What does the Trail Rated badge mean?

chino1969 said:
What does the Trail Rated badge mean? The Jeep website mentions electrical connections to be sealed against water intrusion, etc. but is this a sales gimmick or something worth while?
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Officially:
"Jeep Trail Rated is an industry-leading methodology to objectively measure and predict off-road performance for all Jeep vehicles."

Unofficially:
It just means that these Jeeps supposedly pass certain arbitrary standards that they say they have for off-roading. How tough are those standards? Who knows.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/112_news_030919_jeep-2/https://www.jeep.com/trail-rated.html
derekmac said:
I thought the Trail Rated badge only went on models that made it through the Rubicon trail?
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Jeep loves to talk about testing on the Rubicon trail, such as they did with the press event for the JL where they had people test it out there. However, I haven't seen anything that actually states that the "trail rated" badge means that they actually tested the model of Jeep out there.

So yea, it's 100% marketing. And if think that some other car/SUV/truck/whatever should be recognized as "Trail Rated", there's nothing saying you can't just buy one of these and slap it on, lol.

103239

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EA7LS7S/?tag=wranglerorg-20
 
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They did actually sell 2wd JK Unlimiteds that, surprisingly enough, did not have the Trail Rated badge. I don't know how long they offered those...
 
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Equilibrium31 said:
https://www.jeep.com/trail-rated.html
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Man what a bunch of marketing bs in this link. I've long thought about not putting the Rubicon decals back when I repaint my hood and after reading that I also want to remove this trail rated badge.

glwood said:
They did actually sell 2wd JK Unlimiteds that, surprisingly enough, did not have the Trail Rated badge. I don't know how long they offered those...
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I always wonder about those 2WD JKUs. Did they sell them with no transfer case and rear driveshaft directly attached to transmission? Why even sell a Jeep without 4WD, and why did people even buy them! Shows you how little people cared as long as it looked like a Jeep, I suppose.
 
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psrivats said:
Man what a bunch of marketing bs in this link. I've long thought about not putting the Rubicon decals back when I repaint my hood and after reading that I also want to remove this trail rated badge.



I always wonder about those 2WD JKUs. Did they sell them with no transfer case and rear driveshaft directly attached to transmission? Why even sell a Jeep without 4WD, and why did people even buy them! Shows you how little people cared as long as it looked like a Jeep, I suppose.
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Rentals, Jeeps are really popular for tourists at places like Hawaii.Even without a transfer case some people rent the 2wd's and think they can go play at a offroad park.

I actually saw it on Oahu.I was tracking down some of the places my grandfather's division camped on Oahu during WW2, the 77th ID.The 307th IR camped on the North Shore at Kahuku, the camp is a motocross track now.You have to drive on a road covered with live ordinance signs to find it, it's like a half mile back in the jungle.I knew I was in a 2wd so I wasn't tempted to leave hardpacked dirt, but while I was sitting there watching kids ride on the motocross track I saw 2 rentals drive down into a slick clay valley that would've been hopeless with the same tires and 4x4.

That was the only time I've ever left a fellow off roader stranded.They didn't even care enough to stop and look in the valley before they drove into it.Im pretty sure they weren't even allowed down there, that area looked like it was specifically for dirtbikes and atv's, maybe even a bomb disposal team...
 
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psrivats said:
Man what a bunch of marketing bs in this link. I've long thought about not putting the Rubicon decals back when I repaint my hood and after reading that I also want to remove this trail rated badge.
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At least the Rubicon decals tell you something significant about the Jeep they're put on. I mean, the "Trail Rated" badge is slapped on every Wrangler that's gone through the factory, but the Rubicon sticker will tell you something about how one model is different than the others in terms of features and it's not just a set of aesthetic differences and comfort features like most packages.
 
There is actually a video on this subject ...and it is just nonsense jibber jabber. Kind of insulting.

What they are actually doing is selling the image so people that don’t off-road can appear they are ready . Basically the badge is positioned so it can only be covered by a snorkel, another badge that says “I look more capable but I ain’t.”

The x models must be x rated .
 
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I was wondering too bc i saw Jeep only introduced this in 2004, yet my 2002 X has one. Thanks Amazon,I feel so special 😁 I guess someone throws on big fancy expensive tires and a stinger (which I just learned about today) and voila! Trail Rated!!
 
I think I read somewhere years ago that the trail rated badge means it has a low range transfer case.
I may be wrong, I don't drink any more, but I don't drink any less either...
 
I want a badge that is shaped like a windshield. You get a new one each time you replace the windshield. Owned the darn thing since February and am on #2.

Something like this would work.

Jeep windshield.gif
 
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Back In My Dream said:
Full glass coverage insurance is a necessity lol
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I pulled it from mine because deductible is the same as the cost of the replacement. $60. per year, and 100 glass deductible. Replacement if I have a shop do it is $120.00. My, Subi, its $500 to have it done! Yikes.
 
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