- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
Got the Speed Goat out to one of our local trails for it's first trail run after hauling it home just over a week ago! Billings is pretty damn challenging, lots of big boulders, big ledges and difficult lines. On top of that, the 2-3" of snow we got a couple days ago has been melting off, making for a muddy mess.
I was supposed to meet up with a friend just to be safe, but after waiting for 30 min beyond the time we had planned, I said screw it and headed out solo. I ran into a few guys that were also headed to Billings, in a 4Runner on 35's and an LJ on 35's also. They were kind of struggling and said they were good, so I kept motoring on up the trail. I didn't see them after the first 1/4 of Billings... lol.
The tires were muddy and the dirt was wet, so that made line selection impossible at times. The Red Label Krawlers did pretty damn well, despite the mud and moisture.
The TJ can get a little funky at times, seems like the engine isn't always happy crawling and will almost die, then increase the RPM to recover and get a little jumpy. The coilovers squeak a lot, the air bumps and limiting straps get a little jerky at times. But, the thing works so well... I love the boatsides and lack of body mounts, perfect for these boulder-filled trails. I got hung up on the belly a couple times, raising that would help a lot on the trail. The suspension is actually very compliant, it works great so far! I heard a link joint in the front popping when I got it loaded up, so I'll take a closer look at them soon. Also, the PSC steering cyl is weeping a bit. Some work to do, but pretty happy with it overall!
Ran Billings in less than 2 hours, solo and wet... that's pretty damn good in my opinion! I've spend long days on this trail in the past!
I was supposed to meet up with a friend just to be safe, but after waiting for 30 min beyond the time we had planned, I said screw it and headed out solo. I ran into a few guys that were also headed to Billings, in a 4Runner on 35's and an LJ on 35's also. They were kind of struggling and said they were good, so I kept motoring on up the trail. I didn't see them after the first 1/4 of Billings... lol.
The tires were muddy and the dirt was wet, so that made line selection impossible at times. The Red Label Krawlers did pretty damn well, despite the mud and moisture.
The TJ can get a little funky at times, seems like the engine isn't always happy crawling and will almost die, then increase the RPM to recover and get a little jumpy. The coilovers squeak a lot, the air bumps and limiting straps get a little jerky at times. But, the thing works so well... I love the boatsides and lack of body mounts, perfect for these boulder-filled trails. I got hung up on the belly a couple times, raising that would help a lot on the trail. The suspension is actually very compliant, it works great so far! I heard a link joint in the front popping when I got it loaded up, so I'll take a closer look at them soon. Also, the PSC steering cyl is weeping a bit. Some work to do, but pretty happy with it overall!
Ran Billings in less than 2 hours, solo and wet... that's pretty damn good in my opinion! I've spend long days on this trail in the past!
