154 1104 Jeep Wrangler Jk Experience - wade 2008 Jk - Photo 35906520

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On day two we hit Cody's Chaos on the Lund Ranch in Wyoming. Mel Wade powered his '08 JK into this notch where he needed his Ramsey winch to get out. His Jeep features most of the stock powertrain with the exceptions being the K&N cold air intake, Dynomax exhaust, 5.13 gears, Superior chromoly axleshafts, and EVO front axle sleeves and gussets. The suspension is made up of EVO Double ThrowDown components front and rear which clears Falken 37x12.50R17 WildPeak A/T tires mounted to ATX beadlocks.

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Terra Hagel had no problem piloting her Dynomax-exhausted V-6 two-door over the Morrison Trail on day one. The '07 Wrangler rides on a Rancho lift kit. Poison Spyder tube fenders offer extra clearance for the Falken 325x80R16 WildPeak A/T tires wrapped around 16x8 Ultra wheels with OMF beadlocks. The stock axles were ditched in favor of Rubicon Dana 44s with electric lockers. After stuffing them both with 5.13 Superior gears, the front axle received extra beef in the form of RCV shafts and EVO Magnum sleeves and gussets.

Robbie Pierce put Camilo "Lizard" Fonnegra behind the wheel in the MasterCraft suspension seats of his '07 four-door. A Fabtech lift kit clears 37-inch BFG Mud Terrain tires bolted to Walker Evans beadlock wheels. The engine, auto tranny, and T-case are stock, but front and rear Dynatrac axles with ARB Air Lockers replaced the factory axle assemblies.

Robert Honeyman hails from Trail, British Columbia, Canada. His '07 Wrangler Rubicon rolls on 37-inch BFG Mud Terrain tires thanks to EVO coilover suspension up front and an EVO Lever kit out back. Power spins through the 3.8L V-6, factory auto tranny, an Advance Adapters Rubicrawler, and the original transfer case. It then torques into the stock rear axle housing with a 35-spline ARB Air Locker. The front axle retains the original electric Rubicon locker. Both axles sport 5.13 gears and Nitro Gear & Axle alloy shafts.

Chris Anderson and Chris McKendry have spent nearly all of their off-road forays in desert race vehicles. They had to quickly pick up some Jeep skills on the first day or risk tumbling to the bottom of the Morrison Trail switchbacks. Their Wrangler Unlimited Sport training vehicle rolls on 17x9 ATX beadlock wheels bolted to 40x13.50R17 Nitto Mud Grapplers. Clearance for the meaty tires is courtesy of EVO Double ThrowDown suspension and Poison Spyder tube fenders front and rear. The stock bend-prone front axle housing was tossed in favor of a Dynatrac ProRock 44 that was stuffed with RCV shafts. ARB Air Lockers are fitted in the front and rear axles.

The '08 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon of St. George, Utah, resident Bill Christensen is suspended by a TeraFlex 4-inch lift that clears 37x12.50R17 BFG Mud Terrain KM2 tires mounted to AEV wheels. The front axle was beefed with Poly Performance gussets and RCV axle shafts. Out back the stock rear Dana 44 received Superior chromoly shafts. Both axles spin 5.38 gears. Bestop High Rock bumpers with rollers protect the front and rear.

On day two we hit Cody's Chaos on the Lund Ranch in Wyoming. Mel Wade powered his '08 JK into this notch where he needed his Ramsey winch to get out. His Jeep features most of the stock powertrain with the exceptions being the K&N cold air intake, Dynomax exhaust, 5.13 gears, Superior chromoly axleshafts, and EVO front axle sleeves and gussets. The suspension is made up of EVO Double ThrowDown components front and rear which clears Falken 37x12.50R17 WildPeak A/T tires mounted to ATX beadlocks.

Ali Mansour taxied us about the entire week, put up with our rude comments, and didn't even notice when we farted in the Jeep. His '08 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon was the least-modified JK on the trip. It's lifted with an EVO Enforcer suspension. The Jeep rolls on 37x12.50R17 Falken WildPeak A/T tires mounted to stock Rubicon wheels and a set of 1.25-inch TeraFlex wheel spacers. The stock V-6, auto tranny, and Rock-Trac transfer case spin into the stock axles that have been regeared to 5.13. The front axle received EVO Magnum sleeves, C2 gussets, and RCV axles. An EVO front bumper and rocker guards protect the JK and a Warn PowerPlant does double duty as a recovery device and an on-board air source.

Between being made fun of for having other people work on his Jeep throughout the week, and just being made fun of in general, Sean Holman found time to row the shifter of one of only two JKs on the trip with a manual transmission. The '07 Unlimited Rubicon has gone through several iterations but still retains the 3.8L V-6, six-speed tranny, and Rock-Trac transfer case. The bent front axle was replaced with a Dynatrac ProRock 44 housing and filled with the factory electric locker, 5.13 G2 gears, Superior Discovery Series shafts, and Reid Racing heavy-duty knuckles. The stock rear axle houses like gears and a 35-spline Superior shaft conversion with an ARB Air Locker. The Jeep rides on a Rubicon Express long-arm lift kit that clears 37x12.50R17 Falken WildPeak A/T tires mounted on 17x8.5 Walker Evans simulated beadlocks.

Randy Byers of Euless, Texas, wedged himself in this hot tub on Cody's Chaos. His '07 Wrangler Unlimited rides on a Full-Traction long-arm lift kit with EVO front coilovers and an EVO Lever Double ThrowDown kit out back. This clears 42-inch Goodyear MT/Rs wrapped around Rock Crawler wheels with Staun internal beadlocks. Motivation comes from a 6.1L Hemi V-8, 545RFE auto transmission, and the stock transfer case. The Currie Rock Jock III axles run 5.13 gears and ARB Air Lockers.

The '07 JK of Jim McGean rests on a Dynatrac ProRock 44 front axle with an electric Rubicon Tru-Loc and 5.38 gears. Out back a Dynatrac ProRock 60 is stuffed with an Eaton Detroit Locker and like gears. All this is spun by the 3.8L V-6, an auto tranny, and a swapped-in Rubicon Rock-Trac T-case. A Mopar long-arm lift kit clears 37x12.50R17 BFG Mud Terrain KM2 tires cinched to 17x8.5 Walker Evans beadlocks.

Andrew Gorman's '07 Wrangler Sahara features a Rancho long-arm lift kit with King shocks that provides clearance for 37-inch Falken WildPeak A/T tires on ATX beadlocks. The factory rear axle was tossed in favor of a Dynatrac 60 and the front of the Jeep received an EVO gusseted and sleeved Dana 44. Both axles spin 5.13 gears. Off Road Evolution rocker guards and body armor protect the Jeep and the River Raider fenders at least attempted to keep the Meadow Creek Trail muck off of the paint on day four.

Fullerton, California, resident Kevin Overton stuffed a kickin' stereo in his '07 Wrangler Unlimited X model. But he also added a home-built stubby front bumper and winch mount for the Warn 9000 winch. The suspension is made up of Full-Traction arms with EVO coils and King 2.5-inch shocks. A little extra tire clearance is provided by the trimmed stock flares. The BFG KM2 mud tires in 37-inch flavor are mounted to Allied beadlocks. Motivation comes from the stock 3.8L, auto tranny, and T-case. The Rubicon front and rear Dana 44 axles are stuffed with 5.38 gears.

Tom and Kim Allen put 120 hours of labor into their '08 Wrangler. It's propelled by a 6.1L Hemi and directed by a PSC ram-assist steering system. An RFE545 five-speed auto tranny and a Stak 4.3 low range T-case back the V-8. Front and rear Currie RockJock axles are stuffed with 5.13 gears and Eaton Detroit Lockers. Clearance is provided by a TeraFlex lift. The whole shebang rides on 37-inch BFG Mud Terrain KM2 tires that are clamped to TrailReady beadlocks.

Andy Brown and Lorna Mildice became mired in the same bog as Andrew. They have some big plans awaiting this '09 JK including MasterCraft seats, Hemi dreams, 40-inch tires, and a Warn winch to replace the smoked MileMarker unit. However, a four-speed Atlas is already on the way. For now the Jeep rolls on 37-inch Goodyear MT/R tires wrapped around KMC beadlocks. The supercharged 3.8L spins into the stock tranny and T-case. From there it torques into a pair of Solid D60 high-pinion axles stuffed with 5.13 gears and Detroit Lockers. It's suspended by TeraFlex long-arms and EVO/King coilovers with King air bumps. An EVO Lever with another pair of EVO/King coilovers and air bumps brings up the rear.

Andrew Hoit thought he would make a splash on day three but he ended up getting tossed off course and became a lawn dart in the mud. His '09 Rubicon Unlimited features a K&N intake and a Dynomax exhaust on the stock 3.8L engine, but Andrew is dreaming of a Hemi. Currie RockJock 60 axles house 5.38 gears front and rear. The Jeep is suspended by an EVO billet aluminum long-arm lift. Up front there is a Double ThrowDown kit and the rear has a Double ThrowDown EVO Lever kit. The whole thing rolls on Falken 37x12.50R17 WildPeak A/T tires wrapped around Ultra 17x9 wheels with OMF beadlocks.

Joseph Dell drove this monster '07 four-door Wrangler all the way from New York, New York, when the vehicle shipper flaked on him. It sports a 6.1L Hemi, five-speed auto tranny, and an Atlas transfer case. Power is routed to front and rear Solid D60 axles stuffed with 5.13 gears. EVO coilover suspension provides clearance for the massive 42-inch Goodyear MT/R tires wrapped around 17x9 Raceline beadlock wheels. The V-8 and big rubber came in handy when removing stuck JKs from the Ruby Reservoir in Halder, Montana, on day five.

Think you could spend 100 hours in a Jeep and travel 4,951 miles with your significant other? That's just what Nicholas Troiani and Jen Weber did in this '09 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. They drove all the way from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, completed the JK Experience, and then drove back home. Nick's JK is built with a mix-match of components that have proven themselves worthy. The suspension is made up of parts from Nth Degree Mobility, TeraFlex, and Rock Krawler. It rolls on Falken 37x12.50R17 WildPeak A/T tires and 17x9 KMC XD795 Hoss wheels. The front axle received EVO sleeves and gussets along with RCV axle shafts. The rear was stuffed with Ten Factory chromoly shafts. Both axles sport G2 5.13 gears. The fastback soft top is from Offroad Heroes. Nick also piloted one of only two Jeeps running a manual six-speed tranny on this event. Are people getting lazy or what?

On the final day we hit the St. Anthony sand dunes. Lonnie McCurry Jr. of West Monroe, Louisiana, aired out his '07 JK Unlimited Rubicon rolling on a Skyjacker 4-inch Rock Ready long-arm lift kit. The Jeep sports a 6.1L Hemi, five-speed auto tranny, and the factory T-case. The Rubicon Dana 44 front and rear axles feature 4.88 gears. RCV shafts got the nod up front and Alloy chromoly shafts were stuffed in the rear. It all rolls on 37-inch BFG Krawlers mounted to 17x9.5 Raceline beadlock wheels.