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Full race day coverage from the second round of the SMX Playoffs. Double points today!View the full article

Upper control arms (UCAs) — you know what they are, but do you know what they do? As a part of your front suspension, UCAs connect the front wheels to the frame of your truck. That means they play a huge role in the alignment of the wheels and how hard you can drive, especially if you’re the kind of person who likes to rip down backroads. Typically, people only change their UCAs when they’re changing the suspension on their vehicle or adding lift. But there are other cases when it’s a good idea. Let's take a look at the top three reasons you should upgrade your UCAs! 1. Correct Your Caster The caster is the front/back angle of your wheel, and when your suspension droops or you lift your vehicle, you lose some of that caster. When you upgrade to an aftermarket UCA, it moves the upper ball joint out and towards the back of the vehicle. This increases the amount of caster you get while also adding back the camber that would have been lost, correcting for the higher ride height. When you have more caster, it helps create more stability, especially when driving at higher speeds. The lower your caster, the more sensitive your steering is going to be, causing you to correct yourself more often when out on the road. For off-roading, we typically aim for three to four degrees of caster, but it also depends on your vehicle, suspension set-up and other details. When it comes to lifting your truck, I recommend switching out your UCAs when you’re at two inches of lift or more — this will give you the best performance. If you’re going for a lift of 2.5 inches or higher (which I don't recommend) you’ll definitely want to swap the UCAs for new ones. 2. Extra Travel Getting extra travel depends on the suspension setup and what kind of shocks you have — simply changing the UCA isn’t going to do anything. Most aftermarket suspension kits allow for more down travel than stock UCAs can provide. This usually happens for one of two reasons. The first reason this happens is because the ball joint doesn’t have enough movement in it, causing it to bind up as the suspension droops out, ultimately limiting the travel. The second reason is because there isn’t enough room on the inside of the arm, so as the suspension droops out, the UCA will contact the coil and bind up on the coil of the shock, which again, limits your travel. Essentially, if you change your shocks and they allow for extra travel, then you have to change your UCAs. 3. Strength If you’re the kind of person who likes to wheel your truck really hard, then you’ll want to change your UCA to have a stronger ball joint and arm in general. Aftermarket UCAs are always stronger than stock. If you’re in search of a new upper control arm, look no further! At Overland Outfitters, we carry three main brands of UCAs: SPC, JD Fabrication and Total Chaos. All of these brands are great, but the best one for your truck will depend on a variety of things — such as the make/model, how often you go off-roading, and the climate where you live. Want to learn more about which UCAs are best for your truck? Take a look at the video above for more information, or you can find all of our UCAs and their descriptions here. What UCAs are you running on your truck? What’s your experience been with them? Let me know in the comments! View the full article

Toyota trucks are great—we would know. But every truck must have a weakness, right? For the Toyota Tacoma, 4Runner, and FJ Cruiser, that weakness is the cam tabs. Located in the front suspension, cam tabs make sure that your wheels stay aligned while you drive. As the cam turns, it moves the control arm back and forth between the tabs, which ultimately adjusts your alignment. The reason that this setup is weak is because as you drive down the road, your tires are putting force against the control arms, which essentially act as levers against the cam and tabs. If you hit a big enough hole or bump, it can put enough force on the tab that they’ll bend and become flat. This will cause your control arm to move in and out of place, forcing your truck out of alignment, resulting in a negative driving experience. But there are several ways to solve this problem, and we’re going to explore four of those right now! 1. Welding the Cam Tabs This is the easiest and cheapest way to save your cam tabs, and something we often do here at Overland Outfitters. When we’re doing suspension lifts, we always take out the lower control arm because Toyotas are notorious for rust issues around the cam. Essentially, the sleeve on the cam fuses itself to the rust that lies in the inner control arm—if the rust is really bad, sometimes we have to cut it out of the vehicle completely. To avoid the rust, make sure you remove your LCA's and cam bolts, and grease them up. While the lower control arm is out, we’ll weld a bead behind the cam tabs—the lower control arm has to be out to ensure you don’t melt the bushing. The bead then acts as a gusset, so the tabs don’t bend out as they normally would. While this is a great option for most, it’s not for everyone. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys jumping their truck or you want bigger tires fitted, I would suggest going with one of the options below. 2. Total Chaos Cam Tab Gussets If you want something a little stronger than welding a bead behind the tabs, then the Total Chaos Cam Tab Gussets are going to be your best bet. These essentially do the same thing as welding the tabs, but they’re a lot stronger, so you’re not going to run into many problems. These require cutting off the OEM cam tabs, and replacing them with a much stronger tab instead, which gets welded to the LCA mounts. 3. Marlin Crawler Gusset Kit For those looking beyond simply adding a gusset to the cam tabs, the Marlin Crawler Gusset Kit is the next strongest option. While this still adds a strong gusset to the cam tab, it also adds strength to the entire lower control arm pivot. The pivot is naturally a weak point in the Toyota trucks, especially if you’re wheeling your truck hard because this can cause bends or tears in the lower control arm. Installing the Marlin Crawler Gusset Kit is going to give you way more strength than any of the above options although it does take more labour to install due to the many moving parts. 4. JD Lower Control Arm Pivot Kit If you’re the kind of person who likes to push your truck to its limits, then the JD Lower Control Arm Pivot Kit is going to be the kit for you. This kit isn’t specifically designed to reinforce cam tabs—rather, it replaces the lower control arm pivots, including the cam tabs, with much stronger material. Instead of using a thin sheet metal for the pivot points, which is what the stock models include, a quarter inch of steel surrounds the control arm, allowing the control arm to move forwards—this permits you to clear bigger tires at the firewall. Another benefit of this kit is that it has a built-in skid which has a higher clearance than any other skid on the market by about two inches. Overall, the JD Lower Control Arm Pivot Kit is the best choice if you’re looking to reinforce your truck’s entire front suspensions setup. Ultimately, to decide which setup is right for you, you need to define how you’re going to use your truck. For a majority of people, welding a bead behind the cam tabs will do just fine, but for those of you that want something sturdier, you’ll want to look into some of the other options mentioned. Have you ever bent your cam tabs before? If so, what did you do to fit it? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! View the full article

LCA Skids Drop Bracket Lifts & Spacer lifts Dual battery cages in stock location Cold air intake We often get people coming into our shop, or sending in emails asking for a few different products, and I have the same answer for each one: “don’t bother”. The overland scene is very expensive, and there are a lot of products out there that are not necessary, or don’t work very good. I figured I might as well make this video in an effort to save you some money to spend on other things that will actually help you go further. I’m going to go through a few of these mods that I don’t think are worth buying, and let you know why. I’m fully aware that some of these mods are popular, so if you disagree with me, let me know in the comments below! Mod #1: LCA skids. These are skid plates that bolt to your lower control arms in the front. Typically most of the ones I’ve seen are made of aluminum, but there are steel ones out there as well. In my opinion, these LCA skids are completely pointless. I’m really not even sure what they are supposed to be protecting? The LCA is a pretty robust chunk of steel already, and doesn’t really need any protection. But as soon as you bolt a skid on there, you are actually losing clearance under the truck. Not only that, but you are increasing unsprung weight which hampers suspension performance. On many of the LCA skids I’ve had to remove to work on trucks in our shop, when we remove them, a whole bunch of water and mud comes pouring out of the drain holes on the LCA that were blocked by the bolts and skid, meaning that you are actually making it more likely to have rust issues in your LCA when running these skids. I’ve smashed stock LCA’s on lots of rocks and literally never seen more than a scratch or maybe a small dent. To me, these LCA skids actually do more harm than good to the capability and longevity of your truck. Mod #2: Dual battery or larger battery cages in the stock location. I frequently get asked about installing 2 batteries in the stock battery location, or installing a larger, heavier battery in the stock spot with a battery cage. I have nothing against dual batteries, or bigger batteries. I don’t even have a problem with battery cages themselves. What I do have a problem with, is how these cages mount to the stock inner fender. If you’ve ever looked at your inner fender, you’ll know that it is made out of pretty thin sheet metal. Every single one of these battery cages I’ve seen mount to this sheet metal with a combination of small bolts, and self tappers. When you install a cage like this, throw in a second battery, doubling the weight, and then go drive down bumpy back roads, those small bolts and screws WILL rip out of your fender. I guarantee it. I’ve seen it happen so many times, including in my own truck. Mine ripped out and let the batteries bounce around under the hood, destroying my headlight. I’ve seen batteries put holes in engines as well, which is way worse than a broken headlight. If you’re going to get dual batteries, it’s much better to spread the weight out and put the second battery somewhere else. Or if you really want to put a battery cage in the stock location, do yourself a favour and get a steel one, then weld it straight to the fender with some extra reinforcements as well. That will be much much stronger. Trust me on this one, I’ve fixed too many of these. Mod #3: Drop Bracket Lifts. A drop bracket lift is essentially taking all of the suspension mounting brackets on your truck, and moving them down a few inches with a big kit. Typically it requires cutting out a cross member, adding big spacers to your spindles and shocks, as well as dropping your whole front diff down. Most of the people who install this kind of lift are only using their trucks on the street and want to fit big tires without doing any work to the body. That’s fine if that’s your goal, but if you are into overlanding or offroading at all, this isn’t the best way to go. What you end up doing is raising your COG quite a lot, while not actually gaining any clearance under your vehicle, AND making your suspension weaker with all of the extensions and spacers. I’ve seen several trucks with drop bracket lifts that are breaking CV’s constantly because of the weird suspension angles, as well as a lot of broken or bent shocks and spindles because of the extra length needed to make it work with the dropped bracket. You will be much better off with a standard lift, and making larger tires fit in other ways. Also, if you ever wanted to upgrade suspension, lower your truck, or even return it to stock, you won’t be able to with a drop bracket because of the permanent modifications required for install, cutting out that frame cross member. Mod #4: Spacer lifts. If I’m being completely fair, spacer lifts do have a place: if you’re building a truck for looks around town, but don’t actually plan to take your truck offroad ever, then a spacer lift will work just fine for you. But for anybody that wants to upgrade the performance of their suspension, especially for offroad, a spacer lift should be avoided. The spacer changes the shock geometry and allows parts to make contact when they shouldn’t be. Typically, the UCA will contact the coilover on extension, which can lead to breaking shocks or ball joints. They also make the ride a lot rougher. Mod #5: Cold Air Intake. Oh snap, I said it. This is a pretty controversial stance to take, but hear me out. A cold air intake is basically designed to relocate your stock air intake so that the engine is sucking in colder air. Colder air is more dense, which means more oxygen being put into the engine, which gives better combustion, and more power. All good things! This is how Turbos and superchargers work, by forcing more air into the engine. However, on modern vehicles, the stock air intake is already a cold air intake. In most cases, the stock air intake is actually pulling in colder air than the aftermarket ones! On older engines, typically the air intake was right on top of the engine, so it was pulling in hot air from the engine bay. Now days, the air is typically pulled from inside the wheel well, where cooler air is. A “cold air intake” actually moves the air intake back into the engine bay where the air is warmer! Yes, they usually have some sort of boxed off area to try and keep the air cooler, but its certainly no better than the stock one was to begin with. There are all sorts of arguments about filter efficiency and everything else, but to me, it’s just not worth it, and I haven’t seen any evidence that a cold air intake increases power at all. Conclusion: Hopefully this is a helpful list for you! Overlanding is a very expensive hobby, and I would much rather see you spend money on a more practical mod, or even just spend your money on gas! Getting out on a trip is the goal afterall isn't it? If you have any questions about what you SHOULD be modifying, check out our previous blog about the order you should build your truck in here, or send us an email and we can talk about your build specifically and what would be the best for you! View the full article

Where is the best place to start your overland build? It’s a great question! We get asked this all the time, and we have five mods that you should seriously consider upgrading your truck with. Deciding What You Need There are a million different ways you can build your truck, depending on: What you want to do What kind of truck you have What your style is So, every person you ask is going to have a different answer. I’ve been there before myself, building my own truck, and have installed pretty much every mod you can do at this point, for better or worse. I’ve wasted so much time and money on mods that I shouldn’t have bothered with, as well as doing things multiple times just because I didn’t get the products that I should have the first time—so hopefully with that experience I can give you some mods that won’t let you down. Starting Your Journey I hear pretty frequently from many of you guys that you want to start taking your truck offroad—nothing too crazy, just want to stick to some dirt roads, some moderate obstacles or maybe a cross ditch or boulder. You don’t want to spend a ton of money, but you want a truck that’s capable, comfortable, and won’t break down all the time. I say this a lot, but the first thing you should do before you start modifying your truck is just get out on the back roads and do the things you want to do! Your truck—totally stock—will go a surprising amount of places. I see so many people think that they need to do all these mods and upgrades before they can even go out onto a basic dirt road, and that couldn't be further from the truth. A lot of people feel like they can’t actually go wheeling or exploring without a bunch of mods, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. I even made a video about the top 5 mods you SHOULDN’T do—that’s how much I believe this! Before I get into the list, if you find these videos helpful at all, a subscription goes a long way! But if you have commitment issues, I’m not offended, just a like or comment is amazing. I love reading what you guys have to say! Anyway, on to the list! Tires The very first mod I would recommend is tires. You want to decide right up front what size and what kind of tire you’re going for. An all-terrain, a mud-terrain, a small tire, a big tire—you want to make that decision right up front. Despite common beliefs, you don’t need a lift to fit larger tires, you just have to be willing to do a little bit of cutting. And realistically, you need to cut whether you put a lift on or not. So you might as well just put the tires you want on it first—that’s what I think, anyway! So up front, you want to decide whether you’re going for an all-terrain or a mud-terrain. I would recommend an all-terrain because they’re way quieter, more fuel efficient, and actually better on the road, which is where 90% of our driving realistically is. If you’re building a straight off-road truck that you don’t drive daily, a mud tire is awesome, but not really necessary. I would also decide what size you want to go with right from the beginning, and then build around that. The bigger the tire you get, the more capable your truck is going to be off-road, but you’re sacrificing fuel efficiency, power, the strength of the components that are attached—so if you go too big, you start needing to do a lot of other work that maybe isn’t necessary for how you’re using your truck. I would say a 33” is a really good compromise tire—it’s just big enough that you can go a lot of places and have good clearance and comfort, but without needing to get into re-gearing and crazy clearance and all that. Re-gearing will help with a 33”, but it’s not necessary. It’s totally manageable without a re-gear. Skids and Sliders I know that this is really two mods, but I always lump them together because they go hand-in-hand. As you start to go off road, you’re going to find yourself in places that aren’t exactly flat. There’s going to be rocks, trees, and all sorts of obstacles. If you’re the type of person who likes to push yourself and push your truck, trust me, you don’t want to be the guy who smashed in your door before you got sliders. It’s pretty embarrassing, and it’s really sad. Skids protect your drivetrain, so they go under your truck. They’ll protect your engine, transmission, transfer case, and that will be great if you’re driving and you don’t see a big boulder, and you smash it—or a log or stick pops up that wants to gouge out your coolant lines or something. They just protect everything so you don’t even have to think about it anymore. Sliders go along the side of your truck and they’re meant to slide on. So as you pivot around boulders or around trees, you don’t have to worry about smashing your doors or anything like that as you’re wheeling through obstacles. Suspension I recently bought my first ever brand new vehicle, and I took it off-road—and I hadn’t remembered how bad stock suspension is off-road. Don’t get me wrong, you can go everywhere with stock suspension, but speed and comfort are not words I would use to describe the experience. I’m not saying you should go out and buy insanely expensive suspension, but what I am saying is that you should be realistic about what your goals are and how you want to use your truck. Use that expectation to buy the right suspension the first time around. There are really solid budget suspension set-ups that are really great for most people. The Bilstein 6112/5160 combo is one of our most popular setups just because it’s so good for the price range. I don’t think there’s anything better in that price range actually. But if you want to start setting harder, going faster, doing more crazy stuff, then it’s not really going to stand up to what you want to do. It’s not going to have the right valving, they’re not rebuildable, all that kind of stuff. So you’re going to want to go with something a little bit better. In my opinion, you should just save up that extra and go to the better setup if that’s what you see yourself doing. If you’re just driving some dirt roads, then the 6112s are totally fine and you’re going to be more than happy. The key is to just be real with what you’re doing, and not do it more than once like I did. I think I’ve installed about six different suspension setups on my truck at this point, and it’s really expensive to do that! Switch Panel One mod I really wish I had done earlier on in my truck modifying journey is the switch panel. When I first started, I thought, “oh, I’m just going to do it the cheap way—these switch panels are expensive.” So I just put switches in. It was a lot of work to feed all the wires in, do all the dash lights, modify the dash to fit all the switches—everything like that. And then, as soon as I wanted to add something else down the road, I had to redo everything. Put the wires back through the firewall, do everything again, find another spot for a switch, and it was really a pain in the butt. I wish that I had just bought a switch panel. You just put one panel through the firewall, you have your switches there, you have eight options, everything just gets wired straight into the fuse panel that you mount somewhere accessible like the engine bay by the battery. It makes everything so much easier, and especially if you’re paying shop labour, you will save money in the long run as you add more things down the road. There are some really nice switch panel options out there. You’ve got the S-Pod or Switch Pro, and those are super high end and they have tons of fancy features like strobes and on/off and momentaries and all this crazy stuff that’s really cool if you want those features. But there’s also more budget options like the rebranded ones that you see everywhere that everyone sells, and they work just as good too. They just don’t have all the fancy features. So depending on what you want to do, if you just need a switch that turns on and off, then those cheaper ones are great. If you want something that has a bit more functionality, then the higher end ones that are like three times the price are really nice. Compressor A compressor is one of those things that’s just so handy that everyone should have one. Especially because airing down your tires is a huge part of your suspension. You can air down and have more traction and a more comfortable ride, and when you’re back on the road and you have to air up, you don’t have to rely on your friends or on finding a gas station or anything like that. You can just air up right there on the side of the road by yourself. Self reliance—it’s amazing! Another great thing about having a compressor is that you can fix a lot of small punctures that you get on a trail. You can just plug it with a tire repair kit and fill it up without even pulling the tire off the truck or pulling out the spare tire. You can also use it to fill up your inflatable floaties for the lake or run lockers. Lockers should definitely be on this list too, but if you bought your truck with overlanding in mind, you probably bought the one with the e-locker option anyway, so you’re already all set! I used to run a tank with my compressor, and honestly, I wouldn’t bother with that again. The tank just filled with water, and you have to be sure you’re draining it all the time (which I never did) and I don’t think it really speeds up the air-up time much, if at all. So I probably wouldn’t bother with the tank again if I were doing it all over again. Conclusion Like I said in the beginning, the most important thing is just to get out and have fun. None of these mods are essential to doing that—you can go exploring and get to a ton of crazy places without anything. They’re just going to enhance the experience. As you get out, you’ll start to figure out where you’re being held back, where your truck’s limitations are, and you can upgrade from there. However, when you do start to modify your truck, try to think further ahead to where you really want your truck to be and then just go straight to that point. Trust me, you can do it in steps, but it costs way more, it’s way more frustrating, and you’re never really totally happy with the performance until you get the thing that you were hoping for in the first place. Just spend the extra three months or whatever saving up to get to the point where you can get what you really want and it will be way better in the long run. Don’t fall into the same trap I have. Just “buy once cry once”—it’s a saying for a reason. I have spent way too much time buying and crying and I still do it. I say that I’ve learned this lesson, but I literally do this all the time trying to go for the cheaper option. And it never works out. I really just need to pound this into my own head. If you want to check out five things you SHOULDN’T buy, then check out this video, or if you want to see what I’m talking about when I say that I’ve literally redone things over and over a million times, I just started rebuilding my truck from the frame up. Like literally, just a frame, and I’m going from there, so check it out here. Hopefully I do everything right this time! Eighth time’s the charm, right? View the full article

March 1st find us in a new location just off of highway one in Port Kells. We are excited to be in a more accessible location for most of our customers, get our store, shop and team under one roof for maximum efficiency, display more products in a bigger showroom and expand our services with more lifts and in-house alignments! Though we are busy building out the new location, our Cloverdale store will remain open until the end of January. If you're looking for Christmas gifts, want one last visit to the original location or want to speak to someone about your dream build, please pop by for a visit. The team would love to see you! We can't thank you enough for your continued support, that has allowed us to make this move and we look forward to serving you better in 2024! More details to come. -o2 crew View the full article

Promotion Details Upgrade your vehicle's lighting and enjoy savings with our fall lighting promotion. When you purchase any lighting products from us, you'll receive a 15% discount on the labor cost for installation. Enhance safety and style our high-quality lighting solutions while keeping more money in your pocket. Don't miss this limited-time offer! How to Claim: Visit or call Overland Outfitters. Consult with our experts to choose the right lighting products for your vehicle. Purchase your selected lighting products. Receive a 15% discount on installation labor costs! Upgrade your ride today, drive with confidence, and save! For more details, contact us at 778-547-2444 or visit www.overlandoutfitters.ca View the full article

Have you ever wondered if buying a big brake kit is worth your money? Well, in this blog, we will be testing stock brakes versus a power brake big brake kit to determine if the upgrade is worth the investment. We will be conducting multiple tests to measure the stopping distance and performance of each brake system. The results will help you decide if upgrading to a big brake kit is the right choice for your vehicle. Testing Methodology We will be testing the brakes from 80 km/h down to a complete stop. The tests will be conducted three times to ensure accurate results. Each test will consist of stopping at the same cone in the same spot. We will measure the stopping distance using a measuring tape, and the average of the three tests will be recorded. Results of Stock Brakes After conducting the tests with the stock brakes, we found that the stopping distance varied. The first test resulted in a stopping distance of 98 ft, while the second test yielded a distance of 87 ft 5 in. The third test showed the worst result at 99 ft 8 in. These varying distances highlight the importance of braking technique, with harder braking resulting in longer stopping distances due to the ABS kicking in. Benefits of Big Brake Kits Now, let's take a closer look at the big brake kit and its features. The first noticeable difference is the size of the rotors. The stock rotor is significantly smaller compared to the big brake kit rotor. This size difference allows for better heat dissipation, as the upgraded rotors are designed with directional fins that pull more air out of them. Another advantage of the big brake kit is the use of slotted rotors. Slotted rotors provide a fresh surface for braking, as a small layer of pad is continuously removed during braking. This ensures optimal braking performance at all times. Additionally, the big brake kit comes with upgraded calipers. The aluminum six-piston calipers are lighter and dissipate heat more efficiently. They are designed to work in conjunction with the master cylinder of the vehicle, providing a modular brake pedal feel. The smaller pistons exert higher pressure due to their smaller surface area, resulting in a more precise and responsive braking experience. The calipers also feature built-in temperature gauges, allowing you to monitor the heat of your brakes. This is particularly useful for enthusiasts who push their vehicles to the limit and need to ensure their brakes are operating within safe temperature ranges. Testing the Big Brake Kit After installing the big brake kit and completing the recommended break-in period, we conducted a series of tests to measure its performance. Despite the rainy conditions and colder road temperatures, the big brake kit delivered impressive results. When using full pedal-to-the-metal braking, the big brake kit achieved a stopping distance of 85 ft, which was comparable to the best result achieved with the stock brakes. However, the real difference was observed when employing threshold braking techniques. With threshold braking, the stopping distance improved to 76-78 ft, a significant improvement over the stock brakes. It is important to note that the primary advantage of big brake kits is their ability to manage heat more effectively. This is particularly beneficial during prolonged braking, such as descending steep hills. Big brake kits prevent brake fade and maintain optimal braking performance even under demanding conditions. Conclusion In conclusion, the results of our tests indicate that investing in a big brake kit can greatly enhance the braking performance of your vehicle. While the initial cost may be significant, the improved modulation, shorter stopping distances, and superior heat management make it a worthwhile investment for those who value optimal braking performance. However, it is important to consider your specific driving needs and vehicle modifications before deciding to upgrade to a big brake kit. If you frequently carry heavy loads or engage in spirited driving, the benefits of a big brake kit may outweigh the initial cost. We hope this blog has provided valuable insights into the performance and benefits of big brake kits. If you have any further questions or would like to see us test other automotive upgrades, please leave a comment below. Thank you for reading! View the full article

We just tested five setups completely blind and we didn’t know at all which ones we were testing when we did it. Now we do. And now we get to wrap it all up because some of the results were definitely surprising. We weren’t expecting them at all. I might even say some of the results were shocking. The five sets of shocks that we tested: Fox 2.5 Elka 2.5 Icon 2.5 Bilstein 8100 King 2.5 The Worst I was blown away. That’s the first thing I couldn’t believe is honestly how bad the Foxes are. They are the worst by far which never in a million years I would have bet on. They were the worst. They were in a category altogether. The Biggest Shocker Surprisingly, the Icon IFP, without the remote reservoir, is fine. I don’t sell much Icon but I think I’m going to have to start. I mean, it’s interesting but this is why we did it because we never would have sold Icons if we could avoid it but here we are eating our own words. I was completely wrong about them. I owe them an apology. It was killer for an IFP coilover. I don’t know what more you want out of it. There’s more to be had but if you go with one of the better of the two options we found, the difference starts to get really small at the top end. Differences We Noticed I think some of the differences we did find were putting all these shocks on the exact same truck. Every single one’s a different length and body. The Icon is the longest of the bunch and the Bilstein is the shortest. The Bilsteins were the best performing ones. They’re all OEM fit 2.5 replacements. They’re supposed to be direct bolt-in replacements for stock shocks with stock travel so it’s weird. You figure you’d go to bump and that’s the length of the shock you can fit but apparently these guys have different ideas. The shaft travel and body size on the Bilsteins are different from the Icons—an inch and a half difference in body. That’s substantial. Is it going to bottom out then, at least an inch and a half sooner? Out of all the shocks, the Kings did leak a little bit of oil on one of the rear shocks which is not exactly what you’re hoping for with a brand new set of shocks—especially when you’ve driven for only two hours. We also found that if we took the Elkas apart, there’s some seal hydraulic noise happening inside one side. I would quantify it as seal squelch. On-Road In order of ride quality on the road—I would recommend the Kings for number one. I don’t understand why the Bilsteins are so soft. I’ve never had that with any other 8100 series platform, even other Tacoma ones I’ve done. I haven’t installed the new Gray ZoneControl Shocks and I wonder if they revalved it for the new part numbers because it is very soft on-road. A little too soft, in my opinion, which is the opposite of what Bilstein does for everything else. When we were driving these ones on the road, they had the most body roll of any of them. To the point that it’s too much—and we can handle a lot of body roll. The Elkas, the Icons, and the Kings all have very similar on-road characteristics and I think they’re all pretty good. The Kings might have edged them out a little bit and then the Fox was like driving on rails. The thing didn’t move at all through the corners but then it also didn’t move at all when you hit a bump so your back was getting wrecked. The craziest thing is that we thought that they’re all tuned for the same truck so it’s going to be pretty hard to tell them apart and in reality, they were all so different from each other. Off-Road For off-road, we figured out that the 8100s are the best but it isn’t really a fair comparison because 8100s are a five zone internal bypass-style coilover. They’re not actually bypassing the main piston—they’re working with the main pistons so you get that full-size main piston. It’s like having an air bump inside of the coilover but you can feel it engaged. They were very clunky off-road, where you could hear and feel everytime they engaged but the off-road performance was better than everybody else. They didn’t clang on top out. They just did their job. The Elkas topped out the hardest. The Kings did as well, but they were similar to the Icons and the Foxes in that regard. We thought that the Foxes would have been one of the top brands but in reality they were really bad. Maybe there was something wrong with the ones we used because I know that everybody with this shock setup in their Tacomas will say that their Foxes are great. Long-term Durability As far as long term durability is concerned, this test was pretty short term and we were testing them out in the desert. Up where we’re from in Canada, we have a ton of salt on the roads and lots of rain so shocks definitely rust more than other places. We find the Elkas and the Icons, with their aluminum body, won’t rust at all. Actually, the Foxes have a new aluminum body series which is cool. It’s definitely something to consider if you’re in a salty environment but you might be making some trade-offs in longer term durability with an aluminum body. Maybe they wear out from the inside quicker so it’s hard to say at this point. Hardware The other difference we found is that some of the hardware is weird on the top hats. This is just a Grade 8 yellow zinc bolt and then it looks like black phosphorus, which is an oxide and supposed to be fairly good. The stem mounts are a little odd. You’ve got a Nylock, the double nut system on the Icons, and then you have a Stover nut on the Bilstein. Then a Nylock on the King. It’s interesting that every single company uses a different system. The weirdest is the Icons with the lock nut. I haven’t seen that on a shock before. Overall, this set of Icons were good and it’s very odd that the Icons are much longer than the rest. I think with this one, without extending your bump stops, you’re going to be smashing into that shock body. I wonder if that will affect longevity. Elka is the only one that’s using a generic top hat so the top hat in this has a bunch of different holes and I’m assuming that that’s for different vehicles. They also have some holes going through the side that go through the other threads and it doesn’t seem really great to me. It seems like they’re trying to cut some costs which is fair from a business perspective but every other brand here has a top hat that’s designed specifically for the Tacoma. I think that’s a point for all the other companies. It’s interesting that the reservoir size for all of these are completely different. None of them are the same length. You would think that with a shock like this that all the companies would arrive at the same thing. You would expect them to be the same length which they aren’t. Then the reservoirs and the shaft sizes are different sizes as well. Conclusion This was a crazy experiment. I’m so glad that we were able to do this and hopefully you get some value out of it. It blew my mind. See all the shocks that we’ve tested out and get a feel for where your money is going in a performance suspension setup. Catch you guys on the trail! View the full article

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, show your truck some love! From now until the end of February save 10% off parts & labor on Bilstein suspension lifts if you book install with us + a FREE alignment! To get a quote, book an appointment or ask any questions give us a call or send us an email. Our sales team is keen to help you out! *Deal only valid on Bilstein products, and for installs booked in our shop* View the full article

I finally finished our video about Jenna, Tobi and my (Braeden) trip north of Powell River over the Canada Day long weekend! We are trying to do something new with the whole "Youtube" thing. If you're interested at all in what we're up to, please hit the like button, and subscribe to our channel!!! Our trip started in our usual style; late. We were trying to leave in the evening before the weekend, but couldn't make the ferry in time. To make sure we got the most out of our 4 day weekend, we set our alarms for 3.30 AM. With about 2 hours of sleep, we made it on the 5.30 ferry, and rolled into Powell River around noon! From there we carried on with the goal of reaching a zone north of Powell River that I had found while looking for cool new areas in our BackRoad MapBook. After talking to some local friends, and researching as much as I could online about it, we still weren't entirely sure if it was actually possible to get a truck up there. According to my research, the area has active logging, but it is all barge access, with no roads in. I found some vague information about an ATV trail that accessed the area, and we decided to try and squeeze our truck in. We poked around Powell River and Lund a bit before getting into the woods. I wanted to try and make a video of the trip, so I ended up running the camera, while Jenna hopped into the drivers seat. She aced the trail, weaving between the tight forest, without any spotting or guidance at all. Super impressive! Getting through to the other side was a bit of a surprise. To be honest, I was expecting winching and lockers and all sorts of fun shenanigans. However, it proved to be a relatively easy drive, though very tight, with some muddy and flexy spots. Nothing the trusty Toyota Tacoma couldn't handle though! The road opened up after several deep cross ditches, and we hit prime, hardly used logging roads. We explored a few different roads on our way to our goal location on the shore of Powell Lake with a nice view of the mountains behind. Pulling up the the barge landing, we found a decent spot to pop the tent and spend the next couple of nights! The next day we went exploring the area. Our first stop was an old homestead. The house itself is long gone, but the foundations are still there, with lots of old homesteady type junk lying around. The forest in that area felt both spooky and enchanted, right near the river, it would have been an awesome spot to live. On the walk in though, we came across several fresh looking bear, cougar and deer tracks in the mud. Getting eerie vibes, we decided to head back to the truck. We ended up cruising around the mountains, checking out all the roads and finding some cool views. We found another lake with an old canoe tied up that we took for a paddle around, before cooking dinner on the shore. We went back to one of the higher elevation view points we had found, and watched the sun drop behind the mountains before heading back to our camp site. Waking up, we decided to leave relatively early so we could meet some friends in Powell River who were heading back from the island. We had a nice lunch with them, hung out on the beach, and then met a few other friends to camp with that night. We headed up TinHat Mountain. It's typically a hiking trail, but there is also a fun wheeling trail that takes you almost to the top. Of course we drove! The TinHat cabin is a really beautiful little cabin with an incredible view of the countless lakes and mountains surrounding Powell River. We camped that night with a nice mountain view, before heading back down the coast on our way home. Tired, but refreshed, we thoroughly enjoyed our solo adventure, new zones, seeing friends, wheeling and camping in beautiful weather. Can't wait to do it again! Braeden. View the full article

Join us this Saturday for burgers, good times & good deals on gear! Pay cash, and get 10% off in store purchases! The garage sale will be held July 12th from 12PM-4PM If you've got some old gear that you want to get rid of, bring it a long to sell! Come a little early and set up in a good parking spot if you plan to sell some items. Location: 110 - 18436 96 Ave, Surrey, BC View the full article

Friday, April 7th (Good Friday) Ian & Brittany from @wheeleveryweekend are coming to Canada and are teaching a shock class at Overland Outfitters workshop. Come learn about shock performance, tuning, rebuilding and more. Class is open for anyone interested! Ian isn't asking for anything for entry, but if you learn something there will be a tip jar, as a way for us to show some appreciation for his time and knowledge. RSVP here to attend! View the full article

Our last tuning event went very well and many customers expressed wishing they could have gotten their trucks tuned, so we're doing it again! We love Toyota's, but the factory logic leave much to be desired. Poor throttle response, constant gear hunting & less than stellar fuel mileage. YotaTune can help! We're excited to have local tuner @yotatune join us on September 17th from 10am-2pm. Come to the store for some food and get your truck tuned! Prices range from $380-$490 and all tunes are first come first serve. Hope to see you there! View the full article

We're teaming up with the BC Overlanders to put on our first ever Garage Sale! This Saturday, March 26th forget the hassle of FB Marketplace and join us in the back parking lot to swap, trade or sell used truck, camping and off-road parts. We have a bunch of great used or lightly damaged gear to sell for a great price! Here's what you need to know: Time - Saturday, March 26th 12-4pm Location - Overland Outfitters Shop - 17969 Roan Place Anyone is welcome to sell used parts, however, we will only be allowing sellers vehicles in the lot. If you aren't vending, please park respectfully on the neighboring streets. Sellers awnings, tables and popups are encourage. It might be wet! There will be a sale held at Overland Outfitters store during the event, so be sure to pop by and check out what's going on there as well. See you Saturday! View the full article

Spring is just around the corner and we're hosting our 2nd (annual?!) Garage Sale swap meet with the BC Overlanders! Have some old gear collecting dust in your garage? Ditch the hassle of Marketplace and come hang out on Saturday, March 18th from 12pm-3pm at 17969 Roan Place. If you are selling, please bring a table or setup your tailgate, so it is clear what you have to buy. And we kindly ask that if you don't have anything to sell, please leave that space for people who do, by parking on the side streets (not in the lot). This event will be held at our garage, but be sure to swing by the store for a one day in-store sale, that will be taking place (details will be release week of the event). Look forward to seeing you there! -o2 & the bc overlanders View the full article

This conversation has been going around a lot lately, so here’s our take.. When it comes to getting into the backcountry, we believe that everyone needs to be prepared and responsible in doing so. Not only for yourself but out of respect for the areas you are exploring. There is always a certain level of risk involved with travelling in the backcountry whether it be mechanical issues, wildlife, injuries, weather, landslides, etc. and it is all of our responsibility to be prepared before going out into remote areas. Part of being prepared to travel in the backcountry (& part of the fun) is doing the research to find cool spots. We all have the same resources available at our finger tips to find the gems; whether it be BRMB, Gaia, Avenza, or numerous other resources. Every place Braeden and I have traveled has been found through BRMB, searching google earth, trying random roads or travelling with close friends. (And tbh not every trip leads us to the most breathtaking view. Some have lead to dead ends or lots of mosquitoes. It’s all part of it!) Geotagging has unfortunately caused certain ‘picturesque’ areas to become overrun and mistreated by the masses. Some of whom, unfortunately, have little regard for the environment, leaving garbage, waste, and destruction behind. We recognize that not everyone acts this way and we are happy to see more people getting outside, but unfortunately this is a very real result of our ‘social media’ age. We are not trying to be rude in ignoring your questions, but we won’t openly share these types of answers over social media, because when it comes to ‘leaving no trace’, we believe that applies online as well. Not everyone will agree with this take and that is fine. Everyone is entitled to their opinions! This is in no way an act of ‘elitism’ as some might call it. It’s just what we feel is our responsibility to be good stewards of the backcountry and making sure we are encouraging people to do the same! When asked in person, we have been happy to show customers how to use a BRMB and will even point out general areas that might be a good fit for customers to explore (be it Squamish or Harrison Lake, etc)! We feel that if we are going to encourage people to get outside, we also have to do our part in educating, to ensure people are doing it safely and responsibly. We want to do what we can to avoid adding to the problems, while still encouraging people to explore the backcountry of British Columbia and beyond! View the full article

Low Profile, Tailored-Fit, Rapidly Removable Cargo Platform The new 4Runner brings plenty of new features, but one thing Toyota didn’t fix is the uneven cargo area when the rear seats... The post BamBeds Leveling Platform For 6th Gen 4Runner – Review appeared first on Trail4R.com - 5th Gen 4Runner Mods. View the full article

The motorcycle featured here began life as a standard 1984 Honda Gold Wing, but it no longer resembles the factory version. Over time, it was completely reimagined with major changes to its frame, suspension, fuel system, and overall design. The builder drew inspiration from both personal history and a racing legend, giving the project a unique identity and theme that set it apart from other custom builds. The machine now blends parts from different Honda models, modern performance upgrades, and handmade […] The post Here’s How An ’80s Honda Goldwing Becomes The Ultimate Custom! appeared first on Return of the Cafe Racers. View the full article

Full race day coverage from the first round of the SMX Playoffs.View the full article