Reader: This is a picture of our '05 Dodge Power Wagon. I work at a Dodge dealer in Chicopee, Massachusetts, and this is our marketing ploy. The funny thing is, we sold the Camaro-twice!!
Mark Zippin
via the Internet
Editor: You sold the same car twice? Ya gotta love those dealer ethics. But thanks for the pic anyway. Now we just need to keep a close eye on our in-house P/W fanatic to make sure he doesn't get any funny ideas for his next long-term report.
Reader: For most of my life I coveted four-wheel drive, but for many years I rarely went anywhere where four-wheel drive was absolutely required, and the cost just didn't seem justified. But about 25 years ago, I saw the light, and my family fleet has since included 4x4 SUVs. They go in our occasional ice and snow. They go on unpaved roads and trails that are inappropriate for cars and many trucks. They tow. They haul. They pull people from ditches and other stucks. Our current fleet is an '02 Yukon and an '05 AWD Pilot. Despite the newer Honda's significantly better mileage and better ride, the big Yukon is usually what we load up when we go anywhere.
Your readers often complain that your content is not relevant to what they do in their own lives. Well, that's true for me as well. We don't do most of the things you cover in your magazine. Too many of them involve what is, to me, work-a profane four-letter word I try to avoid doing or using! We're not into hard-core 'wheeling. I haven't been stuck in 25 years because I try to think before I go. If you can't fix it with duct tape, WD-40, or a hammer, it's outside my interest and probably my ability as well. But I'm not complaining about your content. Here's why:
Most of the car magazines and several truck magazines are on my subscription list. (I've subscribed to Motor Trend and several others almost since their inception.) The car magazines rarely test anything I would actually buy! When testing trucks and SUVs, the car guys always pick the best "car." Most of their content, as with much of yours, isn't relevant to what we actually do, but, it's all interesting and it's much better entertainment than anything (except football) found on television. Besides, I've learned a lot from them over the years.
Keep up the good work. I'm always delighted when your magazine is in my mailbox.
Wayne Middleton
Bartlesville, OK
Reader: Regarding the letter, "September Gripes" by Jamie Lee (Dec. '05): The kinds of information I need are just the opposite of Mr. Lee's. However, like Mr. Lee, I may be subscribing to the wrong magazine.
I live in western Wyoming, where snow averages more than 4 feet deep and drifts may get as high as 3 feet overnight. I could not give a darn about rockclimbing or some of the interests of Mr. Lee. What I need is information on just how to make my current vehicles compatible with the winter conditions here. My interests include winter tires, lockers front and rear, electronic braking to stop wheelspin, and so forth. Unlike Mr. Lee, I welcome articles about Lexus and Mercedes vehicles. Anything new to beat the climate here is welcome to me. Any article to improve my current K-1500 Chevrolet truck or Jeep Cherokee is welcome too, along with articles of newer vehicles that will do the job even better.
While my driving situation may not be as interesting as going through swamps and climbing rocks, it is a real-world situation that needs to be addressed. I understand the talent required for swamp or rock work, both the engineering of the vehicle as well as the driver's talent in using the vehicle. Perhaps you could see fit to spend some time on publishing information on real-world problems such as winter snow, as well as your other good articles.
Robert P. Giese
Bedford, WY
Editor: Well, you're certainly not subscribing to the wrong mag, we can tell you that much. Road tests of new 4x4s, and articles detailing the latest developments in new-model tech, have been part and parcel of Four Wheeler since Day 1, and we aim to continue the tradition for the foreseeable future. (Besides, if you were actually getting paid to go four-wheeling in a brand-new Range Rover, wouldn't you do it too?) However, we're still on the lookout for new parts and products to help older vehicles, as well as low-buck tech tips, which we'll focus on in an upcoming issue. And thanks for reminding us about winter weather-being headquartered in California, it's easy to forget about it sometimes. We'll be addressing the subject later in the year.
Reader: I'm a Nissan and Toyota dealer in northern Michigan, and just received my December '05 issue. The article on page 80 ("Project Nismo Frontier") caught my attention. I've been looking into lift kits for the Frontier, and the picture shows you've found one. We sell a good number of trucks, but the Frontier needs a little boost in the suspension department. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Glenn Cousineau
Traverse City, MI
Editor: Up to now, pickings have been slim for the Frontier-not surprising, as it's still a fairly new platform-but we know of a number of suspension manufacturers who are prototyping and R&D'ing lift kits for it at present, and a couple of them have already made their way to market. Stay tuned to these pages in the near future, and we'll keep you posted on new developments from the aftermarket as they happen.
Reader: I drive a '90 GMC Sierra 1500 regular-cab shortbed with the Z71 Off-Road Package. I am looking into the near future of lifting my truck 4 to 6 inches and putting 33- or 35-inch tires on it. I have been looking at lift kits for a while now and have decided on three manufacturers: Race Car Dynamics, Fabtech Motorsports, and Tuff Country. I have e-mailed all three companies asking questions without any responses. Maybe you guys can help? I live in Michigan, so my driving includes city streets littered with car-swallowing potholes, and dunes, mud, deep snow, forest trails, stumps, logs, and steep hills. My questions are:
How are the kits all alike? How are they different? Does one kit have an advantage over another? Is one kit particularly designed best for my driving habits? Will any of the kit's tractions bars fit my truck? If not, which set would be easiest to modify? Is suspension travel increased with any of these kits?
Matt Ledbetter
via the Internet
Editor: All three of the companies you mention make quality suspension products, and you'd likely do well with any of their applicable kits. But there are too many variables involved for us to make a definitive recommendation. We don't know what your general driving style is, how much time you spend on the Interstate versus the street, how much time you actually spend 'wheeling, or how much money you can afford for the upgrade. Granted, with torsion-bar IFS, your lift options will be somewhat limited over, say, a solid axle if you don't want to get into a lot of custom work, but we are seeing a greater variety of proven bolt-on suspension setups for '88-'98 IFS Chevys every day. For your more technical questions, you're best advised calling the respective companies' tech support lines and talking with their service reps. Sometimes, you need to do a lot of legwork-or phone work-to get all the answers you'll need, but in the end it'll be worth the extra effort knowing that you decided on the suspension upgrade that's right for you and your four-by based on cold, hard facts.