Product Reviews

Tires are one of the most important purchases you will make for your 4x4. They are the foundation to good performance both on the street and on the trail. A wrong choice haunts you for as long as the tires last...

Start thinking about high performance and the name Gale Banks usually isn't far behind. While he may be known for powering drag trucks - his diesel-powered Sidewinder Chevy S-10 recently clocked 7. 72 seconds at 179...

  This was a different tire introduction than what Off-Road Adventures magazine usually gets invited to. Not like last year's BFG intro of their then new Mud Terrain T/A KM2 where Jim Allen got to take it through the paces off-roading in Utah. This is a BFG tire of a different nature and purpose...

While the domino theory typically refers to a foreign policy, the concept also has an application that's closer to home. It goes something like this: You put a lift kit on your truck or SUV so it climbs over tall boulders in a single bound. This super-sized suspension makes room for larger wheels and tires, which also help in tackling tough terrain with improved traction...

SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY and the need for better fuel economy have contributed a significant boost to the image of the diesel engine. Now, auto industry analysts expect these hightorque, durable engines will continue to conquer the hearts and minds of truck buyers of all sorts. These include offroad enthusiasts who crave low-rpm power for both 'wheeling and towing...

We'd like to think you want more than a truck that just looks good in the driveway but if that's all you need, you can turn these pages to the next story. If you want to have as much show as go along with something you can actually drive day to day, read on.   Step One: Tread Rightly! The tread design you choose dictates performance on the street and on the trail...

IF YOUR RIG’S interior is old, cracked and broken, with all the life sucked out of it, Coverlay Manufacturing, Inc. of San Angelo, Texas comes to the rescue with their dash covers, door panels and armrests that can transform that desiccated interior into good as new condition. Coverlay started humbly enough more than 25 years ago when Paul Cornwell saw the need for replacement dash covers...

AYBE YOU HAVEN'T MADE THIS MISTAKE, but chances are, you know a lot of 4x4 buddies who have. They buy a nice Jeep to take off-road. It's not new, but it's solid and intact with no glaring defects like fluids dripping spots on the road...

The Detroit Locker was initially developed during World War II by Thorson. After the War, the company changed its name to Detroit Engineering and began marketing its locker to the aftermarket. Detroit Engineering became Tractech, Inc...

WHAT DO YOU CALL A PERSON TRAINED AND EDUCATED IN THE ART AND SCIENCE OF LUBRICANTS AND THE REDUCTION OF FRICTION IN MOVING PARTS? A TRIBOLOGIST. NO, WE’RE NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU A TRIBOLOGY DEGREE, BUT THE NEXT THREE EPISODES OF FINESSE WILL GIVE YOU ENOUGH INFO TO MAKE YOU DANGEROUS AT THE LOCAL QUICK LUBE! SYNERGY — The Big Picture Synergy is all about making the ingredients in a lubricant hold hands and sing Kumbaya. The base oil and additives must be compatible with each other and for their given application...

One of the most commonly asked performance questions is, "what's first?" The answer can vary somewhat from vehicle to vehicle, but most often it's the exhaust system. We aim to give you the 101 course on exhausts and tell you how and why they can give you an increase in performance and mileage at the same time. Cooler running under load and increased engine life are side benefits...

There are two worlds, everyday and racing. While the performance principles are exactly the same for both, the way they are applied is different. Pipe diameter is one such area of difference...

THE AVERAGE 4X4 HAS AT LEAST TWO SHIFTERS. SOME HAVE THREE AND OTHERS HAVE FOUR OR MORE. THESE CONTROLS ARE SOME OF THE MOST USEFUL ITEMS YOU HAVE IN THAT BOX OF TOOLS YOU CALL A 4X4...

There's finesse in using the clutch and there's finesse in picking a replacement for the one you finessed to death. The clutch is a very hard worked part of a manual trans-equipped 4x4. On a street rig, getting 100K miles out of a clutch is fairly easy...

IN A WORLD of heart stopping fuel prices, where big American pickup guys are looking enviously at Suzuki Samurais, it’s time to talk once again about fuel economy. This time, we’ll talk about it in terms of gearing. What Happens When You Build Up A 4x4 buildup always involves three things; bigger tires, more height and more weight...

The first days with new tires are a honeymoon all right but, as with every long-term relationship, there are practical issues to be addressed if you want it to last. With a tire upgrade your most immediate need is finding the correct street tire pressures. We addressed this topic back in 2002 and found that it was one of our most requested back issue stories, so it's long overdue for a fresh look...

Last time we focused on the stuff from which lube oil is made. This time we'll focus on arming you with the information you need to make a good oil selection.    A sample of a viscosity chart that covers various temperatures for multigrade oils...

Lubricants are key to the long life of your 4x4. They also have an influence on performance and economy, so you can get a double dose of good by upgrading. In Parts 1 and 2 we gave you the 101 course on lubricants...

In this final installment on the ‘80-86 Ford 3/4 and 1-tons, we cover the drivetrain. These trucks are reasonably well endowed in this area, with improvements relatively easy. Stock Transmissions There are only four options...

Finesse 1-2-3- Ford, Part 2 Part 2- Suspension and Tires Even with no lift, there’s room for a 12. 50x33-16 or equivalent. The leaf spring TTB suspension is simple and relatively easy to lift but not a particularly supple or flexy setup...

The Evolution kit includes the programmer, dash pod and securing hardware, OBD2 data cable, USB computer cable, Fusion software CD and instructions. This product is CARB and EPA Certified.    Until recently, power was the end-all-be-all...

  Are you experiencing the following symptoms? You feel your stomach knot, your breathing constrict, your heart pound. That's a fairly typical condition the closer you get to your local gas station, especially when you spot the latest highway robbery taking place at the pump. Okay, there's obviously some sort of virus going around, as so many folks report having the same affliction...

The Powerstroke is a workhorse with a lot of power and torque built in for doing the tough duty of towing a big load. To handle the air flow, Ford fit the truck with a large OE air filter that does a good job of keeping the motor running strong. The design of the stock filter incorporates not only the filter element, but also the filter housing, making it a pricey replacement every time it needs changing...

AS 4X4 ENTHUSIASTS, we logically focus on off-road adventures and upgrades for our off-road rigs. But towing those rigs to the trailhead can sometimes turn into just as much of an adventure as scrambling over shale up a steep slope. If that trailer starts to bob up and down or swing like a pendulum because the tongue weight is wrong, your 4x4 could end up heading off the highway without you in it...

Ivan "Ironman" Stewart Ivan "Ironman" Stewart took his first step toward off-road racing legend status in one of those, "Put-me-in-da-game-coach!" movie moments. It was 1973 at the Ensenada 300. He was scheduled to co-drive with Bill Hrynko in a Class 2 buggy...

I don't know how many of you've ever been stuck in the mud on the way to work, but it's not as much fun as it sounds. Having experienced this unhappy situation my share of times while logging and farming, I can tell you hiking through the mud in the driving rain to fetch a tractor or skidder is not my ideal way to start the day. Perhaps even worse are those mornings when you are headed in to hunt a remote area and you know all this spooling winch line and thrashing about will lessen your chance to bag the game you are pursuing...

WINCH TECHNOLOGY seems to move slower than a custom rock crawler idling along in double-under four-wheel low-range. In the last 25 years, the biggest advances in winches have been pretty much relegated to the introduction of planetary gears, automatic reverse braking, heat-sensing relays and remote-control. Aside from those items - and minor cosmetic packaging - the electric winch has remained pretty much the same from manufacturer to manufacturer for decades - an electric motor connected to a drum that reels in cable...

  DynoMax is one exhaust manufacturer who delivers the entire equation for off-road enthusiasts - a whole exhaust system from the ports to the tail pipe, or just a cat-back system (from the catalytic converter back, hence the name), that both boosts performance and quiets the ride. DynoMax performance exhaust systems were introduced at the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) Show in 1986. The company basically sprang fully formed from the forehead of Zeus, or the automotive accessory equivalent - Tenneco Inc...

  Garages seem to inspire inventiveness. They inspire the handiwork of off roaders to create  something better or stronger that will enhance their vehicle of choice. ...

If you didn't catch our previous two issues, you missed out on an award-winning suspension upgrade for Toyota's FJ Cruiser. No matter, you can always order back issues, or check out our website (www. oramagazine...

PICTURE OFF-ROAD RACING RIGS roaring across dry lake beds and up rock strewn, eroded mountain passes. You can't identify these rigs, they're tiny pinpoints against a burnt umber landscape, but you can chart their course by the rooster tail of dust that fans out behind them like the contrail of an F-15. Now get carried away by this scene, and picture your own rig chasing this dust cloud through the desert...

  Bestop has been around for nearly 55 years. Originally, Tom Bradley stitched up fabric tops and side curtains for Jeeps during the slow periods at his Boulder, Colorado car-upholstery business. His story is like one of those garage-business bios we've shared in the past, but Bradley did it with class, later moving his Jeep-top business into an old school building with seven employees...

  Superchips built its reputation on providing significant horsepower and torque increases for light truck engines, helping off-roaders scramble their 4x4s up trails or add needed oomph to tow vehicles. Horsepower, torque - both desirable things in the category of "if a little is good, more is better. " That benefit still applies, but is now colored by the cost of gasoline...

JEEPS ARE MORE THAN JUST A VEHICLE, more even than sturdy off-road workhorses — they’re a lifestyle. That piece of wisdom comes from Tom Richardson, head of Warrior Products in Tualatin, Oregon, near Portland. What he means is that there’s a joie d’vie about the little WWII veterans...

Grille guards, steps, push bars, roof racks - what would a serious off-road rig be without one or more of these 4x4 badges of courage? It would just be a truck, a weekend honey-do, a hauler of potted plants, a vehicular wimp with no serious dirt creed. Any self-respecting 4x4 would appreciate some protection from the nicks, dings and smashed headlamps it may receive from tangling with sagebrush and rocky trails. That nifty lift's few extra inches now require extra leg lift to get your fat rump into the beast, but a set of step bars will help get you into the driver's seat...

Warn Industries and recreational off-roading share a heritage that began with a fleet of Jeeps, both the new models and those WWII veterans assimilated into civilian life. Jeeps grew into the premier off-road rig with an uncanny ability to stay on the trail. Meanwhile, Warn grew to be synonymous with the winch, one of the tools that retrieved the Jeep when it occasionally slipped off that trail...

Automotive performance enthusiasts are all good people, for the most part. Trouble is, those hot rodders, drag strippers and drifters fall into the general category of asphalt jockeys. These guys and gals don't fully appreciate the level of skill and performance off-roading requires...

There are no set standards for the diameter and design of the mounting surface, the tire's bead. A few thousandths of an inch can mean the difference between de-beading a tire under low-pressure rock crawling, or ending up on your lid during high-speed cornering at medium pressure. Greg, our 4 Wheel Parts tire guy, said the M/T required a bit higher psi that other brands to seat the bead, reflecting tighter bead tolerances from the factory...