TwinsJeep

Question for you, RooX: I understand that the BFG All-Terrain has a "severe snow tire grading". :
Are you able to tell us how this particular tire would be different than a dedicated winter tire vis-a-vis rubber compounds?

Just curious... trying to ferret out as much info. as possible before committing to the purchase.

Thx,
Adam

TwinsJeep

Hey Nachoninja... I'm in Calgary, too! I've been talking to Andrew at KalTire (off Macleod, essentially in the Chinook parking lot)... he's an excellent resource, and has even gone so far as to join the various JK fora just so that he can get a grip on what works on the JK and what doesn't... you'll find that he's very willing to work with you to find the right tire (and lift or leveling kit or whatever...) to meet your needs...

nachoninja

Hey TwinsJeep, thanks! I'll definitely go there when my Jeep gets here. That was one of my concerns, that the guys at the tire places wouldn't have a clue what would fit and what wouldn't. That makes it a lot easier.

TwinsJeep

I've been waiting for my black Sahara Unlimited since posting my order on December 15th! At this point, I'm almost relieved and don't mind waiting until the gravel's cleared... next question: if it arrives in March, do I put on the soft-top right away or do I wait until after the inevitable May long weekend snow storm? Did you get the 2dr or 4dr? We ought to connect once one of us has taken delivery... keep in touch

RooX

Fellow Calgarian as well And speaking of Kal-Tire, i once worked with Andrew and he is a great guy. Knows his stuff.

Yeah the severe snow tire rating basically means its as good as it gets on snow and ice. Within the rating there will be better and worse tires for conditions, but all must meet the minimums, which compared to all-seasons and mud tires are far far more rigorous. The AT KO's (the latest versions) are supposed to be great all round tires, although they will not like mud too much do to the tighter spacing of lugs. I havent personally tried them yet though. Thinking about it.

TwinsJeep

[QUOTE=RooX;44332]Fellow Calgarian as well And speaking of Kal-Tire, i once worked with Andrew and he is a great guy. Knows his stuff.
QUOTE]

Man, what are the odds? Three Calgarians in one thread... I suppose I'm beginning to feel encouraged that we might actually be able to set up a local JK club!

RooX

with the amount of JK's i see around town, i can't imagine it would be much of a problem.

nachoninja

I'm probably going to wait until June or so to put the soft top on (assuming the jeep is here by then), i imagine it's not a quick process to switch them over and I only want to do it once until the fall. I got the 4dr, even though I like the looks of the 2dr better I just wanted the extra room to throw stuff in there. Are you planning any sort of in depth mods? I want to keep it fairly stock initially but I have a feeling that won't last too long. However I don't want that huge monster truck look that some people have.

TwinsJeep

I've got a 4dr on the way, too. As for mods, I'd like to level out the front end to gain enough room to put on a set of 285/65 18 BFG All Terrain T/A KOs. I'm not interested in gaining height at the expense of on-road manners and performance, and I don't want to compromise any of the various systems that, to date, cannot properly be re-calibrated for modifications.

As for tires, I was considering a set of Dick Cepek FC-II, but have more-less decided against them for two reasons: first, given Calgary weather/roads (take today, for example) I would prefer a tire with a severe weather rating that, combined with additional siping ought to make it perfect all year here in Calgary; second, the Cepeks are much wider in a 33" or near 33" than the BFGs, which would mean that I would have to buy a new set of wheels. The smallest 18 in the DC-FCII is a 325/60 18 (33x13.5); compare that with the BFG 285/65 18 at 32.6x11.2, or even a BFG 305/65 18 at 33.6x12. I understand that the stock 18x7.5" Sahara wheels would work with either of the BFGs I've described, but would be too narrow for the Cepeks.

Other than tires, I'm considering a CAI and cat-back exhaust, or possibly just a CAI and new Flowmaster muffler. I was reading earlier on another thread here that a CAI/Flowmaster muffler combination might be preferable to a CAI/cat-back system. My understanding is that modifying the air intake/exhaust system will (or probably will) improve, first, power performance, second, fuel efficiency, and third, the sound of the engine.

Finally, I'll put on the "diamond plate" black plastic door sills (front and rear), slush mats (front and rear), and a dash kit. I was looking at the Jeep dash kits, but then someone here posted a link to a less-expensive but higher quality product with greater variety and superior materials... I don't have the link handy; it's not on my work computer. And that will get me thru year-1.

I really like the look of the AEV and Fab-Four bumpers, but I don't need a winch at this point in time and therefore a new bumper would be purely (unjustifiably) cosmetic. While I anticipate getting out to Maclean Creek for some mild dirt trails regularly in the summer, I don't have the time to make the long drives out to the serious trails that might otherwise justify a winch. So, until my lifestyle and needs change and a winch would become a weekly necessity, I just can't justify the expense of putting on a new winch bumper.

How 'bout you?

nachoninja

Well, originally I wanted to put on the BFGoodrich A/T KO in 285 70R17 but it seems that they will rub some without wheel spacers which I'm not so sure about. I don't want to go any smaller than stock tires but because of how thin the tires are on the Wrangler that seems to be fairly difficult right now. I like the look of a very small lift to also fit these tires better, but again, I don't know enough about lifts to have made up my mind quite yet. i do like the look of those Shrockworks rock rails, i might end up putting those on instead of the factory rock rails. I would also like to put on some steel bumpers
front and back because I hate how a 1 km/h bump into a pole turns into $1000 damage on the plastic front bumper on my current Tacoma. None of the bumpers I've seen yet have really struck a chord with me yet though. I might put a winch on eventually because I feel the urge to drive all the way up the Ghost river to the mountains. I've seen a decked out original Hummer going this a few times but I've always been too scared to do it in case I get stuck up there.

I'm going to have to put some mud flaps on because the rubi has no side steps to block all the rocks from chipping the paint on the doors. I like the look of the molded ones you can get from Jeep but I have a feeling they won't be flexible enough.

I really have no concrete plans yet though, have to wait to see what comes around.

What are these diamond plate door sills you speak of?