DanW
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
I took 4 kids and the JL to The Badlands off-road park in Attica, Indiana yesterday, to begin feeling out what this JL is like off road. We didn't do any extreme stuff, as we didn't have another Jeep with us and my winch is still sitting in my closet new in the box. We did some hills, up to 23 degrees, and went through some pretty thick mud left behind by this weeks rain. Anyway, here are some thoughts...
Mud...The KO2's were MUCH better than I thought they'd be. Honestly, they felt nearly as good as the KM2s I had on my JK. I was surprised by this. The Rubi never struggled in the mud. I never engaged the lockers, even in the thick/deep stuff.
Sand...This thing was GREAT. Again, the KO2s performed exceptionally well. I expected that, though. We aired down to 20psi, which helped. I'll probably go down to 17 or so next time, but they did just fine at 20.
Gearing...WOW, 1st gear is LOW. This makes for a world class rock crawler. We messed around a little in the rocks and it was fantastic.
35's on stock wheels...No rub at full lock and full flex! It is perfect! A pic is coming to show the clearance in the rear wheel well. That's the tightest spot. The front had gobs of room.
Spring bow with Mopar lift...No change, worked flawlessly. The ride on this lift with the Fox shocks is by far the best I've ever felt off road. The flex is outstanding. With the swaybar disconnected, I don't think I ever got a wheel off the ground.
Lockers and swaybar...They engaged and disengaged quickly, with no noise. My JK lockers have been slow to engage/disengage, I'm guessing from a long period without use. They have improved as I've cycled them a bit recently. The JL is much quicker. The 4wd lever started out a bit stiff, especially going into low, but that got better as the day went on, especially for 4hi.
Final note...There is a flag hole in the front bumper on the passenger side, available when you take the endcap off. The flag never hit the hood, as it cants out a bit. This is another nice touch by Mark Allen and his design team, and it lets you know they are real enthusiasts.
Mud...The KO2's were MUCH better than I thought they'd be. Honestly, they felt nearly as good as the KM2s I had on my JK. I was surprised by this. The Rubi never struggled in the mud. I never engaged the lockers, even in the thick/deep stuff.
Sand...This thing was GREAT. Again, the KO2s performed exceptionally well. I expected that, though. We aired down to 20psi, which helped. I'll probably go down to 17 or so next time, but they did just fine at 20.
Gearing...WOW, 1st gear is LOW. This makes for a world class rock crawler. We messed around a little in the rocks and it was fantastic.
35's on stock wheels...No rub at full lock and full flex! It is perfect! A pic is coming to show the clearance in the rear wheel well. That's the tightest spot. The front had gobs of room.
Spring bow with Mopar lift...No change, worked flawlessly. The ride on this lift with the Fox shocks is by far the best I've ever felt off road. The flex is outstanding. With the swaybar disconnected, I don't think I ever got a wheel off the ground.
Lockers and swaybar...They engaged and disengaged quickly, with no noise. My JK lockers have been slow to engage/disengage, I'm guessing from a long period without use. They have improved as I've cycled them a bit recently. The JL is much quicker. The 4wd lever started out a bit stiff, especially going into low, but that got better as the day went on, especially for 4hi.
Final note...There is a flag hole in the front bumper on the passenger side, available when you take the endcap off. The flag never hit the hood, as it cants out a bit. This is another nice touch by Mark Allen and his design team, and it lets you know they are real enthusiasts.
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