How To Choose The Right Equipment For Your Off-Roading Adventure

The elements of an epic off-road adventure come down to a few essential items: a great place to explore, good company and a well-equipped truck or Jeep. This deceptively simple list, however, has nearly endless possibilities, and off-road enthusiasts often spend hours thinking about their options. When it comes to upgrading your vehicle, you can get lost in the many wonderful accessories available. As always, quality truck tires make a solid starting point.   

Know The Terrain

If you have a good idea of the terrain you intend to conquer, you can begin to focus on the best tires for your vehicle. Navigating rocky terrain calls for a certain style and tread pattern while traveling sandy back roads calls for a different type of skins. Muddy terrain often demands specialized tires with large lugs. In other words, as with everything else in the world, it all depends on your personal needs.

For most people, enhanced versatility is a good thing, and this is one reason why all-terrain tires make a lot of sense. This popular style of tire functions well on the pavement, giving you solid street control and decent gas mileage, but they also have the toughness to prevent punctures and blowouts while in the backcountry. A number of top brands offer great value:

• BF Goodrich
• Mickey Thompson
• Yokohama
• Michelin
• Dick Cepek
• Goodyear

While shopping online, you get great prices and a large selection. When looking at a premium tire, such as the Yokohama Geolandar X-AT, you will access an abundance of impressive features: a load rating of over 3800 pounds, a tread depth of 18/32 and a 45k warranty. These tires cost a bit more than average, but they deliver off-road drivability, a quiet ride, long tread life and superior off-road traction.   

For a less expensive option, the BF Goodrich Trail Terrain is a universal fit tire that offers comfort, durability and flexibility. It performs well in both on-road and off-road conditions, making it an excellent all-around tire.  

Vehicle Versatility

Most people enjoy a vehicle that they can take just about anywhere. Your upgrades can build some desirable versatility into your ride. To expand the off-road capabilities of your truck or Jeep, you might want to explore the world of truck lifting. This upgrade option allows you to increase your clearance by as little as one inch or by as much as six inches. 

You might want to start by looking into basic leveling kits. Kits are an affordable option that minimizes the adjustments you need to make on your vehicle and allows you to keep your factory shocks. Complete kits come with all of the hardware necessary to complete the job. 

At the other end of the spectrum, a bracket or drop-down lift has a bit more complexity and will cost more. It has the advantage of enabling an extreme lift of your vehicle and is really the only way to accommodate large tire sizes.

Whenever deciding on an upgrade, make sure you get the right parts at the best prices. Shop online now to explore all of your options for the next adventure.