We are just hitting our summer monsoon season here in Phoenix, AZ and had an itch to get back to our desert trails that needed to be scratched!
One of my friends at the office had plans to run a short trail named Terminator in his Jeep with one of his buddy’s. I asked if I could tag along in my side by side as it's one of my favorite trails that's close to home. Of course he didn't mind, so we made plans to meet Saturday morning at 7:00 AM so we could be done before the rain and heat came in. At least it was only supposed to be 104° instead of the 110°+ temperatures we've been seeing for the last couple of months.
We met at the staging area at 6:45 AM, unloaded and got ready to head out just as a BLM Ranger pulled up. He wanted to warn us about the creek crossing since we've had some devastating flash floods in our state that have taken some lives recently. We thanked him and told him we would only be out for a few hours and would keep our eyes on the sky to the north.
He was right about the creek looking like chocolate milk because of the rain the last couple of days.
The start of Terminator is only a couple of miles from the staging area. It is in a wash area that the BLM has designated as a rock crawling trail. Fortunately there are many such trails in this area. I always love the colors of the rocks on this trail, when it is cloudy the rocks take on a bright blue color which is awesome!
The Jeeps put on a good show at the entrance of the trail on one of the rock obstacles.
Robert was testing out the scratch guard ring on his Level 8 Bully Pro wheels and the sidewalls on his Milestar Paragonia M/T tires. He always pushes the limit on his tires and wheels and does a great job of picking the right line.
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The Level 8 Bully Pro wheel is available for leveled and lifted vehicle applications in 15-inch through 17-inch sizes. Each wheel comes standard with Level 8 Pro Protector Rings (scratch guards) and premium zinc plated mounting hardware. When you purchase a set of 4 wheels you will receive zinc plated knurled lug nuts, red hub centric rings, and a Level 8 deflator gauge at NO additional charge! Additional features include dual valve holes to aid in inflation after a hard day off-road and modified bead retention seats designed to help keep the tire on the wheel when used off-road.
Find out more: Level 8 Wheels by Model | Discount Tire Direct
I wasn’t going to sit back and let them have all the fun so I lined up for a tough climb in my Wildcat X that is shod with prototype Gladiator X-Comp ATR tires. The tires grabbed the rock face hard, but as I neared the top of the rock wall it pushed me sideways towards the driver’s side and almost put me on my lid. That was not a comfortable feeling at all! After backing down I readjusted and went up the other side.
Robert in his JKU went up the wall easily, although the 2 door JK struggled a bit. There are times when wheelbase and weight have their advantage.
We were having a blast playing follow the leader through the rocks. It was fun to see how each vehicle performed although the built up Jeeps had an advantage over me but I was having a blast just the same.
