Sharkey
Word Ninja
And when Discount Tire is done with RESQ1, I would be happy to keep watch over it and make sure it properly gets taken out in the hills every weekend.
Jk Experience Survivor Reports
- Thread starter Discount Tire
- Start date
And when Discount Tire is done with RESQ1, I would be happy to keep watch over it and make sure it properly gets taken out in the hills every weekend.
Discount Tire
Active Member
And when Discount Tire is done with RESQ1, I would be happy to keep watch over it and make sure it properly gets taken out in the hills every weekend.
You are too kind.
Tigrcky
New member
Discount Tire
Active Member
Prime8
New member
I felt the need to contribute to this thread after a prolonged absence because of not only the phenomenal Experience I had (see what I did there?), or the great people I met, but also because in years past I personally couldn’t get enough JKX pictures/news/reviews. The Gentlemen from Discount Tire were awesome guys and a blast to wheel with. RESQ1 is a truly unique rig and was very cool to see in person. Also great to see the legends I had only witnessed in pictures: EVO1, Moby, and Dave’s rig, that inspired me to go for Gecko.
Without further ado, I will continue what Discount started (and even try to keep their format)…
Guts
I never had the overheating issues that plagued RESQ1 in the 2013 JKX, so I don’t have exciting news to report performance wise. What I can say is that the stock 2013 Pentastar engine and the auto transmission performed great on the trail and highway. While keeping up with Mel can be a challenge even with the best set-up, I feel that this new motor/trans combo is FAR better than the old 3.8 (I know, old news), even with the 5.38 R&P and 37” Grapplers, plus all of the weight of the armored vehicle and gear.
[A little background: After I got the call from Mel inviting me to the 2014 JKX, I immediately started making a list of the mods that I needed vs the mods I wanted. The needs were obvious: meet requirements. So I ordered the RockHard 4x4 cage. Next I wanted to add mods that would allow me to wheel all week with the lowest risk of breaks and without the constant worry of damage. Since this is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure for me, I didn’t want to break on day one and be sidelined for the week. So after putting together a list of mods to the axles, I decided a used set of Dynatracs might be a more worthwhile investment than fully modding the stock D44’s. A buddy had a fully loaded ProRock 44 and semi-float ProRock 60 (with ARB locker and chromoly shafts) that he was selling so I picked those up. This lead to me calling ORE and purchasing their Bolt-on Coilover kit because I had decided that while the axles were torn out it would be the perfect time to upgrade the suspension from the Double D on shocks and springs to a coilover set-up. The axles and suspension, as well as the custom switch panel (thanks again Ricky) weren’t completed till about 2 weeks before I had to load the Jeep on a truck for shipment to Northridge for the JKX, so I didn’t have the chance to wheel it ahead of time…]
The Dynatrac axles and ARB lockers performed great all week. The new 5.38 gearing made crawling easier and the EVO spec King suspension was nice and flexy. We did hit some problems once we got to the first sand dunes… With the full weight of our weeks gear, we had some serious bottoming-out issues on fast, deep rhythm sections (the same reason why I decided not to jump it). After talking with Mel and his support staff, we decided to tune in the coilovers better but ultimately, they couldn’t be optimally tuned for both rock crawling and high speed desert driving. As this was my first experience with a coilover suspension, I had no clue how to adjust them to optimize the different springs and maximize flex. At the amazing Suncadia resort, we utilized the parking lot to dial in the suspension for crawling. I was a spectator while Stan and Harris shared their knowledge and explained the adjustments they were making to my suspension.
The stock, 1.5 year-old battery also decided to rupture and spew on Day 1, so I grabbed a replacement 5-year Duralast that evening (but the damned thing spewed all over my beautiful King shocks and boiled that sexy blue paint!)
Tires
My 37” Nitto Trail Grapplers performed great, no matter the terrain. Having beadlocks allowed me to run 8psi all week and I had no issues with poor grip on the rocks or mud retention on the trail. The tires took a beating all week and definitely look war torn, but I’m happy to say that I had no blow outs. As a matter of fact, nearly all of the rigs this year ran Nitto’s and there were only two flats (one of those two was due to Randy driving off a cliff at about 50mph during the Trucklite night run, so I don’t really count that!). I somehow lost an inner tread block in the rear and had a few gouges (one similar to the one Northridge suffered that blew their tire) but they are holding air just fine and still ride smooth (for an off road tire) on the road.
Interior
Dust, dust, and more dust. Flying down gravel and dirt roads at 50+mph plus two different trips to the dunes really coated the interior with a thick layer of fine dust. Other than that though the interior didn’t suffer any major setbacks except for the metal drillings all over the back seat. (When installing the cage, you drill into the top of the cage at the B-pillar to attach the center sections. As this is a rectangular tube, the drillings collect inside the tube and when bouncing around, slowly trickle from the holes in said tube…) Hopefully they are all out now.
Recovery Gear
The Warn Powerplant HD performed flawlessly all week for both recovery of ourselves and also righting Randy when he flopped at Moon Rocks. The compact compressor isn’t the fastest model out there, but definitely fast enough and filled up the tires day in and day out without fail. I did realize that maybe the 50’ tow strap that I got from Desert Rat back in college isn’t the only strap I should be carrying… That became evident in the winch challenge when my co-driver had to quadruple-up the strap before winching. Looks like I’ll be calling ORE, NR4x4, or Trail Jeeps for an ARB strap and tree saver in the near future.
Exterior
The Trucklite headlights and “waffle” lights I mounted to the bumper were a huge upgrade and served us well in the Trucklite night run in Browns Woods. Unfortunately, the rock lights didn’t make it past the flexing of Day 1. After talking to Eddie about his write up, he let me know that he busted his too and had to relocate them higher (next mini-project!). There is a lot of brush-pinstriping, a few deep scratches, and a little crushed area on the hard top from kissing a tree or two, but otherwise not much to report. As expected, the skids are torn up but the EVO Protek system lived up to its name. The tire carrier took a bit of a beating as well coming off of the exit gate-keeper on Day 1 (the video posted on the JKX Facebook page) but still functions perfectly.
Final Assessment and Thoughts
I mirror Discount Tires thoughts of “When can we do it again?” I’d also like to say that while the wheeling was awesome, it was the people that made it an “Experience”. From all of the work put in by the Wade’s and their support staff: planning, reserving, spotting, wrenching, leading, etc… To the sponsors who would just as happily discuss their product/service or just BS with you over a drink… To the other invited guests who banded together so well and helped each other with parts and wrenching, it is a truly unique adventure. Eddie and Cindy: it was great to meet you and we can’t wait for the videos!
Without further ado, I will continue what Discount started (and even try to keep their format)…
Guts
I never had the overheating issues that plagued RESQ1 in the 2013 JKX, so I don’t have exciting news to report performance wise. What I can say is that the stock 2013 Pentastar engine and the auto transmission performed great on the trail and highway. While keeping up with Mel can be a challenge even with the best set-up, I feel that this new motor/trans combo is FAR better than the old 3.8 (I know, old news), even with the 5.38 R&P and 37” Grapplers, plus all of the weight of the armored vehicle and gear.
[A little background: After I got the call from Mel inviting me to the 2014 JKX, I immediately started making a list of the mods that I needed vs the mods I wanted. The needs were obvious: meet requirements. So I ordered the RockHard 4x4 cage. Next I wanted to add mods that would allow me to wheel all week with the lowest risk of breaks and without the constant worry of damage. Since this is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure for me, I didn’t want to break on day one and be sidelined for the week. So after putting together a list of mods to the axles, I decided a used set of Dynatracs might be a more worthwhile investment than fully modding the stock D44’s. A buddy had a fully loaded ProRock 44 and semi-float ProRock 60 (with ARB locker and chromoly shafts) that he was selling so I picked those up. This lead to me calling ORE and purchasing their Bolt-on Coilover kit because I had decided that while the axles were torn out it would be the perfect time to upgrade the suspension from the Double D on shocks and springs to a coilover set-up. The axles and suspension, as well as the custom switch panel (thanks again Ricky) weren’t completed till about 2 weeks before I had to load the Jeep on a truck for shipment to Northridge for the JKX, so I didn’t have the chance to wheel it ahead of time…]
The Dynatrac axles and ARB lockers performed great all week. The new 5.38 gearing made crawling easier and the EVO spec King suspension was nice and flexy. We did hit some problems once we got to the first sand dunes… With the full weight of our weeks gear, we had some serious bottoming-out issues on fast, deep rhythm sections (the same reason why I decided not to jump it). After talking with Mel and his support staff, we decided to tune in the coilovers better but ultimately, they couldn’t be optimally tuned for both rock crawling and high speed desert driving. As this was my first experience with a coilover suspension, I had no clue how to adjust them to optimize the different springs and maximize flex. At the amazing Suncadia resort, we utilized the parking lot to dial in the suspension for crawling. I was a spectator while Stan and Harris shared their knowledge and explained the adjustments they were making to my suspension.
The stock, 1.5 year-old battery also decided to rupture and spew on Day 1, so I grabbed a replacement 5-year Duralast that evening (but the damned thing spewed all over my beautiful King shocks and boiled that sexy blue paint!)
Tires
My 37” Nitto Trail Grapplers performed great, no matter the terrain. Having beadlocks allowed me to run 8psi all week and I had no issues with poor grip on the rocks or mud retention on the trail. The tires took a beating all week and definitely look war torn, but I’m happy to say that I had no blow outs. As a matter of fact, nearly all of the rigs this year ran Nitto’s and there were only two flats (one of those two was due to Randy driving off a cliff at about 50mph during the Trucklite night run, so I don’t really count that!). I somehow lost an inner tread block in the rear and had a few gouges (one similar to the one Northridge suffered that blew their tire) but they are holding air just fine and still ride smooth (for an off road tire) on the road.
Interior
Dust, dust, and more dust. Flying down gravel and dirt roads at 50+mph plus two different trips to the dunes really coated the interior with a thick layer of fine dust. Other than that though the interior didn’t suffer any major setbacks except for the metal drillings all over the back seat. (When installing the cage, you drill into the top of the cage at the B-pillar to attach the center sections. As this is a rectangular tube, the drillings collect inside the tube and when bouncing around, slowly trickle from the holes in said tube…) Hopefully they are all out now.
Recovery Gear
The Warn Powerplant HD performed flawlessly all week for both recovery of ourselves and also righting Randy when he flopped at Moon Rocks. The compact compressor isn’t the fastest model out there, but definitely fast enough and filled up the tires day in and day out without fail. I did realize that maybe the 50’ tow strap that I got from Desert Rat back in college isn’t the only strap I should be carrying… That became evident in the winch challenge when my co-driver had to quadruple-up the strap before winching. Looks like I’ll be calling ORE, NR4x4, or Trail Jeeps for an ARB strap and tree saver in the near future.
Exterior
The Trucklite headlights and “waffle” lights I mounted to the bumper were a huge upgrade and served us well in the Trucklite night run in Browns Woods. Unfortunately, the rock lights didn’t make it past the flexing of Day 1. After talking to Eddie about his write up, he let me know that he busted his too and had to relocate them higher (next mini-project!). There is a lot of brush-pinstriping, a few deep scratches, and a little crushed area on the hard top from kissing a tree or two, but otherwise not much to report. As expected, the skids are torn up but the EVO Protek system lived up to its name. The tire carrier took a bit of a beating as well coming off of the exit gate-keeper on Day 1 (the video posted on the JKX Facebook page) but still functions perfectly.
Final Assessment and Thoughts
I mirror Discount Tires thoughts of “When can we do it again?” I’d also like to say that while the wheeling was awesome, it was the people that made it an “Experience”. From all of the work put in by the Wade’s and their support staff: planning, reserving, spotting, wrenching, leading, etc… To the sponsors who would just as happily discuss their product/service or just BS with you over a drink… To the other invited guests who banded together so well and helped each other with parts and wrenching, it is a truly unique adventure. Eddie and Cindy: it was great to meet you and we can’t wait for the videos!
Discount Tire
Active Member
JKX is an awesome event, you just never know what's around the next corner. Great post! Thanks for adding your Survivor Report and photos! We had a great time wheeling with you.
Please be advised that recent posts made regarding the member Prime8 have been moved by request of the OP and they can now be found here:
http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?11338-Prime8-is-always-right-thread
Please keep this thread on topic and in regards to the JK Experience Survivor Report. Thank you.
http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?11338-Prime8-is-always-right-thread
Please keep this thread on topic and in regards to the JK Experience Survivor Report. Thank you.
Soonerschooner
New member
What's the new bed on Resq1? It looks awesome!
It was a military trailer that they chopped up to make it into a bed. It really does look awesome. :yup:
Orange Shirt Survivor Report.
DAY 1 thru 8
Wake up find a ride.
Ride till we stop.
Hike up the trail and find out why we stopped.
Spot a JK or 10 over obstacle.
Hike pull a cable.
Hike hook up a strap.
Hike help someone fix something.
Hike find a ride back to hotel/camp.
Drink a car bomb go to bed.
Get back home and wait for Mel to tell me where next year's JKX is.
Sent from my SM-G900V using WAYALIFE mobile app
DAY 1 thru 8
Wake up find a ride.
Ride till we stop.
Hike up the trail and find out why we stopped.
Spot a JK or 10 over obstacle.
Hike pull a cable.
Hike hook up a strap.
Hike help someone fix something.
Hike find a ride back to hotel/camp.
Drink a car bomb go to bed.
Get back home and wait for Mel to tell me where next year's JKX is.
Sent from my SM-G900V using WAYALIFE mobile app
Discount Tire
Active Member
Like wayolife pointed out, we took an M101 military trailer and modified it for the bed :yup:
I second that, they always do amazing work :thumb: