4.0L I6 that AMC copied from International Harvester was the last real Jeep. 2006 or so?
Having been down that road before, I'd say the year they retired the 4.0L I6 that AMC copied from International Harvester was the last real Jeep. 2006 or so?
IDK, but that's his engine... a huge, carbureted, 4.0 liter inline 6 cylinder. Strange thing to look at.
I've a friend in college that bought himself a brand new 1987 Jeep after college graduation. He still has it today. Still looks brand new. Kind of weird how it's survived in such a crazy good condition, but it did.
From what he tells me (all the freaking time), 1987 was the last year that "Jeep was Jeep", before the brand was sold by AMC/Renault over to Chrysler. Not sure how any of that is brag-worthy, but he thinks so. And like I said, the car is pristine 34 years later.
Looks pretty clean. It seems so small compared to the one I am getting. I just hope mine rides better with the new wheels and tires compared to the monster truck tires it had previously. I get that they look cool, but I don't understand why anyone around here would trade off any semblance of ride quality or control over your vehicle, let alone any grip in the snow just for that look.
Absolutely. Sometimes the Gladiator looks more like a Hummer than a Jeep.
Still can't relate to how you got to this point, but I genuinely hope you enjoy it. You be you.
It is definitely rugged. Don't worry I have not given up on sports cars. This is just a stop gap until something truly better comes along than my G. Right now nothing fills that gap. It is still a surprising move for me that even I did not expect.
It was partly, "wow, that thing looks awesome," partly me remembering the Toyota from Back to the Future, but more just being surprised by how nice the interior was (tech, dash layout), realizing how versatile it was, and also how much better it will be in snow, how fun it should be in the summer with the top/doors off, and how nice it will be to run through a normal car wash without being too low, and how crazy it will be to change the oil without having to jack it up.
It will definitely not perform like the G, but surprisingly the handling was pretty good when I flung it around some roundabouts simply because the wheelbase is sooo long and the tires are wide and set sooo far out. I will still modify it like all of my vehicles, but in a different way. They do make an exhaust for it an an intake that requires cutting a sizeable chunk of the hood. So we will see how it goes, but I expect it to be fun and entertaining along the way.
@4DRZ 's new whip is making me rethink plans for a beater utility vehicle. I was taking my time trying to find a late 80s/early 90s Ford Ranger for stuff hauling, muddy road driving (not offroading per se) and general household chores - simple, simple to fix, simple to get parts. Now I'm thinking I might look for a 96-00 Cherokee - just can't pop stuff in the bed though, but I *could* take the whole fam. Had a 96 from 2000-2009 and it was a swiss army knife - not perfect at much, but good enough at almost everything, from mudding to hauling a racecar on a trailer to commuting. And it had the Bumper of Doom on the front so folks would get the F out of the way for fear that I would PIT them lol.
Parked next to a gladiator yesterday but it was on stupid tires (37"s) so it looked ridiculous.
(And this is why I usually do not let anyone else work on my cars.) Fortunately I don't pick it up until Tue, so the new lugs from Tire rack should be there in plenty of time.
"Now Biff, don't con me!" I think I needed something to "cleanse the palate" of always trying to squeeze a little more performance out of my car. Then again, I am not in a huge hurry to sell my car and I still really enjoy driving it so I may just keep it around for a bit until I find a worthy replacement. It will definitely be something with next level performance. I pick up the Jeep tomorrow and I never thought I would be this excited about a Jeep, but I am pumped to be able to blast through the snow and haul stuff at will now. I think it will be loads of fun in the summer with the top and doors off too. If I keep the Jeep my next sports car will not need to be compromised or have 4 doors so this opens up the possibilities quite a bit.
