Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2015 i Four Wheeler

38 SPECIALS Mickey Thompson has introduced an innovative new wheel line developed with six-time Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS) champion Brian Deegan. The Deegan 38 wheels are available in two exceptional styles for truck, SUV and Jeep: the Pro 2 Black and the Pro 4 Black. Our favorite is the heavy-duty Deegan 38 Pro 4 Black (shown), which features a race-inspired eight-spoke design with a two-stage matte-black finish and branded pop-top centercap for both two- and four-wheel drive vehicles. The Pro 4 Black is available in 15 to 17-inch fitments and carries a limited lifetime warranty as well as a one-year finish warranty. INFO: Mickey Thompson, 330/928-9092, mickeythompsontires.com MINI MAXI COOL Perma-Cool’s new Maxi-Cool Junior Transmission Cooler provides optimum cooling in a compact design. The 1⁄2-inch tubes feature…

YOU CAN COUNT OF CERTAIN THINGS TO HAPPEN EVERY YEAR. IN SUMMER, the days grow long and the weather heats up. In autumn, the leaves fall from the trees. In winter, the days grow shorter and the nights longer. And in spring, Jeep unveils some pretty cool concept builds at Moab Easter Jeep Safari. These creations are always awe-inspiring pieces of art, mechanical ingenuity, and design genius. Full credit to Jeep head of design, Mark Allen, and his team for locking in on essential elements that Jeep purists hold near and dear and tastefully incorporating them into modern Jeep offerings. That’s right; these buildups begin life as regular old Jeep vehicles straight off the factory lot. And with few exceptions—an engine swap or perhaps upgraded axles—many of the concepts’ drivetrain,…

WITH OUR ANVIL JEEP WRANGLER project already delved into, “capable” was something we already had in the bag. Our shiny new Rubicon Wrangler had already been outfitted with a Rock Krawler 2.5 X-Factor Stage 1 mid-arm suspension kit and 35-inch Toyo Open Country MTs on AEV Pintler wheels. With a good amount of travel, both axles locked, and some aggressive 35-inch tires, “go anywhere” was really starting to mean something. But that was only Part 1. Next, Jeeps R Us in Laguna Beach, California, was about to give our Anvil JK project an AEV makeover. American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) has some of the finest Jeep and truck modifications available in the automotive aftermarket. The company has built itself to be a one-stop shop for most of the accessories you’d want…

NOWADAYS IT’S NOT UNCOMMON TO SEE diesel pickups equipped with Wi-Fi, power folding mirrors, heated and air-conditioned seats, and enough exterior chrome to blind a subterranean gopher. All those niceties aren’t cheap. In fact, upper trim-level 3⁄4 and 1-ton pickups with window stickers around $80,000 aren’t unheard of. Just visit any of the Big Three’s dealership lots and you’d think nobody makes a low-option diesel pickup with a price tag under $50,000. In fact, Ford and Chevy don’t even offer a 3⁄4 or 1-ton pickup with a manual transmission anymore. Nevertheless, Ram knows there are those who still prefer to row their own gears. We got our hands on a low-optioned 2015 Ram 2500 Tradesman Crew Cab 4x4 Long Box with vinyl seats, rubber floor mats, a six speed manual…

BACK IN 2012, AN IDEA WAS HATCHED THAT WOULD GATHER FULLSIZE TRUCKS for a special trail ride during the Easter Jeep Safari (EJS) in Moab. The architects of the idea, Stephen Watson, John Cappa, and Jerrod Jones, pitched the proposal to the fullsize wheeling community and 20 fullsize rigs showed up at the rally point to run the Poison Spider Mesa trail. Thus began the annual Fullsize Invasion, which has been become an annual event during, but not affiliated with, EJS. It was genius, really. Everyone knew that there were fullsize 4x4s in the Moab area during EJS week, but they were often lost in the sea of shor-twheelbase Jeeps scooting around the trails. The Fullsize Invasion offered the opportunity for like-minded folks to get together and celebrate the large-and-in-charge…

THERE ARE OFF-ROAD RIGS OF DAYS GONE BY that deserve to be forgotten, but some of those are just too interesting to forget. Case in point: the Davis 494X. Never heard of it? It was a reasonably wellexecuted take on an utterly flawed concept created by a guy who had trouble delivering on his promises. But it was neat! It all started late in 1945 when a flamboyant SoCal car salesman named Glenn “Gary” Davis acquired a custom three-wheeled car built some years earlier by legendary race car builder Frank Kurtis for an eccentric millionaire. This exotic custom instilled Davis with an unstoppable urge to fill the world with three-wheeled cars, and when Davis was enthusiastic, he was contagious. The standard cargo capacity was 750 pounds, about the same as…

WE’RE OFTEN AMAZED BY THE LACK OF regular trailer maintenance that some people seem to get away with. The funny part is the owners act all surprised when a tire blows or a wheel bearing lets go. There are usually many signs that something is wrong long before the actual failure. Trailering your 4x4 to the trailhead or weekend getaway has become increasingly popular over the years. With a quick once over on a regular basis, you can avoid the hassle of your trailer doing its best to undermine your four-wheeling vacation. 1. There are a lot of different opinions on which tires are optimal for trailer use. In most cases, a trailer-specific tire will work best. Check the tire pressure regularly. The biggest killers of trailer tires are non-use…

CHEVROLET AND GMC C/K SERIES TRUCKS WERE INTRODUCED FOR THE ’60 model year, but Chevy had been in the pickup truck business for over three decades at that point. The “C” trucks were 2WD models and the “K” trucks 4WD models. These trucks would be in production through 1998, when the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra names would replace the former model designations. Of course, these trucks were available in load ranges from 1⁄2-ton to 1-ton. The fullsize trucks were initially built more for utility, equipped with straight axles and V-8 engine options. Over time, the pickup truck would start to focus more on comfort and style, while retaining its innate pickup performance. We’ll take a look more closely at the 1⁄2-ton 4WD versions of this popular full-size truck. 1st…

THAT’S INTERESTING What’s not on the outside counts. Ward’s named the 10 best interiors for 2015, and they included the Ford F-150 King Ranch, GMC Canyon SLT, and Jeep Renegade Limited. Porsche and Apple Watch are an item. Porsche has made it so that its Car Connect can be utilized through Apple Watch, allowing for info on vehicle status and some areas to be monitored, like controlling the windows or Carfinder for location help. Ford is offering a factory-installed strobe warning light on the ’16 Super Duty. It can be seen from 1,000 feet away. The intended audience is municipal crews or construction types. The ’15 Ford F-150 SuperCrew got a five-star overall vehicle score in NHTSA crash tests. Hello, aluminum. Hello, Future Vehicle Buyers. Autotrader studied you and found…

THIS YEAR, TEN’S FOUR WHEELER NETWORK ENDEAVORED TO HIT YOU WITH an online Moab media blitz, providing daily live coverage video, photos, and story updates of what was happening during Easter Jeep Safari in Moab. Organizing the manpower for something like this isn’t easy (or inexpensive), so to get enough boots and tires on the ground, we opened the door to some sponsorship. But we didn’t invite just anybody with deep pockets aboard. Lots of companies make parts for off-road vehicles. Why? Because 4x4s are a hot market and there’s money to be made. Some look at what’s trending and barf out parts from a chintzy manufacturing plant, sell it through an e-commerce site, and rake in the profits while ignoring the customer service line ringing off the hook. On…

WINSLOW BENT AND THE TEAM AT LEGACY CLASSIC TRUCKS IN Wilson, Wyoming, have been kicking out some incredible restored and customized vintage Dodge Power Wagons over the years, and one of the latest and greatest is this ’42 Dodge WC-63 Power Wagon 6x6. The rig was built for a customer, who “wanted something a little different,” says Winslow, the founder of Legacy Classic Trucks. A little different is what the customer got. This isn’t just a faux 6x6 with only one rear axle driving—this is the real deal. “We wanted a true 6x6, not a dummy axle in the rear,” says Winslow. To accomplish that, the team at Legacy Classic Trucks procured a World War II-era ’42 Dodge 6x6 chassis and quite simply civilianized it with a ’46 Power Wagon…

IF YOU’RE LIKE US, YOU PROBABLY TRANSPORT running and non-running 4x4s on a trailer fairly regularly. The process of getting your 4x4 on and off the trailer may seem like a simple task, but it can quickly become a nightmare if something goes wrong or you lose a ramp. Having loaded and unloaded many different car hauler and equipment trailers over the years, we’ve learned one thing for certain: loading ramps make your life a lot easier. Oh sure, your bigtired 4x4 can drive right up onto your trailer without ramps, but what about when it’s broken? Most car hauler trailers don’t come with ramps, but you can order them as an option. The ramps are typically stowed away where they rattle in carriers on the underside of the deck.…

So long, Silverado HERE IN CALIFORNIA, MOST people don’t realize how good a fullsize truck is when used on a daily basis. Unfortunately, it’s a land ruled by the Prius, and most people think pickups are just for cowboys and plumbers—stiff riding with dismal fuel economy. They’re missing out because our year with the big Chevy 1500 has proven that a 1⁄2-ton pickup is the perfect way to get around California with a family and toys and still achieve respectable economy. We’ve learned a lot about the truck during our time together, and to sum it up, we’re not happy to have to give it back. The perfect bookend to this truck’s year with us was another trip partway across the country to support our sister brand’s (Diesel Power) event,…

We love talking about fullsize trucks. This is nothing new. As a matter of fact, 10 years ago, in the May ’05 issue of Four Wheeler, we were talking about the world’s biggest production pickup truck: the International CXT. You remember the CXT, right? How could you forget? The CXT was in production for four years, and we tested it in early 2005. The CXT we flogged was the four-door version (it was also available in an extended cab), but no matter which version you got, both cabs were air ride, just like the big-rigs. This is no coincidence, considering the CXT was basically a big-rig, just with a Ford-sourced pickup bed. As a matter of fact, the frame of the CXT was the same as found under commercial trucks.…