• Street and Racing Technology (you know, SRT) is finally becoming its own Chrysler brand. Now, how’s about that Off-Road Technology (you know, ORT) brand? We quote the Chrysler blog from November, 2007: “Why not do something like SRT on the Jeep side of the house? Instead of big engines and big brakes, we’d put big lifts and big tires and sell these production vehicles to serious off-road customers at low volumes.” This, too: “Hopefully, our ‘ORT’ idea will get kicked up to the next level. I’ll let readers know what happens. Hey, it was a group of enthusiasts [sic] got the Wrangler Rubicon started. So maybe, a group of enthusiasts can get this idea moving, as well.” Did we mention 2007?
• On topic: CNNmoney.com named the 10 fastest American cars. Despite the misleading C word, the Grand SRT made the cut.
• On topic, the sequel: Cars.com named the “Most American Cars,” meaning it ranks vehicles according to the percentage of parts made domestically, where the vehicles are assembled, and how many are sold in the U.S. The Ohio-built Wrangler came in 7th. It was 9th last year.
• You think you have a hard to-do list? Head-o’-Jeep, Mike Manley, wants a pickup, but he’s gotta convince Chrysler. Might we suggest the gift of fruit of the month?
• If you read every page of Jp, then you know we’ve mentioned before that we have our very own app at the iTunes store. But for those of you who failed to heed our tip to download it, we’ll remind you that the Jp Superchips app includes Jeep news and vehicles, updates on staff projects, calculators for gear ratios and tire fitment, a list of off-road parks, and tons of videos and other good stuff. Here’s a direct link: http://bit.ly/jwgprz.
• The ’11 Grand is now available in Australia. With a 3.0L turbodiesel. Ahem.
• Some ’11 models of the Patriot, Liberty, and Compass are being recalled due to a missing or incorrectly installed steering-column pivot rivet. Questions? Chrysler: 800/853-1403.
• Class photo: See the pic of all the Jeeps? That was taken in front of the Colorado River to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Jeep, using the current lineup. And some old guy.
ORT would look better the...
ORT would look better there.
American made. Mostly.
“Wear your Sunday brown.”...
“Wear your Sunday brown.”
Industry News
• But is there a chocolate bar involved at all? We ask because Miller Electric has launched the Golden Ticket cash-back rebate and sweepstakes program. That cash back? Up to $300 on a select Miller welding product, and there’s a chance to win a $100 or $500 Visa gift card. This goes on until November 4. Head to
millerwelds.com/goldenticket.
• Here’s a peek at MetalCloak’s prototype shocks, which feature six chambers—two shocks facing up, two facing down, and two reservoirs. The shock body is gas-charged and therefore sort of floats in the middle. The cool part? It’s a 14-inch-travel shock in an area that typically only a 9- to 10-inch shock could fit. Despite how cramped it sounds, we saw it fit fine on the front and rear of a lifted JK.
• For your non-rock/non-mud Jeep? Goodyear is now offering the Assurance CS Fuel Max tire for SUVs, in 21 different sizes. It’s said to have a fuel-saving tread compound.
• Head to Yokohama’s site, yokohamatire.com, for a wealth of tire info and features, such as a glossary of tire terms, background on how a tire is developed and made, how to pick a tire based on driving style, and more.
Reader Quote Without Story
Auto Graphs
• Ford commissioned a poll in Europe, which revealed that nearly 32-percent of drivers there said they needed more than one attempt at parallel parking. It went up to 41 percent for the ladies.
Porsche in Deere’s clothi...
Porsche in Deere’s clothing.
• Quality Planning, an insurance analytics firm, has noticed that BMWs, Porsches, and Cadillacs are being declared as farm vehicles by some drivers in order to get a cheaper policy (discounts can be up to 20-percent if the vehicle is used only on the farm).
• We were just saying the other day, “WTF with all the scooters?!” As it turns out, so was the Motorcycle Industry Council, which found that sales for scooters rose almost 50 percent for the first three months of this year. Gee, thanks again, gas prices. And Allstate Insurance’s data points to females possibly leading the trend, with almost three times more women requesting quotes for scooter insurance in 2010 as compared to men.
• What’s this? Vehicle thefts in the U.S. are the lowest since 1967? Guess it’s true: Americans are lazy.
• LoJack has turned 25.
• Trojan U.S. sex census reveals the car as the “most exciting” place to do it. All we can say is, Purell.
• Looks like there will be an industry-standard test for pickups and SUVs to rate towing capacity, created by the Society of Automotive Engineers. It would include acceleration, braking, stability, and grades in high temps.
On her way to stewardess ...
On her way to stewardess duty.
• October 1940: Willys-Overland delivers the Quad prototypes to the U.S. Army
• October 1962: The Wagoneer is introduced
Things To Do With Your Jeep
• November 6: Eastern PA Toy Run hosted by Blue Mountain Jeep Alliance, Reading, Pennsylvania,
easternpatoyrun.com
• November 12: Getting Started Off-Road Driving hosted by Badlands Off-Road Adventures, Hungry Valley SVRA, Gorman, California,
4x4training.com
• November 13: Advanced Beginner Off-Road Driving hosted by Badlands Off-Road Adventures, El Paso Mountains, Mojave, California,
4x4training.com
• November 19: T&T Rail Road Adventure hosted by Badlands Off-Road Adventures, Mojave Desert, Lucerne Valley, California,
4x4training.com Want people to know about your club event? Follow the format below to increase your chances of your announcement appearing here in Jp. Feel free to provide a high-resolution photo related to the event (make it a minimum of 1600x1200 pixels or two megapixels in EPS or TIFF, or a maximum-quality JPEG). You can snail mail info to Jp magazine, Things to Do With Your Jeep, 831 S. Douglas St., El Segundo, CA 90245, or email john.cappa@jpmagazine.com (make the subject line “Things To Do With Your Jeep”). Don’t forget to give us several months’ lead time.
• Name of event
• Name of host club
• Date of event
• Location of event (venue/trail and city, state)
• Website or phone number you want listed in the magazine