Today there was almost a steady stream of people arriving in HammerTown for this year's King of the Hammers.  We wandered the 'Town and the suburbs gathering photos as we went.  Here's a little of what we saw, from solitary campsites to portal axles to the vendor area, and everything in between.  Thanks for reading!

HammerTown and its suburbs are growing out here in Johnson Valley, California, at the 2012 Griffin King of the Hammers.  We'll be here for the next few days and we'll upload a few random photos each evening from around town so those of you who can't be here can see some of what's going on. Thanks for looking!

If you're looking for some four-wheel-drive-based activities this weekend, look to California, Illinois, and Michigan. On tap are a couple of driving schools, some monster truck racing, and a winter trailrun.  List and links follow.

Getting Started Off-Road Driving, Gorman, California.  Saturday only.  More info: www.4x4training.com.

Advanced Beginner Off-Road Driving, Mojave, California.  Sunday only.  More info: www.4x4training.com.

Monster Nationals, Champaign, Illinois.  Saturday only.  More info: www.monsternationals.com.

18th Annual Sno*Blind Expedition, West Branch, Michigan.  Friday through Sunday.  More info: www.mudchuggers.com.

Brian Deegan was recently named the 2011 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS) Driver of the Year, which is voted on exclusively by the LOORRS drivers.

Deegan was also awarded his second consecutive Pro-Lite Championship title, Pro 2 Rookie of the Year title, and the Pro 2 Championship title.  Deegan's Pro 2 Championship title is notable because no other driver has ever won the LOORRS Pro 2 class as a rookie.

"It was cool to be the only person to win Pro Lite and Pro 2 in the same season!  I set a goal early on of being the first rookie to win the Pro 2 class, and I was happy to do it while setting a record that will be hard to beat, winning by almost 50 points," said Deegan.

More info on Deegan can be found at: www.briandeegan.com.

advanced FLOW engineering has released their new Stage 1 Cold Air Intake for the '12 Ford F-150 EcoBoost 3.5L V-6. It is available in three filter types and the company says that the unit equipped with the Pro 5R filter produces improvements of 8 horsepower and 13 lb-ft of torque. 

It has a durable, one-piece 18-gauge powdercoated heat shield that blocks out engine heat and installs using the factory lower intake box.  The system also includes a dyno-tuned performance-engineered wrinkle black aluminum intake tube and built-in three-angle adapter to maximize air velocity and improve horsepower, torque, and throttle response.   

aFe notes that in 2012, Ford began using a Manifold Air Pressure (MAP) sensor instead of a Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor. This intake is designed specifically to be used with the factory MAP sensor.

The intake retails for around $249 and is available in stores now.

More info: www.afepower.com.

The SuperBLOK 3-in-1 rear leaf spring blocks by ProRYDE were voted the 2012 SEMA Best New Offroad/4x4 Product of the Year-Runner Up.

They're available now and the manufacturer says that they'll safely lift the rear of your truck 1-, 1.5-, or 2 inches.  They have an OEM-inspired look and finish and they're made from cast iron and feature integrated center pins.

More info: www.proryde.com.  

The first person to correctly guess the weight of this truck (with two people and camping gear) on the FourWheeler.com blogs and Four Wheeler Facebook page will receive a BluRay copy of the new movie DRIVE! Happy guessing!

Academy Award® nominees Ryan Gosling (Best Actor, Half Nelson, 2006) and Carey Mulligan (Best Actress, An Education, 2009) headline the critically acclaimed, unique action thrill ride Drive, debuting on Blu-ray™ with UltraViolet™,  and DVD January 31st and on digital January 17th from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The cast also includes Emmy Award® winner Bryan Cranston (TV’s “Breaking Bad”), Oscar® nominee Albert Brooks (Best Supporting Actor, Broadcast News, 1987), Ron Perlman (Hellboy, TV’s “Sons of Anarchy”), and Christina Hendricks (TV’s “Mad Men”) in the story of a Hollywood stuntman (Gosling) who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. Bonus materials include the four behind-the-scenes featurettes and the filmmaker documentary, “Drive Without A Driver.” The Blu-ray will also feature UltraViolet! With UltraViolet, owners of the Blu-ray will be able to add Drive to their free Digital Rights Library, enabling them to instantly stream or download the film. Drive will be available for $30.99 SRP (Blu-ray) and $26.99 SRP (DVD).  
 
Synopsis:
Drive, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, is about a Hollywood stunt performer (Gosling) who moonlights as a wheelman for criminals and discovers that a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong.
 
DVD Bonus Features Include:
“I Drive” Featurette
“Under the Hood” Featurette
“Driver and  Irene” Featurette
“Cut to the Chase” Featurette
Drive Without A Driver: Interview With Nicolas Winding Refn
 
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn from a screenplay by Hossein Amini which was based on the book by James Sallis, Drive was produced by Marc Platt, Adam Siegel, Gigi Pritzker, Michel Litvak and John Palermo and executive produced by David Lancaster, Gary Michael Walters, Bill Lischak, Linda McDonough, Jeffrey Stott and Peter Schlessel.
 
Drive has a running time of 100 minutes and is rated R for strong brutal bloody violence, language and some nudity.
 
ABOUT ULTRAVIOLET
UltraViolet is an entirely new way to collect and enjoy your digital entertainment, giving you the power to instantly access your movies and TV shows with unprecedented flexibility.  For more information, visit www.uvvu.com.

When was the last time you checked the valve stems on your wheels? When was the last time you checked the air pressure in your tires for that matter? There are MANY commonly overlooked preventative maintenance items that can cause big problems on the road or trail and this is one of them.

I've seen it many times on the trail. Some guy gets a flat but can't figure out why, that is until he goes to air the tire back up only to find his valve stem missing. To add insult to injury a torn valve stem isn't an easy trail fix. (unless your tire has come off the bead, then it's pretty simple) Fortunately this is easily preventable by just checking your valve stems regularly for signs of cracking. If yours looks like the one in our picture it's time to get it to a tire shop pronto! 

 I get a lot of questions about steering problems. Most often they are caused by worn or loose components. But sometimes they can be answered with simple alignment basics. Curing death wobble is one of them.

 For example, if all of the steering components are in good shape and your 4x4 still has death wobble, you typically just need more Caster. But why? This link (CLICK HERE) does a pretty good job of explaining alignment basics including Caster, Camber, and Toe.

Firestone Industrial Products says that their new Ride-Rite air helper spring kit for the '12 Ram 2500/3500 trucks can typically be installed in less than one hour.  The no-drill kit is designed to use the truck's factory holes and mount between its frame and axle.

The kit features double convoluted air springs and includes all the necessary components.  The kit is designed to use air pressure to help maximize the truck's safe load carrying capacity, vehicle stability, ride quality, and brake effectiveness.  

More info: www.ride-rite.com. 

Finding trailer parts locally can be a huge aggravation. You could stop at 10 different stores and still not be able to get exactly what you are looking for. Well, I quit all that a long time ago when I found eTrailer. The company offers pretty much anything you can imagine for towing and trailers.  

 This time around I needed a new trailer coupler for Four Wheeler's Carson 14,000-pound car hauler. This trailer has been towed through hell and back, likely while overloaded. The coupler was so worn out that there was a hole in the top of it. So I headed over to eTrailer and found a weld-on replacement 14,000-pound coupler. Good news, it shipped the same day I ordered it! Now I just need to find some time to cut the old one off and weld the new one on before TDS Desert Safari. 

New to the ICON Vehicle Dynamics line of Tubular Uniball Upper Control Arms is the '07-up Toyota Tundra. ICON now has these Uniball Upper Control Arms available and ready to ship.  

These arms are engineered to add strength and correct alignment caster geometry on stock or lifted vehicle applications.  Weak OEM ball joint problems and limited suspension travel availability is corrected by using 1-inch Teflon-lined Uniballs, combined with the CNC-machined 17-4 Stainless Taper Pin Adapters.  This combination of parts helps increase the upper arms misalignment, allowing for smooth and clean wheel travel, without leaving you to worry about factory ball joint bind.  When used in conjunction with ICON's 2.5-inch V.S. Series Performance Coil Overs, these Tubular Uniball arms can add suspension wheel travel and enhance overall on- and off-road performance.

More info on the arms can be found at www.iconvehicledynamics.com.   

Are you constantly on the go or have you moved past print media? Now you can get Four Wheeler magazine specifically for your Apple iPad!

 It's perfect for constant travelers or truckers that don't have time to stop at a mailbox. Check it out. CLICK HERE.

This weekend marks the beginning of the month of February and there are some 4WD-centric things on the plate this weekend.  List and links follow. 

Bluewater Resort & Casino Parker "425", Parker, Arizona.  Friday through Sunday.  More info: www.bitd.com. 

Tire Repair Mini Clinic, Corona, California.  Saturday only.  More info: www.4x4training.com.

King of the Hammers, Johnson Valley, California.  Begins Friday and runs through Friday, February 10.  More info: www.ultra4racing.com.

I hate some of the oil filler caps used on newer vehicles. They are usually too small or so deep down in the engine bay that you spill half the oil you're trying to put in. One of my favorites is the cap and filler found on my '04 Ram 1500 5.7L Hemi. It's huge!

 I don't need a funnel to add a quart of oil and it's actually sealed better than many of the newer fill caps I've seen. I wish more auto manufactures used a filler cap assembly like this. Now if I could somehow keep oil from spilling all over the suspension and steering when I remove the oil filter, I'd be golden.

RC4WD is at it again.  This time the company has introduced the cool four-wheel-drive Trail Finder 2 R/C Truck Kit w/Mojave Body Set.

It's custom designed for true-to-scale looks, has a realistic billet aluminum ladder-frame chassis, R3 two-speed remote selectable transmission, center-mounted realistic Hammer 4x4 transfer case, cast metal axles with locked differentials, true-to-scale leaf-spring suspension, highly detailed body with dropped bed and more, 1.55 stamped steel beadlock wheels with lug nuts, super grip high-performance Mud Thrasher tires, and realistic tube bumpers, rock rails, and skidplate.

It's available on RC4WD's website for $399.99.

More info: www.store.rc4wd.com

Yesterday our 2011 Four Wheeler Pickup Truck of the Year, the Ford F-150 Raptor SVT left the building and headed back to Ford headquarters. It's been beaten on and abused like a truck of it's caliber should be and it held up extremely well. But there are a couple things wrong with our tester. 

 On a recent trip to Death Valley we accidentally ran the driver-side rocker/step into a large bolder while backing up slowly.  It really wasn't a hard impact. These steps are not designed to be rocker guards, they are only made of what appears to be cast aluminum. So, if you put any of the truck's weight on them, they will crack. Well, when it broke, the piece of the rocker and the large rock hit the body. The factory steps are awesome as steps and as a sort of body flare to keep mud off of the truck. But as a rocker guard, not so much.

When I first got into the truck in August one of the plastic rear shock guards was missing (driver side). The scrape marks in the area looked as though maybe a rock impact had torn it off. The other side was still intact. Since then the Raptor has traveled many hundreds of miles down rocky trails and graded dirt roads at speeds up to 100 mph. The plastic has degraded from the gravel impacts, like someone just wore it away with a sandblaster loaded with small rocks. As a result, the passenger side shock has started to leak oil. We suspect maybe the shock shaft or seal has been damaged by the blasting of gravel.

If you've been longing for a camo cordless impact, you're in luck, because Snap-on Tools has teamed up with Realtree to offer the popular Snap-on CT4410A 14.4 Volt 3/8 Drive Cordless Impact in the Realtree Advantage MAX1 pattern.    

The unit comes with two high-capacity 14.4-volt batteries, a charger, and tote bag.  It also features a patented, heavy-duty impact mechanism that delivers power and durability when removing stubborn fasteners.  It has heat-treated alloy gears to provide strength and reliability, which means less chance of breakage.

More info: www.snapon.com/powertools

Perkins Performance has rolled out a new front and rear bumper for the '11 GMC trucks.  Pictured here is the front bumper, which is made from CNC laser-cut and formed 1/4-inch steel.  It has a mandrel-bent 2x4x3/16-inch brushguard and 2-inch DOM tubing.  The bumper flows with the lines of the truck, is completely bolt-on, and easy to install.  It'll hold up to 16.5K winches and includes 1-inch-thick shackle mounts, Grade 8 hardware, three-stage powdercoat, and recessed and welded 4-inch fog light mounts.  Options include a skidplate, pre-runner bar, brushguard, dual fog light mount, 2-inch receiver, Full Metal Jacket coating, and colored powdercoat.  The base bumper price is $1,675.      

This is the Perkins Performance heavy-duty rear bumper and it is built from the same CNC laser-cut and formed 1/4-inch steel as the front bumper.  Also like the front bumper it features light mounts, shackle mounts, powdercoating, and Grade 8 hardware.  It also includes an OEM seven-pin receptacle and LED license plate lights.  Options include a fold-down spare tire carrier that locks in the down position for hauling long pieces extending past the tailgate, Full Metal Jacket coating, and colored powdercoating.  The base rear bumper price is $995.

More info: www.perkinsperformance.com      

 I know, I know...soda is bad for you. Whatever, I have to eventually die from something and I don't drink coffee. Come to think of it I typically don't need any type of wake-me-up drink in the morning.

 Anyway, I'm a citrus-soda guy. I pretty much like 'em all. You know, Mountain Dew, Sun Drop, Mellow Yellow, and I'm sure there are others. It had been some time since I had even seen Mellow Yellow though. It's not all that common in California. I think the last time I had it was as a kid while visiting my cousins in Indiana. The other day I wandered into our office lunch room and noticed they had Mellow Yellow in the vending machine. So I bought one. That's it. There is no climactic ending to this blog, sorry. Sometimes I'm just a regular guy with fond memories of stupid stuff.

For 2012, Ram Truck will expand its model lineup by adding the new, top-of-the-line Ram Laramie Limited.

“The Ram Truck brand’s greatest strengths are our commitment to listen to customers and to understand what motivates them,” said Fred Diaz, President and CEO, Ram Truck Brand – Chrysler Group LLC. “We’ve successfully added Ram truck models designed for outdoorsmen, tradesmen, first-time buyers and ranchers. Laramie Limited is designed to meet the high expectations of affluent pickup truck buyers looking to combine capability with elegance.”

Featuring premium materials, such as full-leather seating, piano-black interior components and under-stated exterior badging, Ram Laramie Limited offers a refined luxury alternative to the popular southwestern-themed Ram Laramie Longhorn edition pickup.

“The launch of the Ram Laramie Longhorn edition gave us a boost in the ultra-premium pickup segment and exceeded our expectations,” added Diaz. “Ram Laramie Limited offers customers an even wider selection of luxury models. We expect a lot of interest in the Laramie Limited.

“The Ram Laramie Limited customer is going to be involved in some sort of motor-sport activity. Whether they’re towing a ski boat, a race-car hauler, motorcycles or snowmobiles, they’re looking for comfort and class and an expressive way to carry their crew and their gear.”

The new Ram will make its debut at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show in February.

 Exterior
Ram Laramie Limited gets a body-colored front fascia with fog lamps and a matching, painted rear bumper. (Ram Laramie Limited 2500 and 3500 models in white and silver exterior colors get chrome front and rear bumpers.) The Laramie Limited’s chrome grille surrounds billet inserts that are featured on Ram Sport models. Understated chrome accents include body-side molding, mirrors, door handles and tubular side steps.

The Laramie Limited’s body side has a clean, “street truck” look and eliminates the traditional HEMI®, Cummins and Ram model line badges.

Tailgate badging includes the chrome Ram’s Head logo and a small italicized block-letter “Limited.”

Ram 1500 Laramie Limited shares 20-inch forged aluminum wheels with the Ram Laramie Longhorn. Polished surfaces are accented with painted silver pockets. Heavy Duty models feature 17-inch fully polished aluminum wheels. Wheel centers are embossed with the Ram brand name.

The Ram 1500 Laramie Limited is available in six exterior color choices, including: black, bright silver metallic, bright white, deep cherry red pearl, mineral gray metallic and true blue. Ram Heavy Duty models are available in black, bright silver metallic, bright white and mineral gray metallic.

Interior
The 2012 Ram Laramie Limited Edition features a modern, luxurious interior.

A full-leather cockpit with dark slate Natura Plus leather seats and engraved details lend the Ram Laramie Limited an unmatched level of sophistication and style.

Contrasting medium graystone leather piping provides seat-edge emphasis. Additional accents are created along either side of the piping by medium graystone deck-seam stitching.

The Ram Laramie Limited’s cavernous double-stacked center console is topped with a soft, double French-stitched full-leather lid.

In addition to 100 percent leather seat coverings, Ram Laramie Limited gets a premium leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter -- console mounted on 1500, column mounted on 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty models. Accent medium graystone X-stitch detailing sets off both the steering wheel and shifter.

Door trim front and rear also is wrapped in premium leather. Leather armrest uppers are further accented with the same dual French stitch used on the center console lid and instrument panel.

Ram Laramie Limited editions receive remote LED lighting at the inside door handles and a full-length light that illuminates the truck’s multi-function lower map pockets, front and rear.

The dash features a center stack trimmed in high-gloss piano-black. Liquid graphite side bezels and bright chrome vent rings complete the center stack’s detailing. Piano-black finishes also are used in the door panels and are trimmed in bright chrome.

Ram Laramie Limited’s gauge cluster is accented with pad-print chrome rings that share the high-end appearance of a gentleman’s watch and include the imprinted message: “Designed in Detroit.” Gauge needles are finished in liquid graphite.

A liquid graphite glovebox spear with pinstriped details and black and chrome “Limited” badge complete the dash.

Beneath the dash is soft foot-well lighting, providing both a functional and aesthetic interior enhancement.

Passengers also enjoy solid dark slate premium berber carpet floor mats with medium graystone accent stitching. Rear flap-closure seatback map pockets with modern chrome Ram-lettered detailed metal buckles also are unique to Ram Laramie Limited. For entry and exit, brushed-silver Ram-branded door sill plates resist scuffs and add visual appeal.

Other Features
Ram Laramie Limited also is equipped with a navigational radio, remote start, back-up camera, power adjustable pedals with memory, heated steering wheel, front ventilated and heated seats and rear heated seats.

Ram Laramie Limited will be available in 1500 (1/2-ton), 2500 HD (3/4-ton) and 3500 HD single- and dual-rear-wheel (1-ton); Crew Cab and Mega Cab; four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive; and short- and long-wheelbase models.

Laramie Limited will join the other Ram trim levels, which include: ST, Tradesman, Tradesman HD, Express, SLT, Outdoorsman, Mossy Oak edition, Sport, R/T, Laramie, Laramie Longhorn and Power Wagon (2500 only).

Laramie Limited will be available 2Q 2012.

Enter to win the Daystar Monstrosity Jeep TJ! It's an extended and widened Jeep TJ with a Dodge V-10 engine, four-speed auto tranny, Dana 60 and 70 axles, three-link suspensions, 42-inch tires, and more! All you have to do is click a link and fill out some info. The drawing will be held October 7th, 2012.

 CLICK HERE to get to the entry form and rules on the Daystar website.

This morning at the Houston Auto Show, Jeep unveiled this production-intent concept version of the Grand Cherokee. Further, Jeep has announced an online contest for consumers to name the new product-intent concept, and the person who chooses the winning name will have an opportunity to win a new '12 Grand Cherokee. 

Jeep says the concept Grand Cherokee combines a variety of exterior design changes to create a unique model with an aggressve, chrome and "blacked-out" look. The vehicles's grille surround appears in black, and mesh grille texture in Platinum Chrome.  A Platinum Chrome lower fascia applique' completes the unique front-end appearance.  Black headlamp bezels and a black liftgate light bar continues the blacked-out theme throughout the vehicles's exterior. The 20-inch wheels are one-of-a-kind black-gloss aluminum.

Based on the Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo X package, the production-intent concept model includes leather-trimmed seats, heated front seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter, a nine-speaker, 506-watt amp sound system with subwoofer, Keyless Enter-N-Go, Chrysler Groups Uconnect hands-free communications system, and more than 50 advanced safety and security features.

The 4x4 vehicle you see here that was shown in Houston is painted Brilliant Black, and tomorrow at the Washington (D.C.) Auto Show Jeep will unveil a Deep Cherry Red 4x4 model.

Wanna win a Grand Cherokee?

Jeep has announced that the "Name My Ride" contest has begun today.  Consumers now have the opportunity to name the Jeep Grand Cherokee concept vehicle. Simply go to www.jeep.com/namemyride or m.jeep.com/namemyride (mobile site) to submit your entry.  The Jeep brand will compile entries and narrow them down to three favored choices.  Consumers will then have the opportunity to vote online for the winning name, to be announced in May.  The person who submits the chosen, official vehicle name will have a chance to win a new '12 Jeep Grand Cherokee.  For more info and rules visit the Jeep website.

If you could only pick one model of tire to run all the time, what would it be?

If I could only pick one tire to do everything with (daily driver, snow, ice, towing, mud, rocks...) it would have to be the BFG All-Terrain T/A KO. Overall it's really hard to beat it's tread and sidewall characteristics. Sure it's not the best in mud and doesn't have the strongest sidewall, but most mud tires are terrible on ice, can be noisy on a daily driver, or wear out fast on a tow rig. And tires with stiffer sidewalls often don't work well on lighter-weight 4x4s. What scares the crap outta me is that I suspect someone at BFG is thinking the design of the All-Terrain is getting a little dated. Man I sure hope they don't screw it up if that's the case.

OR-Fab's new Vacuum Pump Relocation Bracket Kit moves the factory vacuum pump from the front of the vehicle to the driver-side engine compartment on the '12 JK. Relocating the pump adds the necessary room to allow installation of OR-Fab's steel-plate front bumpers, and other aftermarket bumpers, that feature a built-in winch mount. 

The Relocation Bracket Kit is manufactured from 10-gauge steel and comes complete with hardware, wire leads, and wire connectors that make it simple to install.  

More info on the relocation kit and which OR-Fab bumpers it's required with, can be found at www.orfab.com.