Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2020 i Four Wheeler

THAT’S INTERESTING • Kelley Blue Book named the 2020 vehicles with the best resale value and some of them were the Jeep Wrangler, GMC Yukon, Toyota Tacoma and Tundra, and Chevy Silverado HD. • Fiat Chrysler and the City of Detroit are working together to paint the biggest murals ever to be found in the city, which will be located around the new assembly plant on the east side. • The ’21 Ram 1500 has a Snow Plow Prep package for $195 with a 220-amp alternator, power-sliding rear window with defroster, wiring harness for the plow, and removal of the air dam so that you can have plow mounts. • Mazda surveyed millennials. Results: “They would most like to hit the road for a trip, with 39 percent of respondents…

The 20th anniversary of Ultimate Adventure took place in Alaska in 2019. The 49th state is truly an amazing place, full of pristine wilderness, epic vistas, and plenty of off-road challenges. It’s also far away from the lower 48. Like, really, really, really far away. You even have to drive through another country to get there. Does 3,800 miles seem like a big number? Unless you’re an over-the-road trucker and drive for a living, it’s difficult to wrap your head around just how far that really is until you’ve driven that number of miles consecutively. And that’s only one way. Trekking to Alaska from the lower 48 is a pretty big road trip by just about any measure, so just getting to the 2019 Ultimate Adventure (UA) was an adventure…

So you bought a Ford Explorer for four-wheeling and overlanding. Now you’re wondering, was that a really bad idea to decide to build one? Yes. Well, no. It’s not the vehicle that’s the problem here; it’s the lack of aftermarket parts, if you ask Al Maurine, whom we met on our 2019 Four Wheeler Overland Adventure. He’ll tell you, “Do not build a Ford Explorer! Actually, I’ve had this conversation with all three of my sons. It’s way easier to buy a newer vehicle that has aftermarket support.” And that’s precisely what makes his ’01 Explorer a solid example of customization by way of mother of invention. But don’t read into any of this as negativity; Al calls his 4x4 a “tough machine.” On that note, it’s also the question…

“Custom awesomeness.” That’s how Todd Nonn described his ’12 Jeep Wrangler to us before participating in our 2019 Four Wheeler Overland Adventure East with his girlfriend Beatrix Hartmann. Once we saw the Jeep in action off-road and camping, we could see that was indeed accurate description-ness. Todd was not new to Jeeps when he plunked down money for this Wrangler when it was brand-new. “I have been interested in modified Jeeps and trucks since I was young. One of my best friends in high school got me started in the Jeep lifestyle. He had a ’95 YJ Sahara.” Todd was also not new to owning Jeeps before this Wrangler, as a ’97 TJ Sport became his ride at 17. “I took it on many memorable camping trips, spring break to…

Four Wheeler’s Adventure Expo 2020 kicked off in Costa Mesa, California, and brought over 10,000 attendees to the Orange County Fair & Event Center. Enthusiasts interested in rock climbing, fishing, hunting, overlanding, and many other outdoor pursuits gathered to learn new skills, get their hands on the newest adventure gear, and show off the machines that make their lifestyles possible. We joined the attendees for the weekend on a safari of our own and perused the show, searching out the most extraordinary rigs from the vendor booths and campgrounds to the parking lot and Adventure Rig Showcase area. Although we wish we had space for all of them, here’s a look at some of the outstanding vehicles we found during our time at the Adventure Expo.…

GO-FAST RANGER KIT The Prorunner Series 1 conversion package from Automotive Performance Group has everything you need to take your ’19-’20 Ford Ranger to a new level. The long-travel suspension system includes wider upper and lower control arms, a tie-rod extension kit, extended CV axleshafts, front hub-centric wheel rings and rear wheel adapters with additional lug nuts, and a winch-ready aluminum front bumper. The kit is said to add 10 inches to the Ranger’s width, give the truck 12.5 inches of suspension travel, and make space for 35-inch tires. Compatible with 2WD and 4WD models. INFO: Automotive Performance Group, 714/418-4455, automotiveperformancegroup.com TRAIL PRESSURE GAUGE Auto Meter’s new Jeep 60 PSI Tire Pressure Gauge is said to help maintain proper tire pressure, potentially increase fuel economy, improve ride quality, and reduce…

Tim Nichols was cross-rutted, stuck in two-wheel drive, and banging on the limiter. First gear, Reverse, First, Reverse, thinking “No way am I getting pulled out by my buddy’s Toyota,” as he tried to rock his way free of the muddy mess. That’s when Reverse exploded. But that’s the middle of the story. Back in his high school days, Tim’s ’99 Ford Ranger sported the closest-to-stock running gear it would ever see. After he purchased the truck he did some engine work to get the 4.0L V-6 running and lifted the truck’s independent front suspension four inches. Out back he swapped in an 8.8-inch axle from a Ford Explorer and put a Detroit Locker in the differential. The front diff got an Aussie Locker and the Ranger sat on 35-inch…

Every year, the King of the Hammers race comes to Johnson Valley, California, drawing thousands of off-road fans into the barren desert for multiple days. Think of it as the Super-Burning-Wood-Off-Road-Stock-Cup-Man-Bowl for vehicles that play in the dirt. The King of the Hammers off-road race, held on Friday of Hammers week, is lauded as the toughest one-day race on the planet, and is as much a testament to driver perseverance as it is to vehicular fortitude. While some trained their attention on the race course, we strolled through the community of campsites, affectionately dubbed “Hammertown, USA,” looking for the hard-core, trail-ready creations built, brought, (and oftentimes, beaten on) over the course of the week. Read on for some of the mind-blowing 4x4s we found during King of the Hammers 2020.…

It has been an interesting last few months without our normal cadence of travel due to the world’s ongoing health crisis, so you’ll notice that we haven’t rolled on quite as many miles for this report as usual and lots of shorter trips have skewed the fuel economy numbers down during this quarter. That being said, we thought we’d use this report to drill down on some of our most favorite and least favorite aspects of the Ram 1500 Rebel 12. Let’s start with the fact that the Rebel 12 is hands down one of the best all-around trucks we’ve ever tested or lived with. It continues to be a comfortable, solid performer that does anything we ask of it reliably and competently. Plus, it is still a head turner…

August 6-9 23rd Rubicon Trail Jeep Jamboree Where: The Rubicon Trail, California Hosted by: Jeep Jamboree USA Info: jeepjamboreeusa.com August 6-9 Sierra Trek Where: Truckee, California Hosted by: California Four Wheel Drive Association Info: cal4wheel.com August 7-9 Carlisle Truck Nationals Where: Carlisle, Pennsylvania Hosted by: Carlisle Events Info: carlisleevents.com August 8 Crash-A-Rama Where: Lancaster, Pennsylvania Hosted by: Buck Motorsports Park Info: buckmotorsports.com August 8-9 Truck & Jeep Fest Where: Long Beach, California Hosted by: 4Wheel Parts Info: 4wheelparts.com August 8-9 W.E. Rock Western Series Where: Goldendale, Washington Hosted by: Broken Boulder Farm Info: werocklive.com August 11-12 Old Dominion Jeep Fest Where: Spotsylvania, Virginia Hosted by: Big Snatch Off Road Info: olddominionjeepfest.com August 12-15 Maxxis Vegas to Reno Presented By Fox Where: Las Vegas, Nevada Hosted by: Best in the Desert…

I DON’T HATE THE V-8 I’ve owned a few trucks and muscle cars since getting my license at 16. I’m 57 now and care more about flawless operation and comfort than how fast my vehicles go, but power is always nice to have. Just the other day my wife and I were driving the interstate, a stretch with trees on both sides and between the two lanes on each side. We came up on three trucks, all pulling travel trailers about 30 feet in length. As we went by the first truck, the next one in line pulled into my lane to pass the lead truck. Of course, I had to slow down to let this unfold. At first, we were on flat ground, with the truck on the left…

Many off-road shops host events for their customers and suppliers. Maybe they throw a barbeque lunch at their shop, or put on a car show, or have an RTI ramp. By contrast, Roco 4x4’s annual Roco Adventure Week (RAW) started with skydiving and only got more interesting from there. Roco 4x4 staff, customers, and suppliers—such as JKS Manufacturing, Dana Crate Axle, and BDS Suspension—converged in Las Vegas for a week of wheeling, camping, and, like the name says, adventure. After skydiving in Jean, Nevada, and making high-speed runs across some dry lakebeds, the group of nine Jeeps visited the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame exhibit within the Terrible’s Hotel & Casino in Jean. From there, they turned north to play in the sand at Amargosa Sand Dunes before traveling through…

The owner of this ’08 Chevy Colorado 4x4 Crew Cab pickup purchased the truck with the intention of building it into a capable wheeling machine and camper. As luck would have it, the truck came equipped with a camper shell, so setting up the sleeping quarters with an air mattress and SUV tent completed the camping element of the equation. But when it came to wheeling, the stock suspension and wheels and tires left quite a bit to be desired. The truck needed an elevation change and better rubber and rims. After much research, the owner chose to lift the truck with Skyjacker’s 4-inch lift system, which consists of new front crossmembers, brackets, knuckles, brake lines, and hardware. The new steering knuckles ensure that the upper control arms retain the…

It’s common knowledge that lowering tire pressure spreads your rubber footprint and can generally add traction. However, the effect of tire pressure can vary based on the surface you’re traveling over. Ride comfort, plus overall stability and performance, fluctuates as the pressure is changed. We set out to try and get a better handle on these characteristics by running a new set of tires at increasingly lower tire pressures. We used a fresh set of General Grabber X3 tires, a mud-terrain tire available for light trucks and SUVs. The 37x12.50R17 Grabbers used for our testing were mounted on OMF beadlock wheels. Each tire weighs in at just shy of 80 pounds, and when mounted to our 9-inch-wide wheel, we measured it to be about 36.6 inches tall at street pressure.…

REDUCING THE ROAR Q After years of reading your magazine, I’m turning to you for tire advice. I have a ’70 Bronco that I have had since high school. The Bronco has been through many iterations and needs to be changed again to accommodate my changing tastes and my 2-year-old daughter’s hearing. I currently have two-chamber Flowmasters, a soft top, and second-generation 35-inch BFGoodrich KM2s. In an effort to slightly tame the noise, I’ll be switching to Flow FXs or MagnaFlows, which I’ll be turning out the corners. My question is in regard to tires. I know you have plugged the Mickey Thompson MTZ P3 as being a relatively quiet mud tire, but I was hoping for an actual decibel comparison among the MTZ, the new KM3, and the KO2.…

What makes Bill “Maverick” Golden’s Dodge A100 fascinating is not the list of exciting parts on the buildsheet but, instead, what’s been removed. Back in the May 1965 issue of Four Wheeler, we got up close with the rig that was, at the time, called the fastest truck in the world. Bill’s ’65 Dodge A100 could be had from the factory with a 170ci Slant Six making 101 horses or a 273ci V-8. However, the stock engine is nowhere to be found in the truck known as Little Red Wagon. To accommodate the 425hp fuel-injected Hemi, there was work to be done. The engine had to be mounted 20 inches further to the rear; the powerplant basically lived in the truck’s cargo compartment. To justify the weight increase from the…