Moab for first timer driving daily driver: I should be good, right? Right...?

[MOC]

OK, I'm heading to Moab late August/early September and want a sanity check. I have the following mods on my 2021 JLUR diesel: 35" ATs/stock wheels, 1.5 spacer lift, Artec aluminum skids, steel front bumper/stock plastic rear bumper, and LOD Destroyer sliders. My most aggressive offroading to date is Natchez Trail in Washington (4/10 on OnX for those unfamiliar with this fun little trail).

My buddy who I am going with would be happy to roll his rig down any obstacle...me, not so much. I have time to cure any obvious limitations in my current setup, but as a keen thread and youtube surfer I think I should be good. So, assuming I exhibit reasonable if not perfect judgment on trail selection, will I return home with an intact daily driver?

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[Rotsam]

Congrats on the trip - you’re in for a treat. Your rig is more than capable for the majority of the trails near Moab. I’d suggest doing some of the lower rated scenic trails (Potash, Gemini Bridges, Chicken Corners) to get your bearings, but you should absolutely do Hell’s Revenge. It changed the way I thought about my Jeep and really made me fall in love with rock crawling.

Moab is what you make of it, whether you vehicle is intact at the end is really up to you.

 

[jadmt]

your vehicle will do just fine on many of the trails the way it is set up..I always suggest doing fins and things to get your sea legs under you as it is very forgiving and will give you confidence to explore further. I have been with many first time jeepers on fins and things and they all loved it.

 

[3TV]

Based on your Jeep set up I would think any trail up to a 6-difficulty rating would be fair game. Some of the easier 7s (Metal Masher) could be considered. Have fun.

 

[Upnover]

Dude you will be fine. Most people go to Moab with a lots less and have fun.

 

[MOC]

Thanks Rotsam, appreciate the advice! Feel like I'm going on my first military deployment again, do I have everything? Am I missing anything? Somebody double-check my kit!

 

[Steveo]

If you have the time and money, some diff and FAD skids are a good idea, but as others have said, you'll likely be just fine with what you have depending on the trails you select. Also, get the steering stabilizer relocated above the tie rod.

Have fun out there.

 

[MOC]

Thanks Steveo. Fortunately Artec threw in a free FAD skid (and hat). Good call on relocating steering stabilizer, was completely off my radar.

 

[Max Headroom]

OK, I'm heading to Moab late August/early September and want a sanity check. I have the following mods on my 2021 JLUR diesel: 35" ATs/stock wheels, 1.5 spacer lift, Artec aluminum skids, steel front bumper/stock plastic rear bumper, and LOD Destroyer sliders. My most aggressive offroading to date is Natchez Trail in Washington (4/10 on OnX for those unfamiliar with this fun little trail).

My buddy who I am going with would be happy to roll his rig down any obstacle...me, not so much. I have time to cure any obvious limitations in my current setup, but as a keen thread and youtube surfer I think I should be good. So, assuming I exhibit reasonable if not perfect judgment on trail selection, will I return home with an intact daily driver?

You should be fine if you select trails based on desire to get back in one piece. I used to do Moab (and the San Juans) in a daily driver, mid-70's, six banger CJ5 that was manual everything, no lockers, no lift, no mods other than fattish tires. Granted we weren't doing any crazy rock crawling. Potash, Lockhart Basin, Chicken Corners, Hurrah Pass, Moab Rim, Poison Spider, Onion Creek, Monitor and Merimac. Back then trails like these didn't have numerical ratings (easy, moderate, difficult) but they are probably 3 to 6 by todays standards.
These aren't super adventurous, and don't push the Jeep too hard since I'm mostly solo and don't want to chance breaking anything. But still, if you take any flatlanders out on these, they'll be impressed.
A lot depends on what you like to do. Go out in a big group and try the toughest thing you can find, or just see the sights. Most of the above trails are chock full of spectacular scenery, but not terribly difficult. back in the day, people were running these in those kit based VW dune buggies.
If you want to take pics of your Jeep with the suspension stretched to the max, these type of trails will dissapoint.
Me? I'm daily driving my current Jeep, and while it's much more capable than my CJ, I still stick to sight seeing, 'Sunday Drive' type trails.

 

[Steveo]

I was one of the first parts I destroyed while froading. (prior to the relocation)

Much safer here...

 

[R4NS0M]

The real question here is if you are going to KEEP the Jeep the way it is when you get finished rock crawling, or if you come back here asking what you should do next to the vehicle, lol.

 

[Murphydog]

On a complete stock XR, I did both Top of the World and Poison Spider with zero damage. A few kisses to the factory skids , but that’s it.
Find and Things, and Elephant Hill road were fine, and the lower rated trails were scenic and enjoyable

I think your set up will be fine for most of the trails in Moab

 

[Aonarch]

I'll be there at the same time. Moab has a ton of different trails from say level 1 to level 10.

You'll be fine for the majority of trails as long as you know your limits.

35s on a Rubicon is very capable.

 

[txj2go]

OK, I'm heading to Moab late August/early September

Moab is a lot more than just the 7-rated trails. You can spend a week, maybe 2 weeks, in Moab and not get off of pavement. Beyond that there are plenty of interesting trails that a Jeep Sport can do. As far as vehicle goes I agree that your vehicle can handle up to 5 or 6-rated trails. However part of it is up to the driver. If you do the easy ones like Chicken Corners, Long Canyon, Gemini Bridges and Onion Creek you will have a feel for whether you want to keep going. Also after bumping around on rough roads for 4 days you might decide you want to do some sightseeing instead. I think after those listed above you could consider Fins and Things and Hells Revenge. It can also be wise to be conservative considering you need the vehicle to drive home.

 

[R4NS0M]

Fins n Things is great for beginners

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