Sponsored

Our trip out West with open diffs

mgroeger

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mike
Joined
Feb 1, 2018
Threads
150
Messages
5,454
Reaction score
7,844
Location
Hurricane, UT
Vehicle(s)
2021 JLUR 2.0T, 1991 YJ rock crawler
Occupation
I make microchips for a living.
Vehicle Showcase
1
I wanted to find a place to dump our pics and videos of our trip out West and thought here would be good as any :)

The Mrs. and I took three weeks off and drove from Raleigh NC to Flagstaff AZ then Sedona, Moab and Ouray.

The other reason I wanted to post is we all know how wonderful the Rubis are with their locking diffs (we wish we had bought one since we are off roading more than we ever thought we would).

BUT we did all of this with open diffs and the Jeep was still a beast in 4LO. Here are the specs:

2018 Sahara, 3.6L, 8 speed auto, @Rough Country Suspensions 2.5" spacer lift, Rubi take off 33s, @RanchoShocks RS5000X shocks, @ACE Engineering frame mounted rock rails, JKS discos and we aired down to 18 psi on each trail. We rolled the odometer over 34,000 miles mark on this trip and have only owned it a year and a half.

We are far from this build being completed... chromoly axle shafts, 35s and a rear locker on the wish list next.

The trails we ran are below in the order we did them. We only took bypasses when it was impossible to do an obstacle and honestly I think we only bypassed once or twice. If we could do any of the extra obstacles (Mickey's Bath tub, Hot tub, difficult ledges, etc...) we did. The pic of me in a hole is in Mickey's Bath tub located next to the Hot tub. The pic of me next to the Jeep with a mannequin in it is actually half of Dan Mick's Jeep... the guy Mickey's Hot tub is named after.

The rock waterfall on Poison Spider was the most challenging thing to do with open diffs. I thought it had me beat but my wife realized the passenger rear was getting stuck in a notch. Once we saw that it was onward and upward on the last roughly 4' ledge. I left some rubber and gas tank skid shavings on that waterfall for it to remember me by :) Unfortunately the video of that last climb got deleted :/

In CO we saw the remnants of about 30 avalanches, Imogene was partially closed because of one.
These pictures and videos don't come close to capturing the sheer beauty of these places but enjoy them anyway :)

AZ:
Broken Arrow
Schnebly Hill Road (badge trail)

Moab (all badge trails):
Fins-N-Things
Hell's Revenge
Poison Spider Mesa
Top of the World

CO:
Ophir Pass (badge trail)
Last Dollar Road
Yankee Boy Basin
Imogene - We could only do half since an avalanche still had the pass closed up top. (badge trail)
Yankee Girl Basin
- The northern half of the Alpine Loop:
Corkscrew Gulch
Hurricane Pass
California Pass
California Gulch
Engineer Pass (badge trail)
Then drove over to Lake City.

IMG_0540.jpg
IMG_0542.jpg
IMG_0533.jpg
IMG_0468.jpg
IMG_0566.jpg
IMG_0568.jpg
IMG_0425(1).jpg
IMG_0429.jpg
IMG_0501.jpg
IMG_0969.jpg
IMG_0949 copy.PNG
IMG_0972.jpg
IMG_0919.jpg
IMG_1015.jpg
IMG_0995.jpg
IMG_0940.jpg
IMG_0816.jpg
IMG_0835.jpg
IMG_0852.jpg
IMG_1057.jpg
IMG_0925 copy.jpg
7BC9C4A6-F1E3-463F-94D6-98BFA3F334E6 copy.JPG
IMG_1257.jpg
IMG_1361.jpg
IMG_1360.jpg
IMG_1276.jpg
IMG_1371.jpg
IMG_1205.jpg
IMG_1306.jpg
IMG_1213.jpg
IMG_1414.jpg
IMG_1307.jpg
IMG_1334.jpg
IMG_1228.jpg
IMG_1223 copy.jpg
IMG_1168.jpg
IMG_1366.jpg
IMG_1276.jpg
IMG_1278.jpg
IMG_1277.jpg


IMG_1277.jpg
Sponsored

 
Last edited by a moderator:

Abend

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jeremy
Joined
May 22, 2019
Threads
6
Messages
238
Reaction score
544
Location
Erlanger, KY
Vehicle(s)
2019 Hellayella JLUR, 1948 CJ-2A, 2018 Sting Gray JLU Sport (the wife's)
Man, those pics are amazing. I can't wait to get enough vacation time built up to do a very similar trip. What's up with the jeep on it's side?
 
OP
OP
mgroeger

mgroeger

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mike
Joined
Feb 1, 2018
Threads
150
Messages
5,454
Reaction score
7,844
Location
Hurricane, UT
Vehicle(s)
2021 JLUR 2.0T, 1991 YJ rock crawler
Occupation
I make microchips for a living.
Vehicle Showcase
1
Man, those pics are amazing. I can't wait to get enough vacation time built up to do a very similar trip. What's up with the jeep on it's side?
Thanks! Dang, you hit the thread like 30 seconds after I posted it... lol.

We saw those guys going up the pass before us, all I can figure is he either went too wide on the path to allow someone to go by or he was screwing around. Good news is he laid it over onto a snow bank so there was no damage, just a little oil leaked out.
 

chris87114

Active Member
First Name
Chris
Joined
Nov 17, 2018
Threads
1
Messages
30
Reaction score
35
Location
Cary, NC
Vehicle(s)
Honda
Great pics. I lived out west for several years and have been to many of those places. Looks like awesome times!

Nice looking jeep as well!
 

Sponsored

ZONA.OVRLND

Well-Known Member
First Name
David
Joined
May 10, 2018
Threads
3
Messages
209
Reaction score
437
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Website
www.instagram.com
Vehicle(s)
'21 392 Hemi Wrangler - Follow on IG @ zona.ovrlnd
Build Thread
Link
Vehicle Showcase
1
Looks awesome! Great pictures!!

Many of those places in Moab and the Colorado area are bucket list items for me! Can't wait to do them!

Sedona is just an 1-1.5 hours north of where I live so it's a blessing to be able to jump up there and enjoy whenever
 

MyJlU

Well-Known Member
First Name
TJ
Joined
May 10, 2019
Threads
24
Messages
264
Reaction score
189
Location
The Ocean State
Vehicle(s)
2018 JKU Sport
Occupation
Sr Product Line Researcher
Vehicle Showcase
1
Thank you for sharing your trip with us and thank you for showing people who think they need a Rubicon with all the bells and whistles that our Jeeps no matter how big or small are very capable right tout of the box.
 
OP
OP
mgroeger

mgroeger

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mike
Joined
Feb 1, 2018
Threads
150
Messages
5,454
Reaction score
7,844
Location
Hurricane, UT
Vehicle(s)
2021 JLUR 2.0T, 1991 YJ rock crawler
Occupation
I make microchips for a living.
Vehicle Showcase
1
Looks awesome! Great pictures!!

Many of those places in Moab and the Colorado area are bucket list items for me! Can't wait to do them!

Sedona is just an 1-1.5 hours north of where I live so it's a blessing to be able to jump up there and enjoy whenever
We only had a day in Sedona, I wish we could have done more. Schnebly hill SUCKS, the views are amazing but the road SUCKS. Even aired down and disco'd it was a VERY annoying ride. Something like 12 miles of never ending bouncing with no technical obstacles at all. Were it not a badge trail I don't know that we would have done it.
 
OP
OP
mgroeger

mgroeger

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mike
Joined
Feb 1, 2018
Threads
150
Messages
5,454
Reaction score
7,844
Location
Hurricane, UT
Vehicle(s)
2021 JLUR 2.0T, 1991 YJ rock crawler
Occupation
I make microchips for a living.
Vehicle Showcase
1
Thank you for sharing your trip with us and thank you for showing people who think they need a Rubicon with all the bells and whistles that our Jeeps no matter how big or small are very capable right tout of the box.
You're welcome. Love the name of your Jeep :)
 

DaltonGang

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Threads
74
Messages
2,789
Reaction score
3,904
Location
Houston, Tx
Vehicle(s)
2018 Wrangler JLU Sport S, Rubicon Suspension, Tires, and Rims. Firecracker Red
Great photos.
Did the open differentials hinder you in any way??
 

Sponsored

Roky

Well-Known Member
First Name
Roky
Joined
Oct 4, 2018
Threads
45
Messages
8,919
Reaction score
24,047
Location
Florida
Vehicle(s)
2018 JLUR
Build Thread
Link
Vehicle Showcase
1
I wanted to find a place to dump our pics and videos of our trip out West and thought here would be good as any :)
The Mrs. and I took three weeks off and drove from Raleigh NC to Flagstaff AZ then Sedona, Moab and Ouray.
The other reason I wanted to post is we all know how wonderful the Rubis are with their locking diffs (we wish we had bought one since we are off roading more than we ever thought we would).
BUT we did all of this with open diffs and the Jeep was still a beast in 4LO. Here are the specs:

2018 Sahara, 3.6L, 8 speed auto, 2" spacer lift, Rubi take off 33s, Rancho shocks, Ace Engineering frame mounted rock rails, JKS discos and we aired down to 18 psi on each trail. We rolled the odometer over 34,000 miles mark on this trip and have only owned it a year and a half.
We are far from this build being completed... chromoly axle shafts, 35s and a rear locker on the wish list next.
The trails we ran are below in the order we did them. We only took bypasses when it was impossible to do an obstacle and honestly I think we only bypassed once or twice. If we could do any of the extra obstacles (Mickey's Bath tub, Hot tub, difficult ledges, etc...) we did. The pic of me in a hole is in Mickey's Bath tub located next to the Hot tub. The pic of me next to the Jeep with a mannequin in it is actually half of Dan Mick's Jeep... the guy Mickey's Hot tub is named after.
The rock waterfall on Poison Spider was the most challenging thing to do with open diffs. I thought it had me beat but my wife realized the passenger rear was getting stuck in a notch. Once we saw that it was onward and upward on the last roughly 4' ledge. I left some rubber and gas tank skid shavings on that waterfall for it to remember me by :) Unfortunately the video of that last climb got deleted :/
In CO we saw the remnants of about 30 avalanches, Imogene was partially closed because of one.
These pictures and videos don't come close to capturing the sheer beauty of these places but enjoy them anyway :)

AZ:
Broken Arrow
Schnebly Hill Road (badge trail)

Moab (all badge trails):
Fins-N-Things
Hell's Revenge
Poison Spider Mesa
Top of the World

CO:
Ophir Pass (badge trail)
Last Dollar Road
Yankee Boy Basin
Imogene - We could only do half since an avalanche still had the pass closed up top. (badge trail)
Yankee Girl Basin
- The northern half of the Alpine Loop:
Corkscrew Gulch
Hurricane Pass
California Pass
California Gulch
Engineer Pass (badge trail)
Then drove over to Lake City.

IMG_0540.jpg
IMG_0542.jpg
IMG_0533.jpg
IMG_0468.jpg
IMG_0566.jpg
IMG_0568.jpg
IMG_0425(1).jpg
IMG_0429.jpg
IMG_0501.jpg
IMG_0969.jpg
IMG_0949 copy.PNG
IMG_0972.jpg
IMG_0919.jpg
IMG_1015.jpg
IMG_0995.jpg
IMG_0940.jpg
IMG_0816.jpg
IMG_0835.jpg
IMG_0852.jpg
IMG_1057.jpg
IMG_0925 copy.jpg
7BC9C4A6-F1E3-463F-94D6-98BFA3F334E6 copy.JPG
IMG_1257.jpg
IMG_1361.jpg
IMG_1360.jpg
IMG_1276.jpg
IMG_1371.jpg
IMG_1205.jpg
IMG_1306.jpg
IMG_1213.jpg
IMG_1414.jpg
IMG_1307.jpg
IMG_1334.jpg
IMG_1228.jpg
IMG_1223 copy.jpg
IMG_1168.jpg
IMG_1366.jpg
IMG_1276.jpg
IMG_1278.jpg
IMG_1277.jpg


IMG_1277.jpg

Nice job dude! I love seeing people wheeling their rigs, kudos to you and the missus.....:rock:
 
OP
OP
mgroeger

mgroeger

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mike
Joined
Feb 1, 2018
Threads
150
Messages
5,454
Reaction score
7,844
Location
Hurricane, UT
Vehicle(s)
2021 JLUR 2.0T, 1991 YJ rock crawler
Occupation
I make microchips for a living.
Vehicle Showcase
1
Oh a few things I forgot to mention...
We pretty much had Moab to ourselves. 90% of the time there wasn't a soul around on any of those trails, it was like our own little playground.
Broken Arrow in AZ is LITTERED with the Pink Jeep Tours and those drivers (well at least one anyway) are a bit of a jerk which was what I had heard before going there anyway :)
Moab itself was pretty empty the week after the 4th of July. We saw WAY more Jeeps in Ouray and the predominant model was the TJ, which I enjoyed since I have a '04 LJ :)
 

fat_head

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2018
Threads
45
Messages
1,040
Reaction score
2,283
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
2018 JLU
Was Black Bear Pass still closed?
 

smokinjeep

Well-Known Member
First Name
jim
Joined
Mar 13, 2019
Threads
40
Messages
343
Reaction score
325
Location
MN
Vehicle(s)
2019 JL on order
Wow. Im jealous. Though Im going to Thailand tomorrow for work so.... :)
 
OP
OP
mgroeger

mgroeger

Well-Known Member
First Name
Mike
Joined
Feb 1, 2018
Threads
150
Messages
5,454
Reaction score
7,844
Location
Hurricane, UT
Vehicle(s)
2021 JLUR 2.0T, 1991 YJ rock crawler
Occupation
I make microchips for a living.
Vehicle Showcase
1
Was Black Bear Pass still closed?
Yeah, I forgot to mention that. They said that Imogene would not be touched anymore for snow removal and that it would have to melt off.
As of 7/16 Black Bear Pass was still closed and I don't know if they planned on clearing it. I was dumbfounded that they take snow removal equipment up into these passes to clear them.
Sponsored

 
 



Top