Jeep/Mopar designers approached Max Trac/Mickey Thompson initially because of they liked the aggressive look of the tires, starting with the Baja Claw radials, according to Ken Warner, vice president sales and marketing, for the tire marketer,
To take advantage of the publicity, Mickey Thompson sent its special events "big rig" to Moab, where a sales team is offering participants in the event there the chance to try out some Mickey Thompsons.
Chrysler's Mopar parts and service brand has created a Jeep Performance Parts subgroup to compete for the millions of dollars off-roaders spend each year modifying their vehicles with lift kits, rock rails, bumpers and other aftermarket parts. Mopar has added more than two dozen engineers in the past several months to expand Jeep parts offerings.
The special vehicles are:
Wrangler Mopar Recon — Powered by a 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 engine, the gunmetal gray Recon has a prototype long-arm lift kit and beadlock wheels with 39-inch BF Goodrich Krawler T/A tires. The beadlock wheels allow the tires to be deflated to single-digit psi levels enabling greater traction and stability over obstacles or on sand. The Recon is decorated in a Navy-inspired theme, with painted labels near the door handles and a rust-coated name badge.
Wrangler Stitch — Named the Stitch because much of its body is covered in architectural fabric, the vehicle is an exercise to see how much weight engineers could pull from a traditional two-door Wrangler.
The Stitch has ultrathin seats, a carbon-fiber hood as well as a specially designed roll cage and axles to save weight. Engineers also removed the audio and air conditioning systems to save 1,100 pounds from a stock Wrangler, giving it the same power-to-weight ratio as the brand's high-performance Grand Cherokee SRT8.
It's fitted with Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ tires, size LT315/70R17.
Wrangler Sand Trooper II — Following up on last year's popular Sand Trooper concept, this vehicle takes the opposite approach to the Stitch and is loaded with the two brands' highest-end and heaviest options, including portal axles that retail for more than $20,000 each. The Sand Trooper II rides on 40-inch Super Swamper off-road tires from Interco Corp. and includes all of the top-end Wrangler's interior electronics.
Wrangler Flattop — The Flattop has a top-end interior finish combined with a heavy-duty off-road package. Engineers modified a stock Wrangler's wheel wells to accommodate 37-inch Baja Claw TTC Radial (size 37x12.50R17LT) off-road tires, providing an extra 4.5 inches of ground clearance. They also installed a one-piece windowless hard top and shortened the window two inches to keep the roof height roughly equal to that of a stock Wrangler.
Wrangler Slim — Another weight-saving exercise, the Slim also uses beadlock wheels and lighter bumpers to increase off-road performance by lowering weight. It rolls on 17-inch Goodyear Rubicon radials.
Grand Cherokee Trailhawk — This diesel-powered off-roader has specially modified wheel wells to allow for 35-inch Baja MTZ tires (size 315/70R17) on 17-inch aluminum rims. Engineers used several parts from the Grand Cherokee SRT, including its front and rear fascia and hood, but painted them blood orange and trimmed the vehicle in matte black.
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Story based on reporting by Larry Vellequette of Autoweek magazine — a Detroit-based sister publication of Tire Business — and original reporting by Tire Business staff.
