Submission Information
Send us a picture of your ride if you've never done so. We keep a surplus of Readers' Rides submissions, but only one submission per person, and we love all off-road vehicles so send in your entries whether your rig is stock or not. Make sure each digital image is at least 1600 x 1200 pixels (or two megapixels) and saved as a TIFF, EPS, or maximum-quality JPEG file.
Write to:
Readers' Rides
4-Wheel & Off-Road
6420 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048-5515
fax 323.782.2704
Email to:
readersrides@4wheeloffroad.com
Vehicle (year, make, model)
Owner (name, city, state)
Tires & Wheels (size, make, model)
Suspension (lift, springs, shocks)
Drivetrain (tranny, transfer case, axles)
Performance (engine mods)
Other mods
Does it work the way you want?
Anything you would change?
Funniest Wheeling Incident
Anything to add?
Rubi Cruiser
Vehicle: '84 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ-60
Owner: Chris Swarbrick, Pollok Pines, CA
Tires & Wheels: 37x12.50 MT/Rs on 15-inch beadlocks
Suspension: Spring-over axle, Old Man Emu 2.5-inch springs, Bilstein shocks
Drivetrain: NV4500, Marlin Crawler box, ARB Air Lockers, 4.88 gears
Performance mods: 350ci
Other Doodads: Onboard welder and air, ARB front bumper, 9,000-pound winch, custom rear bumper with tire carrier
Funniest wheeling incident: The FJ pulled a rear wheelstand while wheeling on the Rubicon with a buddy of mine riding shotgun who had never been wheeling before. Shortly after that he decided he'd rather walk the remainder of the trail!
Does everything work the way you want?: Crawls awesome and cruises down the freeway with no problems
Anything you would change?: Should have gone with the LS1
Anything to add?: My wife actually loves wheeling and supports my habit!
Unlimited Too
Vehicle: '06 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon
Owner: Chad Chaney, Apache Junction, AZ
Tires: 35-inch MTZs
Suspension: 6-inch Full Traction long arm
Drivetrain: Stock
Performance mods: K&N intake
Other Doodads: TBT front bumper, Bulldog winch, custom rear bumper and tire carrier
Does everything work the way you want?: Absolutely
Anything you would change?: 'Cage, bigger fuel tank, and rock sliders
Mud Dubs
Vehicle: '07 Dodge Ram 2500
Owner: Drue Palmer, Syracuse, UT
Tires & Wheels: 37x12.50 Toyo Open Country Mud-Terrains on Incubus 20-inch
Suspension: 6-inch Tuff Country
Drivetrain: Stock
Performance mods: 5.9L, K&N intake, MBRP 5-inch exhaust, Edger programmer
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes
Anything you would change?: Inner-cooler and a transmission cooler
Ney Way
Vehicle: '93 Ford Explorer Sport
Owner: Edward & Courtney Ney (father & daughter), Columbia, PA
Tires & Wheels: 36x12.50 TSLs on the front, 37x13.00 Boggers on the rear, both on 15x8 with Off Road Overstock weld-on beadlocks
Suspension: Custom radius arm with 5 1/2-inch Wild Horses coils, custom rear leaves, Pro Comp shocks
Drivetrain: BW1354, high-pinion Dana 44 front with a spool and Yukon shafts, full-width 8.8 rear from a '95 F-150, welded, 5.13 gears
Performance mods: 4.0L
Other Doodads: Custom 'cage, bumpers, and sliders, RCI fuel cell, Bestop bikini top
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes, more than I expected
Anything you would change?: Debating between full hydraulic or hydraulic-assist steering
Anything to add?: This is my dream rig. Thanks to all of my friends for helping me and those who showed support along the way.
Canadian Crusher
Vehicle: '69 GMC body, 6x6 2 1/2-ton military chassis
Owner: Ashley Gyman, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada
Tires & Wheels: 14.9-inch Firestone tractor tires on 26-inch John Deere Combines
Suspension: Stock
Drivetrain: TH400, two-speed military trans, 6.72 gears
Performance mods: 454ci, RV cam, high-compression pistons
Other Doodads: Custom bumpers, five-point harness
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes, but it's a pretty rough ride
Anything you would change?: Shocks
Trail Guide
Vehicle: '93 Nissan Pathfinder
Owner: Dane Larson, Mesa, AZ
Tires: 32x11.50 Mud Kings
Suspension: 3-inch Calmini, Skyjacker shocks
Drivetrain: 4.62 gears
Performance mods: Custom exhaust
Other Doodads: 9,000-pound winch, Calmini bumpers, onboard air and welder, 3-inch body lift
Does everything work the way you want?: So far
Anything you would change?: Straight-axle conversion
Hawg Heaven
Vehicle: '79 Ford Bronco
Owner: Michael Branson, Tallahassee, FL
Tires & Wheels: 40x17 Ground Hawgs on 15x14
Suspension: 6-inch BDS
Drivetrain: C6, NP205, Dana 44 front, Dana 60 rear, 4.10 gears
Performance mods: Homebuilt 460ci
Other Doodads: 3-inch body lift, Fire siren
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes
Anything you would change?: Should have gone with the 9-inch suspension lift
Infiniti Plus One
Vehicle: '99 Infiniti QX4
Owner: Adam Chimowicz, San Diego, CA
Tires & Wheels: 31-inch BFG M-Ts on 16x8 Eagle alloys
Suspension: KYB struts and shocks
Drivetrain: Stock
Performance mods: Jim Wolf intake
Other Doodads: ARB air compressor, 4x4 Parts front skidplate
Funniest wheeling incident: Went farther up a trail than a pack of Jeeps and ended up with a collapsed front suspension
Does everything work the way you want?: Most of the time
Anything you would change?:ARB Air Lockers
Anything to add?: Don't litter and always tread lightly!
Old-K
Vehicle: '79 Chevy K-10
Owner: Dennis Adams, Byron, GA
Tires: 35x12.50 Dick Cepeks FC-Iis
Suspension: 3-inch Superlift
Drivetrain: Four-speed, Warn hubs, 3.73 gears
Performance mods: Edelbrock carburetor, dual Flowmaster mufflers
Other Doodads: 3-inch body lift
Does everything work the way you want?: Yes
Anything to add?: It's my daily driver
DED Sami
Vehicle: '88 Suzuki Samurai
Owner: Kevin Turley, Quesnel, B.C., Canada
Tires: 31x10.50x15 Dayton Timberlines
Suspension: Breeze Industries high-pad spring-over axle with stock springs, Rancho shocks
Drivetrain: Lock-Rights
Performance mods: 1.6L, custom cam, long-tube header
Other Doodads: Acura Integra seats, 8,000-pound winch
Funniest wheeling incident: Rolling a stock Jeep Wrangler back onto its wheels after the owner had just finished making fun of me for having such a top-heavy rig.
Does everything work the way you want?: So far, so good
Anything you would change?: Slightly lower gears and bigger tires
Anything to add?: This is my daily driver and it sees close to 100 miles of logging roads and mud every day. Truly a DED rig!