Last Page Ever!Well, I made it as far as page 6 (Trail Head) of the Mar. '07 issue when I saw in bold print, "Rockcrawling is boring." Are you kidding me? The majority of Jp Magazine focuses on rockcrawling events and rigs. Cappa, have you ever looked at the manufacturer and distributor advertisements in Jp? At least 95 percent of them offer parts and services specific to rockcrawling. Page 6 was the last page of Jp I'll ever read.Eric MillerVia e-mail
Rockcrawling Is BoringI read the Mar. '07 Trail Head, and I'm totally on board with you. I think that rockcrawling is about as exciting as watching wood rot, although there are plenty of products and equipment that I don't think would exist without the sport. There's nothing like the sound of someone pushing the loud pedal through the floorboard in a vehicle with an open-header big-block. Keep up the good work.Scott DozaVia e-mail
Waaa Burger And French CrysYour attack on rockcrawling and rock racing was not professional (Trail Head, Mar. '07). For all of the sponsors, teams, and promoters, your article has done damage. You could have praised Formula 4x4 competitions and that form of motorsport without attacking other forms of off-road motorsports. I am sorry that you feel the way you feel, but you could have handled that much more diplomatically and gotten your point across. As someone who is deeply involved with the sports of rockcrawling and rock racing, I am offended and will not be reading Jp Magazine any longer.Aaron C. CampbellLaFollette, Tennessee
Open MindRegarding the Mar. '07 Trail Head, I have to say I agree with you; horsepower rules! And this is from a guy that lived 40 minutes away from the Rubicon and now lives only four hours from Moab. I'll admit that I have a 138:1 overall crawl ratio and some things are best done slowly, but I also have a nasty small-block that manages to never become an annoying trail-pon; I've been a fan of the Icelandic style for years. How do we go about organizing something like the Formula 4X4?Alan MathesonVia e-mail
Where Da Rocks?I have been a subscriber to 4X4 magazines for over 20 years, and I have never felt compelled to write in. However, your Mar. '07 Trail Head was spot on! I was beginning to think that every place except for where I live is made of rocks. How about the majority of us who never touch rocks outside our driveways? I am so happy to see a magazine make such a statement. Let's have some more mud-chunking, sand-spewing fun. I agree, I think that we need to follow the Nordic people on this one.Brant R. WilsonMarion, Maryland
Formula 4x4 In The U.S.Dude, like catch up with the last century. Gravelrama (www.gravelrama.com) has been going on for over 35 years. You just need to go there and cover it. Don't miss the obstacle course.Mark WatrousAntioch, Tennessee
Unprofessionally GoodFirst of all, Jp's top-level staff is nuts. You guys poke fun at Jeepers of almost every genre, do outrageous and childish things, and are more than occasionally unprofessional. I love you guys!
You are nuts enough to appeal to die-hard Jeep fans, you're equal-opportunity teasers, and you represent both sides equally in your letter section. The child in us all is what makes life bearable, and if you were a professional pansy all the time, nobody would read this mag except other pansies. What's important is that you guys are Jeep experts. I have received advice from you guys personally and followed it with beautiful results. I want to sincerely thank you all for that.
It's sad that it took the Germans buying out Chrysler to get them to invest money in new ideas and better technologies. Most of the products are abominations that make me want to cry when I see them, but there are a couple nice ones.
I am a 100 percent American-product fan and an AMC fan. I, too, have never owned a new car, and I never will (especially not a German-owned, former American icon). I will always own an old, used American product that I will build with my own hands, and I will always dream about owning the perfect one. Lastly, I will always read Jp Magazine.Sgt. Conkel, U.S. ArmyHeidelberg, Germany
Formula 4x4 in JpI just got my Mar. '07 issue, and I am stoked! I'm sure the rockcrawling editorial (Trail Head) is going to step on some toes, but I say you are right on! I have only recently been able to find more information on Formula 4x4, and these guys are insane! I would love to be able to watch this without flying clear to Iceland. I mean, come on, aren't we supposed to be the country of extreme sports? I have been a participant at Gravelrama and in the Mt. Baldy hillclimb at Silver Lake Sand Dunes, but these look like ant hills compared to what's going on in Iceland. How about giving us some coverage in Jp?Bill LoomisVia e-mail
Pete's FiredI have to say that your coverage of the SEMA show ("Year of the JK," Apr. '07) was lame. Where were all the cool gadgets and pictures of built-up JKs? Where were the pictures of hot chicks? I know you guys catch a lot of grief from all the guys whose old ladies keep their balls in their purse, but for the rest of us, we would like to see what we expect from SEMA-lots of hot women and cool parts for us, the Jeeper, not the ricer crowd. Get back to your juvenile roots and make lots of angry women even angrier and piss off the guys who say they don't want to see "that" type of stuff in a family magazine.Shawn C.Texas
And I thought I was the only one! Associate Editor Pete Trasborg must have been spending his nights and days out on the town and gambling his slave wages instead of workin' the show. Pete, yer fired! Now get back to work.
U.S. HorsepowerI really enjoyed your Trail Head commentary in the Mar. '07 issue of Jp Magazine. As a fellow Jeep fanatic, I enjoy any Jeep sport, including rockcrawling, but horsepower is the driving force. I am glad stories are being printed in Jp that include more than just rockcrawling rigs. In your article, you ask the question, Where are these competitions?
We run sand and mug drags in the mid-Atlantic area. Track classes include stock four-cylinders to blown-injected rails. I race a '77 Jeep CJ-7 in the Pro Stock class. In this class, the vehicle must be a carbureted 4x4 with a factory frame. Being a Jeep fanatic, I run an AMC 401 engine. It makes 850 hp without nitrous and 1,250 hp with nitrous. Currently, I am building a 500ci AMC engine. This should make around 1,000 hp without nitrous and about 1,500 with nitrous.
You might find it interesting to visit the Web site of the Old Dominion 4WD Club (www.geocities.com/od4wdc/). The Jeep pictured doing a wheelstand is mine; on that pass, the wheelie bar broke!Richard DunavantVia e-mail
Idea GuyThough there have been a number of kick-ass articles in the past year, it still isn't the Jp I found back when I was developing my love for Jeeps. With editorials like "Rockcrawling is boring," it just makes me think of people with short attention spans who forget the essence of Jeeping-going places and taking the scenic route. On top of that, every article seems to be injected with comic relief and every Mailbag response has to have a punch line. And what's with the "not pornographic" feature in every issue? I get a rise from scantily clad women as much as any warm-blooded mammal, but what does Bree answering random questions have to do with Jeeps? Maybe if you found someone with a true love for Jeeps, her column would have some relevance. How long before the cutting-out of models from $9.99 swimsuit calendars and pasting them in front of every Jeep pic with a chat bubble saying, "Hey there, big boy!" (Now I've gone and made matters worse by giving your marketing people more ideas.) I've come to find that if something is being dressed up to look fast, sexy, and fun, there's probably someone trying to sell me something that I don't really need. Congratulations! You've convinced me. I may not be much sharper than a butter knife, but give your readers' intelligence a little credit. Feel free to hack, chop and, make fun of this.Peter N. RavineColorado
Hmm, good idea!
Tell Jeep What You ThinkI just wanted to say that I love your magazine, but I'd enjoy more articles of other Jeeps, such as Cherokees and Wagoneers. Also, do you have an address or e-mail for the actual Jeep company so a guy could get in touch with the big shots over there and tell them to quit making these non-Jeep vehicles and make a damn truck? Keep up the great work. Jason SmithVia e-mail
Wanna tell the head honcho at Jeep what you think of the new German Jeep vehicles, or ask him why Jeep won't build the Gladiator or a diesel Wrangler? Then do it! Go to www.askdrz.com, and fire away!
Write Us!Got a question or comment about Jp Magazine or the village idiots at the helm? Drop us a line. Don't forget to include your full name and where you're from, or we'll make fun of you. Actually, we may make fun of you anyway. Keep it short and to the point, or we'll hack and chop your letter as we please. We get a lot of mail, but we read every letter. Unfortunately, we can't print or personally answer every request. We're too busy surfing the Internet on the company dime. Digital images should be no less than 1,600x1,200 pixels (or two megapixels) and should be saved as a TIFF, an EPS, or a maximum-quality JPEG file.
Write to:Jp Magazine Editor6420 Wilshire Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90048E-mail to:john.cappa@primedia.com