Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2018 i Four Wheeler

What makes a good 4x4? Is it gobs of gooey suspension travel? Locker-equipped diffs? Massive ground clearance? Sick approach and departure angles? All of the above? By “good 4x4” I’m not referring to reliability in this piece, but rather functionality. My first 4x4 was a ’76 K5 Blazer, and I thought it was a good 4x4. It had a 4-inch lift and 36s (somewhat unusual in the early ’80s), which gave it good ground clearance for one of the biggest obstacles in my neck of the woods in northern Illinois farmland: deep snow. One time I went winter wheeling on unplowed seasonal rural roads with my friend who was driving his ’74 Dodge Ramcharger. His rig had no lift and stock-sized tires. The Ramcharger got stuck a lot—the K5 didn’t.…

IT ALL STARTED WITH A PHONE CALL. ENTREPRENEUR AND LONGTIME JEEP ENTHUSIAST WILLY C. of Miami, Florida, had an idea—overhaul a Jeep Wrangler JK into a one-off 6WD creation that, in his words, “would blow the doors off a G-Wagen.” With big power, big tires, and a big footprint, Willy knew a Jeep of this caliber would be a massive undertaking, so he reached out to friend and Jeep whisperer Jeff Garland at Bruiser Conversions in Clearwater, Florida, about taking on the project. While he saw its potential, initially Jeff declined the proposal based on the timeline and other workload. After more discussion they reached an agreement, and the six-month overhaul was green-lighted to prep the Jeep for the 2017 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Jeff’s shop is no stranger…

What’s New It’s always nice when you can talk about more power instead of additional bling when testing a new truck, and increased torque is the case with the 6.7L Cummins–powered ’18 Ram 3500. Three versions of the 6.7L Cummins I-6 turbodiesel engine are offered in the 3500, and power output depends on which transmission the engine is attached to. We tested the version with the new-for-2018 930 lb-ft of torque that’s mated to the AS69RC six-speed automatic transmission. This combination is only available in the 3500, and the 930 lb-ft of torque is a 30 lb-ft improvement over the 2017 model engine mated to the same transmission. The other two versions of the 6.7L generate 660 and 800 lb-ft of torque. In addition to that good news, the ’18…

If price and scoring didn’t matter, which of these 2018 PTOTY trucks would you like to own? That’s the question we asked this year’s judges, and we asked ’em to elaborate. Here are their responses. Stuart Bourdon, Jp Technical Editor This year our field of test vehicles included two Ram products and a midsize Chevy pickup. Two were diesel, but the pair could not have been more different, and the third was a nod to our nation’s agricultural heritage. Although there was a lot to like about all three, the Ram 3500 Limited was a powerful brute with calm highway manners, the Ram 1500 Harvest Edition was sleek and sporty, and the Chevrolet Colorado was gutsy and nimble. The one that would be most useful and enjoyable for me to…

“DOC, THIS IS HEAVY. THE CUMMINS R2.8 Turbo Diesel isn’t available to the public in the U.S. yet. Here it is though, under the hood of an ’85 Toyota Xtracab. Did we go back to the future?” Not quite. Walt Wagner, owner of Tactical Application Vehicles (TAV), holds one of the few exclusive contracts from Cummins that allowed his shop to beta test the four-cylinder R2.8 crate engine. Walt’s shop partner Marc, the lead mechanic on the build, explained to us one of the challenges of squeezing the Cummins diesel into an ’85 Toyota pickup engine bay. “It gets hot; there’s no space for heat to escape, which is why we added the hood cowl,” he says. Thanks to the additional airflow, a Champion aluminum three-core radiator with dual electric…

TRUCK TOP Rampage Products introduces the new TrailView Tonneau Top for the ’07-’17 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. It offers the look and function of a truck, without having to wait for the upcoming new Jeep pickup platform. The TrailView Tonneau Top is made of 30-ounce black diamond sailcloth and features a fold-back sunroof that can be opened from within the Jeep. The rear rain-tight curtain includes tinted side windows for better visibility. The rear window can be zipped open, delivering even more of the open-air experience. The tonneau cover zips into the rear curtain and can be easily removed. All three components can be used individually or in conjunction with each other. Each Rampage Products TrailView Tonneau Top comes with all necessary parts, hardware, and a three-year warranty. INFO: Rampage Products,…

BADLANDS OFF-ROAD PARK IS A RARE GEM BURIED IN THE MIDDLE OF MIDWEST CORN COUNTRY. Located on the outskirts of Attica, Indiana, the 800-acre venue makes use of an abandoned quarry and somehow possesses just about every type of terrain that exists in North America. There are frame-flexing sections of large rocks to crawl, shelved rock walls to climb, creeks to navigate, winding trails with hills, mudholes to play in, and plenty of sand to sling. In addition to the myriad of terrain offered at the Badlands, there are color-coded trails suited for nearly every skill level, from beginner to expert. After a seven-year hiatus, the Rough Rangers Off Road Club (RRORC) decided to bring back an old event (coined “Chubfest”) in a familiar place—and we got the invite to…

What’s New Ram reimagined the 1500 for 2018 and delivered a truck sure to please the agricultural community. It’s called the Harvest Edition and it was created with input from farmers. It’s available in New Holland Blue (like our tester) or Case IH Red, as well as other colors. The list of standard equipment included with the Harvest Edition package is quite lengthy and includes a bumper step, wheel mudflaps, chrome grille, black tubular side steps, and front suspension and transfer case skidplates. However, the biggest qualifier for the 2018 PTOTY competition was the coil-spring suspension with new 1-inch lift. Under the hood of our tester was the optional 5.7L V-8 Hemi engine, which dumped its 395 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque into the eight-speed 8HP70 automatic transmission. Our…

What’s New When you show up to Four Wheeler’s Pickup Truck of the Year competition sporting an electric rear locker, you’re firing a warning shot across the bow of all the other competitors. Add in an electric front locker, and you’ve upped it to fisticuffs. Sprinkle in a flexy suspension with Multimatic Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve dampers (super-high-zoot shocks) that soak up the bumps, high-clearance front and rear bumpers, and solid rocker armor, and you’ve just delivered a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick to the temple of every other pickup in the event. But wait, there’s more. If you pick yourself up off the floor and act now, the ZR2 will throw in 255/65R17 Goodyear DuraTrac tires on 17x8-inch alloy wheels and a unique interior and exterior treatment. Additionally, the ZR2…

RAM TRUCKS HASN’T BEEN AFRAID TO PROVE the off-road prowess of its 4x4s. For the past several years, the company has used the Overland Expo West in Flagstaff, Arizona, as the jumping-off point for backcountry adventures with journalists. This year, the company invited us to pilot the 3⁄4-ton Power Wagon and 1⁄2-ton Rebel on a dirt trip through the Arizona desert, hills, woods, and backroads to the historic Gold King Mine Ghost Town in Jerome, Arizona. The 2017 route wasn’t overly difficult. Most of the year, a stock 4x4 could traverse all of the trail, so we packed our Magellan TRX7 to track the entire route. You can see the map and follow our path on trxtrailhead.com (bit.ly/2pslv29). To the untrained eye, the Gold King Mine Ghost Town is just…

THAT’S INTERESTING Land Rover turns 70 years old in 2018, so the automaker chose to celebrate the milestone by restoring an original Land Rover. Actually, it is the original, the one used to launch the vehicle at the 1948 Amsterdam Motor Show. No one knew where “Launch Land Rover” disappeared to for the longest time, which seems creepy. But then they found it. In a garden. It’s being called as “historically important as ‘Huey,’ the original production Land Rover”—aka Hue 166. The restoration will include fixing up the removable rear tub, a feature that never made it to mass production. ALG’s 2018 Residual Value Awards go to: Toyota, for the Tundra and Tacoma in fullsize and midsize pickup categories, respectively, as well as to the Sequoia for fullsize utility. The…

IT’S A COMMON OCCURRENCE WHEN DRIVING off-road. You press the gas pedal only to see one of your drive wheels on each axle sitting motionless while the other spins. Is the axle broken? Hopefully not. You’re just suffering from a case of open differentials—standard equipment on many 4x4s. Open differentials are helpful on pavement, allowing your vehicle’s inner and outer wheels to spin at different speeds when cornering. Take them off-road, however, and they can spell disaster when one wheel finds its way into the air or a mud puddle. How do we solve this dreadful differential dilemma? Thankfully we have a wide selection of traction aids you can install on your 4x4. LOCK ’EM UP The simplest way of stopping wheelspin in low-traction situations is to lock the differential,…

IF YOU’RE A PICKUP TRUCK FAN, THEN YOU’RE going to love the 2018 Pickup Truck of the Year competition. The trio of trucks represents a wide variety of cargo bed–equipped goodness. The lineup includes a midsize truck, a 1⁄2-ton truck, and a 3⁄4-ton truck. Gotta love it. Back in 1989, Four Wheeler created Pickup Truck of the Year (PTOTY) as a spinoff event from our Four Wheeler of the Year competition, which began in 1974 and included trucks and SUVs. By the late ’80s, the SUV world had grown by leaps and bounds, so we split the test into two parts and created specialized scoring for each. The goal for the two tests remained the same: introduce, disseminate, and test the latest and greatest four-wheel-drive vehicles. It’s a mission that…

We began our weeklong 2018 Pickup Truck of the Year test in Los Angeles by measuring each vehicle’s ramp travel index (RTI) to determine suspension articulation. We then traveled to Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, California, where we used a RaceLogic Performance Box to gather acceleration and braking data. From the track we convoyed to the desert via paved roads, along the way gathering important data regarding ride, handling, and fuel efficiency, among other things. For the next three days we spent time in every type of driving situation you can imagine. From stop-and-go city driving to wide-open highway. Since our focus is on off-road performance, we spent the majority of time in the dirt, water, mud, sand, rocks, and snow. Each day of driving began shortly after sunup and…

WHENEVER A NEW JEEP WRANGLER IS introduced, enthusiasts and the aftermarket rush to be the first to make modifications, and the all-new ’18 Jeep Wrangler JL is no different. The challenge is identifying what should be improved upon and what can be left alone. The modifications needed for the outgoing Wrangler model may not necessarily be what’s needed on the new Wrangler. For example, the new JL Rubicon is said to fit 35-inch tires stock, it has a massive 1.58-inch–diameter tie rod and draglink, and is available with an optional off-road–worthy steel front bumper. Because of the bigger wheel openings, lift kit sizes for the JL will surely need to be different than what’s available for the JK. It seems as though many of the things on the JK that…

WE’VE ALL SEEN THEM. MAYBE YOU ARE ONE! You know, the guy that wheels with every spare part and tool known to man. When a rig breaks, he’s the first one to offer help welding, fabricating, replacing parts, or creatively corncobbing. Those guys deserve a hats-off, and at least a couple of fireside cold ones. However, as impressive as they are, if Marine veteran Tom Price ever shows up with this rig, they will be outmatched. We all know the military has to operate vehicles in remote areas, away from normal parts and repair facilities. Most four-wheelers have done that too, of course. The military prepares by having the means to keep its vehicles up and running no matter what, and this 1969 setup shows how it was done in…

What is the most difficult 4x4 race in the world? Some will argue that it’s Mexico’s Baja 1000; others will name the Dakar Rally that runs between Peru and Argentina. After our trip to Malaysia for the Rainforest Challenge, we agreed this race deserves its spot on that list. Back in April 2007, we covered the Rainforest Challenge, which for those unfamiliar, is quite different from what is considered a normal off-road race. Forget what you know about simple dirt tracks and strings of dusty whoops, because the competitors in Malaysia subjected themselves to a different kind of torture. Drivers ventured into the jungle from across the globe—Holland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Mexico, Indonesia, Philippines, China, Thailand, and Korea—with purpose-built rigs ranging from Land Rovers to Toyotas. What set this…