Long Range
Vehicle: '03 Ford Ranger FX4
Owner: Andrew Custer, Camp pendleton, CA
Tires & Wheels: 35x12.50 Baja Claws on 15x10 pro Comp
Suspension: Dixon Brothers Racing long travel
Drivetrain: Longer CV shafts, Ford 8.8 rear axle
Performance Mods: Gibson exhaust, AEM Brute Force intake
Funniest Wheeling Incident: getting buried up to my windows trying to follow a few rigs on 44-inch tires in the mud.
Does Everything Work The way you want?: Absolutely
Anything You Would Change?: Can't say yet, I'm not done with it!
Fire Wheeler
Vehicle: '68 Jeep M-715
Owner: Willington Hill Fire Dept, Willington, Ct
Tires & Wheels: 9.00-16Lt Denman's on stock split rims
Suspension: spring-under axle without shocks
Drivetrain: Four-speed with power take-Off
Performance Mods: I-6
Other Doodads: transfer-case brake, 300-gallon water tank, custom bumpers, mechanical siren, PTO driven winch
Does Everything Work The way you want?: Almost. you can't safely drive over 45 mph and the siren isn't quite loud enough
Anything You Would Change?: trade up for '06 Mercedes unimog
Does Everything Work The way you want?: the rig is always ready to battle the hottest trails in town!
Blues Travelers
Vehicle: '07 toyota FJ Cruiser
Owner: kevin Fletcher, Redmond, Or
Tires & Wheels: 35x12.50 toyos on 18-inch American Racing
Suspension: 6-inch pro Comp
Drivetrain: stock
Other Doodads: kC lights and lightbar, pIAA rear lights, yakima storage box
Funniest Wheeling Incident: proving to my friends that I actually wheel it!
Does Everything Work The way you want?: yes
Anything You Would Change?: Bumpers, exhaust, and possibly a straight-axle conversion
Discovered
Vehicle: '98 Land Rover Discovery
Owner: Dennis Brown, Flowery Branch, Ga
Tires & Wheels: 31x10.50 goodyear Mud terrains on 15x8 steel
Suspension: 3.5-inch Old Man Emu springs and shocks with 1.5-inch coil spacers
Drivetrain: stock
Performance Mods: 4.0L, k&n filter
Other Doodads: Custom bumpers and rock sliders, onboard air, electric fan
Does Everything Work The way you want?: yes, for now
Anything You Would Change?: Coilovers, Dana 60s, and a Cummins 4Bt
New Sport
Vehicle: '99 kia sportage
Owner: Raul Velazquez, sun prairie, WI
Tires & Wheels: 31x10.50 All Countrys on 15-inch stock
Suspension: Custom coil spacers in the front with Ford Aerostar minivan springs in the rear
Drivetrain: stock
Performance Mods: k&n air filter
Other Doodads: 2-inch body lift
Does Everything Work The way you want?: no. the four-wheel drive will not engage in extremely cold weather
Anything You Would Change?: Lockers
Does Everything Work The way you want?: these are surprisingly tough vehicles that will tackle almost anything out on the trail.
Toboggan
Vehicle: '01 Ford Excursion
Owner: Rob Leaming, selah, WA
Tires & Wheels: 41x13.50 Michelin XLs on 20x10 kMC
Suspension: 8-inch BDs
Drivetrain: Dana 50 front, sterling 10.25 rear, 4.37 gears
Performance Mods: V-10, k&n air filter
Does Everything Work The way you want?: yes, but I need to clearance the front fenders a little bit more
Anything You Would Change?: 4.88 gears and a Detroit Locker
Daily Blaze
Vehicle: '93 Chevy Blazer
Owner: tyler paniagua, napa, CA
Tires & Wheels: 37-inch ssRs on 16x10 steel
Suspension: Off Road unlimited solid-axle conversion with Bilstein shocks
Drivetrain: 4L60E, np241, Dana 44 front with a truetrac, semifloat 14-bolt rear with a Detroit Locker, 4.56 gears
Performance Mods: 350ci
Other Doodads: Custom front bumper, wheelbase stretched 5 inches
Does Everything Work The way you want?: so far, yes.
Anything You Would Change?: 1-ton axles, lower gears, and bigger tires
Does Everything Work The way you want?: It's my daily driver
Simple Is
Vehicle: '86 Isuzu trooper
Owner: Byron Benson, Olympia, Wa Tires: 31x10.50 Wild Country mud-terrains
Suspension: 2-inch lift via cranking the torsion bars and rear shackles from Independent4x, pro Comp Es3000 shocks
Drivetrain: superwinch front hubs and an Aussie Locker in the rear
Performance Mods: Weber carburetor
Does Everything Work The way you want?: so far, but it is a little vertically challenged
Anything You Would Change?: swap out the IFS