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Jungle31

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***8/9/21 edit - I forgot to mention the biggest single issue. Added to the "other than goods" section***

35 days, 7,504 miles from Jax - ABQ - Silverton area - Rim Rocker - Moab - Yosemite - Sequoia - Vegas - North Rim - Memphis - home, towing a homebuilt overland trailer. Trailer was about 3,000 pounds loaded. Averaged 16.1 mpg for the trip. About 750 miles were in 4 Low. There were 4 core rigs than ran the entire 5 weeks. we were joined by 4 others at various points along the way.

As quick background, I'm a life-long CJ guy. Wasn't a fan of wranglers until I wheeled with some JKs and JKUs about 6 years ago. That got me lurking on this page in 2017 and I leased a JLUR in 2018 to see if I'd like it. I loved it and decided I'd buy and build a '21 green JLUR Diesel when the lease was up. Well, there were none avalable for the 4 months I was looking, so when I found a green AEV 370 diesel just two months before the trip, I jumped on it.

So up front, the diesel was great. Tremdous power towing and torque on demand any time. The mileage was amazing. I ran speed limits + 5 everywhere which meant I was going between 75 and 85 on the highways. I got much more if I slow down to 65 and of course, without the trailer I average 24+. That's on 37's and geared at 4.56.

Goods:

Power, torque, mileage - I was impressed. It would idle up almost any obstacle. We had a couple sand dune climbs and it behaved beautifully. It was never once taxed or challenged even ascending the biggest climbs in the US. The same can not be said for the other vehicles in our group.

Cooling - all our climbs and wheeling were in July during a heat wave. Most were with the AC on (for the missus of course). It never once came close to protesting, even in Nevada with 108 heat. Again, several other vehicles struggled with this.

Tires and geometry - Loved the 37 inch Mud Terrains. Ran Hells Revenge, 8 other Jeep badge trails, and a lot of other runs and they were all pretty much point and shoot. Some care and spotting required for the big off-camber stuff. On the highway, they were quiet and excellent. Air down to 15. Nice squish. Air up to 35. No issues.

Lights - the offroad lights from AEV are top notch. Loved them. They also upgraded the backup lights which was the first thing I did to my 2018. I may add a couple ditch lights at some point, but that'll be it. I do not have the LED upgrade on Jeep headlights however. (see below)

Highway manners - the AEV suspension with 37s was simply better than the stock '18 JLUR with 33s. It is a smoother, softer ride loaded or unloaded. We loved it.

Comfort - I'm 6'3", 320. My wife is 5'12" and a svelt 160, I mean, 155, and we were comfortable the entire trip. 112 hours in the Jeep over 35 days. I find that simply amazing. I was expecting sore legs, backs, shins, SOMEthing.

RockSlide's Step Sliders - I installed these just before the trip and they worked beautifully. They were submerged several times and packed with the hardest clay mud I've ever encountered. They continue to be great sliders and steps when I need them. The mud did jam them twice, but kicking or washing it off fixed it.

Vantop rearview mirror/cameras/recorder - This also worked like a champ. I got great pics from it front and rear and use it every day since the spare all but completey closes off the rear window.

Stinger High10 unit - This was a very nice upgrade over the 7" stock head unit. My AEV had been ordered with the upgraded sound sytem and alternator, but for some inexplicable reason, not the package that added the 8.4" display. The sound was much better over all. Surprisingly so. It has a lot of nice features (like up to 5 camera inputs and more sound upgrades) but it really saved the day a few times when we found ourselves navigating without any cell service.

Comms - GMRS radios were fantastic. No more CBs for me ever.

Other Than Goods:

***edit: I got the dreaded Service Axel Locker System light about 500 miles into the trip. We were driving at highway speeds and towing in 2WD obviously. It came on briefly the first time and then went out before we stopped for fuel. Came on a second time and went out so I swapped seats with my wife and began researching what I was seeing. Found tons of information on this forum. Lockers would not engage. But there was ZAutomotive with my trip-saving fix. Installed their Z Locker-OEM in the rear only. (I made the assumption that only the rear was failing as I was in 2WD) It instantly worked and I haven't looked back.

Steering - On the climb up Imogene, I overheated the steering. It was my fault. I was letting the wheel saw back and forth as the vehicle rocked back and forth. I let it cool down and then braced my self with both elbows and stopped sawing. It happened one other time during the trip. It also occasionally struggled to turn those big tires when aired down. It's probably asking a lot of that stock system. I'll look at upgrades eventually.

Brakes - they were pretty good, but something I will also evaluate upgrading. I had electric trailer brakes on the trailer and descended on low gears everywhere, but its definitely limited in stopping power. There were two times where the pedal hit the floor and I just sat there, wishing I had upgraded. The stock brakes are not powerful enough to activate the ABS, which means there is more stopping power needed IMO.

Stock headlights - they simply blow. Not nearly enough light to drive down a desert highway with no moon. I'd have to drive 50mph to be sure I saw something before I hit it. I'll upgrade to LEDs soon.

Windshield - suffered a crack in Dallas from a good-sized rock from a truck in the next lane. So maybe not fair. It might have cracked any windshield. But my 2018 windshield only lasted a year and a half and this one lasted about 3000 miles. Meh. Still better than my CJ-7 window pane.

That's about it. Loved every minute with this vehicle. We ran with several well-built JKs, a nice TJ, an overland Tacoma, an '89 Land Cruiser with a cadillac V-8 and a few other cats and dogs. The JLUR Diesel was universally accepted as the most capable among us. One JK owner is already shopping for a JLUR diesel.

If you have any questions about the campsites, the trails, the trailer or anything else, please ask away.

Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_0168.JPG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_1550.JPEG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_2041.JPEG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_2349.JPEG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_2366.JPEG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_2423.JPEG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_2679.JPEG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_2683.JPEG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_2722.JPG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_2723.JPG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_2875.JPEG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_2889.JPG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_2897.JPEG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_2916.JPEG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_3208.JPEG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_3215.JPEG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_3226.JPEG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_3313.JPG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_3397.JPG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_4124.JPEG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_4200.JPEG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_6337.JPEG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_6369.JPEG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_6968.JPEG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_9106.JPEG


Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) FullSizeRender.JPG
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BDinTX

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Very nice, thanks for sharing! Those AEV rigs are pretty nice... maybe one day...
 

jack bauer

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Any rubbing off road with the AEV set up?
Is the flex somewhat decent?
 

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guarnibl

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oh my god

Jealous
 

guarnibl

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Any rubbing off road with the AEV set up?
Is the flex somewhat decent?
Curious on how it performed over all those different trails as well.

OP you may look into the apex steering boost with cooler. For brakes I'd go with Alcon.
 
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Jungle31

Jungle31

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Any rubbing off road with the AEV set up?
Is the flex somewhat decent?
No rubbing whatsoever. I have not measured the absolute flex numbers yet, but it was more than sufficient for all our runs. I typically took the most challenging lines and did not find its limit.
 
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Jungle31

Jungle31

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Curious on how it performed over all those different trails as well.

OP you may look into the apex steering boost with cooler. For brakes I'd go with Alcon.
Appreciate the recommendations!
We ran through a number of rock gardens, some for fun and some just because we had to, to get to our destination. I never found its limit. For example, The Wall stopped the Land Cruiser. While I don't have a still photo of my run up the wall, the video shows it simply drove right up without lifting a wheel.

Jeep Wrangler JL 5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package) IMG_2957.JPG
 

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jack bauer

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No rubbing whatsoever. I have not measured the absolute flex numbers yet, but it was more than sufficient for all our runs. I typically took the most challenging lines and did not find its limit.
I test drove a 370 and it was very nice. Gearing was spot on too.
 

Chief_Dan

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Nice! That last pic is amazing, lightning bolt & rainbow in that setting. Simply beautiful.

I hope the I40 bridge being closed didn't ruin your trip to Memphis. Traffic has been terrible because of it. Hopefully you had some good local BBQ.

Have any other pics?
That Jeep on Beale Street would be a great pic.
:clap:
 

wibornz

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Nice write up. I love see ing people out Jeep traveling. As I always say, "don't just go somewhere, take an adventure."
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