Largest Tires for CRD Jeep Liberty KJ Running Stock Set Up

I recently purchased a 1972 25' Airstream Trade Wind Land Yacht to refurbish (more on that later), and also needed new tires for my Jeep (they were pretty much bald).  I was planning on doing a 2 inch lift, and thus had been researching larger tires for the lift.  Now that the lift cash has gone into the Airstream purchase, I will be running stock set up on the Jeep a while longer.

There seems to be a lot of debate as to what the largest tire is that you can put on your Jeep KJ while running stock set up, so I am posting my real world experience here.

The "smallest" (there are of course a lot of different combos with width, wall height, rim size, etc.) Dueler A/T Revo 2 or Destination A/T (after researching price combined with customer reviews, this is where I landed) you can get in the “LT” version which is 10-ply instead of just 4-ply (a must for me with the trailer and off-roading) is LT245/75R16.  In order to get to the stock LT225/75R16 from Bridgestone/Firestone, I would have to purchase Transforce tires, and I don't like what I see from the reviews of those tires, especially in ice/snow and the amount of road noise they emit.

I chose Revos or Duelers because they seem to get good reviews for on and off road use without being too loud on pavement.  They also seem to get highest marks among similar tires (on/off road) for their handling of wet and icy pavement.  The Destination A/T’s were about $200 cheaper than the Revo 2’s, and from the reviews I’ve read and customer testimonials, it didn’t seem like the Revo’s were worth the extra cash (which I can now put into the Airstream).

Since there was some question if the 245’s would fit, the Firestone guys offered to mount the larger tires and let me drive around for a couple days before deciding, but just driving home this morning I'm sold.  The only rubbing I get is when I turn extreme left.  I can still do a u-turn in three lanes (I love my Jeep wheel base!) without rubbing, so you really have to cut to the max to rub.  In fact, just backing off a tiny bit stops the rubbing and really doesn't affect the radius of the turn but a few inches.

The hard right turn doesn't rub at all.

What is being rubbed is just the inner plastic lining of the wheel well, and when it does rub, the rub mark is only about an inch high (see photo with Chapstick for size reference).

I'm sure mileage will vary for specific vehicles as suspensions can vary a bit, but for my particular '06 CRD, while it's a bit tight, the LT246/75R16's definitely work!  You can see from the photo below of the front tire that it’s a bit tight, but like I mentioned, this is the smallest LT tire I can get in the Dueler/Revo, so I’m going with it!

Thanks to all who have posted on the Jeep forums in regard to this issue, as it has helped me with my tire purchase quite a bit.

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What to Do if Your VW Overheats and You Don’t Have Access to G12 Antifreeze/Coolant

DISCLAIMER: I am by no means a mechanic.  This post is composed of information I have gathered by listening to people who know more about cars than I do.  If something you read here causes you to break your car, it’s not my fault (my lawyer cousin taught me that it’s better to be safe than sorry when trying to help people).

There are many “proprietary” things about VW/Audi that make them a pain in the a** (don’t get me wrong, I love my VW).  One of them is the kind of antifreeze they require.

G12 Antifreeze is orange like this.

My 2004 Passat Wagon takes G12.  It is orange, and its chemical makeup is entirely different than the regular “green stuff” found in most cars.

When you’re on the road and your coolant leaks (most often a slow leak from a loose hose connected to your reservoir) to the point of triggering your car’s warning lights, you might feel stranded and helpless.

Sure, you could put the “regular antifreeze” they stock at gas stations in your car, but it’s a bad idea for many reasons.  A few years back this happened to us and we put regular antifreeze in the car to get us home.  However, immediately upon arriving I had the coolant system flushed and the fluid restored to pure G12 (well, G12 diluted with water).

Had I known then what I know now, I could have saved us the time and expense of having the coolant system flushed and refilled (which you should actually do every couple years anyway).

This is how low the coolant was when our Passat screamed “Danger!”

If your coolant is low, and you are on the road in the middle of nowhere, all you need to find is distilled water.  Tap water can work (better than green antifreeze), but it contains minerals and impurities that will cause scaling and other problems.

When the dealer or your mechanic puts G12 in your coolant system, they are adding a G12 concentrate.  They actually mix the G12 with water (usually 50/50).  This means adding distilled water (especially in the small quantity that you likely need to get your reservoir back up to the “max” line) is no big deal at all!

In fact, the G12 actually keeps your coolant from freezing.  Water is 4x better at cooling your engine than G12, so the water part is what’s actually doing the cooling anyway!

So… if you’re stranded somewhere with no auto parts store, just add distilled water!

This is your coolant reservoir.  Notice it states “G12” clearly on top.  This is where you pour the distilled water/G12 coolant.

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2004 (et al) VW Passat/Jetta/Beetle Stereo Removal Keys

All I needed to do was replace the 10 amp fuse in my wife’s car stereo.

For the life of me, I can’t figure out why Volkswagon decided to require four keys to remove the double DIN car stereo (head unit) from the dash.

The keys are “readily” available from eBay, Amazon, Crutchfield, etc. (priced anywhere from $4 to $25), so it’s not like a thief can’t get the tool to steal your radio (though people have reported dealerships not having them), so the ONLY purpose to these keys as far as I can tell is creating a major inconvenience to the person who has purchased their product.  Thanks, VW.

Anyway, rather than purchasing these “keys,” which means buying them online and having to wait for them to arrive (since your dealer may not have them, or better yet, may not want to sell/lend them to you… because they want to charge you $50 to replace a fuse), you can easily make them out of a hanging file folder, as shown in the photo below.

Take the two metal hanging “rods” (they’re flat, so they’re not really rods) out of a hanging file folder.  They are “L” shaped at each end, but before the “L” the metal tapers.  Simply snip off the “L” with a tin snips so you have an angle at the end of the metal piece.  Cut the two metal pieces in half so you have four pointy pieces.  Stick the pieces into the slots on your HU with the pointy part away from the center of the stereo.  You may need to wriggle your “keys” around, but you are just trying to push the metal clip/tab out, as seen in the photo below.

Once you have the keys in and you think the tabs are pushed out, stick your fingers in the tape deck and pull the unit straight out.

If you’re changing the 10 amp mini fuse, it’s located behind the main connector plug.  Lift the “gate” that holds that plug in, pull out the plug, and you’ll see a red mini fuse.

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Installing an Auxiliary Input for an RBQ Dodge/Chrysler Factory Stereo

[see simple Bluetooth update at end of post]

I have a 2006 Jeep Liberty CRD (diesel).  It has the in-dash 6 disc changer with Sirius satellite radio (which I will never use) part # P05091507AE.  This was the penultimate of the stereos for the vehicle in 2006 (the RB1 nav radio was the ultimate) and is designated as the “RBQ” unit.  However, it COMPLETELY fails to address MP3 audio (brilliant).

Every iPod/auxiliary input adapter out there says “NOT FOR RBQ STEREOS.”

Awesome.

I don’t want to replace my factory stereo with an aftermarket head unit, because I think they look like crap, they are more likely to be stolen, and they won’t work with my integrated steering wheel controls.  I’m kind of assuming there may be another factory stereo I could purchase that will work with my steering wheel controls and already HAS an auxiliary input (or at least plays MP3 CD’s), but it’s a bit like the proverbial needle in the haystack (I searched a while and gave up).

So, I’m trying to find a DIY solution to address the problem.

This post (http://www.dodgetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=308955) shows the installation of a TERK XM XMDCHY100 in a 2005 Dodge vehicle with the RBQ radio.

This unit is actually used to install XM Radio, but the adapter includes an auxiliary input so would work for my purposes.

I was not able to find this model (sales discontinued on every listing I found).  For reference (if you find one), it looks like it was priced at around $100 new.

This post (http://www.srtforums.com/forums/f75/how-add-aux-input-factory-6-disc-622653/) seems like an even better solution, because it only involves a five dollar part from Radio Shack (a five pin 1/8” jack).  It does involve quite a bit more work, however, so some readers may be intimidate by all the wiring and drilling for dash mounting involved.

The mod is performed on a vehicle with an external CD changer, but it seems like the mod would perform the same splicing into the XM Radio connection (turbo04 confirms this with his post here –worth a visit).  You MUST use the five pin 1/8” jack (NOT the 3 pin), because the 5 pin jack will send a signal interrupt to the unit when a cable is plugged in (telling the head unit to use the jack instead of the satellite radio). 

Also this mod (adding the 1/8” jack) will only work when there is an XM Radio unit hooked up, otherwise, the head unit will not “see” that XM Radio is a valid source, and just skips over that connection when you’re hitting the mode button.  Furthermore, there seems to be some contention as to whether or not the XM Radio must be functioning in order for this mod to work.  Many users report that without actual audio from the XM Radio (whether it’s the preview channel or an actual subscription), the stereo will not recognize the auxiliary input jack.  Without performing the mod, I’m not sure how to confirm this.

Finally, over the coarse of researching this post, I found ONE SINGLE available unit that will supposedly work for my factory stereo.  Here is the link I found: http://www.ipodcarpros.com/p63/PA11-CHR/product_info.html ($115)

Here is the same item on Amazon:

http://www.ipodcarpros.com/p63/PA11-CHR/product_info.html ($107)

and Crutchfield (though a search for your vehicle WILL NOT return the item on their site):

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_581PA11CHR/USA-Spec-iPod-Interface-for-Chrysler.html?showAll=N&search=PA11-CHR&skipvs=T ($130)

The first “most helpful” review on Amazon is from a 2006 Jeep Liberty user, so I am getting my hopes up. Another ‘06 Liberty reports that the unit won’t charge his iPhone 4 (might be iPhone 4 specific since he says it DOES charge his Nano).

This unit is more expensive than the 1/8” jack mod, but it does have the advantage of charging your iProduct and allowing you to use your steering wheel controls to access your iPod (though it only allows you to scroll through your first 5 play lists since it’s treating your iPod like a CD changer!!! [update] --evidently you can select which 5 playlists to access). 

The PA11-CHR does have RCA input jacks, so with a simple RCA to 1/8” adapter you’ve also got a regular auxiliary input.

After reading all 22 reviews, there are quite a few reporting low hum or static, but one person suggests simply putting the unit in a static bag to solve the problem, so I think I may go for it. Some users also report that this unit switches over to FM Radio randomly, but most note that it doesn’t happen that often.

FWIW, several retailers selling this unit online say that it will not work with RBQ stereos, but other sites (and users) confirm that it will.

There was apparently something called the “Mopar iPod Integration Kit” available at one time, but damned if I can find it for anything older than 2008. [update] The only 2005-2007 model I’ve found is being sold for $318… almost the price of a new Jeep! This would most certainly be another great possibility if you are able to find one at a decent price (works with all models including the RB1 nav radio and RBQ). –just found the model number necessary Part # 82209616AD; the msrp was $175.

These are other numbers I’ve found for the Mopar integration kit for the ‘06 Liberty: JEP82209616AC, 82209616AC, 82209616.

Here’s a post on WKJeeps.com that shows all the iPod kits available from Mopar.

http://www.wkjeeps.com/ipod.htm

[UPDATE 5-17-15] I can’t believe how cheap some tech things have become.  I recently purchased a Bluetooth dongle for less than $5 from Amazon.  I plugged it into my Jeep’s USB charger and then plugged a 3.5mm cord from the dongle to the aux port in my PA11-CHR.  Now every time I get into my Jeep, my phone automatically finds the Bluetooth dongle and I can stream music (and calls) wirelessly to my factory stereo.  The iPod still works as well (just turn the stereo off and back on to switch from aux port to iPod port –whichever is active will take over).

Fantastic.

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