I have been an avid reader/subscriber of 4-Wheel & Off-Road for the last 20 years and I look forward to reading the magazine every month. However, I must admit I was quite disappointed by Mr. Pw's editorial "A new beginning" (Mar. '08). I take no issue with the redesign-better reads, sharp photography, and more content all sounds great. But why are there now fewer pages available in the print medium?
Having just renewed my subscription, I feel a little cheated. I want to read a magazine to get my fix and I want it all without having to log on to a Web site to get the rest of the story. I am not averse to technology, but I want to keep my magazines old-school. I want the rolled-up copy in the back of my Jeep and the pile of past issues squirreled away under the bed that my wife keeps bugging me about. I want the portability and most importantly I want what I paid for. Please don't shrink the best magazine in the business. After all, the Coolest Reading Place won't be the same with pics of your readers sitting at a computer desk.
Mike Bennett
Minden, Ontario, Canada
So here's the deal. We agree with you, the magazine comes first. However, the Web has its place and can be complementary. In fact, you can now read the entire magazine at Zinio (www.zinio.com/gncoffer?issn=0162-3214), but of course you need to pay for it separately. I wonder how many laptops will be taken into the restroom for a magazine perusal? Don't worry though; we'll be trying to get as many pages on the paper as possible.
So I just got my June '08 issue and flipped right to the part about winter wheelin' in Conifer, Colorado, and was pretty thrilled to see you guys wheelin' in my backyard. I just have to ask how come you guys never use chains anytime you feature wheelin' in the winter? I have done a good deal of winter wheelin' with my chains on. Every truck I have owned has had open diffs and lacked a winch, and I can honestly say I have only had to be winched out once. The traction is awesome, and if you've got the power, an open field with grille-deep snow feels like driving a boat; it's smooth and you just float across the top of everything. From a safety standpoint, a good set of chains is about as likely to break as a good winch cable. If you're going to do it, don't buy the puny on-road set, get the off-road set with either the V-bar or straight bar reinforcement/traction aid. Just thought a real Colorado local should tell you how we really do it. Love the mag.
Andrew p. Trudeau
Conifer, CO
The biggest problem with chains is that you have to take them off and put them on. Other than that, yes, they can act like mini paddles, as well as grab like heck on an ice shelf. Thanks for the reminder!
I will probably never build a rig, but your mag is a good read cover to cover. In the May '08 issue, the front cover "How to Weld, Paint & Polish" is printed. What page is the article about welding on? Also what is up with the last two pages and inside back cover printed upside down?
Jeff Herlache
Green Bay, WI
Good catch! We ran out of room inside the mag after the cover was sent to the printer, so the welding story is in the June '08 issue on page 86 ("Budget Bodywork"). The upside-down pages at the back of the May issue were done on purpose by the advertiser, Kawasaki. We've never seen it done before, but at least it caught your eye.
I am a longtime subscriber and I just finished reading your May '08 and found several informative and interesting articles. Usually I would never think to write in, and I'm sure you are not medical professionals (me neither), but this bothered me and has for years. In Ali's "Rust" article, the last sentence in section 4, which makes reference to tetanus or getting tetanus presumably from rust. Tetanus has nothing to do with rust. It is a huge misconception. The only connection between the two is metal found outdoors in the soil will most likely be rusty. The old "stepping on a rusty nail" scenario has more to do with the dirt and its contents on the rusty nail (which may contain the tetani bacteria) than the rusty nail itself. Tetanus or the bacteria clostridum tetani is found in soil and in some instances in the digestive tracts of animals. You can contract this through deep wounds and it will affect your central nervous system. So, as long as we wash our rusty vehicles, we should be free from contracting tetanus and feel free to keep working them. Mine would look sweet with a Petersen's plate!
Kevin Wiese
Haddam, CT
That explains why I never got tetanus in 40 years of rusty metal bashing against my body. Thanks!