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Thoughts on adding TRAIL RATED badge?

17K views 52 replies 30 participants last post by  tbrou6229 
#1 · (Edited)
i've been kicking around the idea of adding a trail rated badge to my jeep. i'm not normally one for badges, but the trail rated badge is a bit of a piece of pride to have.it shows that your car can go farther and do more things than the average joe can do. now, i know that i do not have a trailhawk and it was not "trail rated" from the factory. what are the forum's thoughts on adding the badge? i know it is slightly blasphemous to add a badge to a car that didn't come with it, but i think i would have several justifications for doing so.

1) it is a very capable and well-protected vehicle. i have the AD-II package, added the full mopar skid plates, tbrou's front tow hooks, a rear shackle, trailhawk rims with hankook dynapro AT tires in the same size of a stock trailhawk. essentially, i have given it identical protection, recovery points, and capabilities to the trailhawk, the only difference between my car and a TH now is that i do not have rock mode or a rear locker.

2) Which brings me to my second point. lockers do not appear to be required equipment to become trail rated. there are several models of jeeps currently and previously for sale that do not come with lockers and still get to be trail rated:
A) 06-10 Jeep Commander (all 4x4 trims trail rated, 2 speed t-case req'd) Discontinued
B) 02-12 Jeep Liberty (all 4x4 trims trail rated) Discontinued
C) 07-17 Jeep Patriot (off road group required) Discontinued
D) 07-Early 17 Jeep Compass (off road group required) Discontinued
E) Jeep Wrangler (all trims trail rated, only Rubicon equipped with lockers)
F) 11-Present Jeep Grand Cherokee (Limited, Overland trail rated with Off-Road Adventure Group 2, all Trailhawks trail rated)
3) my vehicle meets and/or exceeds a stock trailhawk in each of the five categories measured in becoming trail rated:
A) Traction - my KL with AD-II has the exact sme 56:1 crawl ratio that the trailhawk's AD-Lock has, and my hankook tires on trailhawk rims exceed the factory destinations in traction
B) Water fording - my KL is lifted higher than a stock TH, thus it can take water deeper than the 19" a TH can
C) Maneuverability - my KL has an identical wheelbase, overall length, and turning radius to a stock TH
D) Articulation - while not specifically measured by Jeep, the AD-II and trailhawk suspensions are (to my knowledge) identical, or insignificantly dissimilar, thus i should have similar (if not identical) wheel travel to a TH
E) Ground clearance - i have not specifically measured my Jeep against a stock TH, but with my HS lift, i am clearly the winner here. the only argument here would be my approach and departure angles since i have different fascias front and rear. i have not specifically measured them with the lift and tires, but this may be negated by the additional ground clearance
4) Several Jeep models have been given the rank of "Trail Rated" without the need to go to the trailhawk trim as long as they pass the 5 trail rated requirements (see list in point #2).

5) my car has successfully navigated several trails and beaches alongside trailhawks, wranglers, and other off-road and trail rated models. it has never needed to be recovered, it has hung right with the group.

so what say the masses: blasphemy or no? i completely get the idea of up-badging a car, but after looking at the above, i don't think that's what i would be doing here. i think that due to the reasons above, my KL is truly trail rated, but i am interested in counter-arguments as well.

i should have just bought a Trailhawk years ago :laugh: i just didn't realize my attraction to off-road driving at the time or i probably would have.
 
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#7 ·
Probably :laugh:
I think your logic is sound, go for it if it's what you want. You are not a poser lol.

Your mods/additions along with ADII is much better equipped than the Renegade TH and Compass TH which are both also "trail rated"
Kind of my thoughts exactly. how can a patriot be trail rated and my KL isn't?
BTW, contrary to what the OP wrote, not all 4X4 Commanders and Grand Cherokees got the TR Badges, they had to have the 2-speed Tcase. I had a 2008 and 2011 single speed 4x4 and both did not have the TR Badges.
Thank you, i updated my post accordingly. i did it completely off the top of my head. although i did not state that all grand cherokees were trail rated. i only specified back to 11 (with the new body style) but to be trail rated they need to at least be a limited/overland with the off-road adventure group II, or a trailhawk (which still doesn't have lockers at all).
 
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#3 ·
As sure as there are Grammar Nazis, somewhere the "Badge Police" will be out to get you.
 
#4 ·
i've been kicking around the idea of adding a trail rated badge to my jeep. i'm not normally one for badges, but the trail rated badge is a bit of a piece of pride to have.it shows that your car can go farther and do more things than the average joe can do. now, i know that i do not have a trailhawk and it was not "trail rated" from the factory. what are the forum's thoughts on adding the badge? i know it is slightly blasphemous to add a badge to a car that didn't come with it, but i think i would have several justifications for doing so.

1) it is a very capable and well-protected vehicle. i have the AD-II package, added the full mopar skid plates, tbrou's front tow hooks, a rear shackle, trailhawk rims with hankook dynapro AT tires in the same size of a stock trailhawk. essentially, i have given it identical protection, recovery points, and capabilities to the trailhawk, the only difference between my car and a TH now is that i do not have rock mode or a rear locker.
Go for it.

I'm getting one for my Sport 4x4

Adding the badge will def. make the vehicle even more capable. I'm looking forward to joining the trail rated family.

Nothing will stop this jeep!
 
#5 ·
I think your logic is sound, go for it if it's what you want. You are not a poser lol.

Your mods/additions along with ADII is much better equipped than the Renegade TH and Compass TH which are both also "trail rated"
 
#6 ·
When I got my KL (3.2L with ADII) I thought I'd automatically get a Trail Rated Badge, but I didn't. Not sure why because previously if you get any Jeep with a 2-speed transfer case you get the badge.

BTW, contrary to what the OP wrote, not all 4X4 Commanders and Grand Cherokees got the TR Badges, they had to have the 2-speed Tcase. I had a 2008 and 2011 single speed 4x4 and both did not have the TR Badges.

Rules getting it must have changed recently.
 
#30 ·
Had a 2010 Liberty special edition Limited, low range and no skid plate protection! No Trail rated badge, I added skid plates and stuck on a couple "Trail Rated badges from Ebay. The only difference was the lack of underneath protection, which all Liberty Limited Models with 18" wheels did NOT have??? I believe this is why those vehicles mentioned above had no Badges...18" wheels?:surprise:


Go Jeep!
 
#8 ·
Back when I had my Commander (2006), the only difference in having the Trail Rated Badge was to have 4-Low. That's it. With this new Red Badge, Jeep has "dumbed down" their entire line; to save $ I suppose. Only the THs get the badge. My Commander had only one Badge; on the driver's side. You have everything my TH has, except the locker, as stated. I think that you can proudly wear the badge. Your Front Track is 62.7, TH is 63.5. Your Rear Track is also 62.7, TH is 63.5.

The TH Approach Angle is 29.9 (21.0), Breakover Angle is 22.9 (21.7), and Departure Angle is 32.2 (22.9). More than likely, you may meet, come close, or even beat these dimensions with your lift. Numbers in () are your original ADII numbers.
 
#9 · (Edited)
my front and rear track should have been corrected, however, with the changeover to the trailhawk wheels. the TH wheels are 1/2" wider each, which accounts for the difference in track.

i dont tend to waffle on these decisions for long. i just walked back to the parts department to check cost and availability. not only were they $12 a piece, but they were in stock, so now they're in my coat pocket to be added to my car tonight :laugh:
 
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#11 ·
I think that any vehicle that adds my tow hooks should get trail rated badges! Maybe I'll start including them with purchase! Lol, JK.

On a more serious note @IRSmart, I think that if you meet the standards/requirements set out for "trail rated" then you can add the badge!

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 
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#13 ·
@IRSmart I'm against the idea for an vehicle that doesn't earn it. But you've made a very compelling case and it definitely sounds like yours earns that title. Sounds like the only thing lacking is your approach angle. But as you said, it's at least mitigated by the lift. And with the other areas where you exceed the requirements, it sounds like a very reasonable trade-off. In my opinion, your rig is worthy of the badge and you should have no reservations about proudly affixing it.

i should have just bought a Trailhawk years ago [emoji23] i just didn't realize my attraction to off-road driving at the time or i probably would have.
I'm right there with you. I have an AD1 Latitude and I thought that would be fine for my needs. And it was... at the time. Now that I've been getting more into my Jeep, and hanging around this forum with all you guys (!!) I'm definitely wishing I would have just shelled out the extra few grand. But I'm going to exercise extreme patience, and instead of dumping more money into mine, I'm going to save my pennies and get a Trailhawk some time in the future. If I had an AD2 like you, I might do like you did. But no amount of money I dump into upgrades is going to give me a low range transfer case, etc.

via tapatalk | 2014 KL Latitude V6 AD1
 
#14 ·
Since it is AD2 and the other aspects pointed out, I'd say go for it. Go for the gray badges, will translate good with the color of your ride. Granted, choice is always yours and you get the dealer discount for OEM badges.

Remember be careful trying to go off trail anywhere Catoctin Park or guys with guns come out to say Hi!!
 
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#19 ·
2) Which brings me to my second point. lockers do not appear to be required equipment to become trail rated. there are several models of jeeps currently and previously for sale that do not come with lockers and still get to be trail rated:

A) 06-10 Jeep Commander (all 4x4 trims trail rated, 2 speed t-case req'd) Discontinued
B) 02-12 Jeep Liberty (all 4x4 trims trail rated) Discontinued
C) 07-17 Jeep Patriot (off road group required) Discontinued
D) 07-Early 17 Jeep Compass (off road group required) Discontinued
E) Jeep Wrangler (all trims trail rated, only Rubicon equipped with lockers)
F) 11-Present Jeep Grand Cherokee (Limited, Overland trail rated with Off-Road Adventure Group 2, all Trailhawks trail rated)
@airishfan What's your response to this?

via tapatalk | 2014 KL Latitude V6 AD1
 
#18 ·
Is it your vehicle?
Do you care what others think? :)
Are you somebody that thinks that just by putting stickers on your vehicle you get an extra 10hp?

I've seen people put badges from entirely different vehicle manufacturers on their ride.

At worst, people will point and laugh. Can you handle it? :p
 
#20 ·
B) 02-12 Jeep Liberty (all 4x4 trims trail rated) Discontinued


Does this mean that my '03 3.7L V6 Liberty was Trail Rated? If so, I'm kinda bummed I didn't really do anything more extreme than camping and driving through some mud-bog construction sites. I could count on one hand the number of times I put my Liberty into 4-Lo, including the time I had to drive out of a ditch after losing it on some black ice on the way to Banff (I was driving way too fast for road conditions, lol).

Anyhow, I'm only asking because there were never any "Trail Rated" badges on my Liberty. Is the actual badging a recent thing?
 
#25 ·
Trail rated badging started in 04 I believe.
I just wrote what Jeep said it there TH video ,That is trail rated means traction and you can't get traction without lockers
False and false. Looking on Jeep.com, when they talk about the traction on a Cherokee Trailhawk, they specifically mention the 56:1 crawl ratio and the tires. That's it. Once again, lockers are NOT required equipment to earn the TR badge in Jeep's eyes. Jeep sells thousands of trail rated vehicles every year that are not equipped with lockers at all. See my list above.
 
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#23 ·
I think we ought to have our own emblem...

Toss in the 505 hp Alfa TT V6 and Yeeehaaa!

(I know it won't fit, wrong orientation... but one can dream)


-BTW, how is Alfa going to put it in their version of the KL?-
 
#26 ·
Can't see why we couldn't have that motor, it's a 2.9L V6, that's smaller displacement than the 3.2. Just need a new permanent AWD and lookout Audi!!!>:D
 
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#27 ·
According to the Jeep engineers, "Trail Rated" is pretty ambiguous. No numbers given other than what they think it means:
 
#31 ·
If I recall, don't many of the trail-rated badged Jeeps have underbody protection? I understand that the term for what a Trail-Rated Jeep have become a bit ambiguous as was already pointed out, but in general, wasn't part of the reason down to if the Jeep could muster the Rubicon trail? Again though, ambiguity over the years.
 
#34 ·
This was the original "rating", and was much bandied about when the Patriot was introduced. It's a shame they didn't put an actual locker on the Patriot, actually. It was a decent mall crawler and could handle soft roading and trails quite well. There's more than a few times when locking the transfer on mine pulled me through weather that had other cars in ditches and at rest stops.

IIRC it's approach and departure angles were slightly better than the Cherokee TH. The break over was worse, and the all important clearance was lower. A few more weeks of engineering would have made the Patriot a stellar and not just good entry level Jeep and off-roader.
 
#32 ·
My thoughts...

a) it is not "Trail Rated" by Jeep, so putting Jeep "Trail Rated" badges on it is a fraud.

b) hanging with Trail Rated KLs on a climb/descent with a non-TR KL that you have created is a much bigger "piece of pride" than simply buying a KL TH at the dealer. I would find more pride in that. Make up your own badge.
 
#33 ·
My thoughts...

a) it is not "Trail Rated" by Jeep, so putting Jeep "Trail Rated" badges on it is a fraud.
I humbly disagree. I think it comes down to the question of "WOULD Jeep approve this vehicle as Trail Rated?" Just because it was not Trail Rated from the factory doesn't mean it couldn't be modified to meet Jeep's requirements. I think OP has made a very strong case as to how/why he has met those requirements. If a process existed that allowed him to *apply* for that status by having Jeep engineers look his vehicle over and put it through the proper testing, I for one believe he would pass with flying colors.

via tapatalk | 2014 KL Latitude V6 AD1
 
#37 ·
Something as "trivial" as the Trail Rated badge, I say do whatever you want.

I generally draw the line when people put Trim level badges on their cars that don't belong, such as random BMW's with the M badge, or random Challengers with the Hellcat (soon Demon) badge, or non-TH Cherokees with a TH badge.

Personally, I wish I could go back two years and debadge. I've debaged every car I've owned, and was slow on the trigger with the TH. Now that two years have passed, I'm sure I'll have some measure of fade around the badges.
 
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