On the drive back from Palmer Sunday I counted 6 cars in the ditch and saw another 2 on Brayton drive. I also saw 2 people slide through intersections. typical winter in Anchorage. The most common accident I see is people braking while trying to turn and sliding into someone else or the ditch. These aren't high speed accidents, but they can definitely be high $$$. Two years ago a lady in a ford pickup slid into my wife and kids while they were stopped at a stop sign. She pushed her suburban off the road and into the ditch. Drivers side front bumper of her truck hit just forward of the drivers side door of my wifes suburban. Nice $4000 dent. For some reason people hit the brakes, lose traction and just slide. No attempt to let off on the brakes and regain steering, just dumbfounded looks on their faces as they keep sliding right at you. Crazy. FYI, even ABS has a hard time on glare ice, it tries, but when there is no traction to be had, there isn't much it can do. It's better than nothing, but barely. People just don't anticipate turns or stops and slow down early enough. I get in the habit of watching the pedestrian crossing lights (the flashing red don't walk light) because this give me an extra 5 or 6 seconds notice before a yellow light this extra time helps keep you from running red lights or sliding through intersections when it's extremely slippery out.
The siped MT's are workig very well for me although, I'm finding the traction control system to be a bit of a buzz kill. Kind of takes some of the fun out of fresh snow. I still can manage to break it loose, but it is a lot more work than my other rigs.
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2007 Black Diamond | 6MT | 4x4 |Trail-Gear Sliders | Garmin Nuvi 350 | BFG MT's 255/75-R17 | 3" OME 885/895 Lift | Body Mount Chop | Lucrum Winch Mount W/Light Bar | Hella 500 driving lights | Warn M8000 winch | Ramsey Wireless Winch Controller | Wet Okole seat covers | Yaesu FT-8800R
BIG lugs are a little road noisy, but that goes with the TRD exhaust sound
takes some getting used to in the snow and ice just because they have a taller sidewall - the tires with the 2" level added makes the rig feel much bigger when behind the wheel and as soon as I saw it I knew I should have gotten the full 6" lift - oh well, that'll be later.
have fun out there! I'm going to plan a trip to Jim Creek for Dec. 2nd to get a little off road fun going if anyone wants to head out there, I'm sure I'll have a few people meeting me.
I'm heading to Texas for a few days - happy Thanksgiving everybody!
BIG lugs are a little road noisy, but that goes with the TRD exhaust sound
takes some getting used to in the snow and ice just because they have a taller sidewall - the tires with the 2" level added makes the rig feel much bigger when behind the wheel and as soon as I saw it I knew I should have gotten the full 6" lift - oh well, that'll be later.
have fun out there! I'm going to plan a trip to Jim Creek for Dec. 2nd to get a little off road fun going if anyone wants to head out there, I'm sure I'll have a few people meeting me.
I'm heading to Texas for a few days - happy Thanksgiving everybody!
I've been dying to get my FJ out on an offroad adventure, but unfortunately for me, I don't get home until the 4th. and then we head to Mexico on the 14th. I may have to go solo just to satisfy the urge. Those are the new KM2's, they look sweet. I've been entertaining the idea of obtaining a full set of 16" steel rims and some 33" "summer" tires, where'd you get the KM2's?
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2007 Black Diamond | 6MT | 4x4 |Trail-Gear Sliders | Garmin Nuvi 350 | BFG MT's 255/75-R17 | 3" OME 885/895 Lift | Body Mount Chop | Lucrum Winch Mount W/Light Bar | Hella 500 driving lights | Warn M8000 winch | Ramsey Wireless Winch Controller | Wet Okole seat covers | Yaesu FT-8800R
Dan over at Muffler City on 5th street, cool guy to talk to, he's da man - I bought the last set they had, I think there is some kind of back order on them - I had them up to 65 this morning on Seward highway coming in to work - there's some tire noise, but I've been driving that K5 for so long now I still think the FJ is LUXURIOUSLY quiet! So to be honest, I'm not the best guy to ask about my opinion on tire singing.
I ordered my rig with the TRD exhaust and didn't think about custom exhaust, they (muffler city) would do a tricked out exhaust how ever you wanted it to sound and perform for about 500 roughly - that would be sweet. But hey, the TRD is factory warranty.
The reason I said the 2nd is only because I have the weekends off, but sometimes work overtime on Saturdays, plus it's the old dirt bike/4 wheeler riding days of "on any Sunday" that's in my blood.
I'll see ya around town or out in the dirt...eventually.
I had my cracked windshield repaired at Badger auto glass in Anchorage and was charged $30. Highly recommend these guys.
I have Country insurance and they fill chips for free as well as replace the windshield if it splinters all for $25 every six months on the premium. Well worth it as the rest of the AKers know. You can't go on a road trip during the winter without getting pegged. I came back from Delta moose hunting with two chips and a crack.
So, for all you Alaskans, any insight/tips on the following places that we've put down for our picks?
1- Ketchikan
2- Petersburg
3- Anchorage
4- Cordova
5- Homer
Hope it's not to late to join in on this. I've been to everywhere on there save Petersburg. Lived in Homer and Anchorage. As someone who was a kid growing up in Homer in the early 90's - I can tell you that I LOVED IT. The highschool in Homer is the best highschool I've EVER seen and I've been to 20 some odd schools. The winters are pretty tame as far as Alaskan Winters go and I had friends there that were coasties when I got older .
Also, if you have children and they are into any sort of sports the benefit to living in Homer is that it's the "end of the road" and you do road trips to Soldotna/Kenai and Anchorage for EVERYTHING! It was a BLAST!
Also, here are some old school cruiser shots in Alaska from Sept:
Me up above Fairbanks. Pretty cool the Northern lights came out so clear at only 20 degrees:
Me out on the trail right near where Chris Mccandless died in the book/movie "Into the Wild" (shot my 45-70 over a Grizzs head that night who smelled our cookin' moose Tbones and came lookin' for some for himself):
I'm with you. Of the places she listed I would choose Anchorage and then Homer long before the others. I grew up in Sitka and just don't have it in me to live on an Island anymore. I work out of Homer (2weeks on 2 weeks off) so It's OK, but a bit too far on the wrong side of the political spectrum for me. As a kid it would have been ok though.
I can't believe they made a movie about a guy who lost touch with reality and managed to starve himself to death. There's a lot of ways to die fast up here, but you really have to work hard to starve to death during the summer, especially with a .22 in your possession.
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2007 Black Diamond | 6MT | 4x4 |Trail-Gear Sliders | Garmin Nuvi 350 | BFG MT's 255/75-R17 | 3" OME 885/895 Lift | Body Mount Chop | Lucrum Winch Mount W/Light Bar | Hella 500 driving lights | Warn M8000 winch | Ramsey Wireless Winch Controller | Wet Okole seat covers | Yaesu FT-8800R
I can't believe they made a movie about a guy who lost touch with reality and managed to starve himself to death. There's a lot of ways to die fast up here, but you really have to work hard to starve to death during the summer, especially with a .22 in your possession.
Well, he did try hard - he broke his leg and ate some some seeds/berries that stopped his body from being able to absorb nutrients. That'd do it!
Well, he did try hard - he broke his leg and ate some some seeds/berries that stopped his body from being able to absorb nutrients. That'd do it!
The wild potato seed part is pure speculation and was never proved, despite several toxicology tests. The official investigation makes no mention of a "broken Leg", but does make note of the fact that he turned down an offer of help and advice to get better gear earlier in the summer and had three cabins nearby as well as a hand pull tram to cross the river if he wanted to.
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2007 Black Diamond | 6MT | 4x4 |Trail-Gear Sliders | Garmin Nuvi 350 | BFG MT's 255/75-R17 | 3" OME 885/895 Lift | Body Mount Chop | Lucrum Winch Mount W/Light Bar | Hella 500 driving lights | Warn M8000 winch | Ramsey Wireless Winch Controller | Wet Okole seat covers | Yaesu FT-8800R
Can anyone recommend a place in Anchorage to get sliders and skid plates? Possibly a front bumper as well. Ordering online is great for small stuff, but shipping costs on larger items kind of sucks.
Looking for places that sell Aftermarket Parts like bumpers and skid plates?
Three places come to mind.
1. Northern 4x4 (people i have talked to say they are easy to deal with)
2. Just Trucks (new moved into Cal's 5th Ave store next to Big Timber)
3. Don't remember the name though it is on Old Seward right next to the Mazda Dealer.
I hope this helps, I know there are not many places here to get 'specialty' items.
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- he broke his leg and ate some some seeds/berries that stopped his body from being able to absorb nutrients. That'd do it!
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