Here you will find compiled all of the jargon that I have learned since I purchased and Jeep and started discussing them both in person and online with other people. When you stumble across a word you don't know, you can always check here to see what it means.

31's - 31x10.5x15 tires. The largest light truck flotation tire that will fit on a stock Jeep TJ without rubbing fenders while off-roading.

32's - 32x11.5x15 tires. Compromise tires between 33's and 31's which allow for slightly more on-road power and less expensive lift (or no lift in some cases). Considered an unusual size by some but growing in popularity.

33's - The famous 33x12.5x15 light truck flotation tires which are extremely popular amongst serious off-roaders.

4WD - Four Wheel Drive. Jeeps can be shifted into 4 HI or 4 LO and both axles will turn at the same speed and be powered by the engine.

ATF - Automatic Transmission Fluid. The special oil that is acceptable to be put inside the transmission. Using the wrong thing in the transmission can be quite disasterous. ATF is also used in the transfer case and power steering system in a 2004 TJ.

articulation - the ability of a Jeep to vertically descend the axle to one side while raising it on the other while traversing uneven terrain in order to keep all four tires touching the ground.

BB - Budget Boost. This is a 2" suspension lift where rubberized rings are placed on top of the springs to make them lift the Jeep frame higher in the air. Sometimes longer shock absorbers are also used. This allows bigger tires to be placed underneath the Jeep without the huge expense of a real suspension upgrade, which involves new springs, shocks, and relocated or new adjustable track bars.

belly up - The practice of raising components underneath the Jeep to create more clearance for crossing over logs, large rocks, or through large ditches.

BFG - BF Goodrich - a highly respected tire producer which makes the AT/KO all-terrain tire that many Jeep owners desire on their vehicles for an aggressive look combined with excellent street performance.

BFH - Big Frickin' Hammer. When something sticks to something else, and all else fails, often the solution is to go get a big frickin' hammer and hit it really hard, perhaps destroying whatever it is, in order to achieve victory and a sense of accomplishment, even if nothing was actually accomplished and a tow truck is now called for. If you hit your hand with the hammer, I bet you say something other than "frick", and that's what the F really stands for, BTW.

BL - Body Lift. A kit that allows an increase in height for a Jeep by placing spacers between the frame and the body of the vehicle. Inexpensive, easy to install, and allows the fenders to be raised to place large tires underneath the Jeep. Maligned because it does not improve ride quality nor allow for flex beyond original limits.

brake light fluid. There is no such thing. It's a joke that the mechanically inclined pull on people who know nothing about cars. Some people walk away wondering what kind of fluid to pour into their brake lights, and it makes everyone laugh really hard.

bug catcher - a Jeep windshield. The upright windshield is notorious for smashing insects due to its non-aerodynamic design.

clearance - The distance between the lowest point on the vehicle and the ground. Usually this point is the bottom of the differentials.

CJ - "Civilian Jeep". The Jeep CJ was produced from 1945-1985. This includes the CJ2, CJ5, CJ6, and CJ7.

cryin' shame - any Jeep which has fallen into the hands of people who modify it so that it is lower to the ground and running on small wheels. If it is painted pink, it is especially "a cryin' shame."

CV/DS - CV Driveshaft. When replacing the drive shaft on a Jeep due to a suspension lift which caused vibrations in the rear differential, the fixed-length stock drive shaft is taken out in favor of one that expands and contracts like a shock absorber.

Dana 30 - The standard, non-premium front axle on most Jeep Wrangler TJ's. Has a metal drain plug.

Dana 35 - The standard, non-premium rear axle on most Jeep Wrangler TJ's. Has a rubber plug in it. May be geared at 3.73 or 3.07 from factory. There is a tag on the differential that specifies the gear ratio.

Dana 44 - The prefered axle - heavy duty shafts and a lower gear ratio make off-roaders seek out this axle for their Jeeps. Has a metal drain plug.

DD - Daily Driver. The car that you drive to and from work every day is your daily driver. A Jeep driven as a daily driver probably shouldn't be treated or upgraded along the same lines as an offroad only Jeep.

death wobble - following a suspension lift, sometimes a Jeep will begin to have stability problems at particular speeds especially after hitting a bump or a pothole where the steering wheel will begin to vibrate quite violently. If the Jeep is slowed down, the vibrations may stop. This is called death wobble, and it is usually corrected by tightening steering components and replacing some with aftermarket products that are adjustable. Also, tire balancing has been known to correct the issue.

Disc Upgrade/Conversion - TJ's come with front wheel disc brakes (good) and rear wheel drum brakes (not so good). Drum brakes are more difficult to service and do not provide as much stopping ability as do disc brakes. Kits are available to change the rear drums into disk brakes by adding special rotors and calipers to the back wheels for better braking all-around.

discos - quick disconnects. Disconnects are replacement anti-sway bar links that connect the axle to the anti-sway bar. The anti-sway bar keeps the Jeep from rocking back and forth too much on turns during on-road drive. But off-road, disconnecting the anti-sway bar can provide improved handling and performance at low speeds. Some Jeep owners become frustrated with the difficulty of disconnecting the stock links, so they purchase replacement links which are held together by a cotter pin, allowing for a quick, one motion disconnection.

flex - the ability of a Jeep to vertically descend the axle to one side while raising it on the other while traversing uneven terrain in order to keep all four tires touching the ground.

GY - Goodyear. A respected tire company that produces the much-maligned OEM tires on most Jeeps and the well-thought-of MT/R tires which are am excellent off-road tire and not bad on the road either.

The Hammers - two very rugged trails in California where serious rock crawlers drive their Jeeps. One trail is called Jack and the other Sledge.

lift - Any modification which raises the body higher off of the ground. There are body lifts and suspension lifts. A body lift uses spacers to move the body higher off of the frame so that the fenders are raised and can fit larger tires under them. A suspension lift replaces shocks, coil springs, and usually includes other modifications which raise the frame higher off of the ground and provides more clearance between the bottom of the Jeep and the ground.

lift envy - You get your Jeep lifted 2" and put on 32's, and then you sit at a red light next to a Jeep with 4.5" of lift, beautiful red spring coils, and big-ass wheels on it that you can barely see over. He looks down at you, you look up at him, and you begin planning to trash your current lift and upgrade to 4.5" of lift. And yet you've been offroad once to pull into a dirt road for 100 yards at a campsite with paved parking spots. That would be lift envy.

locker - a device which goes into the differential housing which forces both wheels on each side to turn at the same rate. This is thought to improve off-road performance by many, and so they are sought after. An axle that has a locker in it is frequently referred to as "locked."

meats - tires

MML - Motor Mount Lift. Replacing the mounts for the engine inside the engine compartment is used by many to restore drive-train alignment following a suspension lift to reduce drive-train vibration caused by the slip yoke design of driveshaft.

mod - short for modification. Any sort of enhancement or mechanical change to your Jeep is considered a mod. Lifts, new and different tires, different headlights, foglights, or high performance brake pads could all be considered mods.

MT's - Mud Terrain tires. MT tires have large lug patterns with big gaps which allow the tire to clean itself while turning in mud. These usually have good performance off-road, loud on streets and poor grip during the rain.

MT/R's - Goodyear's very expensive Maximum Traction/Reinforced tires. They are designed primarily for rock crawling, but they work pretty good in most off-road situation and on the street too.

OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer. This refers to parts which are branded and sold as "official" parts for your Jeep. Usually these are Mopar brand parts for a Jeep Wrangler TJ. The stuff your Jeep came with from the factory is all OEM. Anything you put on your Jeep or replace on it is referred to as "aftermarket", a modification, or an enhancement. cf. stock. Do not confuse with OME.

OME - Old Man Emu. A suspension lift system which is highly regarded as providing a ride that is very close to the comfort level of a stock Jeep. Some claim it is better, some say they don't really feel a big difference between it and some other lifts.

P225 - 225mm passenger tire. The stock or OEM tire sold on most Jeeps.

part time 4 wheel drive - a four wheel drive system that cannot be used on dry pavement because the system is designed for maximum grip and torque. Without the ability to slip a little, drivetrain components may be ruined when driven on dry pavement. Jeeps come with part time 4 wheel drive.

poser - A Jeep owner who places modifications on his Jeep that he will never use strictly for the purpose of having a particular "look." For example, placing a snorkel, winch, big tires, high lift, and then never driving anywhere more rugged than a shopping mall parking lot qualifies a Jeep owner as a poser.

pumpkin - differential. Differentials are referred to as pumpkins because of their shape.

RE - Rubicon Express. A company that makes low-cost suspension upgrades which are very popular among Jeep enthusiasts.

regear - to change the gear components in the differentials. Jeeps come with 3.07, 3.73, and 4.11 gearing standard in the differentials depending on the model you purchase, the transmission it has, and the type of engine. When larger tires are put on, the axle does not turn as far to go the same distance as before. Therefore, the gears in the differential receiving the drive shaft (also known as ring and pinion) are now the wrong ratio. The bigger the tires, the bigger the ratio you want. Manual transmissions with 33's usually go for 4.56 gears. It is very expensive to regear - usually $500 per differential or more - mostly labor charges.

rig - a Jeep

rock crawling - driving a Jeep very slowly on a trail which traverses rocky terrain and boulders.

rockers - rocker panels. These are the panels beneath the doors that usually require protection from bending during serious off-roading. Rockers is also used to refer to the protection devices placed on the rocker panels.

Rubi - Rubicon. The TJ comes in two models: Wrangler and Rubicon. The Rubicon has everything that your greedy little heart desires in a Jeep except 35x12.5 tires. It comes stock with 31x10 tires, 16x8 wheels, a heavy-duty transfer case, an SYE installed, Dana 44 axles, and electronically controlled air lockers on the axles that can be locked and unlocked from a switch on the dashboard. Ahhhh. Pure Rubicon goodness. Too many of us foolishly purchased Sports or X models without realizing that we wanted a Rubicon until it was too late. Get the Rubicon.

silica injection device - a derogatory reference to high-performance air filtration systems used by some in the hope of acquiring more horsepower at higher RPM's

sipe - to cut extra grooves into a thick tire tread for better on-road performance on wet streets. Tires that are mud terrain style usually have huge lugs on them and big spaces to help the tire clear mud, but are notorious for not gripping wet streets very well. Therefore, some places offer a service of cutting extra grooves into the lugs to make the grip better. Some claim they also get better mileage out of the tires after this procedure. Done incorrectly, the lugs will chunk off in big pieces and the tires will be ruined.

skids - metal armor or plates bolted to the bottom of the Jeep in order to protect underside components from damage from rocks or trees when off-roading. The TJ comes with skids which protect the transfer case and transmission standard. The engine and oil pan, however, are unprotected, and often upgraders will put pre-fabricated metal plates under their oil pans, steering assemblies, and other components to protect them from damage. The gas tank has a skid, but it is consider a low-quality item and is frequently replaced.

SOA - Spring Over Axle. This is a conversion from the leaf-spring suspensions of the CJ and YJ to the superior coil spring type suspension found in the TJ.

speedo - speedometer. Usually used in reference to getting a new speedometer gear. Most Jeeps with manual transmissions require a new speedometer gear when bigger tires are mounted on them, because the speedometer gear is calibrated to tell the speed of the car based on rotations of the drive train, and to make this calculation, it has a certain number of teeth in it which are specially configured to match the size of the tires.

square box - A Jeep

stealership - a Jeep dealership. Dealerships are notorious for charging outrageous prices for simple mechanical maintenance tasks that do not require much effort or skill. They are also reputed to frequently deny that there is a problem with a Jeep when it is in warranty, and then fail to provide warranty coverage when the part fails after warranty. Because of their bad reputations, they are often referred to in Jeep communities as "stealerships."

steelies - black, steel wheels for a Jeep. Real off-roaders don't like bling-bling.

stock - Usually used to refer to a Jeep as delivered by the dealership without any modifications. All original equipment is a stock vehicle. cf. OEM

stuff - to place tires underneath a Jeep. "I want to stuff bigger tires under my Jeep, but I don't have enough lift."

suspension lift - lifting the frame of a Jeep higher off of the ground by replacing coil springs and shocks with newer, longer, stronger equipment.

SYE - slip yoke eliminator. Replacing the driveshaft of the Jeep underneath with one that does not have a slip-yoke. A CV drive shaft can extend and retract like a shock absorber, allowing it to adjust to a change in vehicle lift with flexibility. The stock driveshaft has a slip yoke and usually causes vibrations when more than 2" of lift are added to the Jeep's suspension.

t-case drop - the practice of lowering the transfer case (box the drive shaft comes out of) in order to correct drive train angles after a significant suspension lift (usually more than 2"). Suspension lifts often cause vibrations (see vibes) because the drive shaft is now angled into the rear differential incorrectly. Lowering the transfer case restores the line between the engine, transmission, transfer case, and rear differential. Dropping the t-case involves lowering it on a floor jack and then inserting washers in between the skid plate that supports it and the frame, then raising it back up and tightening the bolts. Also called a TC Drop.

TC - transfer case. A box behind the transmission assembly which connects the front and rear driveshafts together or not depending on settings. The Jeep transfer case is used to relign the front driveshaft left and right engaging four wheel or two wheel drive depending on the alignment.

TJ - "Today's Jeep". The Jeep Wrangler TJ was produced from 1997-present.

tranny - Transmission.

wave - also called a Jeep Wave. When Jeep Wrangler TJ, YJ, or CJ owners pass each other on the road, they usually wave to each other. This is both a Jeep marketing ploy and a beloved tradition among Jeep owners which reflects the sense of community felt by them.

Wrangler - What Jeep enthusiasts almost never say to refer to a Jeep YJ or TJ. Chrysler markets the Jeep TJ and YJ as a "Wrangler" and places a sticker that says "Wrangler" in retro space-age looking type face on a decal on the vehicle. Jeep enthusiasts eagerly remove the decal and throw it away.

YJ - "Your Jeep". The Jeep Wrangler YJ was produced from 1986-1995.