Sometimes we want to monitor more than just what our stock instrument clusters tell us, even in the fully-optioned rides. Most vehicles, no matter how many indicators they come with, don't have gauges to read oil temperature, tranny temperature, or the nitrous pressure you added or the supercharger boost, much less things like the voltage of a second battery or the differential temperatures.
Well, we've had just about enough tranny roasting to finally convince ourselves to get some readout. Less than 200 bucks on gauges and mounting equipment sure beats paying another two grand to get another tranny rebuilt.
Auto Meter, a name synonymous with aftermarket automotive gauges, has a ton of mounting solutions for getting extra gauges in your ride. Some of our favorites have to be these pod and pillar gauge mounts that come in one-, two-, three-, or four-gauge configurations for Chevys, Dodges, Fords, Jeeps, and Toyotas. This allows you to slap indicators onto your A-pillar, your dash, your steering column, and some other places you'd have a hard time mounting to.
Have A SeatComfy Corbeaus For The Long HaulBefore we left on the Ultimate Adventure this year, we had to do something about our butt and back comfort. Before you crack any jokes about us losing 50 pounds, note that we're talking about some super-supportive seats for the long haul across the country. Most factory 4x4 seats, while possibly comfortable, do a terrible job at keeping you steadied in the middle of the seat and in control of the vehicle. Our seats were even worse because the side bolstering was now pointing toward the ground, slowly giving us a case of scoliosis while we drove it. It was definitely time for some seats.
But be careful with what seat you order, and make sure you can fit in it. Lots of performance seats are made for tuner or sports cars, and are also for smaller people. The Corbeau Legacy seats we ordered were big enough to fit our 36-inch waist, while still fitting into our Jeep with no extra modifications using the bolt-on seat brackets. If the seat's 38-inch waist limit is a little slim for you, Corbeau also has wide versions of its seats for big guys.
How'd They Feel?How'd they feel?! Freakin' awesome! We first jumped into these seats and were practically grabbed and kept from trying to crawl back out. The high-side bolstering and injection-molded foam made these seats real "huggers," and while we knew they would definitely keep us in place, we weren't sure if they would be great lounge chairs, much less great sleepers. But we put them to the test, doing a 26-hour jaunt across the USA. Jones driving, Kennedy sleeping. Kennedy says the sleep test was very impressive with little to disturb him in his comfy dream world, but he could have benefited from a pillow option on the passenger side. Jones administered the lounge-chair test, with the seat tilted back and watching the windshield like it was a 26-hour highway-TV marathon. He was incredibly impressed with how wrong he was about this seat getting uncomfortable after a few hours. The Legacy actually left Jones not feeling sore at all, and instead like he had only physically driven half the distance. We attribute that to the shape of the seat, the support of the stiff foam, and high bolsters. The high bolsters made it a little more difficult to get in and out, but the added support and comfort given by the seats was well worth it.