Letters & Stuff
Send your questions, comments, etc. along with your name, address and phone number to:
- Off-Road Adventures,
- 801 W. Artesia Blvd.
- Compton, CA 90220
or email:
Jeeps Are Fun No Matter The Size
My 2-1/2 year old son and I want to thank you for the R/C Jeep Rubicon from your Jeep Gear Sweepstakes. When we can’t use daddy’s Jeep, we like to play around with the little Jeep.
Regards, Anthony and Hunter, Auburn, CA
Thanks From “Tank” In Iraq
My name is SSG., Michael Shields. I had inquired about getting your mags over here in Iraq and I wanted to drop you a line to say, THANK YOU sooo much. Not only did I get a mag, I got all three (I needed) for the year. I really appreciate you taking the time to fool with me. I really enjoy your magazine; it has a whole lot of good info for me. I have a lot of plans for my ’89 Suburban when I get back. I already got it lifted and have a set of 35” Mickey Thompson Baja Claws on it. You have a subscriber for life, thank you so much.
SSG. Shields “TANK”, Najaf, Iraq
We Goofed Department
Hi Bruce, Hope all is well.
I enjoyed the series on the Maya Hunter that ran in Off-Road Adventures. Nicely done. However, we were a little disappointed not to be listed in the Special Thanks box in the most recent issue. With our contribution we had hoped to be recognized. Best of luck with the adventure and please keep me posted on how things go.
Gary Rubin
Public Relations Manager
Warn Industries, Inc.
Gary — You guys were mentioned or listed in just about every installment and when the long list of contributors came to me to look over for the last article I somehow missed the name not being there. I apologize for the omission. — Bruce Smith
Gary — Sorry for the omission — it got past our eyeballs too. We really appreciate all that Warn Industries contributed to the Maya Hunter project. Warn can be contacted at 800-543-9276 or www.warn.com. — Denis Snow
Doesn’t Like Tall, 2-Wheelers From Texas
I enjoy reading your magazine and realize that everyone has different vehicles for different purposes. All have different strengths and weaknesses, but I have an issue with what I have been seeing in your magazine lately. As your name, Off-Road Adventures, indicates, one would think that your primary interest is off-road vehicles. Well to be honest, I have been seeing a lot of big show trucks in your magazine instead of off-road vehicles. I am talking about those frequently published trucks from Texas with the ‘everything is bigger in Texas’ mentality. One of those published trucks was 2WD! Give me a break. Yeah they are lifted, but there is nothing like a 2WD off-road vehicle, huh? And for the other ‘high and mighty’ 4x4s that you like to publish so often, I hope those high lift kits that make them look really big and bad compensate for their open diffs while trying to wheel them off-road. I was reading one of your articles ‘truck suspension buyers guide’ and noticed that two of your recommendations for a truck’s suspension such as ‘getting a lift to fit bigger tires’ and the ‘benefits of having a trailing arm suspension’ comes as standard equipment on my vehicle. I agree with the modifications that you recommend for an off-road vehicle, and you do a great job of writing them. I just find it odd that you keep publishing articles about all these 4x4s that never came with factory diff lockers, factory body lifts, or factory trailing arm suspension, but yet you avoided putting my vehicle that had all that as standard equipment from the factory! Companies like Ford, Chevy, Dodge, and others seem very popular in your magazine I would assume just because they have such an abundance of aftermarket support, but where are their factory lockers, factory body lifts, and factory trailing arm suspension that are actually important qualities for an off-road vehicle? Oh wait, they never had any! I guess the Rubicon qualifies as a great off-road vehicle straight from the factory, but Jeep didn’t start putting lockers in them until after 2000 sometime? Mitsubishi has been putting lockers in their Monteros since 1992. Trailing arm suspension and body lifts are standard equipment from the factory. I guess the reason all those other companies have huge aftermarket support is because of their lack of factory equipment for off-road capability. I am not saying that my Montero is the best off-road vehicle. I understand that all 4x4s have their unique limitations and purposes. What I am saying is that Mitsubishi’s Montero definitely beats out a lot of the show trucks that you published over mine as far as off-road capability goes. I don’t care if you publish my vehicle or not. Actually, I would rather you publish this letter in its entirety and let people draw their own conclusions. I know its long, but I saw a 234-word publication in your ‘Letters and Stuff’ section where your guidance specifically outlined a maximum of 100 words. I guess that 2WD truck was just so tempting that you had to publish his article even though he exceeded your word limit!
I like your magazine well enough, but I just had to let you know what I have been thinking about it lately. I hope you don’t take this personally and just throw this letter out. Instead, I hope you are open to constructive criticism and will publish this for all to see.
Scott, PA.
Scott — We just report the sport of off-roading, we don’t create it. In this column we showcase the types of vehicles our readers have and honestly, Jeep, Dodge, Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Nissan, etc. vehicles are the majority of what they drive. Also, if we published a magazine that only dealt with vehicles that came completely outfitted from the factory, then what would we have to write about? Ask almost any off-roading enthusiast and they will probably tell you a major part of their passion for the sport is the build-up of their vehicle — trying to make it better based on their theories and the thickness of their wallet. Tinkering is in the blood of most all automotive enthusiasts, from street rodders to off-roaders and everything in-between.
There are all kinds of vehicles that make up this sport of off-roading, just like there are all kinds of people who participate in it: trail riders, mud-boggers, desert racers, rockcrawlers, etc. and to a certain extent, show-truckers. Unlike some other publications, ORA doesn’t try to dictate what’s “in,” “hip,” phat,” “cool” or whatever other adjective is the “now” saying. We want to help expand the sport to include all kinds of vehicles and people to experience it in their own way (responsibly). If a lifted, 2wd truck gets its owner jazzed, or a very trail capable rig gets its owner jazzed, then great! Individuality is a part of what makes this country great. BTW — you didn’t send us a photo of your very capable Montero, so we couldn’t share it with the rest of our readers.
— D.S.
Long In The Tooth S-10 Blazer Is Built For Trail Action
Just wanted to send you some info on my rig. It’s an ’89 S-10 Blazer with a Jeep YJ reverse Dana 30 in the front and a Ford Explorer 8.8 in the rear. 4.56 Yukon gears, Detroit True Trac in front and an Eaton E Locker in the rear. Disc brakes all the way around. Custom front winch bumper with a Mile Marker hydraulic 9000, custom rear tube bumper and nerf bars. Tires are 33X12.50 Pro Comp Xterrains on black powdercoat wheels. Bushwhacker cutout flares and that’s about all for mods so far. Next is to rebuild the 290,000 mile 4.3 V6 and install some horsepower in it.
Stan Labbe, WY
A Canyon In Texas
I have been a fan for about six years and thought it was about time to see if my truck can make the cut. I do not see very many Colorados or Canyons with any add-ons, so I thought that I might start the trend. I have a 2004 GMC Canyon with a Performance Accessories 3” body lift as well as a Fabtech 3” spindle lift all rolling on ProComp 33x12.5x15 Xterrains with ProComps Xtreme Alloy 1079’s 10x8 wheels. Performance wise I have a K&N FIPK and a Custom Gibson cat back exhaust. Good Luck all of you five Bangers!!!
Chris from West Texas!