Preparing for Cruise Moab (1 Viewer)

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TheGrrrrr

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Okay, with Cruise Moab coming up I am constantly thinking through my setup and I'm feeling like things are coming together but I know I will have questions that are specific to how I approach the wheeling in Moab, which I have never done. So here goes:

Current Rig Status:

275/65/18 Duratrac E Rated on 2016 OEM Wheels with 1.25" Spacers
2" OME NitroCharger Lift ('03 & '23 springs)
SPC UCA's
Diff-Drop
12k lbs Winch on Trail Tailor Hidden Winch Mount
CB and HAM (CB is Required)
Full Recovery Setup (straps, soft shackles, D Shackles, Kinetic rope)
ARB Compressor
Rear LCA and shock armor
Fire Extinguisher (Required)
Carista ODBII Interface
SafeJack 6 Ton Bottle Jack w/ Baseplate, Extension and Adapters
ARB Tire Repair Kit
ARB Front Recovery Points
Trail Tailor Rear Recovery Points

On Order:

BudBuilt Rock Sliders - Kicker and Diamondplate
ARB Skids


What am I missing or not thinking of? Anything I should be thinking about specific to Moab that my current setup will not work for? Is going to a 305/65/18 Ridge Grappler going to make a huge difference for this kind of trip? My Duratracs have a lot of life left in them, but if a 32.1" tire is going to be a limiting factor vs the 33.6" tire maybe that's where I need to make an upgrade before the trip. Any need to proactively upgrade rear links and whatnot? All thoughts are welcome. I'm sure this thread will be helpful to anyone who is headed there for the first time.

IMG_0532.jpeg
 
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Good idea to check out Romer's 200 build thread.

First class guy with a beast 200 series that has vast experience of Moab trails.

Should be able to gain alot of pre trip knowledge.
 
Personally, I carry a Viar air compressor and a patch kit. You don't mention on board air. You may want to consider something for tire repair.

I also carry along an OBDII scanner, just in case.
 
Personally, I carry a Viar air compressor and a patch kit. You don't mention on board air. You may want to consider something for tire repair.

I also carry along an OBDII scanner, just in case.

Forgot about onboard air. I do have an ARB compressor under the hood. I actually forgot that I bought the Carista as well. I'll update the original post to reflect that.
 
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What types of trails are you hoping to do?

Best way to describe my goals is not very specific, but I would say I want to challenge myself and the rig without taking on a high degree of risk to the vehicle itself. I don't mind beating up the slider and skids, but would rather not tear off a bumper or break the suspension/steering. The overarching goal would be having a great time experiencing the best Moab has to offer with a high expectation of being able to drive home to Phoenix when it's all done.

Based only on reading and the expectation that bypasses are available for the riskiest parts, the following trails are of primary interest:

Hell's Revenge (Tip Toe if need be)
Fins'n'Things
Top of the World
 
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I did fins n things last year and had a blast. There is one saddle that I had to bypass cause I was dragging front and rear. Landed on the sliders hard once or twice. Other then that, all good.
 
First, a couple general prep items worth considering:
  • Temporarily remove your trailer harness and bracket and tuck it up inside the bumper (or do whatever you want with it). Otherwise, there's a good chance you'll smash it.
  • Not sure if this is already part of your recovery kit, but get a hitch-mounted recovery point for rear recovery.
  • Likewise, consider Trail Tailor or ARB front recovery points.
  • A tire repair kit and whatever you need to safely change a tire on the trail.
  • Something to clean your glass... Amazon product ASIN B01C6PE73C — obviously, not a must-have but the scenery is so amazing it's nice to have clean windows and a clean windshield
Regarding the trails, personally, I wouldn't enjoy something like Top of the World with whatever remaining clearance you'll have with 32s plus airing down. I've run it with both 33s and 34s (not even aired down that much) and definitely had to throttle over some of the ledges. Your transfer case skid (which really doesn't protect the transfer case that much), rear diff, rear shock mounts, rear LCA mounts, and front LCAs will take a beating. Your rear shock and LCA armor will keep those items protected and the front LCAs are super-stout so I wouldn't worry about those until you get home and have time clean up the gouges/scrapes and apply some paint.

You'll likely have some clearance issues with the transfer case and rear diff though in a group I'm sure you'd eventually make it to the top. The view is worth it. On the way back down you'll have the added complication of smacking your bumper cover on ledges. With the right lines you shouldn't catch it or dent it but you will most definitely scrape it. I don't think you'd have issues with the front bumper cover.

In short, bigger tires would definitely give you more capability and peace of mind on a trail like Top of the World. You'd also have more cushion for airing down to make the ride more comfortable.

Hells, and Fins to a much lesser degree, will be harder on your front and rear bumper covers than the undercarriage. You'll scrape the bumper covers with 32s, 33s, 34s, and probably 35s as well. The good news is that the bumper covers are quite resilient and there's little risk of actual damage unless you catch the bumper cover on a sharp rock and the entire thing rips off becoming a damage multiplier (happened to me).

Fins is just good fun. Aside from the optional obstacles, the only truly difficult/challenging part of Hells is the final stretch on a rocky, rutted shelf road at the very end of the trail.

I wouldn't hesitate to run Fins or Hells with your current configuration. I would probably skip Top of the World in favor of something like Dome Plateau (similar views and a super-fun trail) due to the relentless ledges and crowds.
 
We ran Fins and Things with 33's aired down. (2-3'' lift arb-51's, SPC UCA's, stock armor. At that time we had ARB front bumper, winch, sliders, on board air, etc.
Scraped the rear bumper cover pretty good. Beat on the sliders a bit, but they are DOM tubing so no worries there. Awesome trail. Cant wait to do it again. I'd really like to do it without RTT. There are a few off camber sections that made me pucker.
 
First, a couple general prep items worth considering:
  • Temporarily remove your trailer harness and bracket and tuck it up inside the bumper (or do whatever you want with it). Otherwise, there's a good chance you'll smash it.
  • Not sure if this is already part of your recovery kit, but get a hitch-mounted recovery point for rear recovery.
  • Likewise, consider Trail Tailor or ARB front recovery points.
  • A tire repair kit and whatever you need to safely change a tire on the trail.
  • Something to clean your glass... Amazon product ASIN B01C6PE73C — obviously, not a must-have but the scenery is so amazing it's nice to have clean windows and a clean windshield
Regarding the trails, personally, I wouldn't enjoy something like Top of the World with whatever remaining clearance you'll have with 32s plus airing down. I've run it with both 33s and 34s (not even aired down that much) and definitely had to throttle over some of the ledges. Your transfer case skid (which really doesn't protect the transfer case that much), rear diff, rear shock mounts, rear LCA mounts, and front LCAs will take a beating. Your rear shock and LCA armor will keep those items protected and the front LCAs are super-stout so I wouldn't worry about those until you get home and have time clean up the gouges/scrapes and apply some paint.

You'll likely have some clearance issues with the transfer case and rear diff though in a group I'm sure you'd eventually make it to the top. The view is worth it. On the way back down you'll have the added complication of smacking your bumper cover on ledges. With the right lines you shouldn't catch it or dent it but you will most definitely scrape it. I don't think you'd have issues with the front bumper cover.

In short, bigger tires would definitely give you more capability and peace of mind on a trail like Top of the World. You'd also have more cushion for airing down to make the ride more comfortable.

Hells, and Fins to a much lesser degree, will be harder on your front and rear bumper covers than the undercarriage. You'll scrape the bumper covers with 32s, 33s, 34s, and probably 35s as well. The good news is that the bumper covers are quite resilient and there's little risk of actual damage unless you catch the bumper cover on a sharp rock and the entire thing rips off becoming a damage multiplier (happened to me).

Fins is just good fun. Aside from the optional obstacles, the only truly difficult/challenging part of Hells is the final stretch on a rocky, rutted shelf road at the very end of the trail.

I wouldn't hesitate to run Fins or Hells with your current configuration. I would probably skip Top of the World in favor of something like Dome Plateau (similar views and a super-fun trail) due to the relentless ledges and crowds.


Great tip on the trailer harness! I have ARB recovery points in front and Trail Tailors in the rear. I also have the hitch recovery point. As for tire changes, I have a SafeJack 6 ton bottle jack with baseplate system and all the extensions/adapters. I also have a Hi-Lift but I'm not proficient with it and generally don't feel like they are safe. I also have the ARB Tire Repair kit and have used it.

I'm not too worried about scraping up the bumper covers, but definitely want to avoid damaging the drive-train. Sounds like going to the 305/65/18 is something I should do.
 
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First, a couple general prep items worth considering:
  • Temporarily remove your trailer harness and bracket and tuck it up inside the bumper (or do whatever you want with it). Otherwise, there's a good chance you'll smash it.
  • Not sure if this is already part of your recovery kit, but get a hitch-mounted recovery point for rear recovery.
  • Likewise, consider Trail Tailor or ARB front recovery points.
  • A tire repair kit and whatever you need to safely change a tire on the trail.
  • Something to clean your glass... Amazon product ASIN B01C6PE73C — obviously, not a must-have but the scenery is so amazing it's nice to have clean windows and a clean windshield
Regarding the trails, personally, I wouldn't enjoy something like Top of the World with whatever remaining clearance you'll have with 32s plus airing down. I've run it with both 33s and 34s (not even aired down that much) and definitely had to throttle over some of the ledges. Your transfer case skid (which really doesn't protect the transfer case that much), rear diff, rear shock mounts, rear LCA mounts, and front LCAs will take a beating. Your rear shock and LCA armor will keep those items protected and the front LCAs are super-stout so I wouldn't worry about those until you get home and have time clean up the gouges/scrapes and apply some paint.

You'll likely have some clearance issues with the transfer case and rear diff though in a group I'm sure you'd eventually make it to the top. The view is worth it. On the way back down you'll have the added complication of smacking your bumper cover on ledges. With the right lines you shouldn't catch it or dent it but you will most definitely scrape it. I don't think you'd have issues with the front bumper cover.

In short, bigger tires would definitely give you more capability and peace of mind on a trail like Top of the World. You'd also have more cushion for airing down to make the ride more comfortable.

Hells, and Fins to a much lesser degree, will be harder on your front and rear bumper covers than the undercarriage. You'll scrape the bumper covers with 32s, 33s, 34s, and probably 35s as well. The good news is that the bumper covers are quite resilient and there's little risk of actual damage unless you catch the bumper cover on a sharp rock and the entire thing rips off becoming a damage multiplier (happened to me).

Fins is just good fun. Aside from the optional obstacles, the only truly difficult/challenging part of Hells is the final stretch on a rocky, rutted shelf road at the very end of the trail.

I wouldn't hesitate to run Fins or Hells with your current configuration. I would probably skip Top of the World in favor of something like Dome Plateau (similar views and a super-fun trail) due to the relentless ledges and crowds.
Good info. Thank you Cole.
 
I'm not too worried about scraping up the bumper covers, but definitely want to avoid damaging the drive-train. Sounds like going to the 305/65/18 is something I should do.

Is that a size folks with 18s are running (I have 17s so clearly not speaking from experience)? I see the width on those is ~12.25". By all means try them, just be prepared to make them work as they likely won't play nicely with KDSS/sway bar at anything near stock offset. I could be completely wrong but on paper that seems very tight due to width.
 
Is that a size folks with 18s are running (I have 17s so clearly not speaking from experience)? I see the width on those is ~12.25". By all means try them, just be prepared to make them work as they likely won't play nicely with KDSS/sway bar at anything near stock offset. I could be completely wrong but on paper that seems very tight due to width.

I am currently running 1.25" spacers on the stock 2016 wheels. Based on what I have read, if I go to a 1" spacer I can run 305/65/18 on the stock wheels and will just have to push the fender liner forward about an inch. I could go 295/65/18 but not a lot of options there.
 
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I am currently running 1.25" spacers on the stock 2016 wheels. Based on what I have read, if I go to a 1" spacer I can run 306/65/18 on the stock wheels and will just have to push the fender liner forward about an inch. I could go 295/65/18 but not a lot of options there.

Ahh ok, you already have spacers and are willing to play with spacer sizing to make them work. I was incorrectly thinking you were on stock offset 16 wheels and expecting them to just fit.

To echo Cole's comments, yes every bit help from the larger diameter tire will help given the pitch-y up/down nature of the terrain. You'll have a great time at Cruise Moab, excellent event!
 
Anyone with similar setup/goals interested in buddying up and putting in for trails together?
 
As stated you might scrape your bumpers, but that gives you a reason to trade them later

You have plenty of time to get your HAM test. Take the online practice test until you score over 80%. Think there are several practice ones and all the final test questions come from that. From CB to HAM is like talking via 2 tin cans vs a cell phone

Sliders and skids are good

Sunblock.

Something to pack your lunch on the trails. Actually one of my favorites is to wrap Burritos in saran wrap and foil and put them in the engine bay. Around the battery works. Then you have a warm lunch

Even though you have A-Track, practice power braking as it will make going over some of the obstacles more controlled and easier

Power Braking- Put your foot on the brake and raise the rpm to 2000 and use pressure on the brake off and on to control slowley going up and over an object. It will keep you from banging your way over one which is where folks break things. If 2000 seems to fast/slow adjust RPM. This is a short term method for going over something and you want to use it only for those situations
 
I am leading Gold Bar Rim on Thursday and also Leading Poison Spider Mesa on Friday. My daughter Rachel (daughterofromer on Mud) is gunning. I likely will get there Sunday or Monday and run a few trails before the event as well

I communicate mostly on HAM. Some folks bring one of the cheap Baoefangs and just listen. I will have a CB if I need to use it, but most of the dialogue will be on Ham as I can talk from front to back no matter how seperated people are. You can't do that with a CB
 
Do people ever just remove the front bumper skin to avoid damage - for rigs without beefy bumper? It comes off really easily.
 

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