4-Wheel & Off-Road welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must include an address or a telephone number so the sender can be verified. Once verified, your name may be withheld at your request. Letters published in this magazine reflect the opinions of the writers, and we reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, brevity, or other purposes. Due to the large volume of mail we receive, we regret that we cannot reply to unpublished letters or return photos. Digital photos must measure no less than 1600 x 1200 pixels (or two megapixels) and be saved as a TIFF, an EPS, or a maximum-quality JPEG file.
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4-Wheel & Off-Road
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Reader: I just read Clutch Newman's request to resurrect the Big Red Sled in In Box (Feb. '07). Apparently he missed all the stories that covered IFS suspensions thoroughly last year. As much as I respect the complexity and engineering that goes into a factory-designed IFS suspension system, I think that they serve no purpose, other than getting the occasional pavement-pounder owner unstuck from the mud or snow. If finding a $500 Dana 60 or Dana 44 and making some brackets to weld onto a truck is too hard for Newman to deal with, then get a new truck to wheel. Factory IFS suspension systems just were not meant to be bashed or used hard on a trail, even if they have been lifted by an aftermarket company. By the time the average IFS system has been modified to be moderately adequate, the same cost could have gotten the owner one hell of a live axle mounted to the truck. Besides that, who wants to deal with all the easily broken, moving parts? With the simplicity and strength of a live axle, there is a reason so many SAS companies are popping up. Having said all that, I will watch with curiosity as Fred Williams keeps trying to make it work. But in the end, I think a nice, hefty Dana 60 will end up under the front to match the strength of that Corporate 14-bolt in the rear.
Charles Rich
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Editor: We only have a few more episodes of fixing that IFS Red Sled, and your letter is pretty close to summing it up. We still have a few tricks up our sleeves, but that shirt is getting pretty ragged.
Reader: You guys published an article called "The Great Scrambler Freezefest" by David Freiburger (June '03). I am very interested in getting a Scrambler just like that for myself. It would be awesome if you could tell me the year and all of the information about this vehicle: wheels, tires, suspension, motor, and anything else that would be helpful.
Garrett
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Editor: Once again a great idea comes from a reader. We've also been meaning to do a feature on it since then, and plan for it to be written and published in our next issue, so stay tuned!
Reader: What is up with these whiners? There's always someone complaining about too much this or too little that. Who cares!? We all read 4-Wheel & Off-Road for one reason, and that is wheelin' and furthering our selves in the wheelin' world. Honestly I don't care what's on the cover or in the mag. I read it all! I'm a hard-core Ford guy, from grandfather, father, to me. It doesn't matter if I read something about a Chevy or a Jeep. What matters is I'm furthering my knowledge on 4x4s. Plus I'm always finding myself pulling out those old issues and flipping through them because of a new project I picked up. My dad always told me that knowledge is power, and when someone is busted on the trail and in need of help, it feels good to be the smart one. So, no whiners! Be thankful for these guys. If not for the sandals, shorts, and down-to-earth attitude of you guys here, this would just be another suit-and-tie magazine.
William McMurry
Tenino, WA
Editor: Thanks, William. We seem to think a lot alike! Do you wear sandals too?
Reader: Being both an avid reader of your magazine and a mud lover, I wanted to add a bit of my own testing advice with running directional tires backwards. I read a response to a reader in In Box (Feb. '07) on page 12.
I personally own a grooved set of 44-inch Hawgs that I run the correct direction on the rear, and run backwards on the front axle. The main reason for this is that these tires really only work well in one direction, so if you lose your forward movement you are pretty much stuck. But if you have the fronts on backwards you won't dig as deep as quickly with the front end and you have the tires on the correct way to more efficiently propel you backwards and up out of the hole so you can try it again.
Rick Gratton
via 4wheeloffroad.com
Editor: Good point, Rick. You aren't the only one letting our readers in on that dirty little secret. Just because something is supposed to be set up according to the manufacturer doesn't mean that that's the only way. Thanks for the info.
Reader: I think that Rick Pw's editorial, "Is the Rubicon Really Worth It? Judge for Yourself" (4xForward, Feb. '07), is an article worth the front page. It concentrates on an important point that should be addressed: trail conservation. If people want to continue to enjoy four-wheeling and off-road activities, they need to invest or consider the impact that they are having on their environment. Donations (time or money) to Friends of the Rubicon and/or your local off-road association in order to keep trails open are essential to the hobby of every enthusiast.
Matthew McClurg
Fort Collins, CO
Editor: Thanks, Matthew. We wish all wheelers would feel this way. If every one of our readers sent just one dollar to a central "save our trails" type fund, that would be more than $2 million bucks to fight the tide of closure. Just think what we could accomplish!