Youâre just splitting hairs, adding armor is a good thing if youâre gonna wheel it. Period. It just depends on how much you want to, or need to add
The problem with the "if you miss a line you'll deal" mindset is it will always cost more than upgrading the Armour to start. On our 2019 we dented the oil pan right at the drain plug on Holcomb creek, as well as crushing the factory steering stabilizer. Fortunately we didn't tear a hole in the pan, put it was damaged enough I wouldn't pull the plug for fear of puncturing the pan the way it dented. At the time, dealer was the only option for the oil pan on a 2.0t and it included the lower cast aluminum engine girdle. $750 later, 4 hours of my time with the trip to the dealer, and a $100 replacement stabilizer and I was back to low hanging parts and unprotected oil pan. Had it torn a hole, we were out there alone and it could have easily cost me thousands. The asfir engine skid was $500 and the motobilt stabilizer relocation was $75. They went on after it was too late, but would have saved me ~$300 as prevention. The 2022 XR got full metalcloak skids and stabilizer relocation ordered the day we bought it. The damage prevented from 1 missed line could easily save their entire cost. The peace of mind in the rocks is worth the price to me. The problem is, armor isn't flashy and doesn't improve performance so most don't see the value until it's too late. Anyone who thinks the stock skids are adequate hasn't actually looked under their Jeep. As my before and after pics show, the transfer case, transmission, and oil pan are all one tire slip in the rocks away from thousands of dollars in damage, not to mention the fun for you and everyone else on the trail of cleanup and possibly dealing with your disabled rig.
HAH! Hey man how's it going?! I'm the guy (Mike) that lead John's Trail that day. I was watching the video and could here myself saying that you actually made it up that with those $hitty tires... lol. I'm not a fan of the KO2's but you rocked them.
That trail on that day was def challenging. I've never seen the trails where we had to use so much skinny pedal to make it up stuff. You kicked arse that day in that thing. I think we all came out a little bit better for it
I lead Pan B the next day and it was the same stuff.
I did 10AM Plan B on Saturday and 10AM John's Trail on Friday. The Motobilt guys were with us on Plan B but about half way through they had to bail for something else.
Did you guys have as much fun getting up that wall about 2/3 of the way through? Holy cow, parts of that trail I've never seen like that. It was a mess
Yeah that was a little stressful. We could see how tore up it was from days prior and when the trail lead try's 3 or 4 times it's didn't build confidence in the group! Lol! We ended up hitting with lots of skinny pedal all the way to the right and vering sharp left at the top. We left that yellow bronco with the broken tie rods for you from our group!Did you guys have as much fun getting up that wall about 2/3 of the way through? Holy cow, parts of that trail I've never seen like that. It was a mess
HA! I was going to mention that... lol. I pulled up on them in my YJ (my buddy was with them but they didn't know me) and said "Get these $hitty Broncos out of our way!" We all had a good laugh and they got moving shortly after they were done with their repair.Yeah that was a little stressful. We could see how tore up it was from days prior and when the trail lead try's 3 or 4 times it's didn't build confidence in the group! Lol! We ended up hitting with lots of skinny pedal all the way to the right and vering sharp left at the top. We left that yellow bronco with the broken tie rods for you from our group!
It was my first time attending and I really enjoyed it. I'm out of Colorado but met a bunch of my buddies from Vegas there. This is their 5th year attending I believe. We ran milt's mile, double Sammy, and plan b. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but they where saying the same, how challenging it was and how much the trails had changed from all the weather.HA! I was going to mention that... lol. I pulled up on them in my YJ (my buddy was with them but they didn't know me) and said "Get these $hitty Broncos out of our way!" We all had a good laugh and they got moving shortly after they were done with their repair.
This Winter 4x4 will be one to remember for sure. In our driver's meeting I was telling people we are adding +1 to the trail ratings due to the conditions so they could have an expectation of what we would see. All in all we had some great runs and there was no carnage on our trails. At the end of the day it's called WINTER 4x4... so this is to be expected
That spot at 7:20 is a massive sand chute that's about 10 stories tall and a total blast to go down. If I had to guess I'd put it at around 30 degrees. I love hearing people's reaction going down that for the first time
I have spent A LOT of time under my Jeep and know exactly what's there--which includes, at the moment, a couple of Asfir skids and some ARB diff covers. "Seeing the value" and declaring it necessary are two different things. But.. people don't pay attention to the meaning of words these days.The problem with the "if you miss a line you'll deal" mindset is it will always cost more than upgrading the Armour to start. On our 2019 we dented the oil pan right at the drain plug on Holcomb creek, as well as crushing the factory steering stabilizer. Fortunately we didn't tear a hole in the pan, put it was damaged enough I wouldn't pull the plug for fear of puncturing the pan the way it dented. At the time, dealer was the only option for the oil pan on a 2.0t and it included the lower cast aluminum engine girdle. $750 later, 4 hours of my time with the trip to the dealer, and a $100 replacement stabilizer and I was back to low hanging parts and unprotected oil pan. Had it torn a hole, we were out there alone and it could have easily cost me thousands. The asfir engine skid was $500 and the motobilt stabilizer relocation was $75. They went on after it was too late, but would have saved me ~$300 as prevention. The 2022 XR got full metalcloak skids and stabilizer relocation ordered the day we bought it. The damage prevented from 1 missed line could easily save their entire cost. The peace of mind in the rocks is worth the price to me. The problem is, armor isn't flashy and doesn't improve performance so most don't see the value until it's too late. Anyone who thinks the stock skids are adequate hasn't actually looked under their Jeep. As my before and after pics show, the transfer case, transmission, and oil pan are all one tire slip in the rocks away from thousands of dollars in damage, not to mention the fun for you and everyone else on the trail of cleanup and possibly dealing with your disabled rig.
I never called it necessary. Cheaper than repairing broken parts? Absolutely. Smart investment if you're going to run tough trails? You bet. Probably the most valuable upgrade you can do BEFORE you play in the big rocks. Nothing is necessary. You don't have to wheel. You don't need a Jeep. You can get by just being careful with lots of spotting, probably some rock stacking, and maybe some winching playing in the big rocks, especially in moab/sand hollow type trails that have amazing traction. In the Sierra's, we have beach ball to yoga ball sized rocks that move around with every vehicle that drives over them. What was a good line for the last guy can easily put a rock through your transfer case in identical rigs on the same line. An ounce of prevention so they say.
