With 2009 well underway, what are the things that we will see being the big ideas this year?
No Lift Wheeling
In recent years we have seen more and more vehicles attempt to fit larger tires with little or no lift. This has the added benefit of a safer rig with greater stability with a lower center of gravity adding up to exceptional trail ability. Throw in once treacherous hillclimbs or side slopes and you'll be sold too.
Long-Travel 4x4s
What was once the exclusive domain of the two-wheel-drive prerunners, long-travel 4x4s have become increasingly poplar due to the high capability and exceptional comfort on and off the trail. We experimented with long-travel four-wheel-drives with Project Range Runner and were blown away by the results. Four-wheel drive and high speed are starting to gain traction beyond prerunning to racing classes in SCORE and CORR, which means the aftermarket has responded with trickle-down technology for the common truck. Even Ford has plans for a "trophy truck you can buy from the factory" with its upcoming limited-production Raptor. We have also heard rumors of Toyota looking into a similar low-volume edition of the Tundra, and we know other OEMs, such as Hummer, have studied the idea. We just hope this isn't the last we hear of the factory long-travel truck.
High-Performance Shocks
We can still look back and remember when having 12 white twin-tube shocks on a fullsize Cruisers, complete with neon shock boots, was about as much performance as suspension kits had back in the day. Boy, have we come a long way. A quick glance under just about any late-model rig will at the very minimum net you a view of some monotube shocks, while high-end rigs are adding monotubes with external reservoirs. With performance shocks starting to be the norm in many buildups, we haven't been surprised to start seeing bypass shocks, one primarily enjoyed by desert racers, used on more and more trail rigs. Bypass shocks can be tuned externally and the speed-sensitive valving works so well on the trail, they never allow the vehicle to crash through its suspension travel. This is one trend that will start separating out the high-end systems from one another.
Events
Much planning goes into events, and 2009 will see sme new offroad 4x4 events heating up mainly in NSW. Winch Challenages will also be seeing some newly modified Jeep Wranglers hitting the scene.