What I'm feeling is subjective. I readily admit that. It was really just on Pritchett. I may have been spooked from the prior days flop. It was the end of the trip and I was tired (camping out 8 days straight). I also had to drive the rig home the next day and didn't want to take any chances of being stranded 1,000 miles from home. I do think those are the prevailing factors. All that said, I still think some of these factors will exist the next time I go to Moab (or other wheelin trips). I simply will not have enough money to buy a truck and trailer to carry my rig.
My objective setup is ~93" wb, a 15" wheel with tires aired down to 12psi, and 4.25" BS. So that I feel more stable, planted, I am conjuring up about 3 build plans. First, the wider bigger axle and stretch plan is probably a no go just based on the fact that it's my DD and even if I retire it and buy a beater, I won't be able to drive it hundreds of miles without tire coverage. Second, the stretch plan is what it is, ~7k minimally. It's a good setup, and from reading
@Sj's TJ build thread and
@02GreenTJ build thread, they felt more stable and planted after a stretch. A 5-6" stretch won't affect my width, so I think I'd be golden for PNW narrow trails. $7k is cheap when compared to a big truck and trailer to trailer the rig. The third plan is dropping to a 33" tire. Ever since I left 33's and went to 35's I've probably stated 100 times, even recently, how much more planted and stable I felt. Again, that's subjective, how I feel, but it's also objectively true. I had a lot more confidence. I'm in no hurry now. I only felt that way on Pritchett, and see paragraph 1 for why I probably felt that way. If I was back on Pritchett today I might not feel that way since it was my second time around and knew what I was getting into.
All things considered, doing nothing except my petty projects like frame tuck or plan 2 are how I am thinking.
