It's often said that today's new cars are better than they've ever been. And in most ways that's true. Regardless of of price range or brand, modern vehicles are safer, more efficient, better performing and more comfortable than ever before.

There might be no such thing as a "bad" new car in 2020, but there's one vehicle that I think stands out as being a step backwards and perhaps the most disappointing new car on sale in the United States today: and that's the Ford EcoSport.

The EcoSport is a small crossover SUV that went on sale in the US for the 2018 model year. but was actually available in other markets around the world much earlier - with the model itself dating back to 2012 and built on the underpinnings of the previous generation Fiesta.

In the US market, the EcoSport is imported from India comes with either a 1.0 liter EcoBoost three-cylinder or a naturally aspirated 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine. On paper it may seem like a competitive small SUV for someone on a budget but why is it so disappointing? Here are some reasons. 

It's Not (That) Cheap

If you couldn't tell just by looking at it, the EcoSport is currently the cheapest vehicle that Ford sells in the United States. With the major restructuring of its lineup in the last couple years and a shift away from cars toward crossovers and SUVs, the EcoSport joined the lineup as Ford's new budget-oriented offering. 

Yet as far as new cars go, the EcoSport isn't even terribly cheap. A base 2020 EcoSport S model has an MSRP just above $21,000 - which is which quite a bit more than the cheapest cars from many competitors and on par with a lot vehicles that are both newer and more competitive.

A subcompact car like a Honda Fit is thousands of dollars less while besting the EcoSport in most metrics that entry level car buyers are looking for. Additionally, cars like the Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla offer much more modern platforms, superior driving dynamics and the same or better interior space for a similar or cheaper base price than the EcoSport. 

If you want a Ford on an entry level new car budget the EcoSport is basically your only choice, and compared to other vehicles in its price range its not a very competitive one. 

A Tiny Hatchback on Stilts

I'm far from a crossover SUV hater. I totally understand why are they so popular, as many of them deliver extra interior space, a more practical shape, available AWD all while being quite close to a normal sedan in terms of price and fuel economy.

With the EcoSport though, I'd say it's a stretch to even call it a SUV. For all practical purposes its a heavier, more expensive Ford Fiesta that sits a few inches higher. Far from being a family vehicle, the EcoSport has less rear legroom than a Honda Civic and roughly the same cargo capacity as most small sedans and hatchbacks. 

Like most crossovers, AWD is available on the EcoSport but even for light off-pavement work there are much more capable vehicles from brands like Jeep and Subaru. 

Just look at it

The looks of a car will always be subjective, but I can't imagine too many people would describe the EcoSport as attractive. Narrow, tall, and short the EcoSport's overall shape is goofy and its wheels look absolutely tiny. 

Despite being a relatively new addition to Ford's North American lineup, the EcoSport already look dated when it went on sale here and looks very much like a vehicle designed for emerging global markets, which it is. 

With its awkward stubby proportions and tiny looking wheels, the EcoSport somehow manages to look cheaper than the less expensive than the old Ford Fiesta its based on. 

It Took the Place of Some Great Cars

And speaking of that aforementioned Fiesta, perhaps the most disappointing thing about the EcoSport isn't so much the vehicle itself, but the car(s) that it has replaced in Ford's lineup.

With Ford recently axing the Fiesta, Focus and soon the Fusion from its American lineup the EcoSport was introduced to pick up the slack - and presumably as a gateway to its larger and more expensive crossover, SUV and truck models. 

And again, it's not like Ford has given up on small cars globally. Europe has new and improved next gen models of the Fiesta and Focus right now, but Ford's has deemed those cars unprofitable for North America and replaced them with a tiny SUV originally designed with developing countries in mind. It's as phoned-in as modern car can be.

Right now someone who comes into a Ford dealer who once would have checked out a Fiesta, Focus or Fusion will now be directed to the outdated, unattractive and un-competitive EcoSport.

And as someone who currently owns and has owned plenty of great Ford products over the years, that's not a good look for a company that we know is capable of more. 

Or maybe I'm just frustrated watching Ford cutting off America from some of its coolest and most affordable enthusiast cars it makes?

In a world where old school GM pickups are all the rage, its hard to stand out from the rest. We’ve seen this classic truck movement go from basically nothing to what is now the hottest segment on the custom scene. Many styles have been brought forward from the biggest builders and the things we like most are the small details that make them unique.

For Chad “Goose” Goswick, his father has a ’66 GMC and he wanted to customize one like it for himself. As classic GM trucks are being picked up left and right, it’s getting hard to find good rust-free vehicles. With that being said, Chad ended up finding this ’62 instead of a later version of this pickup. Though most will not notice, there are small differences on this truck that make it more distinct.

Starting with the chassis, the ’60-’62 trucks have a beefy X-member frame that’s rigid and quite different from ones found on ’63-’66 trucks with the same body style. Though it is great for stability, the aftermarket hasn’t really developed easy-to-install suspension parts for it. Since it was a bit difficult, Chad turned to Brooks Ekren of Built by Brooks to get this truck on the ground. Brooks removed the front torsion bar suspension and fabricated a custom independent suspension that uses Classic Performance Products spindles with disc brakes and a modern rack and pinion steering unit. For the rear, the trailing arms were replaced by a four-link with pan hard bar and the frame was notched to clear the 55T rearend.

Getting the truck to a drivable state is a set of Slam Specialties RE-7 airbags that raise the vehicle up when inflated. Supplying air to the system is a set of hardlines created by Jason Berland of Arizona High Test, which are connected to the AccuAir Endo VT tank and Viair 444 compressors. Not only does the air suspension allow for adjustability with a simple selection on the AccuAir TouchPad, but the ride quality is superior than conventional spring setups. Once the chassis was finalized, it was powder coated by Caesar Mata of Matador Rod & Customs.

When it came time to power this truck, Chad wanted something good for cruising. He then picked a 454ci big block V8 from a donor ’65 GMC. From what he knew, it was previously rebuilt and set to run for plenty of miles ahead. The engine was dropped in with a Turbo 350 automatic transmission and a 2-piece driveshaft was used to avoid rubbing issues on the frame. Fuel is supplied from via a 600-cfm Edelbrock carburetor and intake. Letting exhausted gases out is a set of stock manifolds and a 2 ½-inch exhaust with Flowmaster Super 10 Series mufflers.

Some of the things that distinguish these GMC’s apart from the Chevy’s is the front grille with floating letters and lack of reverse lights. True fans would agree that the wraparound (knee-knocker) windshield on the ’60-’63 version of this truck has a better appearance, but Chad wasn’t fond of it at first. The one thing he couldn’t stand the sight of was the rear window and he had Nick Sinioris of Phoenix Hotrod Company perform the big back window conversion while also replacing all the seals with ones from Precision Replacement Parts. Once complete, Chad was able to fully appreciate the look of the windshield combined with the large back glass.

One of the previous owners painted this truck in a non original red paint, which was still in good condition. Chad decided to leave it alone yet freshen up the look by powder coating the grille and bumpers white. Topping off the exterior is a set of 22-inch GM “Transit” wheels along with a set of reproduction hubcaps for ’55-’59 GMC trucks. The wheels were then covered in 265/35R22 Nitto NT420S all-season truck and SUV tires. These ultra-high-performance tires were the perfect choice as the asymmetrical design aids in providing a quiet and comfortable ride while allowing for cross-rotation and look great, too..

Moving inside the cab, all the sheet metal was painted light gray to clean it up. New carpet was installed, and a Snowden bench seat was secured with a mounting kit from Pro Performance. On the dash is a Retro Sound radio that powers the speakers mounted in the kick panels. The gauges were replaced by a Dakota Digital VHX cluster that uses a Pro Performance mounting bezel. Lastly, the transmission is now controlled by use of a floor mounted Lokar Performance Products shifter.

Though Chad was originally looking for a different truck, he grew a passion for this ’62 GMC. With some help from Robert Isaacson, this truck was built in a backyard garage and the results speak volumes. Chad now drives it on a regular basis and even made a long haul from Queen Creek, AZ to Conroe, TX for the 2020 Lone Star Throwdown. Along the way, a new fuel pump had to be installed but other than that, this truck made the drive in good form. After putting it through the test of a long haul, Chad has confirmation that his unique ride will last him for many years to come.

Click here to see Cinderella: a beautiful, slammed '57 Chevy pickup.

In this episode of Driver Battles, Drag Edition, Episode 2 we paired-up the ultimate American rivalry: Camaro versus Mustang. Neither car was anywhere near new when they arrived at the legendary Irwindale eighth-mile drag strip on that brisk California day in Spring, but they were both ready to race.

Not only were the cars on par with each other regarding their ages, but there were many other similarities: both are running 5.0L or greater displacement American V8 engines, each car weighed about the same, and both cars are used as daily drivers.

The Camaro

Saul is a Camaro-guy through and through and showed up to the track with his fifth-gen 2010 Camaro SS with a 6.2L V8 producing somewhere in the realm of 426 hp with an advertised weight of about 3,800 lbs.

He drove the Camaro to the track on a set of Nitto NT555 G2 ultra high-performance summer tires that are designed to handle the rigors of daily-driving on terrible California roads, while still maintaining excellent traction at the ‘strip.

No stranger to drag racing, but not exactly a veteran, Saul had a couple of drag races under his belt and was very confident about his ability and was comfortable with racing his car.

The Mustang

Jordan loves his Mustang GT— and had not made any significant upgrades to the engine and has been extremely happy with the stock 5.0L making roughly 435 hp. Also weighing in at about 3,800 lbs, the S550 ‘Stang still feels nimble and quick according to Jordan.

One mod worth mentioning are his Nitto NT555 G2 tires: their increased traction (over the previous model tire), better handling, and improved wet-braking capability, made them the perfect choice for his car both at the drag strip and on the Southern California roads.

With zero drag racing experience, Jordan was improving his E.T.s with every practice run, but would it be enough to oust the more experienced driver in a similarly set-up car?

Watch the Video

In addition to the excitement of pitting these to icon vehicles on the type of track they were designed for, we also built-in another challenge that took the driver’s out of their own vehicles to test the ability of the driver.

You’ll have to watch the video to find out who won both competitions and to see which American muscle car won the day.

Click here to watch these modern American muscle cars duke it out on the drag strip and find out who won!

Badge engineering is a time-tested strategy employed by automakers seeking to plug a hole in their line-up without investing anything like the billions of dollars required to develop an all-new platform. It's way cheaper, and much faster, to simply source a vehicle from a sibling division or far-flung corporate partner, slap your logo on the grille, and call it a day.

Typically, badge engineering leads to fairly uninspired vehicles, or cars and trucks that are clearly outliers compared to their homegrown brethren. Sometimes, however, it can create memorable models that, if not outstanding, are at least worthy of attention from brand loyalists, or stand out for being more unique than strange.

Such is the case with our five favorite badge-engineered SUVs. These trucks managed to be cool despite being weird—or is that the other way around?

Saab 9-7x Aero

Saab didn’t deserve its fate. Condemned by decades of mismanagement by corporate overlord General Motors, by the end of its life the brand had become a dumping ground for boring, badge-engineered platforms from all manner of GM subsidiaries.

One of these vehicles remains notable many years after the Saab's demise: the 9-7x Aero. Here is a vehicle that was the antithesis to the Swedish company's guiding philosophy, an enormous three-row SUV built on the same platform as the hulking, never-that-great Chevrolet Trailblazer. And yet, in Aero trim, it manages to present a dying gasp of intrigue to would-be Saab shoppers thanks to its inclusion of the same 6.0-liter LS2 V8 found under the hood of the Trailblazer SS.

From 2008 to 2009, the 9-7x Aero delivered solid performance thanks to its 390 horsepower and 395 lb-ft of torque, married to a four-speed automatic transmission. Unlike the Chevy's part-time four-wheel drive, the Saab offered a unique, and standard, all-wheel drive system that shuttled power to the front axles when maximum traction was required. The sprint to 60-mph was accomplished in roughly 5.5 seconds, making it as fast as most sport sedans of its time.

Of course the rest of the Aero was pure plastic, with an interior not nearly up to the standards of what had once been a premium European automaker, paired with driving dynamics that reflected its unwieldy bulk. Still, to this day the 9-7x Aero remains an intriguing alternative to fans of muscle SUVs seeking something way outside the box.

Lexus LX

There are a lot of sport-utility fans who decry the very existence of the Lexus LX. Why, they argue, would someone pay top dollar for what is in essence a gussied-up Toyota Land Cruiser?

This protest makes the most sense when leveled against the first-gen LX, which was rushed to market in the mid-1990s in a bid to soak up the sudden dollars oozing from the luxury SUV market. Still, as time went on the Lexus model began to add significant feature and cabin upgrades to elevate it over the plainer (yet also expensive) Toyota, and in more recent times much more dramatic exterior styling.

More to the point, the Lexus LX then and now has managed to stay just as capable as the Land Cruiser in an off-road scenario, which is to say it's one of the most rugged all-terrain rides at its price point. It's on par with the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and the Land Rover Range Rover in terms of capability, and any time a luxury brand can offer a comfort-focused truck without sacrificing legitimate off-road chops, that's something to be celebrated.

Honda Passport

Speaking of companies caught flat-footed by the SUV craze… Honda's truck cupboards were relatively bare in the 1990s, and while it was able to quickly develop and release the CR-V cute ute, they had nothing ready to satisfy those looking for something a little larger, let alone off-road ready.

Enter Isuzu, which was selling the fantastically-named Mysterious Utility Wizard in its native Japan (and licensing it out to a number of other brands around the world as one of the most heavily badge-engineered SUVs of all time). Honda struck a deal with Isuzu to sell the four-door truck in America as the Passport, making almost no styling changes in the process.

With legitimate low-range four-wheel drive and a healthy V6 engine, the Passport would go on to be an unlikely start for Honda, making up more than 40 percent of total MU Wizard exports to the United States, right alongside its Isuzu-branded version, which was dubbed the Rodeo.

Ford Maverick

No, not that Ford Maverick—the OTHER Ford Maverick, exclusively available in the Australian market, and a none-too-subtle rebadge of the Nissan Patrol.

Sold between 1988 and 1994, the YP60 generation of the Patrol (which we never got in North America) gained a Ford logo as part of an extensive government program to open up Australia's automotive industry to outside companies. Up until then domestic builders had been heavily protected by tariffs and other restrictions, but Australia decided it was time to consolidate its existing automakers into a half-dozen of the strongest contenders and invite everyone else in to play.

This created a virtual wild west of badge engineering that would see Toyota and Nissan in particular team up and churn out mildly disguised versions of many popular cars. The strategy wouldn't last, it seems that Aussies weren't easily fooled by imitations, but the Maverick remains an intriguing stand out thanks to the Patrol's solid reputation for reliability and go-anywhere prowess.

Plymouth Trailduster Top Hand

At first glance there's almost no way to tell a Plymouth Trailduster apart from the Dodge Ramcharger it was based on. Even the interiors of these 1970s-era two-door SUVs often featured 'Ramcharger' badging despite being sold by a different Chrysler subsidiary.

Image courtesy of Cool Classics International.

That being said, there was one very special badge-engineered Trailduster that could be said to be unique: the Top Hand. The 70's saw Mopar turning to increasingly ambitious marketing programs to try and gain traction against Ford and GM, and a big part of that was creating a line of fully-customizable vehicles. For its trucks it went with off-road legend Vic Hickey, whose shop would produce 202 'Top Hand' models, each of which was stuffed with 4x4 gear, in-your-face paint schemes, and in the case of this one-of-one Trailduster, a 440 cubic inch V8.

That's right, Hickey only ever built one 1977 Plymouth Trailduster Top Hand, giving this badge-engineered SUV the unusual status of being the only vehicle of its kind.

Looking for more shining examples of corporate synergy? Check out our look at the strangest badge-engineered vehicles of all time.

Quarantine got you dreaming of going off road? Who knows how long it will be before we can hit the road again but if you’re looking to get your overland fix, Axial has you covered with their scale, remote control (RC) vehicles.

Axial Racing has just released the super-realistic (for the cost) SCX10 III, the latest evolution of their 1/10^th scale off-road R/C chassis. The chassis is all-new, aside from the driveshafts which are carried over from the SCX10 II that it replaces, which has been around since 2016.

As Real As It Gets

The III brings more realism to the SCX10 line with details like a realistic transmission and 2 speed transfer case with Dig feature. One of my favorite details are the scale Nitto Trail Grappers (measuring at 4.74” x 1.7”) mounted on 3 piece beadlocked KMC wheels.

Unlike a fresh off the dealer lot Rubicon, the SCX10 III JLU body comes with a replica V8 under the hood, which covers the front mounted electric motor.

Aside from functional details, the supplied JLU body features injection molded visual details such as a full interior roll cage, Rubicon hood vents, mirrors, windshield wipers and even door handles and hood latches. The CRC bumpers and sliders give the body a legitimate off-road touch.

In most R/C cars, the realism is ruined by those obtrusive body clips. Axial has hidden the body clips to give the SCX10 III a more realistic look. If you want to run a standard body, Axial does include the standard body post.           

Real Off-Road Capability 

What makes the SCX10 III particularly special are the portal axles found behind the Trail Grapplers. Portal axles are typically found on Hummer H1, Mercedes AMG G63 4x4 and other extreme and extremely expensive off-road vehicles.

Portal axles don’t go across the hubs between the wheels but instead raise the axles to above the hub height to maximize ground clearance.

When equipped with a 3-channel radio, you can unlock the transfer case’s realistic functionality. The radio’s 3 channels can be used to use the 2 speed transfer case to select between low and high speeds. The third channel can activate the DIG feature locks up the rear axle for a tighter turning radius. 

Just like a real JL Wrangler, Axial’s 1/10th scale version is just as customizable. You can mount rock lights, a winch, remove fenders and a whole slew of aftermarket parts. When equipped with portal axles and Trail Grapplers, almost nothing will stand in your way. The SCX10 III comes as a kit with each part already pre-cut. All you need to do is put it together, paint the body, add electronics and you’re ready to hit the trail.

The best part is once we can get back to off-roading, you can take this with you and continue the fun when you reach camp.

Want to keep the adventure going without leaving your house? Check out this overland ASMR!

When it comes to the Jeep brand, the model most associated with serious off-road chops is naturally going to be the Wrangler. But vehicles like the Cherokee and Grand Cherokee have historically also had large followings in the 4x4 community.

And in recent years with the growth of its “Trailhawk” package for most of its SUVs and crossovers, Jeep has done an admirable job at spreading its “Trail Rated” cred across its lineup. But what exactly is a Trailhawk and how do each of the four available models compare? Let’s take a look.

Grand Cherokee Trailhawk

First up, we have the oldest and the most traditional member of the Jeep Trailhawk family, the Grand Cherokee.

The Grand Cherokee Trailhawk is the only one of the four models built out of a traditional RWD-based SUV, although the Trailhawk version naturally comes standard as a 4x4.

The key differences that set the Trailhawk apart from other Grand Cherokees are of course its 4WD system, the top of the line Quadra-Trac II setup which features and electronic limited slip rear differential and Jeep's Selec-Terrain system.

Suspension-wise, the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk gets additional travel along with adjustable air suspension, along with off-road oriented tires mounted on 18" wheels.

Last but not least are some of the things that make the Trailhawk model most noticeable to the outside observer, including full skid plating, large red-painted tow hooks in the front and rear and unique badging.

Engine choices for the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk are either a 3.6L V6 that makes 295 horsepower or the 5.7L Hemi V8 with 360 hp. Despite the fact that the current Grand Cherokee is one of the older vehicle platforms currently on sale, the Trailhawk model is easily one of the most off-road capable and practical SUVs available now.

Cherokee Trailhawk

Not to be confused with the larger and more expensive Grand Cherokee, the "regular" Jeep Cherokee is a crossover SUV that competes in the highly popular segment against vehicles like the Honda CRV.

Yet, despite being a car-based crossover with a transverse FWD-based layout, the Cherokee Trailhawk is considered one of the most capable crossovers ever made.

Among its tricks are a an Active Drive II 4WD system which on the Trailhawk model also includes a locking rear differential and a Selec-Terrain system complete with a rock mode—features that are unheard of in just about any other crossover vehicle. 

Along with that the Trailhawk also gets a 1" higher suspension when compared to other Cherokee models, along with off-road specific tires and the same red tow hooks that help identify all of Jeep's Trailhawks.

The Trailhawk version of the Cherokee is available with two different engine options. The lower level engine is a 271 hp 3.2L V6 naturally aspirated V6 with an optional 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 270 hp but at 295 pound feet of torque has a significant advantage over the V6 in low end power. Both engines come mated to a nine-speed automatic.

A crossover like the Cherokee Trailhawk is never going to be the first choice of serious off-roaders, but for someone looking for a family-friendly, relatively inexpensive crossover that delivers off-road capability that goes far beyond what's typically found in the segment, the Cherokee Trailhawk is an intriguing choice. 

Compass Trailhawk

If there's a middle child of the Jeep Trailhawk family, then the Compass would be it. Similar to Cherokee, the Compass is crossover and at a glance doesn't look much different than its slightly larger cousin.

Unlike the Grand Cherokee and Cherokee Trailhawk, the Compass Trailhawk has just one engine choice, a 2.4L naturally aspirated four-cylinder that makes 180 hp and is connected to a nine-speed automatic transmission. 

The Compass Trailhawk of course packs AWD and gets a unique "crawler gear" as part of its Active Drive setup. And like the Cherokee, it also gets a "rock mode' as part of its Selec-Terrain system.

Elsewhere, you'll find the other Trailhawk goodies like skid plating, additional ground clearance, and, of course, those signature red tow hooks. 

Like the Cherokee, the Compass Trailhawk isn't a trail monster but it still delivers much better off-pavement talent than the small crossovers it competes against. Most buyers in this segment have no intention of going off-road, but we like the fact that Compass Trailhawk exists nonetheless.

Renegade Trailhawk

Last but not least we get to the smallest, cheapest but also perhaps the most interesting of the four—the Renegade Trailhawk.

The Italian-built Renegade has been the subject of mixed opinion ever since it was released. Despised by some for its very "un-Jeep" roots, but also enjoyed for its fun image and boxy but character-laden approach to the crossover formula.

Like its cousins, the Renegade Trailhawk packs some pretty legit off-road stuff for what's basically a tall hatchback with some extra ground clearance. Active Drive 4WD is standard of course, and the Trailhawk also gets a "low" setup with a 21:1 crawl ratio. It also gets a hill descent control setup as part of it Selec-Terrain system.

For 2020, the Renegade Trailhawk has just one engine option: a 1.3L turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes 177 hp and 210 pound feet of torque, again with a nine-speed automatic transmission.

Improved ground clearance, skid plating, larger tires and red tow hooks round out the Trailhawk treatment for what was already a small crossover not short on personality.

Again, no one is going to pick a Renegade Trailhawk as their dedicated off-road rig, but with its small size, decent fuel economy and relatively cheap price it could potentially make a solid daily driver that's much more fun than other tiny crossovers when the pavement ends. 

No, they may never be "real" Jeeps in the eyes of certain purists, but in a world where SUVs and crossovers have come to dominate the market, we see no reason not to appreciate Jeep's effort at spreading its trail-oriented DNA across its lineup. 

And, for a Jeep on the other end of the spectrum, you can see our review of the new Nitto NT420V tire on the high performance Grand Cherokee SRT right here.

There's no question that wide tires look great. Whether you're driving a slammed sports car or a lifted truck or SUV, a wide tire provides attitude and style while also improving handling and acceleration on the street, or grip and control on the trail.

As with all things automotive you can't just slap on a set of wider tires without considering how it will impact your vehicle's performance. Tires are one of the most important components of a car or truck's suspension system, and installing a new set should be part of an overall plan that takes into account how they will change the driving experience.

Let's take a deeper dive into the world of wider tires and look closely at the main considerations when choosing what rubber to install under your automobile.

Contact Patch Plus

Aside from esthetics, there's one very compelling reason to slap on a set of wider tires: boosting the size of your contact patch. As the old cliché goes, tires are the only part of your car that actually touch the road, and you might be surprised to find out that the total area of rubber in contact with the asphalt is typically no larger than a single sheet of letter paper.

Naturally, a wider tire helps to solve this issue by stretching out that patch as much as possible. In turn, that gives your rubber a better chance at finding traction under acceleration, but also at maintaining grip while cornering, and digging in when your foot hits the brake. It's often one of the most cost-effective ways to improve your vehicle's overall performance and safety, and combined with the stylish look of a fatter tire, it's also a very popular modification to make.

Staggered vs. Square

There are two ways to deploy a wider tire strategy. The first is to choose a section width that meshes well with your front and rear suspension details and body work, and install a same-size tire at each of your car's four corners. This is called a 'square' setup, and it helps balance the contact patch between handling and acceleration for rear-wheel drive cars. It's also non-negotiable for all-wheel drive vehicles, which require the same tire diameter (which is a function of section width) at each corner in order to prevent damage to differentials.

You may also notice that some enthusiasts instead choose a much wider tire for the rear axles as compared to what they put up front. The theory behind this is that it gives you as much rubber as possible to transmit power to the pavement, thus ensuring excellent traction for higher horsepower, rear-wheel drive cars. It's especially common for anyone running drag radials or a tire with a wrinkle sidewall, which isn't needed at the front of the vehicle.

There are a few caveats to this strategy. You won't be able to properly rotate your tires, which can lead to increased wear, especially if you're regularly at the race track. Depending on your suspension setup, a wider tire at the rear can also introduce understeer into your vehicle's handling, so make sure that your suspension is aligned and dialed-in to alleviate that if at all possible.

There are a very few cars out there that used a reverse-staggered setup (wider tires at the front), but they are exceedingly rare from the factory. That being said, some front-wheel drive track, autocross, and drag cars can be found with this layout, almost always installed by a chassis builder or tuner who knows exactly how it will affect performance.

Wet And Wild (And Snowy, Too)

Wider tires offer excellent traction on dry pavement, but there are a couple things to keep in mind about how they can affect your driving experience. With larger treadblocks, a wider tire will transmit more 'information' about the surface you are traveling over, which means imperfections, rough roads, and bumps will be more noticeable. You may also encounter greater 'tramlining,' which is the term used to describe a tire being moved around by ruts or grooves in asphalt (a common side effect of using a much wider tire).

In wet weather, wider rubber can occasionally be a liability. Although the grooves in a wide tire are larger, allowing for better channeling of water away from the treadblocks, with more surface area the potential for hydroplaning when hitting standing water on the road is greater. On a snow-covered road, the increased surface area of a wide tire is less effective at cutting through the white stuff as compared to a narrower option, which is why some people choose to install a smaller tire during the winter months.

Roll Out, Or Cut Out

If you're installing a wider tire than what you car was originally designed to accommodate, you may encounter a situation where the rubber doesn't quite fit under the lip of your fender. Most of the time, a wider tire that needs rolled fenders will be installed on a vehicle that rides on a lowered suspension, which brings the fender lip even closer to the rubber.

The most common way to deal with this issue is to 'roll' the fender lip. Since it's usually the inner fender lip that is making contact with a wider tire, you need to use a roller, either a specialized tool that mounts to the hub, providing you with a controlled arc, or even a heat gun and a cylindrical hand-roller, to gently push it back away from the tire. By flattening the metal in this way, it prevents gouging of the tire, or damage to the fender due to suspension travel.

What if rolling still won't accommodate your wider tire? The next option is to install a set of fender flares. If you own an extremely low car and are using seriously wide tires, flares may be your only option. Likewise, if you're driving a lifted truck and want to install taller, wider mud or off-road tires, and are concerned about fender contact at full suspension compression, you'll also want to look at flares. This process is a little more involved than fender rolling, because you'll most likely have to cut metal from your wheel wells to accommodate the tire, and then conceal those cuts with the new flares.

Making Space

If you're installing a wider tire, you may also have to consider more than just its impact on your body panels. Depending on the offset of the wheel you are using, and the position of the suspension components, wheel spacers could be a part of the conversation, too.

Some wider tires look fine when the front wheels are pointed straight, but when the steering is turned at full lock they can come into contact with the vehicle's chassis. It's here that wheel spacers come in, adding extra millimeters between the wheel and the hub in order to provide you with the clearance that you need.

Keep in mind your application when shopping for spacers. You'll want to make sure that the parts you buy are strong enough for off-roading or high performance driving, as some spacers are simply intended for the 'hard parked' crew that won't be doing anything more strenuous than street driving.

You'll also want to consider adding longer aftermarket wheel studs, because as the spacers push your wheel away from the hub it also reduces the number of threads available for your lug nuts to grab onto. Some wheel spacers offer a bolt-on design that actually extends the hub, helping to strengthen your wheel's connection.

Naturally, if your tire is wide enough to require a large spacer, you'll most likely be incorporating either a flared or rolled fender to complete the installation.

Want to learn more about suspension setup? Check out our feature on the basics behind wheel alignment.

As a direct result of tightening emission standards and consumer demand for more powerful engines, the 6.7L Cummins replaced the common-rail 5.9L midway through the 2007 model year. The 408 ci inline-six featured a bigger bore and longer stroke than its 5.9L predecessor had, and it packed 350 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque right off the assembly line. The 6.7L Cummins still made use of a Bosch common-rail injection system, but peak pressure increased from 23,200 psi to 26,000 psi and a variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) was employed for the first time. On top of that, the 68RFE automatic transmission debuted in 2007.5 Dodge Rams, the first time a six-speed auto was offered in its ¾-ton and larger trucks.

Unfortunately, the 68RFE was hardly an improvement over the 48RE it replaced in terms of torque-holding capacity—and not even fortifying one means it will last (more on that below). But if you can manage to get the 68RFE to live while harnessing additional power, sooner or later the longer stroke of the 6.7L Cummins (and the added cylinder pressure that comes along with it) will bring you closer to your next performance roadblock: a blown head gasket. Contributing to the 6.7L’s propensity to blow a head gasket, the factory VGT also becomes a point of restriction before you can even realize the full horsepower potential of the higher flowing fuel system.

For a closer look how each of the problems mentioned above, along with how to move beyond them, keep reading.

Roadblock #1: Automatic Transmission

It’s the same old, same old with the ’07.5-present Cummins-powered Rams: before you can even get your plan for more horsepower off the ground you’ll find yourself having to address the factory shortcomings of the automatic transmission. To be sure, the 68RFE can handle more horsepower and torque than the 48RE could in OEM form, but if you abuse it it can fail just as fast. Low line pressure, slipped overdrive clutches, excessive heat and valve body cross leakage are just a few of this transmission’s weak links. With quality transmission control module (TCM) tuning, the stock 68RFE can support 500rwhp and 1,000 lb-ft or more, but it won’t survive boosted, four-wheel drive launches for very long—and maybe not even once if the Low/Reverse sprag explodes (which is common).

TCM Tuning Helps

To reiterate, with sound TCM calibrating accompanying an ECM file that nearly doubles the 6.7L Cummins’ factory horsepower, the stock 68RFE can live under the right foot of a sensible driver. We’ve even seen one hold up in a truck making 570rwhp and more than 1,100 lb-ft. In time however—and even with fine-tuned shift points, higher fluid pressure and improved converter lockup events in the mix—the 68RFE will still be your 6.7L Cummins’ biggest performance roadblock.

The 68RFE Conundrum

Tearing a transmission down and stuffing it full of better parts usually yields great results if the work is performed by a reputable builder. But here’s the kicker for 6.7L Cummins owners: even after being built using the best aftermarket parts available (which isn’t exactly cheap), the 68RFE is still notorious for not holding up, long-term, in trucks making 700-rwhp or more. Some live while others don’t, which likely means that things boil down to who’s in control of the accelerator. Even so, when your mods progress beyond a turbo upgrade on stock fuel, you’d better make plans to build up the 68RFE and take your chances if you want to enjoy the truck’s power reliably.

Roadblock #2: Head Gasket Issues

While the 6.7L’s longer stroke and bigger torque figures are major perks, the added cylinder pressure that comes along with it leads to a problem rarely encountered by 5.9L owners: a blown head gasket. Granted, 6.7L’s don’t pop head gaskets left and right (many engines go 200,000 miles), but when you combine the added cylinder pressure with the high drive pressure produced by the restrictive variable geometry Holset turbocharger and stretch that abuse out over tens of thousands of miles, eventually the head is going to lift.

Head Studs & Beyond

Faced with a blown head gasket, and after resurfacing the head and inspecting the trueness of the block, most 6.7L Cummins owners opt to install ARP head studs when things go back together. At this point, the average tune-only (500 to 530rwhp) ’07.5-newer Ram is good to go for the long-haul. For those with more ambitious power goals, the head can be fitted with stiffer valve springs, thread-in style freeze plugs and even machined to accept fire-rings.

Roadblock #3: Factory Turbo

Though the Holset HE351VE turbo found on the 6.7L Cummins is larger than the HE351CW employed on the 5.9L (60mm vs. 58mm compressor), as a variable geometry charger the HE351VE is arguably more restrictive. In some aggressively tuned applications, this turbo’s drive pressure can be double what boost pressure is, and this kind of 2:1 ratio is a big no-no in the world of turbocharging. Of course, at this point not only is the turbo near its breaking point, but it’s well out of its efficiency range.

Fixed Geometry Turbo Upgrade

Replacing the factory VGT with a T4 flange, a fixed geometry turbocharger is one of the best ways to wring every ounce of power out of the 6.7L Cummins’ stock fuel system. In addition to the extra airflow providing a 30 to 50hp gain, exhaust gas temperature (EGT) drops and reliability is improved thanks to the fixed geometry unit’s better flow and inherent simplicity. As a bonus, the 6.7L’s added displacement over the 5.9L means it’s capable of driving a large frame turbo such as a BorgWarner S400 very well. You don’t sacrifice much in the way of spool up in order to see significant power gains at higher rpm.

Roadblock #4: Stock Fuel System

When pushed to its absolute limit, the OEM fuel system on the 6.7L Cummins (lift pump, CP3, injectors) can support as much as 530rwhp and roughly 550rwhp with a turbo upgrade. To go beyond that point, bigger injectors are required, which in turn will call for a larger displacement CP3, which will have to be supplied fuel from a higher flowing lift pump. Each upgrade supports the other. It is here that things get expensive—and it’s why most ’07.5-present Cummins owners call it a day and remain in this power range.

Upsizing the Fuel System (From Tank to Engine)

For those that simply can’t resist pursuing more power, your upgraded lift pump, injectors and CP3 should be purchased according to your horsepower goal. For instance, a truck making more than 600rwhp needs a lift pump that’s capable of flowing 150-gph. As for CP3’s, a 10mm stroker pump can support up to 800rwhp and will fit most needs, but 12mm pumps and 14mm units are also available for hotter setups. Injector options run the gamut from 50hp to 200-percent over (and even larger than that) but may require a properly-sized CP3 in order to support them, as well as precise ECM tuning to dial everything in. For sound lift pump options, check out the 170-gph PowerFlo in-tank unit from Fleece Performance Engineering or a complete low-pressure system from FASS. For high quality injectors and CP3’s, give Exergy Performance and S&S Diesel Motorsport a look.

Looking to take your 6.7L Cummins to the next level but need to do it on a budget? Check out our Budget Mods recipes for ’07.5-newer Rams here.

For many folks in the truck scene, low is the way to go. In reality, trucks are built from the factory to haul loads and the suspension systems were designed to handle that. Customizers like to improve things and making a truck more stylish is on top of the list. For those that don’t test the limits of a trucks’ hauling capabilities, a suspension drop is a good way to improve both form and function.

Besides the obvious reason of lowering a truck for the sake of style, there are some benefits that come along with it. A lowered center of gravity will help cornering and improve the overall performance. Also, lowered trucks are a bit more aerodynamic, which in turn makes them a bit faster.

There are multiple ways to drop a truck and results vary with the type of suspension set-up you choose. Some vehicles are harder to modify than others and cost is always a defining factor. Like all vehicles, slammed trucks can have issues with scraping driveways and speedbumps. The best approach is to figure out how low you want to go and what your needs actually are. To help explain the differences, we have gathered a list of all the available options.

1. Lowering Springs

Back in the day, customizers would cut or heat up springs to lower vehicles. Though it brought them down, these approaches sacrificed ride quality and performance. Today we have a multitude of aftermarket companies producing shortened springs that are designed to function properly. Swapping coils is an affordable way to drop a truck but ride quality will suffer, and suspension travel distance will be shorter.

2. Drop Spindles

Though purchasing a pair of drop spindles means you will maintain a smooth ride, you will fork over about double the cash. What these parts do is raise the front wheel mounting point while maintaining the factory suspension geometry. The typical drop is around 2-inches with spindles, but the installation is easier than swapping springs.

3. Torsion Bars

Many of the heavier trucks come with this type of suspension as they can handle larger loads. Though these systems are limited on how much drop you can achieve, they are very easy to adjust. All you need to do on these trucks is loosen the hardware on the torsion keys and your ride will drop instantly. For some models, there are aftermarket torsion keys that will allow you to readjust your suspension while having a more compact design to help with your vehicle’s road clearance.

4. Suspension Arms

There are some companies that offer these components as another solution. For those looking to lower a truck even further, you will need to combine parts like springs with custom suspension arms. If you have a moderate budget, this is a decent approach, but the modified geometry will alter how your truck handles. For some trucks this is the only way to get a front suspension down without having to heavily modify the chassis.

5. Leaf Springs and Shackles

This is a very budget friendly way to lower the rear of most trucks. Lowered leaf springs and shackles are a great way to shave a few inches off. Installation is pretty straight forward as you simply replace the old gear with new parts. Experts can even knock out this swap in less than an hour with only a few tools.

Keep in mind that when you drop the rear of a truck, the axle will get closer to the frame.

If you don’t haul heavy loads, bump stops can help lessen the feel when your suspension bottoms out while going over large bumps. To eliminate most of this, you can notch your frame for even more suspension travel. These C-notches are simple and can even be installed by novice wrenchers.

6. Rear Flip Kits

If you’re going for a more dramatic drop on your truck, a flip kit is a cheap and easy way to accomplish this. Rear axles are factory mounted under leaf springs and these brackets allow you to flip it all. By mounting a rear axle on top of the leaf springs, you get about a 6-inch drop while maintaining the factory ride.

Though this method will get your truck down low, it reduces the amount of load the rear suspension can handle. There is a fix for those that want to go low and haul heavy objects as well. Helper ‘bags can be installed to maximize load-carrying strength with added support. Inflating the ‘bags will prevent “suspension squat” and make for the ultimate functionality in these situations.

7. Coil-overs

If you want to have your cake and it too, a coil-over conversion is the way to go. These systems allow for a substantial drop plus superior performance and handling. Previously, the common perception was that coil-overs were just for race vehicles and gave a terrible ride.

Companies like QA1 are changing the game with coil-overs that have adjustable dampers that can be softened for the street and tightened up for more performance.

There are many full suspension systems available that allow DIY builders to easily install them. Most of these kits are made just for classic trucks as they require heavier modifications to reap the benefits of modern components. Late-model trucks can also take advantage of coil-overs, but it will take some advanced fabrication to implement them.

8. Full Chassis Replacement

For those looking to get the most performance from a vehicle, changing out the entire chassis is a must.

Factory frames are constructed in the most economical way to operate within certain parameters for the average needs of truck owners. Those looking to go above and beyond will need a new frame, which is stiffer and designed to handle more power.

For common classic trucks, Total Cost Involved carries a full line of chassis solutions. However, there are trucks out there that don’t have any support with premade offerings. In these cases, you will need to have a chassis tailored to suit your truck. Chris Alston’s Chassisworks is one of the biggest suppliers in chassis components for builders looking to get more than the rest.

As you can see there are numerous ways to get low. You don’t need to empty your piggy bank in order to have some fun, but the sky is the limit if you want to get the most out of your truck. Our suggestion is to assess what fits your needs before going all out. Even a simple drop will make your ride better than most others on the road.

Click here to see a beautiful, slammed, '72 F100 pickup.

There’s nothing more fun than running all-out on open trails, that is, except maybe racing all-out on a dirt track against a buddy. This is where it’s common to see majestic, full-bodied trucks and other off-road vehicles take flight.

It’s exciting to watch and exhilarating to experience, which one of the many reasons we’ve expanded the third season of Driver Battles to include short-course dirt track racing in addition to drag racing (which you can see, by clicking here). We love the spray of dirt around the turns as drivers navigate the inconsistent conditions of the track in top-heavy machines to create a more three-dimensional feel versus the relative flatness of pavement racing.

Did we mention there are jumps?

Ford F150 vs Ford Ranger

To see if we could settle some off-road rig disputes on the short course, we headed down to rain-soaked Glen Helen Raceway in Southern California for a dirt-track duel. In the first mud-caked episode, it’s a battle of the Fords (or are they Chevys?) If you happened to peek under the hood of either Ford, you’d find a pair of Chevy V8s. The F150 sports a Chevy LQ9 engine, while the smaller-bodied Ranger has a Chevy LS3.

Both are fully-caged and are driven with a Turbo 400 trans and rolling on 37-inch Nitto Trail Grappler tires. With the exception of the two truck’s overall weight and size, it seemed a fairly even match. Looks can be deceiving, and driver experience matters a lot—which driver would best navigate the puddles and pools on the course to earn the big “W” for the day?

Where to Watch?

Visit and subscribe at Driving Line’s YouTube channel to watch as the Driver Battles continue. Whether it’s on the track, the strip, or the dirt there’s plenty of action and opportunities for drivers just like you to prove their vehicles and their skills in competition.

While you’re there, let us know if you think you’ve got something faster! Drop a comment with what you’ve got in your garage—you just may be the star of a future Driver Battles episode. 

Click here to watch Driver Battles, Dirt Edition.

When it comes to off-road capable fullsize SUVs, the contenders are few and far between. While the long-removed Hummer H1 and H2 were serious trail machines, they lacked in practicality and affordability for the masses. Though the Toyota Land Cruiser is a great alternative for those looking for a fullsize SUV with real off-road chops, it comes with a hefty price tag. Today, most fullsize SUVs are not created with the off-road enthusiast in mind.

For this reason, we wanted to take dive into one of the most common SUVs still found on the road today- the Chevy Tahoe. While a new one will set you back tens of thousands of dollars, dig into the classifieds, and you will find that these once pricy SUV’s can often be had for less than 10k. While there are many generations of the Tahoe with varying ranges of aftermarket support, for this article, we are going to focus on a past project rig- a 2004 Chevy Tahoe 4x4.

Starting off with this generation Tahoe was done primarily because these are extremely common, very inexpensive, and have sizeable aftermarket support. In this article, we will take you through a series of upgrades that helped make this classic domestic platform a more dynamic backwoods exploration vehicle.

The Teardown Begins

Our 2004 was picked up with a little over 90,000 miles on the odometer, which is not much concern for the 4.8L V8 engine or 4L60e transmission. The SUV had been a pavement pounder for its entire life, so we got lucky that there was not much in the way of overly worn components out of the gate. If you are curious as to why we did not start with the more powerful 5.3L, it simply comes down to this Tahoe was a few grand less than others with the 5.3L. Both make good power and can easily be beefed up if you’re looking to pump up the power.

Tie Rods

One of the biggest known weak links for the ½-ton Chevy truck and SUV platforms are the tie rods. To make sure yours will not collapse, you have a few options. One being a basic sleeve that gets welded onto the existing steering link. The other is a full replacement link such as the one shown here from CST Suspension. The sleeves are much cheaper, but you’re getting a better overall product when you upgrade the entire steering link. Whatever your budget can stomach is what you should do. Stock just isn’t a safe bet off-road.  

Skyjacking

There are a few companies that offer full suspension systems for the 2004 Tahoe. We opted for a six-inch lift from Skyjacker as it was cost effective and gave us more than enough room for our 35-inch tire goals. This generation Tahoe uses a torsion bar IFS setup with a multilink coil-sprung solid axle configuration out back. Admittedly, the torsion bar independent front suspension is probably one of our least favorite setups as it limits your travel and ride quality over a more modern coil-over-strut or coilover configuration. Skyjacker does a good job of optimizing what is there, but keep in mind that these styles of kits are not really designed for hardcore wheeling. If you want more off-road performance, expect to pay more for a custom long-travel setup.

Gearing

One area that you’ll want to invest to keep the performance where it needs to be is differential gearing. Adding on larger tires and extra gear is going to make a major impact. For ours, we moved up to a numerically higher 4.56 differential gearset. This put us closer to factory power with our 35-inch-tall tire.

Grappler Adventure

Speaking of 35s, that was the max tire we felt we really needed. This was never going to be a rockcrawler of any sort. So, going with anything larger would be a hit to our wallet and performance. Not to mention, the wheelwells of the Tahoe are not overly spacious. For the type of terrain this SUV would see in the Southeast, we opted for a 35x12.50 Nitto Trail Grappler. This is one of the most versatile mud-terrain radials we’ve tested. Given the type of knuckle-lift suspension we were using, we opted for an 18x9 AX186 wheel. This gave us the backspacing we needed and enough sidewall to drop the air pressure safely on the trail.

Air Flow

Normally, we are not big fans of cold-air intakes on our off-road rigs. Often times they are not as good as filtering out dust, dirt, and water as the stock air box. However, we were willing to try a few easy mods to try and increase the power of the 4.8L. We ended up installing an S&B Filter system, which proved to be a very easy-to-service and well working setup. Seat of the pants, it felt better, but we never placed it on a dyno.

Rumble Up

The one area our SUV had a bit of rust was on the exhaust. So, we used an Ultra Flow kit from DynoMax to replace the rotted original pieces. The single-in, single-out muffler gave a bit more rumble, but was not overly obnoxious. A great balance of value and performance for sure.

Programming

To calibrate the speedometer correctly for the new gears, we picked up a handheld programmer from Superchips. This unit also allowed us to correct for the new tire size. We didn’t utilize many of the performance (octane) functions of the programmer as we were satisfied with the power overall.

Dual Purpose

In stock form, the Tahoe is a great multipurpose rig. There is a ton of interior space, making it great for camping and everyday hauling. Adding the lift made for a nice visibility boost and gave way for a much better set of treads that what were on it. The 4.56 gears were really all it needed to keep overdrive active on the highway and make high-range useable in the sand and mud. We would classify it as only OK as a tow rig. So long as you have a good brake controller, towing is livable, but the coil sprung rear suspension could have benefited from a set of helper air bags.

Trail Thoughts

If you’re just doing light wheeling and backwoods exploring, these rigs work great. They have plenty of room for gear and enough power that being loaded down with your friends or family doesn’t impact performance. It’s no Jeep Wrangler and should not be used as an alternative for one. Dropping our Trail Grapplers to 15psi made the ride quality and traction work for our needs. The interior space is great, so we never ran out of room for gear storage. Overall, this was a vey cost-effective way to build light-duty wheeler with V8 power and excellent highway manners.

Looking for the ultimate bugout vehicle? Check out Alpha Van.

Having a shop full of customer builds often means pushing off personal projects. There is an old cliche of a painter driving a primered car, or in this case a SEMA truck builder having never built something of his own for the show. That cliche finally ended for Houston Haskins of Superior Off-Road. As a builder of dozens of SEMA trucks for companies and clients; he finally took the opportunity to bring a personal build to the big show.

Houston grew up catching the bus to his family’s shop, Superior Auto Body, after school. As soon as he turned 16, he picked up his first truck, a Toyota Tacoma and with all of the knowledge he had gained helping in the back of the shop; installed a 7-inch lift and 35-inch tires and anything else he could bolt-on. That truck set him on the path to opening up his accessory shop, Superior Off-Road, shortly after graduating high school. 

Jump to 15 years later with over 1,000 trucks under their belt; the shop’s talent and reputation have gained them many industry partners that rely on them to build display trucks for SEMA. This past year, Houston finally decided, with the help of Truck Guru, to take his brand new shop truck, a 2019 Ford F350 Super Duty Platinum to the next level and include it in the group of trucks on display at SEMA with Kompression/Rouge Off Road wheels.

Accented Wheels, Huge Tires

At the SEMA show; the truck sported a set of Kompression’s new Rogue Offroad forged wheels with a Truespike lug nut secured 3D machined centers with sublime green accents; a favorite accent color of Houston's. The natural fit for the 26x14-inch forged wheels was a set of 42x15.50R26 Nitto Trail Grappler M/T tires. Helping to bring the steamrollers to a stop is a set of Wilwood brakes.

Instant Power

Helping the 6.7L diesel engine is a throaty Banks Monster 4-inch exhaust system. But that wasn’t the only power being added to the Ford. A Banks Power Derringer tuner was integrated as well allowing Houston to increase the horsepower of the diesel by 70 hp and the torque an extra 150 ft. lbs at any time; all monitored by a Banks iDash gauge. The added torque and power would come in handy with the towing duties the truck would have to handle after its SEMA show debut.

Suspension Set to Tow

That extra power would be just what the Ford needed as Houston planned on beefing up the suspension with Precision Metal Fabrication trusses in order to properly handle the 12-inch Precision Metal Fab coilover conversion with King 2.5” Remote Reservoir Coilovers. Whenever one modifies the geometry and height of a truck’s suspension, a few addons are necessary to keep everything handling properly. The steering stabilizer setup from PMF was added while the front driveshaft was replaced with one from Fabtech. Finally, the front and rear gears were swapped out for 4.30 Nitro gears.

The rear suspension saw a set of PMF spec Deaver leaf springs and traction bars with a set of King 2.5” reservoir shocks as well. The rear setup provided a better ride quality with minimal loss to the towing capacity that the Super Duty would need to get Houston’s shop projects around town and take his boat to the water.

Matching Looks

The sublime green accents continued throughout the rest of the truck accenting the PMF suspension and Royalty Core mesh grille. Sitting below the grille is a color matched Hammer Head bumper mounted up with a 20-inch Rigid Industries E-Series LED light bar saddled between Rigid D-Series Dually lights to help the rig light up the night along with a set of Onpoint Retrofit custom headlights. 

But it's the graphic wrap around the back half of the Super Duty that really stands out thanks to NW Signs. Houston wanted to have something that was bright and with the Super Duty set to pull his sublime green and grey boat, it was only natural that they matched.

The graphic continues onto the ARE bed cap covering a Bed Rug lined bed with a set of Hornblaster Goliath air horns mounted up underneath. But the truck isn’t just show and attention grabbing; a drop Gen-Y hitch with powder coated stabilizers and Bolt Lock helps Houston perform hauling duties for both work and play.

HARD FACTS

Want to see more of Superior Off-Road's work? Their SEMA 2019 Ram sits on 40-inch Nitto Trail Grappler M/T tires.

As the automobile market continues to undergo a gradual, but inevitable, shift towards battery electric vehicles, new rivalries are beginning to emerge every day. Not just between traditional automakers but also between long-time car companies and electric-only newcomers.

And while Tesla is considered the Goliath of the electric car industry at the moment, in the coming years the brand will be facing increasing competition from established automakers and their newly developed EVs.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the rivalry of the Tesla Model Y and the Ford Mustang Mach-E. Both vehicles are similar in size, shape, power and price—and both are extremely important to their respective makers. At this moment the Model Y is just beginning to reach customers, while the Mach-E is scheduled to go on sale later this year. Let’s take a look at how they compare in terms of both specs and emotional appeal.

Price

At the moment, the cheapest Tesla Model Y available is the Long Range Dual Motor AWD variant which is priced at $52,990. Stepping up to the “Performance” model raises the price to $60,990. These prices are before any local or state incentives that can bring the price down.

Cheaper, standard range Model Ys and those with RWD layouts are set to join the lineup as well with a promised starting price of $39,000—roughly the same as the highly popular Tesla Model 3, with which the Model Y shares its basic design.

The Mustang Mach-E meanwhile will have a base price of $43,895 for its least expensive “Select” trim when it goes on sale in early 2021. From there, the prices for various models rise roughly in line with the Model Y, topping out the with the high performance GT model and its $60,500 MSRP. Again these prices are before local rebates.

Even more important is that Ford still qualifies for the $7,500 EV tax credit in the US while Tesla has sold enough vehicles to no longer qualify. This alone gives the Mach E a pretty sizable advantage in price for the foreseeable future.

Range

Perhaps the most important question anyone asks when considering an EV is “how far will it go?”. When it comes to the Model Y and the Mach-E, the two vehicles line up pretty well here as well.

The cheapest RWD Mach-E will have a claimed range of 230 miles on a charge while the extended range RWD variant will go up to 300 miles on a charge. The high performance, AWD GT model will have a range of 250 miles.

The Model Y meanwhile comes in pretty close to that with 230 miles of range on the cheapest standard range model, and up to 316 miles on the most expensive long range AWD version.

If there’s an X factor here, it would be in charging infrastructure. The Model Y, like all Tesla vehicles, can use the brand’s extensive Supercharger network for convenient charging at places all over the country.

This gives the Model Y a significant advantage over the Ford, which will have to use a much more sporadic third party charging network if you attempt a long trip. This is likely to change in the coming years are charging infrastructure continues to grow.

Performance

While some might still consider electric cars purely for those who want to hug trees and save the earth, performance is a big part of their appeal—and there’s an interesting battle brewing between the Ford and the Tesla here.

The Model Y Performance will do 0-60 in 3.5 seconds and has a top speed of 155 miles per hour. While the Mach-E GT promises a similarly quick 0-60 time of “under four seconds.”

Both the Model Y Performance and the Mach-E GT bring additional high performance hardware to the table which help differentiate them from the lesser models. The inevitable race track showdowns between the two are certainly going to be fun to watch.

The “Cool” Factor

Finally, we get to the emotional appeal of the two vehicles. Both the Ford and the Tesla shape up pretty closely in terms of specs, but you are really buying into something different with each.

Despite being a relative newcomer to the auto industry, Tesla has already built up a legion of loyal fans and owners, arguably the most passionate and outspoken of any automotive brand out there. Some of them are converted enthusiasts from other brands while others are techies won over by Tesla’s forward thinking ways.

On the other hand, the Mach-E is car that will have to balance its futuristic nature and historic nameplate. It was a bold choice for Ford to apply the beloved Mustang nameplate to an electric Crossover SUV, but they are hoping the branding will lend a feeling of coolness to the Mach-E.

Despite Ford's vastly longer history as an automaker, there's a strong argument that Tesla is actually the established player in this particular segment and the burden is on Ford to win over some of the Elon Musk Fan Society with its ambitious Mach-E.

Along with the aforementioned competition of value, range and performance, there will no doubt be differences between the two in terms of owner experience, build quality and, reliability and manufacturer support.

Whatever happens, Tesla v Ford is shaping up be a very interesting battle in the months ahead.

And as another sign of how seriously Ford is taking this whole EV thing, check out the all-electric Cobra Jet 1400 drag car they just debuted. 

Despite doing my best to follow the auto industry as a whole, there are certain segments that I’m not intimately familiar with—and crossover SUVs are at the top of the list.

Even so, it’s been hard to ignore a pair of sister vehicles that have hit the market in a big way: the Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade.

I’ve noticed them appearing in large numbers on the street, and will admit to thinking the Telluride in particular is a pretty striking vehicle for its segment.

Knowing little about these smaller SUVs, I did some research to see what was making them so popular. Not only is “Telluride” the first word suggested after you enter “Kia” in the Google search bar, the same search also gave me a long list of recent “Car of the Year” awards won by the Telluride. 

So, are these two new models a couple of game-changers in the SUV world or just well-executed family vehicles in a very popular segment?

Both the Telluride and Palisade are midsize crossover SUVs with car-based underpinnings and transversely mounted engines with front-wheel drive as standard. So, in terms of competition, think Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander rather than Toyota 4Runner.

In the US market they are available with just one engine, a 3.8L V6 that makes 291 hp and it’s mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. FWD is standard while AWD is optional. And while the AWD models do have things like snow mode and a “lock” function, they aren’t quite off-road monsters.

What does seem to make them popular is their combination of value, interior space and a style with more character than most midsize crossover SUVs. As for pricing, they start at around $32,000 for a base FWD example and climb into the high 40s with all the bells and whistles.

Hyundais and Kias have long been known for their value, the despite being the largest cars in their respective lineups, the Palisade and Telluride deliver a lot for the money in terms of interior space and convenience features.

But what really makes them so popular is their looks. Kia did a great job with the Telluride, it has boxy yet modern profile that makes it look a lot more expensive than it is, with an almost Range Rover feel to it. It’s shape also manages to convey the look of “real” SUV rather than a car-based crossover.

Image is important and both Hyundai and Kia have done a great job of using this to build interest around their cars. So no, the Palisade and Telluride aren’t threatening to dethrone or the 4Runner or Grand Cherokee as rugged off-road SUV leaders.

But they’ve done a great job at adding some interest to what’s normally a pretty boring segment where vehicles are often purchased based purely on price and practicality. 

And given what we’ve seen from so many of their cars in the last few years, should Hyundai and Kia actually jump into the “real” off-road segment, the results may actually be pretty great. Time will tell.

And speaking of family-friendly SUVs and crossovers going off-road, check out our recent breakdown of Jeep's Trailhawk lineup.

We've always been a fan of thinking outside the box when it comes to choosing a muscle machine. After all, there's so much sweet high performance metal out there that restricting your choices to the usual suspects means missing out on the joys of the many different drivetrains, designs, and driving experiences offered by less common options.

An added bonus? These alternative muscle cars are often much cheaper than their more common contemporaries, allowing you to pick up a tire-shredding monster without any collateral damage to your bank account.

We had such a strong response to our original list of alternative muscle cars that we had to hit you back with another batch. Here are 10 more choices for free-thinking enthusiasts looking to walk their own path.

1. Chevrolet Monte Carlo

When the Chevrolet Monte Carlo appeared for the 1970 model year, the new 'personal luxury' coupe was offered with many of the same drivetrain options found on the slightly smaller Chevelle thanks to their shared A-body platform. That means that these hardtops could be had with anything ranging from a 300 hp, 350 cubic inch V8 all the way up to a monster 454 cubic inch unit good for an impressive 360 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque.

The Monte Carlo SS was expensive compared to its Chevelle SS cousin, and as such wasn't nearly as popular, forcing Chevrolet to drop the package after 1971. Still if you can track down an LS5-powered Monte Carlo it makes for a formidable muscle car sleeper.

2. AMC Javelin

The AMX might get most of the attention from muscle car fans seeking an American Motors product, but the Javelin it's based on is worth a look, too. Offering a larger interior than some of the pony cars it was sent out to street fight with, when the vehicle was redesigned for 1971 it inherited much of the AMX's might in the form of a 330 hp, 401 cubic inch V8 engine.

With the AMX now a trim level on the Javelin instead of its own two-seat model, American Motors incorporated as much of its Trans-Am racing know-how into the car as it possibly could. This included unique aero upgrades and a number of other goodies (limited slip differential, stiffer springs) as part of its Go Package. With 430 lb-ft of torque on tap, the second-gen Javelin remains a strong choice for alternative muscle fans.

3. Plymouth Belvedere/Satellite

Everyone knows about the Plymouth Roadrunner and more upscale GTX, which enjoyed a huge advertising boost as part of the brand's Mass Transit marketing effort in the early 1970s. Fewer are familiar with the Belvedere or the Sport Satellite, which were the more pedestrian Plymouth B-bodies on which the Roadrunner and GTX were based.

The most intriguing versions of the pair were offered from 1968 to 1970, featuring up to 335 hp from a 383 cubic inch V8. Even more interesting? You could get them as sedans and wagons, too, making them easier to find than their vaunted siblings, and a little more practical if you're forced to mix your muscle with daily reality.

4. Cadillac CTS-V

The first-generation Cadillac CTS-V broke new ground for the luxury brand. Here, finally, was a sport sedan that could match the best the BMW et al had to offer, and it had the Nurburgring tuning laps to prove it.

The angular sedan may have been nimble, but at its heart beat the eight-cylinder staccato of a muscle car. Featuring either an LS6 (2004-2005) or LS2 (2006-2007) V8, the CTS-V was good for 400 hp sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. This uncommon speed machine has seen its prices fall to the mid-teens for a well-kept driver, making it a stunning deal on the used market.

5. Buick Regal T-Type

The Grand National GNX gets all the glory, but Buick spent a good chunk of the 80s putting the T-Type badge on a number of models, many of which featured a respectable amount of turbocharged power.

The Buick Regal T-Type was offered from 1983 to 1987, and while the GNX was king, you could still get 190 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque from a 3.8-liter turbocharged V6 in a more affordable package if you opted for the base model. Power would continue to climb throughout its five years on the market, and with a little modern turning these coupes offer big fun for low money.

6. Ford Ranchero

The Ford Ranchero ute was never intended to pull work duty beyond transporting the occasional dirt bike or cooler, but the fact that certain model years it shared their underpinnings with the Torino family of sedans, coupes, wagons, and convertibles meant that it had considerable access to the Blue Oval's part's bin.

Case in point: for 1970 and 1971, you could dump a 429 cubic inch Cobra Jet V8 under the hood of the restyled Ranchero, and harness its 370 hp for as many air-hauling burnouts as your tires could stand. Even the vehicle's available 300 hp, 351 cubic inch eight-cylinder engine was a winner.

7. Oldsmobile Rallye 350

The Oldsmobile Cutlass was better known to muscle car fans in 442 trim, but there was another hi-po version of the coupe that escaped almost everyone's notice. For 1970 only Oldsmobile would build the Rallye 350, a car that straddled the line between cost-conscious and hooligan.

The car's centerpiece—and what helped keep the price within the reach of the average buyer—was a 350 cubic inch engine good for 310 hp. Not quite as overwhelming as the 442's big-cube firepower, but still enough for a wild weave while leaving the parking lot of your local Sonic. The rest of the car got the same look-at-me appearance package as other GM muscle machines of the day, including air gulping nostrils hewn out of the hood and a Sebring Yellow paint job that made it impossible to hide from the local constabulary.

8. Lincoln Mark VIII

When it debuted in 1994, the Lincoln Mark VIII gave Ford fans a sneak-peak at the 32-valve 4.6-liter V8 that would soon grace the Mustang Cobra. More than that, however, it delivered an exceptional (for the time) 280 hp and a Teksid-cast aluminum block that could take a serious amount of boost before tapping out.

Throw in aero-friendly looks, an adjustable ride height air suspension, and pricing that rarely cracks five-figures, and the Mark VIII is an appealing choice for coupe fans sick of the same-old same-old when seeking a 90s performer. Second-generation cars, which appeared in 1997, delivered a slightly longer nose to go with a minor performance bump under the hood.

9. Pontiac Tempest

The Pontiac GTO is often cited for being responsible for the muscle car craze. Predictably, prices on this icon have soared out of reach of many gearheads, but even back in the day Pontiac realized that some people were looking for performance without all of the hoopla.

Enter the Tempest, the intermediate coupe on which the second-generation GTO was based. Starting in 1968, it was possible to order a Tempest with a 350 cubic inch high output (H.O) engine, which was good for up to 325 hp. The H.O. would stick around until the Tempest left the market in 1970.

10. Mercury Comet Cyclone

The Mercury Comet was a slightly more upscale version of Ford's humble Falcon, which enthusiasts will remember for donating its guts to make the Mustang a reality in the mid-60s. Around the same time, Mercury began to offer a 'Cyclone' version of the Comet that debuted in 1966 after the car made the switch from the Falcon to the Fairlane platform.

This opened up access to a larger 390 cubic inch V8, meaning a 335 hp Comet was now in the cards. The following and final year of Comet production saw a 390 hp, 427 cubic inch engine become available for the Cyclone trim, giving the unassuming Mercury serious punch in a straight line.

Looking for more high performance classic cars? Check out these unusual go-fast models that escaped the hype machine.

The 6.6L Duramax is one of the most celebrated diesel engines on the domestic truck market. When it debuted in ’01 model year GM ¾-ton and larger trucks under the RPO code LB7, it introduced the segment to aluminum cylinder heads and high-pressure common-rail injection—two things that make 500rwhp possible with nothing more than a tweaked ECM (think EFI Live). The icing on the cake is that the Duramax remains durable, quiet and fuel efficient while doing it, not to mention the fact that GM’s HD trucks are lighter than the competition (especially the ’01-’07 body style), which makes them faster.

But even though the LB7 Duramax engine’s factory injectors, CP3 and turbo can support 500rwhp on tuning alone, the factory five-speed Allison 1000 will never last under that kind of power. As such, the expense of building the commercial-grade automatic transmission is the first roadblock you’ll encounter when pursuing big power with an ’01-‘04 Duramax. After that, getting beyond the 500rwhp wall calls for a free-flowing exhaust (namely a larger downpipe), opening up the size of the Y-bridge (to feed more air into the heads), upsizing the turbo and eventually upgrading to larger injectors and a bigger CP3 (injection pump).

For the clearest path past the LB7’s performance hurdles, give the checklist below a solid once-over.

Roadblock #1: Allison Transmission

In stock form (and as-intended), the five-speed Allison 1000 will live as long as the LB7 Duramax in front of it. More than 90rwhp over stock (or perhaps more accurately, 650 to 700 lb-ft of torque at the wheels) and you can push this transmission over the edge. The torque converter clutch, C1 clutches, C2 clutches and the C2 clutch hub itself are all weak links. Any time the Allison experiences excessive slippage in any form, it will trigger limp mode, a condition that limits the damage inflicted on internal components and that also affords you the ability to limp the truck home. So while enough fuel and air is available to support an ECM tune that’s good for 500rwhp, the stock Allison will never be able to harness it.

The Parts Every Allison Needs

To enjoy the LB7 Duramax’s 500rwhp capability, key areas simply have to be upgraded, and the parts required to pull it off come at a cost. Common upgrades include aftermarket clutches and steels with increased clutch disc counts, a shift kit, fresh bushings, thrust bearings and a new internal wiring harness, with billet flex plate, billet P2 planet, billet C2 clutch hub and billet shafts also being available. Of course, things get started with a quality, triple-disc torque converter.

Roadblock #2: Factory Exhaust

Every diesel breathes easier if you can open up the exhaust system. In the LB7’s case, the turbo downpipe is extremely restrictive from the factory. Enlarging the diameter of the downpipe helps evacuate more exhaust gas, which helps cool EGT and aid turbo life.

Aftermarket 3-inch Downpipe

The most common aftermarket downpipe for the LB7 is a 3-inch diameter version, available from manufacturers such as MBRP, Flo-Pro and ProFab Performance. Each one features the unique bolt pattern that’s required to attach it to the OEM turbo’s exhaust housing. Thanks to increasing exhaust flow by as much as 20-percent, the larger downpipe decreases EGT and improves throttle response. Most LB7 owners install a 4-inch or 5-inch downpipe-back exhaust system at the same time.

Roadblock #3: Restrictive Y-Bridge

A primary choke point on the intake side of the LB7 (other than the factory turbo, which we’ll delve into below) is the stock Y-bridge. The Y-bridge sits in the valley and feeds boosted air into the Duramax’s cylinder heads. From the factory, the LB7 Y-bridge routes air through 2-3/8-inch diameter openings.

3-inch Aftermarket Y-Bridge

When you open the Y-bridge up to 3-inches via an aftermarket version, the added air volume can lead to gains of up to 30hp. Just as the aforementioned 3-inch downpipe is usually installed along with a complete aftermarket exhaust system, many LB7 owners upgrade to larger, 3-inch diameter hot and cold-side intercooler pipes at the same time they add a 3-inch Y-bridge. PPE (shown above) and WCFab both offer proven 3-inch Y-bridge options.

Roadblock #4: Factory Turbo

Even after building the Allison, adding a 3-inch downpipe and installing a 3-inch Y-bridge, the LB7 will still be tethered to the 500 to 530rwhp range. This is because the factory 60mm RHG6 IHI turbo is out of its efficiency range and, to be perfectly honest, may be on the verge of overspeeding once it sees more than 30-32 psi of boost.

Drop-in Turbo Options

Direct replacement turbo upgrades abound in the aftermarket, thanks to the 63mm to 71mm options available from company’s like Fleece Performance Engineering, RCD Performance and Duramax Tuner. These drop-in chargers come with high-flow turbine wheels, are the easiest to install and can support at least 625rwhp.

T4 Single Turbo Kits

Another option for breaking the 530rwhp barrier is to pull out all the stops and spring for a completely different turbo system. All-inclusive turbo kits that accommodate the popular S300 and S400 chargers from BorgWarner are available from HSP Diesel, Screamin’ Diesel Performance and WCFab, with company’s such as Wagler Competition Products and Fleece Performance Engineering also offering the parts and pieces necessary to make this type of turbo change possible. An S300-based turbo can support more than 700rwhp, with the S400 being proven to support four-digit horsepower.

Roadblock #5: Stock Injectors & CP3

Though a turbo upgrade can boost your ’01-’04 Chevy or GMC HD’s horsepower to the mid-500’s, the performance capability of the factory injection system is exhausted at this point. In some cases, a mild injector upgrade such as a 30-percent over nozzle can yield 600 to 630rwhp in conjunction with the factory CP3 injection pump (provided that you have a strong CP3 and a good tuner behind you). However, combining a larger CP3 with higher flowing injectors is the best way to get the most out of your turbo upgrade. Full disclosure: once you do that you’ll need head studs and a backup plan in case the factory connecting rods decide to bend.

Stroker Pump and Larger Injectors

A common recipe for the 700rwhp range entails a 10mm stroker CP3 with 60-percent over injectors, but that also includes the addition of an aftermarket lift pump. Remember, the LB7 (and every Duramax through 2010 for that matter) didn’t come with a lift pump from the factory, so installing a 150-gph to 165-gph lift pump, usually in the form of a FASS, Fuelab or PowerFlo system, will have no issue keeping up with moderate injector and CP3 upgrades.

The Duramax revolutionized the diesel truck scene when it debuted 20 years ago. Travel back in time with us to see how GM changed the game forever.

When you live a life of refinement, it’s hard to own anything that is less than exceptional. Going door to door from multimillion-dollar estates to the most renowned events on the planet, the elite expect to be surrounded by luxury at all times. When you already own lavish properties, the next thing on the list is to have a fleet of the most extravagant vehicles to match your lifestyle. Actor/comedian/recording artist, Nick Cannon is one of these individuals and the latest edition to his collection is this Cullinan SUV.

The Come Up

Though Nick has risen to the limelight, he had humble beginnings like most of us. Years ago, he worked as a mechanic during the day to help fund bus fare to local venues where he would practice his standup comedy routines. The shop had an old VW Beetle that he would work on in his spare time, which would eventually become his first ride. Though he started at the bottom, he’s worked his way up. Along the way, he has accomplished many feats across various entertainment platforms to earn him a large payout, which he now uses to purchase some of the finer things in life.

Sharing Automotive Passion

In a pursuit to have a collection of custom high-end vehicles, Nick ran across Lonnie Walker at 310 Motoring in Los Angeles. This shop became the place for elite individuals to have their exotic vehicles personalized. Looking to do more together, Lonnie and Nick started a joint automotive boutique called Ncredible Motorsports. This is where Nick houses his collection and flips exotic vehicles to help fund his hobby.

Milestone SUV

When it comes to having all the latest and greatest vehicles, Nick is at the forefront. In 2019, Rolls-Royce introduced the Cullinan as their first SUV in their lineup and Nick had to have one. The inception of this particular vehicle was to give collectors the option of having a matching SUV to sit next to their other Rolls-Royce vehicles. At a starting price of $325,000, the Cullinan is the most expensive and luxurious production SUV on the market.

Performing Under Pressure

Taking a deeper look into this vehicle, it’s easy see why people like Nick feel the need to fork out a huge chunk of change for one of these exquisite vehicles. Under the hood is a 6.75L V12 engine that has twin turbochargers. With 563hp and 627tq, this 5,864 lb SUV can go from 0 to 60mph in a mere 4.5 seconds. Not only does it have the power you would expect for the price, it runs quiet so that all riders are not disturbed by the sound the engine nor let it remind everyone that it sucks down a gallon of gas every 12-miles.

Luxury at its’ Finest

Making for the ultimate in comfort is the plush interior, which has everything you could ask for in a vehicle and more. The majority of the inside is covered in high-grade leather and it’s accented with hand-carved wood trim. Rear passengers have it the best with motorized trays and infotainment screens. Getting in and out is done with ease as the powered doors close on their own with a push of a button.

Cruising in Comfort

One thing you can expect from a Rolls-Royce is the “Magic Carpet Ride.” Not only is it smooth but the AWD suspension lifts up when the off-road setting is selected. The Ncredible team took advantage of the factory air suspension and reprogrammed it to sit lower than original. This advanced suspension also has “The Flagbearer” system that uses sensors to scan the road ahead and proactively adjust the suspension for superior ride quality.

Nostalgia Meets Modernism

As you probably noticed, this SUV has similar lines to other Rolls-Royce models along with the typical Parthenon grille and Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament. Innovations like the laser equipped headlights really make the Cullinan a vehicle of the future. The crew at Ncredible did their part to make it even better with color match door sills and lower front grilles. Nick also has a line of Savini wheels, and he replaced the factory 22’s with 24-inch SV61D forged wheels in brushed gunmetal finish. Keeping up the high-quality theme, style and smooth ride are a set of 305/35R24-sized Nitto NT420S tires. With a beautiful sidewall, a tread design that is optimized for wet and dry performance, and provides a quieter, more comfortable ride, these tires are the perfect complement to the rest of this luxury cruiser.

Setting New Standards

Rolls-Royce did an awesome job on this new SUV and the Ncredible team upped the game with the new additions. The subtle changes really go a long way to make this Cullinan stand out from the others. When you live a unique lifestyle like Nick, it takes an exceptional vehicle like this to fully enjoy it all.

If you love fast European SUVs, click here to see this modified BMW X3.

Distance and anonymity can have their perks. It’s why celebrities live in the hills or on those private beaches, and why the most fearsome action heroes (or villains) tend to be the silent loners. It might seem like a drag to stay away from the action, especially when so many people today are quick to jump straight into it and plaster their name on everything. Cue random YouTube influencer: “WHADDUP GUYS?? IT’S YOUR BOY_____, AND TODAY I’M GOING INSIDE THIS VOLCANO!”

But sometimes, distance and anonymity are the perfect recipe for making the biggest impact.

Meet Roger Avila, and his immaculate 2016 Subaru WRX STI. You very well may have never seen it before, and you unless you’re friends with Roger, you probably don’t know his name. That’s OK, though. He’s worked hard to keep it that way.

Roger hails from Dinuba, CA, a wee hamlet about 30 miles outside Fresno. It's the kind of place you can almostsee when you look to the farmlands east of the 99 while driving up north, and wonder, “What’s over there?”

Within just days of purchasing this car, brand new, Roger had parts on order and began voiding his warranty. In less than a year it was slammed on an Air Lift Performance dual Viair air suspension, with 3H management system and RS*R suspension bits, and was rolling hard on custom bronze-finished, three-piece, 18x9.5-inch, Evo61 LS4 wheels and ultra high-performance 225/40-18 Nitto NT555 G2 rubber.

It was looking pretty mean, too, thanks to HT Autos side skirts and rear spats; Password:JDM carbon-fiber side skirt extensions, and an APR front lip and splitter. And after the addition of an ARK Performance Grip exhaust, it sounded downright sinister.

With the interior given some love (those Bride Low Max seats and Takata harnesses could steal anyone’s heart), Roger began cleaning up on the show circuit as early as fall of 2016, where his Subie could’ve been found fronting the ARK Performance booth at the annual Subiefest bash, and taking Best Subaru honors at Import Faceoff in Bakersfield just days later.

People were sort of losing their minds over it, too. Here was a car so new that many didn’t even know what it was. Those who did had likely only seen a handful, with none anywhere near as clean or highly modified as this one that seemed to pop out of thin air. The mystery of who was responsible for its creation was beginning to reach critical mass.

An amateur photographer with an eye for the angles, Roger began snapping his car in good light, at locations like the Fast and Furious house, the Staples Center, and the Port of Los Angeles. His Instagram and Facebook pages gained popularity seemingly as fast as Roger accumulated trophies, but because his real name was never attached to either, and because he and his car returned to the rural confines of the Central Valley after each outing, his anonymity remained largely intact.

By the next time we finally caught up with Roger once again, he was winning yet another—his third—Import Face Off “Best Subaru” title, and had acquired plenty of assorted other “Best Of” honors in between. It was the first time we’d gotten to really study the build, and we immediately knew we had to carve out some server space for it.

Roger’s collection of carbon-fiber gear had grown into a clean and cohesive theme uniting the entire vehicle. More APR gear was added, including Formula GT3 mirrors, front bumper canards, front bezels (supporting SubiSpeed F1 fog lights), a rear license plate backplate, and a big-boy GTC 300 rear wing. A Bayson-R rear diffuser compliments that wing perfectly, while OEM Subaru vortex generators smooth things out that much more.

The vented Seibon Carbon hood was one of the most recent additions as seen here, and works perfectly with the JDM Subaru Sport grille and black STI fender badging. Strategic vinyl wrap from Premium Auto Styling and bronze pinstriping from Mixxed Auto Design add an additional degree of cohesion, which continues into the cockpit.

Sprayed a custom bronze hue, Roger’s NRG harness bar matches not only the wheels, but the wheel— as in the Ryan Litteral signature-series NRG steering wheel with quick-release hub. Following suit are the slick SMY Performance climate control knob covers, and Sickspeed Knuckle Buster shift knob and brake-release button.

Speaking of speed, STIs are capable of plenty of it. Sure, the EVO fans among us will argue differently, and yes, thousand-horsepower GT-Rs and Supras will always reign supreme. But everyone’s favorite turbocharged flat-four remains a formidable adversary, especially with the right enhancements.

Roger added to his ARK exhaust with an Invidia stainless downpipe, GrimmSpeed up-pipe, Tomei UEL headers, and a host of COBB go-fast bits: an SF intake system and airbox, three-port boost control solenoid, and an AccessPort V3, tuned by Subie gurus YimiSport in Santa Clarita, CA.

Keeping all those untamed horses in check, surrounded by those long-lasting, sticky Nitto NT555 G2 tires and behind the spokes of those custom Evo61 wheels, were some new additions we didn’t notice the last time around: R1 Concepts drilled and slotted rotors, and Hawk Performance HP Plus pads tucked within the factory STI Brembos.

While Roger’s car and the build seen here are still considered “cutting edge” in many regards, we shot these images of it way back in 2017. And now for the plot twist: After some slight deviations from how you see it here, Roger's STI has since been parted out and sold off.

Just as quickly as it delivered such a forceful blow on the tuning community and show scene, Roger’s STI has returned to oblivion as he begins his next project—in relative secrecy, we’re sure, until he’s ready to debut it and make an even bigger impact.

Click here to see a Cosworth-swapped Subaru Impreza STI.

As Nitto’s first ever Hybrid-Terrain tire, the Ridge Grappler was a revolutionary new addition to the Grappler family of light-truck tires. It addressed an important new trend in the off-road community, providing performance and drivability for the daily driver with weekend plans in the dirt. Gone are the days of a dedicated off-road tire howling down the road on your daily commute. The Ridge Grappler was positioned to provide the perfect balance between the best in on and off-road driving. But how does the Ridge Grappler stand on a rig that is used primarily off-road? I installed a brand new set on my 1991 Toyota Pickup 4x4 and hit the dirt to find out.

In my younger years, my off-road truck was also my daily. But ever since I started building up my new Toyota prerunner, the allure of daily driving a fully caged truck with racing seats and five-point harnesses began to fade. After purchasing a dedicated daily driver sedan, I put the Toyota away, only to be used on off-road trips. It was at this time that I installed a set of 35x12.50x17 Nitto Ridge Grapplers on the truck, wrapped around a set of KMC Machete beadlock wheels. After just a few trips out on the new tires, I knew there was something about the Ridge Grappler that was different than any other all-terrain or mud-terrain I had used on this truck in years past.

Living in Southern California means I have access to several different types of terrain within just a few hours from home. We have mountain trails, rock crawling trails, sand dunes, and wide-open deserts. This provided for the perfect arena to put these Ridge Grapplers to the test in a wide range of surfaces, and review the hybrid-terrain tire’s performance in each category over 5000 miles of off-road driving.

Mountain Trails

One of the closest mountain off-road areas to my home is Holcomb Valley, near Big Bear Lake, California. Holcomb Valley offers a great selection of trails, mostly consisting of scenic back roads through the forest. While many of these trails are flat, solid dirt, some have significant inclines and declines. The Ridge Grapplers felt right at home here, like most all-terrain tires would. Even under wet weather, they hold the truck firmly to the trail. No real surprise from the hybrid-terrain, but I did notice that I did not have a need for 4WD in the places were I traditionally would. Some of these trails do have loose gravel and large chunks of granite and other rock that would pose as a hazard to a weaker tire, but the Ridge Grapplers held their grip incredibly well, and came out without so much as a scratch. Easy stuff.

Rock Crawling

Anytime I’m in the Holcomb Valley area, I do like to work some technical trails into my day. One of the more difficult trails in this area, John Bull Trail, is a great proving ground for rock crawlers. Although my Toyota has an independent front suspension, and therefore cannot flex as well as a solid-axle rig, the Ridge Grapplers definitely helped get me over some of the more difficult obstacles on this trail. Traction is paramount on the types of rocks you’ll find here, and with an open front and rear differential, it’s even more crucial to have a tire that holds the rock. I was incredibly surprised at how well the Ridge Grapplers did on the rocks, when aired down to about 12 psi. I ran into a few limitations due to my suspension, but anytime the tires were touching the ground, the truck was rolling forward without much hesitation. This is incredibly good news if you have a Jeep Wrangler or similar type vehicle you daily drive, but want to take out for some mild weekend crawling.

Sand Dunes

Sand has always been my kryptonite. Unlike many of my friends, I didn’t grow up driving buggies and quads in the dunes, so I’ve had to learn (sometimes the hard way) how to drive in sand. While I’ve gotten the mild dunes down, the bigger inclines and declines still get my heart pounding. There’s nothing quite like having the ground under you shift in a direction you don’t want to be going. The Ridge Grappler didn’t give me any issues in the sand, and in fact, I believe they made sand driving even easier than my previous all-terrains. Aired down to about 10 psi in the world-famous Glamis Dunes, the Toyota could go anywhere in 4WD. I’ll admit, these tires, while very strong and sturdy, are on the heavier side, and thus power is severely drained from my little 3.0L V6 in the dunes, but once the truck was up to speed, nothing seemed to slow it down.

Open Desert

Perhaps the most familiar terrain to me is the open desert. This is my bread and butter, where I prefer to take my Toyota whenever I have some free time and a full tank of gas. The Ridge Grapplers on my truck have undoubtedly spent most of their time in Johnson Valley and along the Mojave Road, both areas with diverse, yet unique terrains. Johnson Valley has long stretches of trails that change quickly from gravel to silt to dry lake bed, and the Ridge Grapplers seem to thrive the most in this environment. As a hybrid-terrain, it’s almost like having a tire that changes its form on the fly, even when aired up at full street pressure. If there was one word I’d use to describe the Ridge Grappler in the open desert, it would be “predictable.”

It was something I had noticed early on, but when moving fast into a turn or a corner, clutch-kicking and trying to get a little extra rotation, the Ridge Grapplers seem to grab the dirt but let go just as much as you want with respect to the throttle. I can hold it wide-open and get tons of rotation, or blip the throttle and keep it controlled around a turn. Another very important benefit is the sturdy sidewall. Out of all the tires I’ve ran along the Mojave Road, the Ridge Grappler has come out the least harmed. Many spots along this 127-mile trail has sharp, jagged rocks that stick out from the banks of the trail, which have sliced inferior tires and ruined previous trips for me. But not these things. The desert is your oyster with the Ridge Grapplers.

Wear and Tear

The most incredible thing about these tires is the way they wear over the miles of abuse. So far, I’ve put over nearly 10,000 miles on these Ridge Grapplers, over half of which were abusive, throttle-happy driving over unforgiving terrain. And yet, just looking at the tires, you wouldn’t know they’ve ever driven a mile off the pavement. No chunking, no feathering, no cupping, no sidewall blemishes, nothing. The tread wears very efficiently, and I estimate easily reaching 40,000 miles with these tires before it’s time for replacement.

While I understand that most people who run these tires will doing a pretty even amount of on and off-road driving, I think it’s important to highlight the incredible off-road capabilities of the Ridge Grappler. After 10 years of off-roading trucks and Jeeps all over the country, with tire sizes ranging from stock to 40s, I’m confident when I say that the Nitto Ridge Grappler is the best tire I’ve owned. I look forward to the next 5000 off-road miles in this truck, and I’ll be sure to report back once again.

Click here to see how the Ridge Grappler tire performed on a Ford F350 4x4.

Funky? Groundbreaking? Ahead of its time? All of these are terms could be used to describe the Outback, which despite its Aussie-inspired name is one of Japanese brand Subaru's most well known models.

Always a bit unusual, "this not quite an SUV, not quite a station wagon" has come a long way from its origins back in the mid '90s and is a car that's been credited for starting Subaru's success in North America. So how did the Outback come about and how has it evolved in the decades since it first appeared? Let's take a look back.

Far from the puppy-dog loving powerhouse it's become in recent years, Subaru was an extremely niche nameplate in the US market during the early 1990s.

In an era where Japanese imports were defined by cars like the Honda Civic and Toyota Camry, Subaru instead offered small sedans, wagons and hatchbacks that were known for their AWD systems.

Being niche isn't easy though, and with the growth of the American SUV market sparked by vehicles like the Ford Explorer, Subaru's North American division came up with a plan to inject some SUV traits into the existing Subaru lineup.

And thus the Legacy Outback was introduced for the 1995 model year. Based on the second generation Subaru Legacy Wagon. To help diffeentiate it from the regular Legacy, the Outback was given unique coloring and branding - and for the following model year it was made more SUV like with larger tires, improved ground clearance and unique body cladding.

Subaru already had a proven AWD system to give the Outback its off-pavement cred. Now it just needed a marketing push. And that's where Australian actor Paul Hogan came in to star in a series of memorable TV commercials. Sales of the Outback quickly exceeded expectations, as buyers were drawn to its blend of SUV styling and off-road capability with its car-like dynamics and improved fuel economy.

Interestingly, for the first two generations of the Outback, Subaru also made a version with the Legacy sedan body style, known as the "Sport Utility Sedan." As you can guess, the concept never really took off and it was one of the only sedans of its type.

Having become a crucial part of Subaru's lineup, the Outback continued on—always based on the Legacy and soon becoming much more popular than the model it was based on.

In recent generations, Subaru actually stopped selling the normal Legacy wagon altogether, with the lifted Outback being the only way to buy a longroof Legacy.

For a few generations, Subaru also sold an Outback version of the smaller Impreza Sport Wagon, with this spot in the lineup being taken over in recent years by the Crosstrek—another smash hit for the brand.

Ironically, as the once ubiquitous American station wagon faded into oblivion in the wake of SUVs and minivans, Subaru repackaged and re-marketed its traditional wagon into a car that radically altered the course of the company and put them on path to becoming the success story they are today.

Like all modern cars, the Subaru Outback has grown larger, heavier and more technologically advanced as its aged, but even in 2020 it still retains that unusual but endearing personality it had back in '95. And it still rides the strange middle ground between station wagon and SUV.

And in era where the "Crossover" has become a dominant segment, a car that splits the difference between station wagon and SUV could be considered a pioneer of the movement - and perhaps one of the most influential cars in automotive history. 

And speaking of the Crosstrek, we are still waiting for Subaru to do the right thing and build a WRX version.