Ensure You’re Prepared by Visiting Your Local 4wd Store
Preparing for a lengthy off-roading trip can be nerve-wracking. Depending on your destination, you may need to be sure to pack things that will be vital to the success of your trip. And since your success is tied to the success of other people in your off-roading club joining you on the trip, the burden to not forget a thing is considerable. A visit to a 4wd store will help jog your memory of things you may have forgotten and help make your trip a success.
Off-roading is a social pastime. Off-road enthusiasts often form clubs and travel together to increase their ability to help each other during any major or minor emergency. Whenever a mechanical breakdown occurs or someone forgets to pack a necessary ingredient for a meal, the other club members can land a hand and pitch in to help.
But a chain is only as strong as its links. The vehicles of every off-roader on the trip have to have the same capabilities. Otherwise, they’ll slow down or stop the progress of everyone in the group if they break down continuously or can’t keep up with the group.
Pioneer Atmosphere
In the early days of off-roading, you found a lot more DIY ethics than exists these days. Owners of four-wheel-drive vehicles were much more likely to be wielding tools and welding equipment to fix and modify their vehicles themselves.
Modern SUVs were unheard of. The vehicles were mostly production trucks with custom suspensions and hand-welded roll bars, bull bars and other modifications done to them in backyard garages.
The phenomenon of off-road clubs grew out of the camaraderie of helping each other modify and fix the rigs so they could go off-roading together. It was a pioneer atmosphere where the owners of the vehicles did everything.
4WD Conveniences
In the early 80s, the auto industry took notice of the growing popularity of 4wd vehicles and started designing and producing their own SUVs and trucks that were equipped with four-wheel-drive, heavier-duty suspensions, raised clearances, and off-road-suitable tires.
These vehicles bridged the gap between suburban station wagon-type vehicles and the more extreme custom 4wd vehicles. Consumers loved them, and they were an instant hit, particularly with families with children. They offered the roominess of a station wagon and ruggedness that made owners feel safer when driving them in less than ideal weather.
They also appealed to owners who wanted to be ready for anything, and they caused many off-road clubs to see a sudden increase in the number of membership applications.
They also caused a vast improvement in the parts available for off-roaders. Many off-roaders and fabrication companies saw the growing need for lift kits, heavy-duty shock absorbers, roll bars and other common 4wd parts designed to fit the production trucks and SUVs offered by the auto industry. The stock vehicles, though they had 4wd, simply needed some slightly beefier parts to be driven off-road regularly.
4wd stores fill a need for this new wave of avid off-roaders. If you have a 4wd vehicle and want to make it off-road ready, visit an Overland 4wd store to see the range of quality 4wd parts they offer. They’ll improve your vehicle’s capabilities.
