Innehållsförteckning för May 2016 från Four Wheeler

XTERRA IFS LOCKER Q I have a ’14 Nissan Xterra Pro-4X that comes with an electric rear locker. I have lifted it 3 inches, added rock sliders, and replaced the front bumper with a winch bumper and a 12,000-pound winch. I also added a new front skidplate under the engine oil pan, which also protects the front differential. What are your thoughts on adding an ARB front locker or is there an electric locker you can put in the front differential? I have heard stories about a front locker causing possible front axle or CV joint problems on this style of front-drive system. Owners say I should upgrade to Titan components if I want to lock the frontend. It’s too bad these vehicles don’t have front locking hubs. This would…

IT’S A GREAT TIME TO BE IN THE MARKET FOR A new truck. While there’s been some serious movement in the truck market over past couple of years, 2016 is looking to be a standout. With a host of new technology, engines, and complete vehicle makeovers from both domestic and foreign manufacturers, finding a truck that fits your exact needs has just become a little easier. Of course, we wanted to know how the new-for-’16 field would hold up in our weeklong Pickup Truck of the Year battle, so we gathered them up for a battle royale. For those of you unfamiliar with our Pickup Truck of the Year (PTOTY) competition, here is a bit of background: PTOTY isn’t about awarding the truck that excels in one category but rather…

RANDOMLY POINT ANYWHERE ON the globe and it’s highly likely Four Wheeler has been there at least once during our five-plus decades. We’ve retraced historic routes, traversed where few have gone before, and met the natives, even the ones in our own backyard. Here are some of our favorite trips. “Hill Humpers Hollow” Mar. ’62 Four Wheeler’s first-ever event coverage was of the Hill Humpers Hollow at Superstition Mountain in southeastern California. We thought it was pretty extreme, and in 1962, it probably was, “with cars that are tuned for hillclimbing with V-8 engines, low-pressure tires, limited-slip differentials, it seems logical that this hill would be an easy mark. It just isn’t so … If anybody has conquered the king of Hill Humpers Hollow, it wasn’t easy.” “Idaho FWD Run!”…

ONE DAY, CALIFORNIA RESIDENT TONY BESSON MADE THE DECISION TO BUY A classic Bronco. Within a week, he had just what he wanted. “I lucked out on finding a rust-free rig within the state at a decent price,” he recalls. His newfound rig looked nothing like the finished rig you see here, and the buildup of the machine wasn’t without some drama along the way. “The ‘awesome’ factor of owning a classic Bronco was short lived for me. I blew the motor two weeks after purchasing my rig,” Tony says. The engine was rebuilt but soon swapped for a fuel-injected 351ci V-8 ’plant. That engine blew up as well (“Don’t ask,” he says). This led to the current engine, also a 351ci V-8, which Tony says is a “monster.” Tony,…

WE’VE ADDED 6,632 completely troublefree miles to our little Jeep since our last report, and no matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t upset our 2015 Four Wheeler of the Year during this quarter of testing. We made our first trip to the dealer for service at 8,500 miles, which, for $69.95, consisted of an oil and filter change, tire rotation, and reflash of the U-Connect system (fixed under warranty) to keep hackers from remote controlling the Jeep. We’re almost upset about not being able to find any problems with the vehicle, even after several months of hot weather, heavy traffic, SoCal commuter use, and weekend trips off pavement. We’ve even come to like all the modern driving aids and electronic wizardry. Finally, we have really started to appreciate what…

The 1990 Four Wheeler of the Year competition, which published in the Feb. ’90 issue of Four Wheeler, included four SUVs that were either all new or substantially revised. Comprising the test was the new four-door S-10 Blazer, new Ford Explorer, new four-door Nissan Pathfinder, and revised Toyota 4Runner. Interestingly, only the Explorer came to the test with an automatic transmission. The other three rigs were fit with five-speed manual transmissions. Also interesting is that each of the SUVs was equipped with a fuelinjected V-6 engine but not one engine made over 160 hp. Each of the SUVs was equipped with a part-time two-speed transfer case, independent front suspension, and solid rear axle. The Explorer and Blazer used rear leaf springs, while the 4Runner and Pathfinder were equipped with a…

EDITOR@FOURWHEELER.COM AUTOMOTIVE NEWS THAT’S INTERESTING The Ford Raptor is adding a SuperCrew model. Four doors, a longer wheelbase, and a slightly wider stance (but lighter in weight) than the current Raptor. What’s Audi Fit Driver? Nope, not an autonomous arm that smacks that doughnut out of your hand while you’re driving. “Audi envisions a future in which drivers leave their cars more relaxed than when they entered them,” Audi states. That means drivers wearing monitors that track heart rates and skin temps and combines it with data on driving style, breathing rate, traffic, and weather. Then the vehicle will customize the driving experience, such as a seat massage, tweaks to climate controls, and changes to interior lighting. New at the Windsor Public Library in Ontario, Canada, are automotive archives. This…

THE BEST PART IS THE COMMERCIALS, RIGHT? AT LEAST THAT’S HOW IT GOES with two things in life: the Super Bowl and Four Wheeler. The very first issue of Four Wheeler had ads promoting the magazine’s content and how to subscribe, plus the Nissan Patrol and Toyota Land Cruiser, both of which were featured in that issue. Take a gander at some of the most memorable ads since 1962. “PROMISE HER ANYTHING! BUT GIVE HER…FOUR WHEELER BACK ISSUES.” “CLIMBING INTO YOUR RIG THROUGH THE WINDOWS AFTER A BOULDER PINS YOUR DOORS SHUT IS OVERRATED.”…

WHEN CHRISTOPHER HUFSTETLER PURCHASED this ’84 M1009 K5 Blazer in 2009, it was bone-stock, had badly bent axles, a bent frame, the rear locker was shot, the transmission wouldn’t shift into gear, and the interior was trashed. On top of all that, the 6.2L diesel engine didn’t like to start in cold weather. So why did Christopher buy the ratted-out M1009? “I bought it because I had a lot of parts I could swap over from my old ’83 GMC truck that I’ve owned and wheeled for 12 years. Parts are cheap and easy to come by nationwide. I wanted something lighter and shorter wheelbase. Something clean bodied. Something that can handle just about any terrain and able to get out of tough spots without the assistance of others,” remarked…

WE’VE BEEN DRIVING our ’15 Ram Power Wagon every day, everywhere. Grocery store, highway, desert, inner city—it is tasked with it all. What we’ve been discovering is it’s still an easy truck to love every day; it’s just the parking and fuel bill that can get a bit aggravating. The big 6.4L Hemi is a thirsty sucker. The best mileage we could muster was 13 mpg on an all-freeway trip at a snail’s pace of 60-65 mph. In fact, if it weren’t for a disproportionately high number of freeway miles for this installment, the actual mileage for mixed driving would be somewhere in the high 9s to low 10s. That’s what we’ve been averaging over a normal week of in-town and freeway driving, but it takes a lot of gas…