Easter Jeep Safari 2018

One of the very best things about early spring is the annual Easter Jeep Safari (EJS) in Moab, Utah. All week long Moab’s Red Rock 4-Wheelers club organize epic off-road group runs on iconic trails like Top of the World, Hellroaring Rim, Hey Joe Canyon, Wipe-Out Hill, Kane Creek, and many others.

Most years at EJS, you have over forty trails in the greater Moab and Canyonlands area to choose from. Some trails can be easily driven with a stock vehicle and one hand on the steering wheel. Others are so difficult you have to white knuckle the steering wheel, plus even in a highly modified vehicle you are practically assured some amount of body damage. All the trails are very scenic – most take your breath away.

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Mix in a large off-road vendors area, the Jeep Brand Design Team’s unveiling of their latest concept vehicles, Moab’s famous food and brew, plus a main cruising boulevard filled with every conceivable Jeep model and you have quite a show. Some attendees simply set up their camping chairs on Moab’s main drag and simply watch the vehicles go by. There’s probably no better place on the planet to get ideas of what to do to your Jeep next.

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This year, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) set up their Jeep® brand booth right on Main Street in a large strip mall parking lot. Here FCA parked their concept vehicles for the public to touch and sit in, plus you could take rides around town in their new Wrangler JL, Compass, and Grand Cherokee models.

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Also in the Jeep booth was a large display of all the Jeep Performance Parts upgrade items you can purchase to make your Wrangler even more trail worthy. You can add these items yourself, or have your dealer do it. Parts that caught my eye were larger brakes for bigger tires, true beadlock rims, suspension lifts, upgraded shocks, oversize spare tire carrier and reinforcement system for the rear Wrangler door, and even a snorkel.

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The J-Wagon Jeep concept was one of my favorites. Why you ask since it doesn’t look much like an extravagant concept vehicle? I like it because you or I could pretty much replicate it’s looks and off-road performance by simply using Jeep Performance Parts. No grinding, welding, shortening of the body, or custom one-off parts made by a cleaver designer. The J-Wagon started life as simple Wrangler Sahara.

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My next favorite Jeep concept was the lightweight 4Speed. Now this is a short wheelbase rock crawler – great clearance, big tires, Dana 44 axles from the stock Rubicon model, and plenty of torque from the showcased 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 engine. The body was shortened by 22 inches, while leaving the wheelbase at its stock length. This does wonders for the approach and departure angles. And I even like the color when at the beach.

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Jeep brings a nostalgic concept vehicle to practically all the Easter Jeep Safari events. This year they showed off their 1965 Wagoneer Roadtrip. The Roadtrip stirs up nostalgic memories of family trips to Moab in years gone by. This concept sports the original front and rear bench seats, door panels, and kick and rear panels. Known as the original luxury 4×4 of its day, this Wagoneer is rich with heritage and is built to crawl the trails of Moab or cruise the highways of the western states. Anyone for Route 66?

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The color of this concept Jeep gives its name away… Nacho. This vehicle is rolling catalog loaded with selections from Mopar’s Jeep Performance Parts menu. Want a “blueprint” you can follow to create your own custom trail vehicle? Then stare at and study Nacho. Nacho started life as a 2018 Jeep Rubicon, but then it received its special paint.

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It looks like a Jeep Renegade, but it’s really the B-UTE. B-UTE boasts a 1.5 Series Day Star Lift Kit for Renegade, BF Goodrich T/A Baja Champion Tires, Rockstar Wheels, custom wide flares, rock rails, and a modified hood.

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Based on the wrangler Rubicon, the Jeepster concept evokes the 1966 styling of a vehicle by the same name. Again, this concept shows off the concept possibilities of using Jeep Performance parts, including a hood and graphic, LED off-road lights, Rubicon Steel Rear Bumper, 17-inch Beadlock Wheels, and 2-inch lift kit.

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Scott Brown, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Media Relations Manager, West Region graciously invited me to their even dinner in Moab. As we discussed their new Wrangler JL launch, he tossed me the keys to his personal JL and said, “Go drive it out on the trials tomorrow and tell me what you think.” Seeing as how I wasn’t “too” busy the next day, I stuffed the keys in my pocket and thought to myself, “YES” (with clinched fist and accompanying downward arm movement). The next day I headed out to Hurrah Pass on Chicken Corners trail to test drive the JL. Now, for context, I’ve owned every model of Jeep since the early 80’s – YJ, CJ, TJ Rubicon, and 2013 JK. My opinion: The new JL is their finest Wrangler yet. Tight. No rattles. Very trail worthy off the showroom floor, and with an interior fit and finish that is as stunning as it is functional. In short, I want one. Scott, I need a note for my wife.

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The next day I was invited to run Top of the World trail with my friend Mike Hallmark of Hellwig Products. Yes, that’s Mike sitting on the ledge. I said he was a friend, not a mentor. His group was concluding a media shoot for a variety of manufacturers and included Casey Currie of Currie Enterprises.

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One of the best reasons for going to Easter Jeep Safari is to have the opportunity to really study other off-roader’s vehicles. On our trail run, our group included two of the first highly modified JL’s I’d seen. Gibson Performance had a stock JL Rubicon with an Icon 2.5-inch lift and shocks. This allowed 37-inch tires without any rub or turning radius restriction. The stock Dana 44 axles on the Rubicon JL are beefier than previous Dana 44’s, so they can handle the larger tires without a sweat. This vehicle literally “walked” over any challenging terrain it was pointed at. Amazing. Great job Wrangler JL designers.

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I’m like most off-roaders, I love looking at aftermarket pieces/parts and ways to make my overlanding life easier. EJS has a huge indoor and outdoor vendors area that opens mid-week until the last day of the event.

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