Four Wheeler March 2017

My first experience driving in sand was on vacation at the Outer Banks of North Carolina 27 years ago in a rented ’90 Ford Thunderbird. It did not go well. Go figure. I owned a 4x4 at the time, but being planted in the rural Midwest, my off-road experience at that point was limited to the daily obstacles we encountered on the farm: mud, dirt, and snow. If mud, dirt, and snow was English, sand was Cantonese. At the time, I didn’t understand it and definitely couldn’t speak it. To a sand-naive Midwest dude, the granules looked harmless. I mean, heck, on the farm we dealt with “real” obstacles like gnarly frame-deep snow and evil mud. Sand shmand. Whatever man. Heck, I had seen photos of sports cars cruising around on Daytona…

KEN.BRUBAKER@FOURWHEELER.COM PIVOTAL JEEPS RESPONSE I agree with the selections in “Jeep @ 75” (Nov. ’16), which outlined the 10 most pivotal Jeeps, but I wish you had also included what era in general was best. I think it was when the Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, and Wrangler were the only three Jeeps available in the lineup. It was clean and simple. I can’t remember exactly what years that was, but that was a great trio of 4x4s, and all were great on the trail right out of the box. TIM BULLOCK VIA EMAIL Doubtful I’ll be around to read it, but I’d like to know if Jeeps like the Fiat Cherokee and Renegade will be on Four Wheeler’s 150-year anniversary write-up of “most pivotal Jeeps” in the year 2091. I think it’s unlikely. They have a…

EDITOR@FOURWHEELER.COM 2017 GMC Sierra HD All Terrain X Looking for the most hardcore off-road rig GMC offers? Check out the ’17 Sierra HD All Terrain X, a limited-edition 2500 HD Crew Cab 4x4. It’s available with a gas or diesel mill, and features the Z71 suspension package, aggressive Goodyears, underbody protection, Eaton auto-locking rear diff, sport bar for lights, front skidplate, and appearance add-ons. Photos: GM “WE WANTED TO SHOW THAT THE BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS OF THE TECHNOLOGY ARE HERE; WE HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF DOING THAT ON A HIGHWAY. WE ARE STILL IN THE DEVELOPMENT STAGES, ITERATING ON THE HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE.” — “LIOR RON, PRESIDENT AND COFOUNDER OF UBER’S OTTO UNIT, ACCORDING TO BLOOMBERG. THIS HAD TO DO WITH UBER AND ANHEUSER-BUSCH TEAMING UP TO SEND A TRACTOR-TRAILER ON A DRIVE THROUGH COLORADO TO…

EDITOR@FOURWHEELER.COM DRIVING JK G2 Axle & Gear introduces new heavy-duty 1-ton bolt-in driveshafts for the twodoor and Unlimited four-door Jeep Wrangler JK. These driveshafts feature heavyduty 23⁄4-inch DOM tubing and solid-body 1350 series U-Joints. Each driveshaft is dynamically balanced to eliminate vibration. They are available for front and rear applications and offer up to 32 degrees of angularity to match big lifts and long-travel suspensions. Every G2 driveshaft comes with a 10-year warranty. INFO: G2 Axle & Gear, 310/900-2687, g2axle.com LEVEL TUNED Carli Suspension Systems now offers a tuned leveling kit for the ’14-current Ram 2500 3⁄4-ton Cummins diesel pickup. This system is said to be designed for the best bang-for-the-buck. The heart of the system is a pair of 21⁄2-inch-lift, linear-rate coil springs with matched-travel Fox 2.0 IFP shocks. The Fox shocks have…

editor@fourwheeler.com IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOUR FAVORITE SAND spot is on the beach, in the dunes, or down a desolate desert wash, there will inevitably always be a 4x4, motorhome, tow rig, or commuter car hopelessly stuck with its axles planted in the sandy surface. All too often we see off-road enthusiasts get themselves captured in these precarious predicaments because of poor planning and execution. Most of these situations occur because of a pin it to win it heavy throttle attack, which is a gamble. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Rather than let your sand wheeling adventure turn into an unpredictable game of chance, we’ve compiled some critical components to consider as well as some driving tips to help get you through the soft stuff. Vehicle Setup As with any type of…

editor@fourwheeler.com IF YOU HAVE SAND FEVER AND THE ONLY CURE IS RUNNING YOUR 4X4 ACROSS gritty beaches and dunes, we got you covered. We searched high and low to find the larger, more popular 4x4 accessible sand hotspots. We have all four corners of the United States covered and everything in between Alaska, Florida, Washington, Michigan, and California We’re sure we left out a few, so if you have a favorite sand hotspot, drop us a line at editor@fourwheeler.com and tell us about it. We love photos, too! In the meantime, fire up the GPS, prep your 4x4, choose the location you wish to visit and then hit up it’s website for the most up-todate information and start planning your cross-country sandcation. ALASKA Knik River Public Use Area Most of the dunes in Alaska…