capitolkat
Senior Nomad
Posts: 510
Registered: 3-9-2006
Member Is Offline
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jeep liberty questions
I've got a 2002 Liberty/ltd. Pretty much stock with only30,000 miles and I'm now going to begin preparing it for use in Baja. it will be a principal
car for daily driving but maybe 5% of the time I will want to get off road and I want to begin to armor it as it has no skid plates etc. I'm also
about to buy tires which shoud get about10,000 miles on them before it comes to La Paz forever.
I live in Washington, DC and could just go to the Jeep dealer and tell him what I want and I'm sure I'll get close to what I need- but off roading
here is a far cry from Nevada where I lived for 13 years and Baja.
but, the folks on this BB use what I want and I'm looking for suggestions about - tires and rims if a change is necessary for the limited time I'll
spend off the pavement, where to get the under body protection and how much should it cost for the necessary protecion- I'm not going to challenge the
Pole line road- and let me know what don't I need.
I went to a large car show in January and took the Jeep challenge course and the jeep rep said MoPar may not be the way to go and I unfortunatley
forgot the name of the company he said had better stuff to prepare my vehicle for the multiple uses it will have.
I ask here because it appears to be the place to get answers.
Thanks
Life is too short to drink bad wine
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64855
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Tires will do a lot for you... The most popular all around tire is the BFG All Terrain T/A... The Mud Terrain is a beefier looking BFG... Cooper
offers an American made for a less costly alternative which is also sold at Pep Boys under the Futura brand name.
Both my Tacomas came with BFG Rugged Trail T/As which do not last nearly as long as All Terrains seem to do, but I was on a budget and went to the
Cooper made Futura Dakotas after the second set of Rugged Trails were worn (at about 30, 000 miles). The Dakotas only lasted the same milage but at
$85 each vs. $135 for Rugged Trails or $165 for All Terrains, I was happy. Repeat purchases were less as they are pro rated for 50,000 miles!
The other consideration is suspension... I am very happy with Bilstein gas shocks... they do not fade and were great on my previous Tacoma. I am going
to beef up to the new Bilsteins coming out that will help my heavier 4 door Tacoma from bottoming, without raising the body height. Off Road Warehouse
is the supplier in this area.
Next might be fuel tank size... You want at least 300 mile range in Baja, but 500 would be better... A second fuel tank may be the answer. I have a
truck, so jerry cans in the back are not a problem. Your other option may be a back tire rack with fuel can holders. I had one on my Cherokee, not
sure what is available for Liberties.
Finally, lighting... If you are going to do much night driving off road, a pair of some strong lights might be worth considering. I have had KC
Daylighters and Cibie Super Oscars in the past. Hella seems to be the popular make now, over Cibie. There are many lighting companies.
Anyway, I had a few minutes before an appointment so I thought I would weigh in. Ken is a Jeep expert here, I am sure he has some ideas... Also check
out Liberty discussion forums for ideas.
Have a great time fixing up the Liberty... show us some photos before and after!
[Edited on 4-6-2006 by David K]
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8947
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Pole Line Road postponed due to injury
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About 1 year ago, I was after my wife to buy herself a 4WD or 2WD Liberty. She instead went with the more car-like Honda CR-V insisting that, "our
household only needed one Jeep." I still kept up on the Liberty, and have gone on some 4WD trips with the Liberty Owners Special Team - LOST KJs
West [http://www.lostkjs.com/forum/phpBB2/index.php].
These people are super knowledgeable, and they have teamed up with ALL J Products out of Colton, CA to provide an assortment of products for the
Liberty.
ROCK KRAWLER suspensions also has a 7" Suspension lift capable of running those 33" (LT285) tires you may have your eyes on at the moment. With the
Rockkrawler setup, you WILL be capable enough to run the Pole Line Road with the rest of us at an upcoming date!
http://www.jackit.com/manufacturer/rockkrawler/jeep_lj.htm
Happy trails from the Desert Outlaw!!
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