Topics

I've heard lots and lots of conflicting opinions on this matter. Some people say if your vehicle came stock from the dealer with copper plugs, then you should stay with copper plugs. Others say platinum/iridium/etc will last longer and provide a better spark..

What do you guys think?

In my old Intrepid I used to run quad tip platinums, until a guy at autozone told me that not only do you not get any performance increase from them, but, due to the four tips, they can actually screw up the air circulation inside your motor and hurt performance.

Now I'm not sure if I really believe that quad tips can hurt the air circulation or not, but I do believe that they don't provide any performance increase.

But.. I'm wondering what you guys run? I'm about to go buy new plugs, I've been burning through amazing amounts of gas lately, and I pulled my plugs today and they were COOKED.. missing metal, burned, looking horrible. I've never seen plugs this bad.

So should I buy platinum or some other kind of higher end plugs, or just stay with the basic coppers?



-Brandon

Is WLB going to be making an appearance at Pig Gig? They are saying to bring flags/banners to mark your clubs campsites/sections off. I was just wondering who all is going to go, or if anybody is going to go?

Is it really as big of an event as people are making it out to be?


-Brandon

Ok. Ever since we went on the big offroading trip last Sunday, my Jeeps been having a problem. When we left, every time I came to a complete stop, I would literally have to give it 3/4 throttle or more for my Jeep to even move. It was so bad I've been putting it into neutral, revving it up a little bit, and then dropping it into drive just to get it to go off the line. I've pulled out into the street and not had enough power to get up and go when cars were coming up behind me.

Neil drove it a little in his driveway, and thought the brakes were dragging. I just got back from Muffler Man, and they put it up on a lift and spun all four tires for me and they weren't dragging. I've checked the parking brake and its not in. When the guy at Muffler Man took it for a test drive he said he couldn't feel anything wrong with it.. But I'm not sure if he actually stopped at lights and stuff or not. We checked the tranny fluid level, and it looks fine, and the guy at Muffler Man said he didn't think any water had gotten into the fluid.

So I'm wondering.. might it be the rear diff fluid? Could water have gotten into that? Or what else could it be? The problem is DEFINITELY there, I can say that without a doubt.



-Brandon

Heres pictures. Note its not tightened down in the back all the way yet, so its sagging in the pics. I really dont know if I even put it on right to begin with though. I dont have any directions or anything, so I was just wrapping the straps where I thought they should go. I've taken it down the road at about 65 or so already without any problems, so at least it works.










Also, due to the fact that the newer TJ's/LJ's have thicker pads, I had to put foam around my front roll bars so it would tighten down properly:









As you can probably tell, I can't see a damn thing out the rearview mirror, and with my doors off its very difficult to drive. I tried rolling it up and tightening it down,  but I'm here alone and I couldn't pull it off by myself. I dont know if I'll be able to roll it up at all. Everytime I did it would pull out when I tightened it down.

I'm gonna probably end up taking it to someone who can cut it and sew it shorter, but for now its fine.



-Brandon

Looking through Quadratec, all the snorkels they sell are specifically labeled for the I-6's. They dont have any (that I can see) for the 4 cylinder engines. The airbox is setup the same for both vehicles, same area and everything, so why is it so exclusive? Can the 4cylinder not handle taking air in through the extended tube?



-Brandon

Anybody have a set I could buy from them? Ebay has a few, but none are buy it now, and I'm impatient.


-Brandon

I'm wondering. I'm trying to avoid buying 33's, saving up money, spending a grand on re-gear, having to sell my 33's, and then buy 35's.

The concern is that I have the 4cyl, and I have an auto tranny. I've been told I'd have to re-gear to run 35's. I'm wondering if either of these alternatives would work better or be cheaper/easier:

Alternative 1 (things I want to do in the near future anyways):
-Banks Monster Exhaust
-Performance Intake
-Jet Performance Chip
-Banks TorqueTubes Exhaust Manifold


Alternative 2 (what I wanted to do in the somewhat distant future anyways):
-Buy Dana 35/44/60 locking axles that already have the gear ratio I need in them
-Not sure what else I'd have to buy to do this


If I went the route of alternative 1, I'd probably eventually re-gear anyways. But I'm wondering if those few parts in alternative 1 would give me enough extra power (like 50 or so horse from all that stuff right?) that I wouldn't struggle to get up to speed turning 35's.


Or would I really be better off going with 33's first, saving up, re-gearing, then getting 35's and going through all that work?



-Brandon

Not sure if you guys have anything in the members-only section, but heres the info I've gotten:

http://www.badlandsoffroad.com

Also, size was discussed yesterday and according to their site its 700 acres, which isn't 2000, but still massive (the mounds is under 200 acres I believe. Scramble Area 1 is only 8 acres according to the mounds website).

The Badlands was a dream of Troy Myers since he was a young boy. Troy's father owned and operated a motorcycle shop for many years.  And as a result, motorcycles and ATVs became a part of his life.  In 1995, Troy made his dream come true.  He purchased the old gravel quarry in Attica, and "The Badlands" was born.  He knew it would be the prefect place for riders, as he had ridden "The Pits" as a boy.  As the park grew, Troy and his wife purchased additional land, and now offer that land to 4-wheel drive vehicles, as he loved that sport as well.

The Badlands off-road park consists of several people working together to give you the most awesome time you can have off-road.  We provide some of the best trails; from mild to wild, in this part of the country.  Our staff consists of professional people with backgrounds in machine trades, business, mechanics, design, medical, and law enforcement.  We have a well-rounded staff to help you with all of your needs.  We want to make our park fun for the whole family.  We have met so many wonderful people that have visited our park; people from different backgrounds, clubs, nationalities and cultures.  These people all have one great thing in common, the love of off-roading.

The "Badlands" ORV Park is a privately-owned tract of about 700 acres in western Indiana, about 30 minutes south west of Lafayette. It is literally a smorgasbord of off-road riding: sand dunes, pea gravel hills, bottomless mud, the tightest off-camber woods trails, extreme rock crawling, shear drop-offs, hood-deep water, stream crossings, etc. You name it, it's probably here.

Badlands Off Road Park
3968 North Xavier Attica IN 47918
Phone: 765.762.2981 Fax: 765.762.0519
Toll Free Phone: 866.762.2981


Google Maps says its 5 hours 32 minutes from Flint.

http://www.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&ge ... a+IN+47918

Park Entry Fees

NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO CHECK IN
ONE HOUR BEFORE CLOSING!


Admission:
$20.00 Daily Pass
$30.00 Two Day Pass
$40.00 Three Day Pass
$5.00 Passenger Per Day

Under the age of 18
1 Day - $15.00
2 Day - $20.00
3 Day - $30.00

*** Everyone must sign in before entering the park.
*** Anyone not signed in will be considered as trespassing & will be subject to arrest.
*** You must be packed up and out of the park before posted closing times

The campground harley was talking about's site is located here:

http://www.atticacamping.com/

And the whole list of other places to lodge (including hotels for LongArm) is here:

http://www.badlandsoffroad.com/miscpage_003.asp


Also looks like the rules say that flags are required to be 2 feet above your vehicle. As well as Winch & Lockers required for trails level 3-5.


Also, heres a map of the Badlans Park:




I don't know if you guys already have this posted or already have this information, but I figured I'd try to help out what I could...



-Brandon