Four Wheeler June 2016

Ithink Overlanding is really cool, even though the phenomenon has by now gone completely and totally over my pay grade. And although I can appreciate all the cool exploration-themed builds that pack insane conveniences and jaw-dropping amenities into incredibly efficient packages, I fear I’d never make a good overlander. While “Extreme Overlanding” appeals to me in principle, in practice I’m more “Extreme Mulletlanding”. Yeah, it’s a thing … a thing I just made up. So what would “Extreme Mulletlanding” look like? I think it would look a lot like how I’ve been camping for the last 20 years as a hardcore off-roader. Food: Some guys spend hours on gourmet camp meals. I eat well at home, so when I’m wheeling, I just need something in my stomach to keep me from…

CHRISTIAN.HAZEL@FOURWHEELER.COM SPORT COAT, BABY! About the question you posed in your Feb. ’16 editorial column, “What trinket would make me go all Sport Coat, if I saw it in somebody’s 4x4 and why?” Having two trucks as primary vehicles (both 4x4, one gas, and one diesel), I have suffered the tortures of low vehicle heat in frigid temperatures. Even starting them up and letting them run for 30 minutes is a waste and still uncomfortable for about the first 10 miles of driving. At those moments I’m certainly not thinking about some fancy computer navigation system to play with, since my butt is freezing and knees are knocking. Here’s my trinket suggestion: give me a Liquid Heat Generator by Webasto installed in my Dodge Rams so I’ll be comfortable thinking up some unnecessary…

EDITOR@FOURWHEELER.COM 2016 Chevy Silverado Realtree and GMC Sierra All Terrain X The Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71 is getting a new edition in 2016: the Realtree. As you may have suspected, it’s a camo theme— exterior graphics, headrest logos, and other miscellaneous Realtree graphics. Other additions include blackout trim, off-road assist steps, and black 20-inch wheels. Over at GMC, there’s the All Terrain X for the ’16 Sierra 1500 4WD Crew Cab and shortbed SLT models. You’re looking at a special grille, Eaton locking rear diff, Z71 off-road suspension package, spray-on bedliner, inclinometer, and All Terrain logo’d instrument cluster. “WITHOUT CREATING ADDITIONAL CAPACITY, IN THE UNITED STATES, WE NEED TO ... TO TRY AND DEAL WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF BOTH JEEP AND THE RAM BRAND.” —SERGIO MARCHIONNE, FIAT CHRYSLER CEO,ACCORDING TO THE DETROIT FREE…

EDITOR@FOURWHEELER.COM COVER UP Rugged Ridge announces its new line of Boulder Aluminum Differential Covers for Dana 44 and 30 axles. Each cover is said to be designed to help protect internal components from damage caused by contact with rocks and other terrain off-road, as well as aid in dissipating heat from differentials. The covers are made from A356-T6 cast aluminum and finished in matte black. Rugged Ridge Boulder Aluminum Differential Covers come complete with a magnetic drain plug and a specially designed dipstick bolt to help avoid under or overfilling the differentials. INFO: Rugged Ridge, 770/614-6101, ruggedridge.com ALL-NEW AT Pro Comp now offers the new A/T Sport all-terrain tire. The A/T Sport features a unique all-terrain rubber compound that is said to be specially formulated for balanced on- and off-road performance. Side Holder Lug…

ken.brubaker@fourwheeler.com WE WERE STANDING NEXT TO OUR ’16 Ford Explorer Platinum test vehicle in the middle of nowhere taking in the smell of pine while looking out over a picturesque valley bordered by tree-laden hills. We had just battled some of the nastiest snow we had seen in a while, and we were strategizing the best way to attack a long, steep, twisty uphill climb. Our location was somewhere in northern Illinois on an unplowed one-lane “road.” The day before the Explorer was delivered to us, the area received about 5 inches of heavy, wet snow, along with sleet and rain. Under the snow, the terrain wasn’t frozen, so it was slipperier than snot. The combination was almost a worstcase winter scenario for vehicles: resistance to all movement and very little…

editor@fourwheeler.com “THE QUESTION ON OUR MINDS WAS, COULD WE CLIMB THIS TRAIL AND WOULD IT PROVIDE THAT SPECIAL CAMPSITE WE WERE HOPING FOR?” EVER SKIPPED RIGHT TO THE middle of a book? That’s kind of what we’re doing here with a team of adventurers in AEV-modified Jeeps. Welcome to Day Five of a journey over the WABDR or, more accurately, the Washington Backcountry Discovery Route. It’s a dirt road/Jeep trail/dual-sport motorcycle path that traverses 600 miles of Washington from the Oregon border to Canada. It runs roughly parallel to the spine of the magnificent Cascade Mountain Range and offers epic scenery and views of a lifetime. By this point, the team had driven roughly 450 miles and witnessed some of Washington’s most rugged and beautiful landscapes. So far, it had been…