Innehållsförteckning för June 2021 från Four Wheeler

JERED.KORFHAGE@FOURWHEELER.COM DID YOU KNOW? A STUDY FROM COPILOT (COPILOTSEARCH.COM) REVEALED THAT VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA; COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO; AND WICHITA, KANSAS; HAVE THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF VEHICLES PER PERSON OVER 16. WHO HAS THE FEWEST? THE TOP THREE IN THAT CATEGORY ARE NEW YORK, NEW YORK; BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS; AND WASHINGTON, DC. Bow Tie Dreaming Don’t get your hopes up (yet), these are only artistic renderings! Designer Jacky Zhan’s work appeared on the @generalmotorsdesign Instagram account, showing what the upcoming Chevrolet Silverado could look like. We noticed the increased ride height, larger wheelwells, and some similarity with the company’s Hummer EV. We might have also gotten lost in a daydream over this fantastical design from Instagram user @c_zr1 portraying their version of the Chevy Blazer. SUPER TRUCK CORNER Four Wheeler MOBILE Be sure…

It should surprise no one that the biggest news in the off-road truck world for the 2021 model year was the introduction of the Ram 1500 TRX. As the first real challenger to the Ford Raptor’s high-speed off-road crown, Ram came out swinging with a supercharged 6.2L V-8 engine packing a massive 702 hp. The TRX also sports a widened stance, 35-inch tires, 14 inches of wheel travel, and a set of high-tech Bilstein Blackhawk e2 dampers. All of this is wrapped in Ram’s already award-winning 1500 pickup. The TRX dominated just about every category of our test. The truck took second in off-road performance by less than half a point behind the Jeep Gladiator Mojave and scored first in every other judged category. Adding any other off-road feature, such…

SPONSORED BY What feels like long, long ago, we started building the 2020 Ultimate Adventure Long Range Jeep (UALRJ). It’s a nod to the Special Air Services (SAS) Jeeps that helped win World War II in North Africa. Our idea was to take the theme of these early, lightweight attack 4x4s (that inspired the Rat Patrol television show) and bring the design into the 21st century. Our plan was to follow the basic idea of a militarized, fast-attack Jeep that would make the WWII SAS veterans proud of what they accomplished while mixing in modern technology and keeping the WWII-era Jeep vibe. We accomplished our goals, although we still wish we could have attached a ton more gas cans to the rig for effect (the rig doesn’t need the extra…

JEREDKORFHAGE@FOURWHEELER.COM COMPASS WHEELS ICON Alloys announced the release of its Compass wheel that combines sharp concave lines with a vented lock ring and an eight-spoke design to improve the aesthetics and function of your truck, Jeep, or 4x4. The Compass wheel can be had in Satin Brass and Satin Black finishes. Backspace and wheel offset dimensions have been engineered to reduce scrub radius, which is said to improve your vehicle’s handling and ride quality. The ICON Alloys Compass also has a 2,750-pound load rating. INFO: ICON Alloys, 951/689-4266, iconvehicledynamics.com DEFENDER RACK Upgrade your ’20-up Land Rover Defender 110 for overland and off-road travel with this expedition-grade, low-profile roof rack from Voyager Offroad. The rack is designed specifically for the new Land Rover Defender 110 L663 vehicles and installs directly into…

“WE HAD PLENTY OF DIRT ROADS, RUTTED TRAILS, MILD ROCKS, STEEP CLIMBS, AND DEEP SAND WASHES TO WORK WITH.” Our Four Wheeler Pickup Truck of the Year scoring method uses six weighted categories as the means to declaring a winner. The rundown is as follows: 30 percent Trail Performance (evaluating each vehicle’s performance and off-road–centric features such as traction aids, tires, and four-wheel-drive system operation in a specific off-highway environment); 20 percent Highway Performance (vehicle handling, ride quality, steering feel, NVH, and so on); 15 percent Interior (instrumentation, ingress and egress, seat comfort, storage, appearance, stance, material choice); 10 percent Exterior (styling, appearance, and features); and 25 percent Empirical Data (acceleration, braking, quarter-mile, weight, pricing, fuel economy, and so on). These individual categories each contain a series of subsections to…

SPONSORED BY You can’t do it without them, and neither can we. They’re the brains behind the tires and trailers, recovery gear and rooftop tents, suspension and sway control, coolers, winches, and truck accessories that equip our trips into the wilderness. Every one of the companies you see here helped make Overland Adventure 2020 possible and the machines on these pages are purpose-built to walk the walk and put each company’s gear to the test. Read on for more about how each of the nine sponsors outfitted trucks, trailers, Jeeps, vans, and SUVs for overland adventures. ’19 Ford Ranger DRIVER: Mike Hallmark WEBSITE: hellwigproducts.com The lowdown: Attainable adventure was the goal with Hellwig’s ’19 Ford Ranger, and the company began this project by doing what it does best—upgrading the truck’s…

The current Nissan Frontier has been around since the ’05 model year. Let that sink in for a moment. The current truck will have been around about 16 years when the ’22 Nissan Frontier hits dealerships later this summer. Not only is that an eternity in truck years, but it also holds the record for the longest time one truck has hung around in the modern era. Even the ancient Toyota Tundra, which last received a meaningful update in 2007, is “only” 14 years old, and the first-generation Dodge Ram, which felt like a relic when it was finally replaced in ’94, was only around 13 years old. So, to put that in perspective, if you were born when the current-generation Frontier was released, you will be able to use…

EDITOR@FOURWHEELER.COM COLORADO TRD Here is a pic of my ’10 Tacoma TRD Off-Road with the 4.0L V-6 and six-speed manual. From TRD, I added a cold-air intake, performance exhaust, short-throw shifter, and skidplate. The 32-inch lightbar and LED fogs are from Cali Raised LED. The wheels are ’18 Tacoma and the tires are Falken Wildpeak AT3s. A pair of 2018 Bilstein struts and springs raised the front 1-inch and Bilstein 4600 shocks are in the rear. This pic was taken at the Pennsylvania Mill along Peru Creek near Montezuma, Colorado. BILL VIA EMAIL EYE-POPPING BRONCO Here’s my ’79 Bronco that I’ve had since 1982. It still has the original paint. There’s a Red Baron mural on the back. I was an avid goer to all the Jamborees in the ’90s.…

Following closely on the heels of our 2021 Four Wheeler SUV of the Year test, we bring to you the 2021 Four Wheeler Pickup Truck of the Year. While similar in concept, this test features off-road trails and locations that cater to the unique needs of large pickups. The program that you will see on the following pages is the apex of hundreds of hours of hard work that encompasses several months of planning and preparing. The days spent testing are long. We are up before sunrise and work until nightfall. Our judging panel comprises some of the most knowledgeable minds and able bodies in the off-road industry. They come to us with backgrounds in off-road, diesel, lifted, new, and classic off-road vehicles. This ensures that our judging staff is…

SPONSORED BY “Everyone wants a big military truck!” That’s what Guido Kimble will say if you ask why he ultimately chose the Stewart & Stevenson M1078 Light Medium Tactical Vehicle (LMTV). With a lifetime of off-road driving experience on his resumé, he knew he needed a pickup truck, but there was something about twisting a plastic knob to activate the four-wheel drive or shift the transmission that steered him away from newer 4x4s. Instead, he opted for a platform that, to him, was flexible and useful, something with maximum utility—the LMTV. “It’s a giant transformer truck,” Guido says as he dives into all of his machine’s out-of-the-box capabilities. Tasks like swimming through five feet of water, fending off chemical attacks, and being able to be carried via helicopter are only…

We all love bigger tires, unbreakable axleshafts, lockers, and deep axle gearing, but one of the most common Jeep front axles, the Dana 30, gets a bad rap for being weak. And while it’s no tank in a world of bread trucks (more of a light-duty bread van), with some work the Dana 30 can be used with 33- to 35-inch tires and maybe even cautiously with 37s. Of course, in stock form under heavy throttle attacks, lockers, and heavy rigs off-road, that’s not a great idea. Still, the Jeep Dana 30 can be built to withstand a respectable amount of abuse. The Dana 30 is commonly found in Jeep Wranglers ranging from the ’86-’95 YJ, the ’97-’06 TJ, and the ’07-’18 JK, and the ’86-’01 XJ Cherokee, the ’93-’98…

WANTS TO BUILD A 6X6 TRUCK Q I’m going to start saving up for a ’13 Chevy Silverado 2500HD. I might want to make it a 6x6 truck. What parts do I need to turn a truck into a 6x6? NAME WITHHELD VIA EMAIL A This is a great question, but not one with a simple answer. While 4x4s are awesome, if you follow the formula that more is better, the idea of a 6x6 must be the best (or is it a 7x7 … how about an 8x8?). We’re not convinced. You will be adding lots of complicated parts to make a 6x6 truck work. Yeah, you’ll get more traction, and it can be done, but you must ask how much money you want to spend and how much…