After 4 weeks of downtime I did my first substantial test drive yesterday with the new tires, shocks & spare tire carrier which included 150 mile round trip to the mountains & a day on the trails.
Thanks to all that recommended the Rancho 5000X, you weren’t wrong. One of the many joys of living in the rust belt with winter time freezing/thawing/salt/plowing is the havoc it all wreaks on the asphalt… some roads have a nice collection of pot holes, repairs & other bumpy uneven surfaces that can give your shocks a workout. The TJ now has that ‘new car’ feel, just amazing – maybe the most readily noticeable upgrade I’ve done to date. I cannot say I noticed any difference off road however (was I supposed to?).
The KM3s were also noticeably better. The Falken ATs were quiet on the road & with a few exceptions pretty much unstoppable off road. I favor steep rocky hill climbs & I can’t recall too many situations where I could trace difficulty in getting to the top to the tires, but they did occur; I’ve also had my share of getting stuck in the mud, probably more traceable to the tires. The KM3s are as quiet on the road as the Falkens but I understand that may change as they age. Off road they performed beautifully with less difficulty slogging through the squishy muck. What surprised me however was the grip on steep dry rock faces, there’s one particular hill climb I like to do often that gives me a good bit of trouble at least every other time I do it but yesterday I crawled up it effortlessly which I can only credit to the tires, no sliding or lateral movement, just rolled straight up. I’m very happy with this choice.
Finally, my hillbilly spare tire carrier didn’t break or even bend after a full day of bouncing around like a maniac, really all I think it does is help keep the tire jammed onto the bumper which is carrying the weight while also keeping it from jiggling around, critical to the longevity of the carrier & hinges.
Gratuitous TJ shot from yesterday morning, all clean & ready to head into the slop with my buddy Pete, other than us we had an LJ, a YJ, a JKR & a JKUR. Interesting note, the dude in the JKR got stuck a bunch of times, early on I was watching him trying to break free in a spot & walked back & asked him if he had his lockers on, he said no then explained to me that if the electronic traction control doesn’t work to get him moving the lockers won’t either
. I know that system works great & often does obviate the need for lockers, but not always. Shit son use what you bought, when you’re jammed up that aint the time to bench your franchise QB.
By the way this configuration will be coming to an end soon, it was about 59 degrees when I left home yesterday morning, froze my nuts off driving up, got really hot by mid day though, but still I'm not looking forward to putting the doors & top back on
Thanks to all that recommended the Rancho 5000X, you weren’t wrong. One of the many joys of living in the rust belt with winter time freezing/thawing/salt/plowing is the havoc it all wreaks on the asphalt… some roads have a nice collection of pot holes, repairs & other bumpy uneven surfaces that can give your shocks a workout. The TJ now has that ‘new car’ feel, just amazing – maybe the most readily noticeable upgrade I’ve done to date. I cannot say I noticed any difference off road however (was I supposed to?).
The KM3s were also noticeably better. The Falken ATs were quiet on the road & with a few exceptions pretty much unstoppable off road. I favor steep rocky hill climbs & I can’t recall too many situations where I could trace difficulty in getting to the top to the tires, but they did occur; I’ve also had my share of getting stuck in the mud, probably more traceable to the tires. The KM3s are as quiet on the road as the Falkens but I understand that may change as they age. Off road they performed beautifully with less difficulty slogging through the squishy muck. What surprised me however was the grip on steep dry rock faces, there’s one particular hill climb I like to do often that gives me a good bit of trouble at least every other time I do it but yesterday I crawled up it effortlessly which I can only credit to the tires, no sliding or lateral movement, just rolled straight up. I’m very happy with this choice.
Finally, my hillbilly spare tire carrier didn’t break or even bend after a full day of bouncing around like a maniac, really all I think it does is help keep the tire jammed onto the bumper which is carrying the weight while also keeping it from jiggling around, critical to the longevity of the carrier & hinges.
Gratuitous TJ shot from yesterday morning, all clean & ready to head into the slop with my buddy Pete, other than us we had an LJ, a YJ, a JKR & a JKUR. Interesting note, the dude in the JKR got stuck a bunch of times, early on I was watching him trying to break free in a spot & walked back & asked him if he had his lockers on, he said no then explained to me that if the electronic traction control doesn’t work to get him moving the lockers won’t either
. I know that system works great & often does obviate the need for lockers, but not always. Shit son use what you bought, when you’re jammed up that aint the time to bench your franchise QB.By the way this configuration will be coming to an end soon, it was about 59 degrees when I left home yesterday morning, froze my nuts off driving up, got really hot by mid day though, but still I'm not looking forward to putting the doors & top back on
