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:
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.
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: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)
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).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
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.