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Cold weather testing in the arctic

JLURD

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Went to the arctic circle over the weekend to push the JLURD for its second run on the Dalton Highway and came back impressed. Insights galore…
1. I’ve been running a radiator cover in AK for the last couple winters…basically above 10F, not needed, 0-10F nice to have, below zero, definitely worth it but do vent the thing or your climate control will be screwed by false outside temps.
2. My n of 1 runs like a top even when it gets stupid cold…ie -33F…currently has 33,000 miles.
3. I usually run opti-lube xpd for cetane, lubricity and anti-gel (Alaska diesel supply all has either additive or kerosene already from the pump but peace of mind is nice when people are sporadically hosed by it being inadequate)…turns out below about -20F standard xpd starts to move rather slowly in the bottle…not gel but likely worth using their winter mix in such temps.
4. The block heater is very nice to have when your 3.0 is left outside below zero. Fortunately Fairbanks hotels have plugs for their entire parking lots. I’ve started my 3.0 from -13F without the block heated before and a slow turnover…at -24F it was just as slow with the heater on so I’m guessing it’ll fail to crank somewhere in there without the heater depending on battery condition.

Some non-3.0 observations.
1. When the outside temp is 108 degrees less than the inside temp (or even a 75 degree differential), the roof panels will start to creak along the seals. Just partially unclamp them, drive a minute for them to re-seat, and clamp back down.
2.Good luck finding air hoses that remain flexible below -20F. I ran at 20 psi to smooth out the rough patches of ice on the Dalton and almost couldn’t air back up. Similar story with my AEV fuel caddy siphon tube and extension cord for the block heater.
3. Nokian Hakkapeliita LT2s are the best 35” snow tires on the market. If only they came in a 37…
4. My gorilla glass has now taken 3 stones that would have absolutely cracked the original windshield and simply left pinpoint gouges in the surface coating. Ice road truckers haul ass and kick nasty stuff at your rig on the regular.
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Frostbyte

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Hope that Gorilla Glass holds up to thrown studs as well as it did for those rocks!
 

545moose

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That's awesome info and great to hear it being put through the paces up north and in the cold!
 

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Went to the arctic circle over the weekend to push the JLURD for its second run on the Dalton Highway and came back impressed. Insights galore…
1. I’ve been running a radiator cover in AK for the last couple winters…basically above 10F, not needed, 0-10F nice to have, below zero, definitely worth it but do vent the thing or your climate control will be screwed by false outside temps.
2. My n of 1 runs like a top even when it gets stupid cold…ie -33F…currently has 33,000 miles.
3. I usually run opti-lube xpd for cetane, lubricity and anti-gel (Alaska diesel supply all has either additive or kerosene already from the pump but peace of mind is nice when people are sporadically hosed by it being inadequate)…turns out below about -20F standard xpd starts to move rather slowly in the bottle…not gel but likely worth using their winter mix in such temps.
4. The block heater is very nice to have when your 3.0 is left outside below zero. Fortunately Fairbanks hotels have plugs for their entire parking lots. I’ve started my 3.0 from -13F without the block heated before and a slow turnover…at -24F it was just as slow with the heater on so I’m guessing it’ll fail to crank somewhere in there without the heater depending on battery condition.

Some non-3.0 observations.
1. When the outside temp is 108 degrees less than the inside temp (or even a 75 degree differential), the roof panels will start to creak along the seals. Just partially unclamp them, drive a minute for them to re-seat, and clamp back down.
2.Good luck finding air hoses that remain flexible below -20F. I ran at 20 psi to smooth out the rough patches of ice on the Dalton and almost couldn’t air back up. Similar story with my AEV fuel caddy siphon tube and extension cord for the block heater.
3. Nokian Hakkapeliita LT2s are the best 35” snow tires on the market. If only they came in a 37…
4. My gorilla glass has now taken 3 stones that would have absolutely cracked the original windshield and simply left pinpoint gouges in the surface coating. Ice road truckers haul ass and kick nasty stuff at your rig on the regular.
Sick!!!

But where are the pics :) ?
 

GSLSE21B

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Went to the arctic circle over the weekend to push the JLURD for its second run on the Dalton Highway and came back impressed. Insights galore…
1. I’ve been running a radiator cover in AK for the last couple winters…basically above 10F, not needed, 0-10F nice to have, below zero, definitely worth it but do vent the thing or your climate control will be screwed by false outside temps.
2. My n of 1 runs like a top even when it gets stupid cold…ie -33F…currently has 33,000 miles.
3. I usually run opti-lube xpd for cetane, lubricity and anti-gel (Alaska diesel supply all has either additive or kerosene already from the pump but peace of mind is nice when people are sporadically hosed by it being inadequate)…turns out below about -20F standard xpd starts to move rather slowly in the bottle…not gel but likely worth using their winter mix in such temps.
4. The block heater is very nice to have when your 3.0 is left outside below zero. Fortunately Fairbanks hotels have plugs for their entire parking lots. I’ve started my 3.0 from -13F without the block heated before and a slow turnover…at -24F it was just as slow with the heater on so I’m guessing it’ll fail to crank somewhere in there without the heater depending on battery condition.

Some non-3.0 observations.
1. When the outside temp is 108 degrees less than the inside temp (or even a 75 degree differential), the roof panels will start to creak along the seals. Just partially unclamp them, drive a minute for them to re-seat, and clamp back down.
2.Good luck finding air hoses that remain flexible below -20F. I ran at 20 psi to smooth out the rough patches of ice on the Dalton and almost couldn’t air back up. Similar story with my AEV fuel caddy siphon tube and extension cord for the block heater.
3. Nokian Hakkapeliita LT2s are the best 35” snow tires on the market. If only they came in a 37…
4. My gorilla glass has now taken 3 stones that would have absolutely cracked the original windshield and simply left pinpoint gouges in the surface coating. Ice road truckers haul ass and kick nasty stuff at your rig on the regular.
Some magazines would be interested in your story 👌
 

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TX_Ovrlnd

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Newer diesels are very impressive in winter weather. My Denali 2500 didn't need the radiator cover even in -45F temps (upstate NY gets a bit colder than Alaska) and I used a timer for the block heater to come on an hour or so before I had to go to work. Fuel treatment is a must when anywhere in sustained temps that low...I learned the hard way lol.

If you can, keep the air hoses in a bag under your dash where the vents are, it'll save you some frustration.

Nokians are the truth.
 
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JLURD

JLURD

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Newer diesels are very impressive in winter weather. My Denali 2500 didn't need the radiator cover even in -45F temps (upstate NY gets a bit colder than Alaska) and I used a timer for the block heater to come on an hour or so before I had to go to work. Fuel treatment is a must when anywhere in sustained temps that low...I learned the hard way lol.

If you can, keep the air hoses in a bag under your dash where the vents are, it'll save you some frustration.

Nokians are the truth.
Hoses were right next to the floor vents for the heat…bigger issue is getting them fully extended inside the vehicle or within 20 seconds outside, ie starting with the front tires with my rear mounted ARB twin. The extension cord for the block heater is a lost cause trying to coil it back up after a night out in the good stuff.

Regarding upstate NY, I’ve spent enough time on winter summits in the Adirondacks to know it CAN get colder than parts of AK, but remember AK is over 1300 miles North to South and 2200 miles East to West…it was -68 degrees F just up the Dalton from me on the same day in Atigun Pass…interior AK between the Alaska Range and the Brooks Range averages and nadirs much colder than anywhere in NY or the upper Midwest.
 

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Could have tested in Anchorage for the last week, think we hit -20? been cold as frozen hell for 2 weeks!
 
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JLURD

JLURD

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Sick!!!

But where are the pics :) ?
…or it didn’t happen! The bonus Denali pic gets honorary mention 240 miles south because the summit temp was hovering around -100F when I took the picture on the way home and the adjacent road temp was exactly the same as the low point we found on the southern Dalton…-33F.

B6245B37-F01C-4B25-AC99-48DDEC4B5550.jpeg


74F46061-AAD0-49C6-80F9-5F5FCF6D1F28.jpeg


46B993CF-3FBC-4286-8C18-B8D494F8A649.jpeg


5AA6FEBB-B20A-4304-B67D-FC1F085245E2.jpeg


388BD337-A8CF-49DF-8A84-238D7AC3D413.jpeg


E9A51272-3750-4092-8943-F80734DCAEAE.jpeg


06614CA4-8E8D-42E4-9BDF-1A075AB67321.jpeg
 
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JLURD

JLURD

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Could have tested in Anchorage for the last week, think we hit -20? been cold as frozen hell for 2 weeks!
We live right up the Glenn in the valley…temps in South Central have been delightful compared to Fairbanks and points further north imho. We went into a restaurant Saturday night in Fairbanks for 40 minutes…oil and coolant temps went from operating range to below freezing in that short time…those folks are playing in a whole different league of cold.
 

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They've been promising us all this Global warming.....I'm starting to think someone's telling lies. 🤔
 
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JLURD

JLURD

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They've been promising us all this Global warming.....I'm starting to think someone's telling lies. 🤔
We have oil companies pumping refrigerant into the ground to keep the permafrost frozen so north slope operations can continue in the summer, thanks in large part to the Chinese who continue to pump out literal tons of CFCs, which concentrate around the poles and exert warming effects >10,000x that of CO2. The large majority of our glaciers are retreating and we’ve seen average temperatures increase at triple the global rate. My anecdotes don’t change regional averages and most of the native folks around here sadly corroborate what climate scientists have been reporting for a while in the arctic. That said, if the Chinese can’t be bothered to follow the Montreal protocol, you can bet your last dollar they won’t make any of the more difficult changes it would take to reverse the trend. The debate is no longer about whether this is happening, but rather what to do about it without allowing communist politicians to enrich themselves by cherry-picking winners and losers in their bastardized idea of an “economy”.
 

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Hoses were right next to the floor vents for the heat…bigger issue is getting them fully extended inside the vehicle or within 20 seconds outside, ie starting with the front tires with my rear mounted ARB twin. The extension cord for the block heater is a lost cause trying to coil it back up after a night out in the good stuff.

Regarding upstate NY, I’ve spent enough time on winter summits in the Adirondacks to know it CAN get colder than parts of AK, but remember AK is over 1300 miles North to South and 2200 miles East to West…it was -68 degrees F just up the Dalton from me on the same day in Atigun Pass…interior AK between the Alaska Range and the Brooks Range averages and nadirs much colder than anywhere in NY or the upper Midwest.
For sure on the extension cords, I'd kick it to the side and try not to cover it when shoveling lol.
 

Obispo325

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They've been promising us all this Global warming.....I'm starting to think someone's telling lies. 🤔
Cold weather is different than a warming climate.
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