First time at Badlands behind the wheel. Need Naxja brothers advice

[willsmysticcobra]

Hey Guys,
So I am super excited that me and five buddies are each taking our rigs out to Attica this weekend. We are caravanning from up here in Lake county where we will drive down to U of I and stay with my one buddy in my old college house. Sat morning we will take the 50 min drive to Badlands and have at it :loveu:


The few questions I have is where will 5 mild to medium rigs all have fun with out massive damage? We have three xj's all lifted minimally 4 inches with 31's , a 95 s-10 blazer with bfg 30's and a tj on 35's with a rear locker. All of these are daily drivers so we are looking for a great time with out destroying dana 30's and 8.25's lol

Do we air down? Three of the jeeps have 31in bfg A/T'S. I know the few times I have gone with the big TJ he has aired down.


Thanks guys , I appreciate it atriot:

 

[jakeWI]

Yes. A stock jeep can go down there and still have a ton of fun. As long as you drive smart and just watch your lines you can be fine. I would air down. Airing down give you so much more then you think. Plus you can just fill the air back up at the badlands or the gas station in town.

 

[FlexdXJ]

What Jake said. Stick to the green trail if you're unsure of your abilities and maybe try to get in with a group of guys who know the place well. Play around in the quarry to get a feel for what you can do.

 

[REWSTER]

Air down to about 10-12 psi it will help out a bunch and like jake said badlands has free air and so dose the gas station in town

Run the green trails and you should have tons of fun don't be afraid to get a little tippy, then talk your friend withe the 35's and locker to run red most of orange can get to be a swamp when it rains so if you go back there check the depth of the water before you jump in

 

[KSXJ]

Airing down helps to NOT break parts!!!

 

[1989TwoDoor]

Enjoy, this is just the beginning.

 

[discosteve]

STAY AWAY FROM THE CAT TAILS IN THE QUARRY.

 

[REWSTER]

STAY AWAY FROM THE CAT TAILS IN THE QUARRY.

HA lolz

 

[Rev's Susie]

STAY AWAY FROM THE CAT TAILS IN THE QUARRY.

Good advice!

 

[GoSlowGetStuck]

I'm jealous, there's nothing quite like your first trip out! I live close and basically went out there (just over 3 years ago) with NO idea what I was doing at all in a stock ZJ:

Had a lot of fun and bought an XJ a week later It's basically just common sense (which I had/have very little of), if an obstacle looks tough, maybe give it a slow first try but don't push yourself too hard. It's good to have obstacles you can't tackle, so that you have a reason to go back and try again!

You're in a big enough group with some built rigs so you won't have to worry about getting stuck, which was one of my biggest fears on my first trip out. I tried to compensate for speed so that I wouldn't get hung up anywhere, and now I realize that wasn't a good idea (but it sure was fun!) Just take it easy, don't try to romp over obstacles where you could suddenly get traction, and be mindful of your underbody if you don't have rock rails or skid plates.

 

[vt98xj]

STAY AWAY FROM THE CAT TAILS IN THE QUARRY.

Unless you check the depth first! Someone didn't^

 

[terrehautian]

100% stock. Also, if you want to do the tubes, check the exit. When I was there, it was inches deep, last photo I seen it was feet deep. Start on Green and then venture on.

 

[willsmysticcobra]

Man I am so excited... thanks for the advice so far guys.... Ya I really want a shot in the tubes

 

[jakeWI]

do not do the tubes. just saying. the drop off is/was getting pretty nasty even for my height. just saying. really check out the drop back out before you think about it.

 

[Fore Wheeler]

Don't do the tubes. All they'll do is cut our tires and swamp your jeep. There are too many other things to do that are more fun w/o the risk of damage.

Orange is a fun trail too, stay out of the mud. It gets deep...

 

[FlexdXJ]

do not do the tubes. just saying. the drop off is/was getting pretty nasty even for my height. just saying. really check out the drop back out before you think about it.

Agreed, 2 weeks ago they were looking rough!

 

[willsmysticcobra]

ok thanks for the heads up... do they ever fill in that drop off?

 

[GoSlowGetStuck]

ok thanks for the heads up... do they ever fill in that drop off?

Every now and then they fill it in. I've been through it a number of times years ago, but it seems like it washes out faster than it used to.

 

[willsmysticcobra]

took me hours to sand, etch prime and mount, but I added additional recovery yesterday lol

 

[willsmysticcobra]

I am officially done spending hundreds on the XJ... I can wait to wheel with you guys this winterfest :cheers: