First time off-roading. WOW!

[Sgt Beavis]

Welcome to your new addiction.

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[Megawatt]

The Jeep will easily go where it is difficult to walk. Off roading in a wrangler is kind of a secret, most of the public have zero ideas what these machines can do.

 

[rcadden]

Congrats! It's so much fun, and so surprising at how capable a stock Jeep is - even my bone stock Sahara blew my mind with how much it could handle. Your Rubicon XR even moreso!

Especially since you're already running an XR, I would recommend continuing to offroad whenever you get the chance - join your local Jeep club(s), meet some new folks at the trails, and keep an eye on the equipment they use. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

There's literally an endless array of junk that you can buy to "help" you take your Jeep offroad. Hitting the trails a few times will help you weed out the things that are actually necessary and things that are nice-to-have and things that are a waste of money.

If you don't already have them, the first things I would buy is a recovery kit (snatch block, straps, etc), an air compressor, and a radio (GMRS or CB, whatever your local groups tend to use). I have a VAIAR 440 and a pair of handheld Midland GMRS radios and a recovery kit-in-a-bag. The whole setup was maybe $400 - good quality but cheap enough I could replace with higher-end stuff later on.

 

[DavidArmen]

This is the one I took. I marked it in red.

Thanks a bunch! You took one of the most difficult rated trails available in Rowher!

 

[Jeepsmashin]

Was the AC on? I know when I have the AC medium to high the fan kicks on and it sounds like a jet turbine, comes in handy driving through crowded parking lots and gets peoles attention.

Check around your radiator and see if you have any leaks, I noticed my fan started kicking in really often and then the dealer told me I had a leak, they fixed it right away and replaced the radiator under my lifetime warranty.

 

[DavidArmen]

You’ve barely scratched the surface my man! Venture a little further into the desert or up to Big Bear once you get the itch!
This was yesterday near Johnson Valley in my Stock JLUR XR!

Beautiful! By any chance was your sway bar not disconnected? i would guess that it wasn’t because the driver side tire caught air way too early for a rubicon.

 

[HungryHound]

Must do Berdoo Canyon also.
East of 29 Palms is a Jeepers paradise. Box Canyon for the lower desert.

Berdoo is how we got from Mecca Hills to Joshua Tree last month. Great drive and you have the added benefit of getting into the park for free. Shhhh...

 

[JL MADDOG]

That offroading thing is a LOT of fun, ain't it.

I'm sure you are looking for the next chance to get out. I'd suggest you purchase some basic recovery gear for them situations like that truck you saw on the trail. Offroading can be fun but getting yourself out of trouble is a hugely rewarding experience.

 

[Wheelin Matt]

Beautiful! By any chance was your sway bar not disconnected? i would guess that it wasn’t because the driver side tire caught air way too early for a rubicon.

It thought it was disconnected, but after watching again I think your right and I must have thought I hit the button but it sure doesn’t look disconnected. Here’s 2 pictures taken from same spot where it’s stuffed and definitely disconnected. Even though the passenger tire ion the bump stop there is still plenty of room in the wheel well

 

[Megawatt]

If you switched out of 4wd it will reconnect. Sometimes I will be in 4wd then want to go faster so drop back to 2wD. But when I go back into 4wd gotta remember to disco again.

 

[DavidArmen]

It thought it was disconnected, but after watching again I think your right and I must have thought I hit the button but it sure doesn’t look disconnected. Here’s 2 pictures taken from same spot where it’s stuffed and definitely disconnected. Even though the passenger tire ion the bump stop there is still plenty of room in the wheel well

It absolutely looks disconnected in these photos! Forgetting to press the sway bar button happens to me all the time. I wish it remembered its’ state and didn’t reconnect every time the jeep was shut off. Countless times I’ve found myself on the trail with way too much head wobbling, making me realize that I forgot to disconnect the sway bar again after shutting off the jeep for a moment to enjoy the views.

heres a comparison of mine connected and disconnected at about 75% stuffed

 

[entropy]

Beautiful! By any chance was your sway bar not disconnected? i would guess that it wasn’t because the driver side tire caught air way too early for a rubicon.

He is def. Disconnected.

I was a bit dissapointed at the stock suspension flex. I lifted tires a lot. So I got new shocks.

Still the stock rubi suspension has the best flex youll get out of any stock vehicle. I think the XR has a bit less flex than the standard rubi because of the huge bump stops. I could be wrong.

Really easy fix. My profile pic is all stock rubi springs with long travel bilstein shocks.

 

[DontCallMeRubi]

I went to Rowhler Flats OHV. Never been off-roading EVER. My cousin drove part ways up and I took over. Didn't realize how capable the Jeep was until we went over these steep hills. Nearly shit my pants 10 times but it felt like a breeze after I got comfortable and my fears went away. Here are some photos. Saw a truck at a point that was stuck, nobody was in it. I've also noticed sometimes when i turn the vehicle on to drive it you can hear a fan ramp up really loud in the front. I'm assuming this is normal. Started happening from time to time up this trail as well. Video attached of that. You can't really tell how steep the hills are but let me tell you, STEEP. My fear for steep hills is somewhat gone now. Time to plan another trail for next week!

Good for you, challenging your self and the Jeep right away...most folks tip toe around for a while before doing what you did (including me, an old 4x4 guy {1977 Dodge Ramcharger back in the day}) and Rowher is cool because you can choose some less challenging trails first if you want...maybe the best part about the Southwest is the plethora of places to go...be aware that sometimes it's ok to admit for that particular moment on the trail you are on you are over your head...you can always go back if you and the Jeep are in one piece! As you challenge your self and the Jeep you will get better and more confident in what you and the Jeep can do...enjoy!

 

[fxceptioN]

My fan is still ramping up at full speed when parked, or driving at speed limits on streets and highway, this is all without the AC on. It's bothering me. Any of you have this issue?

 

[DavidArmen]

My fan is still ramping up at full speed when parked, or driving at speed limits on streets and highway, this is all without the AC on. It's bothering me. Any of you have this issue?

That’s weird. When I turn on my jeep on very hot days, when it’s already been driven that day and is warmed up, the fan goes on full blast right away but it slowly dies down in about 10-15 seconds. Could be due to AC. This is even during normal city driving. It also turns on sometimes when I’m off-roading on a hot day (could also be due to AC); it will spin at about half speed constantly for the majority of the ride after it gets going about an hour into the trail. Other times my fan rarely comes on.

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