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Part Three: Part Five: Part Six:
Special Fabtech Gibson Exhaust
Tech Questions: |
The most important phase of building a truck is the choice of the proper tires for the conditions you'll be encountering and the proper suspension to control the ride and power delivery of these tires. Dollar for dollar the BEST performance investment you can make is in your vehicles traction, braking and handling. In fact it's not horsepower that wins races, its your ability to put the power to the ground and to keep it there during suspension movement and directional changes. The lesson to be learned here is to never skimp on your rubber and and suspension components. All the power in the world means nothing if you can't hook it up, change its direction, or slow the damn thing down when you need to! Step by step we'll walk you through the decision making process that we used to arrive at our choices for the Project Baja Expedition. When you make your own decisions, the factors you must consider are:
Let's face it, while a gazillion inches of lift and 44" inch tires may look cool. But, if the truck is going to be used to commute 60 miles a day, you'll be spending an extra $300 plus a month on excess fuel and tire consumption alone, not to mention having your teeth rattled out of their sockets and your kidneys ruptured every day on your way to work. Enough from the voice of reason, you've been disclaimed, let's build a truck! Choices, Choices...
B.F. Goodrich Baja T/A www.bfgoodrichtires.com (Full review coming in June) We chose the B.F. Goodrich Baja T/A Radial in a 37x12.50R17 for many reasons. With its race proven design and tread pattern, its desert bred heritage is the mark that other tire companies aim for. Since our truck will be operated 100% in the desert southwest and Mexico this tire was the only choice. The reason we chose the 37" size was for the tread pattern, in the 35" size the Baja T/A utilizes the same pattern as the Mud T/A, the advantage hear is quieter high speed operation and better dry surface traction Highs:
Lows:
Now that the toughest choice is out of the way, it gets easier. Once you've gotten your rubber picked next comes...
Weld Racing Sidewinders www.weldracing.com (Full review coming in July) This is the easy part, with the widest selection of styles, sizes and applications for one piece forged aluminum wheels, Weld Racing is the place to go. Their wheels are rated at as much as triple the competition in weight bearing capacity, are made to exacting tolerances and are flat out the one of the finest products money can buy. The recommended wheel size for our Baja T/A's is a 17x8-10. We chose the Weld "Sidewinder" for its clean looks and high strength and went with the 10" wheel to give our truck a more aggressive visual appearance as well as the benefit of a wider footprint when the tire is aired down for use in the sand. Highs:
Lows:
With the wheels and tires decided upon, now we have not just the task of making them fit, but of making them work... Click Here for Page Two of the story!
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