I remember the first time I saw someone sleeping in their vehicle for fun. It was 1999. I was in Vail, and I hit a parking lot apr猫s party with a dude who was sleeping in his Ford Ranger pickup. He had built a plywood sleeping platform with all of his ski gear stored beneath, allowing him to camp out in his truck, save money on pricey ski resort lodging, and snag first chair in the morning.

He sold me on the idea of camping out in your car, and I鈥檝e spent the last twenty-plus years trying to perfect my own system. I鈥檝e built elaborate platforms for my Toyota 4Runner with built-in gear storage, and purchased the pre-fab Decked system for the back of my Ford F150. Both are good permanent solutions for people who overland or camp on the regular, but what about the weekend warrior who only plans to sleep in their daily driver on weekends? Enter the , which might be the perfect solution for the majority of car campers who are looking to sleep in the back of their vehicle without going full van life.

Hele Box Solo Car Camping Platform

Dimensions: 6鈥� x 24鈥�
Weight: 25 lbs

Pros and Cons
鈯� Easy setup
鈯� Customizable to your vehicle
鈯� Portable
鈯� Doubles as a table
鈯� Expensive
鈯� Heavy and awkward to carry in its case

Setting Up the Hele Box

The Hele Box is a portable sleeping platform that can be broken down and stored in an included storage case when not in use, and it鈥檚 fast and easy to deploy when it鈥檚 time to camp on weekends. Fold the back seats of your vehicle down, set up the Hele Box, and you essentially double the space in your vehicle, giving you a bedroom 鈥渦pstairs鈥� and a garage 鈥渄ownstairs.鈥�

Set up takes less than five minutes, and is just a matter of sliding poles together, clicking the legs into place, and laying out the wooden slats. It鈥檚 24 inches wide and 72 inches long, which is big enough to accommodate me (I鈥檓 6鈥�3鈥�), but small enough to fit in the back of most regular-sized SUVs with the back seats folded down. Hele Outdoors has to let you know if the Hele Box platform will fit into your specific vehicle, but if you own a Subaru Outback or Toyota 4Runner (likely 75-percent of you reading this review), rest assured that it will fit.

There鈥檚 even a way to shorten the platform鈥檚 length from 72 inches to 66 inches if you have a smaller vehicle. The Hele Box fit perfectly in the back of our 2015 Nissan Pathfinder, commonly referred to as the 鈥渕om jeans of SUVs,鈥� giving me plenty of room to sleep and store gear beneath and around the platform.

Adjustable Legs to Fit a Variety of Cars and SUVs

My favorite design feature of the Hele Box is the听 independently adjustable legs, which allow you to fine tune the amount of head room you need above the platform as well as the amount of storage space below. I have some bulky gear boxes, and I found a sweet spot that gave me enough headroom while allowing me to slide my camp kitchen and other items below the Hele Box. Also, some cars have backseats that don鈥檛 fold flat, but Hele Box鈥檚 legs, which adjust in half-inch increments from 8.75 inches to 14 inches, allow you to ground the platform around any uneven surfaces while keeping the sleeping surface flat I spent a lot of time and energy trying to figure out how to design my DIY sleeping platform around my 4Runner鈥檚 back seats, which did not fold completely flat. If I had the Hele Box, it would have just been a matter of adjusting two legs.

Hele Box Add-Ons

The sleeping platform itself consists of hardwood slats, so you just throw your sleeping pad on top. Any sleeping pad that matches the Hele Box鈥檚 dimensions will work,, but if you don鈥檛 love your current pad, I can recommend Hele Outdoors鈥� pad. It鈥檚 three inches thick, made from a super plush and comfortable combo of foam and air, and has a soft topper and no-slip bottom so it stays put on the slats.

At the risk of sounding like an infomercial鈥攂ut wait, there鈥檚 more!鈥攁dd a set of tall legs to your Hele Box kit, and the platform doubles as a large table that can听 stand alone or extend from your tailgate. Either way, the six foot long table will give you plenty of room for cooking and feeding the whole family. The ($520) comes with multiple sized legs, an extra storage box, and the plush sleeping pad.

From what I can tell, nothing was overlooked in the design. The materials are solid (aerospace-grade aluminum and hardwood slats) and built to last. Each leg has a double locking system with clicking pegs and a twisting brace that further secures the connection so there鈥檚 no wobble, even if you toss and turn in the middle of the night. Even the storage case that holds the system when it鈥檚 not in use doubles as gear storage with built-in dividers. I also appreciate the ability to shorten the platform to 66 inches, because that means truck owners with 5鈥�6鈥� truck beds (like me) can still use the platform in their tiny truck beds.

It鈥檚 a small detail, but I also like how all of the components actually fit well into the storage case when you鈥檙e ready to pack it up at the end of the weekend. There鈥檚 nothing more frustrating than taking a tent out of its original packaging and not being able to fit it back into the bag.

Is the Hele Box Better Than Other Sleeping Platforms?

The Hele Box Solo weighs 25 pounds (with a weight capacity of 250 pounds), which feels heavy when you鈥檙e carrying it around in its case, but it鈥檚 a fraction of the weight of many other sleep/storage systems, like the Decked in the back of my truck, or the system I built for my 4Runner.听 I think the drawers and sleeping platform I built weighed three times as much, which meant I never took them out of the back of my 4Runner. But the Hele Box is light enough to truly be portable and removable. There is a new wave of similar portable car camping sleep systems hitting the market right now, and the Hele Box seems to be on par with the average weight and is a little less expensive than most.

One thing you should consider before buying: The Hele Box isn鈥檛 like a traditional cot, most of which are made from canvas and have at least a little bit of sag built into their design so your body is cradled in one position while you sleep. The Hele Box is a solid platform, which allows for storage beneath you while you sleep, but also means it doesn鈥檛 have any gives. This is important if you鈥檙e an active sleeper. If you鈥檙e tossing and turning all night, you might just roll right off of the platform. If you need more room to wander, or you don鈥檛 camp solo, check out the double size Hele Box.

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The post You Don’t Have to Build Your Own Sleeping Platform to Camp In your Car appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

I鈥檓 driving a brand-new through the jungle of Puerto Rico, and I have the vehicle at such an awkward angle that one of my tires is hanging in the air. The rock obstacle I鈥檓 traversing on this particular four-wheel-drive trail is steep and off-camber, forcing the nose of the SUV down and the back right wheel to completely abandon the ground. I鈥檓 a 鈥渇our tires on the ground鈥� kind of driver, so I panic about how expensive rolling this vehicle will be. It still has that new car smell. I also think about the location of the nearest hospital. Typically in this situation, reason would take over and I would let off the gas, roll backward, and attack the obstacle at a safer angle, but a voice coming through my walkie-talkie tells me to trust the vehicle and apply steady pressure to the gas.

Watch: Test Driving the 2026 Honda Passport Trailsport SUV

I do what I鈥檓 told, powering through the rock slab (and my discomfort) only to come down smooth and safe on the other side. This is the beauty of the new Honda Passport Trailsport: Like a finely tuned full-suspension mountain bike, it irons out difficult terrain, making off-road trails more approachable for the masses.

This little debacle is part of my two-day test drive of the 2026 Passport Trailsport in Puerto Rico, where I had the opportunity to drive the mid-sized SUV over a variety of terrain, from winding two-lane roads to deep sandy beaches to an off-road course through the jungle designed to show off the vehicle鈥檚 adventure prowess. Honda is hoping the Passport Trailsport will win over hardcore fans of the Toyota 4Runner and Jeep Cherokee, and to be honest, the car made a hell of a first impression. Its rugged exterior, comfortable ride, and user-friendly off-road capabilities certainly won me over.

2026 Honda Trailsport Passport Specifications

Price: Starts at $48,450
Power: 285 horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine
Transmission: 10-speed automatic with paddle shifters
MPG: 18 city/23 highway

I am not a rabid off-road enthusiast. I don鈥檛 spend my weekends rock crawling through the desert, and my expendable income isn鈥檛 earmarked for after-market skid plates and suspension kits. But I do appreciate what a four-wheel-drive vehicle allows me to do. I鈥檝e driven open-aired ATVs on multi-day tours across Utah and Nevada, and spent countless nights camping out of the back of four-wheel-drive vehicles. I鈥檝e owned Jeep Cherokees, Toyota 4Runners, and Nissan Pathfinders. I currently drive an F-150 with an FX4 off-road package that includes a lift and enhanced suspension.

I鈥檝e liked all of these vehicles because they can get me deeper into the backcountry while carrying the gear I need. I like to camp deep in the forest away from the crowds, so I need a vehicle that can handle rough trails. But the truth is, I mostly use my truck for running errands on paved roads around town.

In short, I am the target audience for the new Honda Passport Trailsport鈥攕omeone who spends 90 percent of my drive time on paved roads, but occasionally wants an SUV that can handle snow, beach driving, and four-wheel-drive trails. Honda鈥檚 Trailsport development team says it was designed to be a daily driver that doubles as a gear hauler and off-road workhorse. Honda is touting the Passport Trailsport as their most capable off-road vehicle to date. It鈥檚 also damn pretty to look at and a super comfortable ride.

Off-Road Performance

Honda gave the Trailsport plenty of power with a standard V-6 engine and enhanced off-road capability with a new front and rear suspension system with increased lateral stiffness and forged-steel arms; the all-wheel-drive system also boasts 40 percent more torque than previous models. The Trailsport also has 8.4 inches of clearance, about a quarter inch more than the previous model, that鈥檚 maximized by a front overhang that is set back to increase clearance on steep terrain. The undercarriage has beefy protection from ground contact thanks to steel-armored plates protecting the fuel tank, transmission, and oil pan. Wide, 18-inch all-terrain tires (the biggest tires Honda has ever used on an SUV) and front and rear recovery hooks round out the standard off-road package.

I drove this vehicle across terrain that I normally would not attempt in any of the four-wheel-drive vehicles I have owned in the past, navigating a jungle course and trails through rock, off-camber angles, steep ascents and descents, and deep sand, all of which tested my own off-road skills. I think I was cantilevered with a wheel in the air more often during my two-hour jungle drive than in my entire adult life. And the Trailsport not only outperformed my expectations, but did so in total comfort, and with a user interface that is intuitive, even if you don鈥檛 have much experience driving off-road.

Simply use a button to choose which off-road mode you want (Trail, Sand, Snow, Mud), all of which calibrate the suspension and torque based on the conditions. For instance, if you鈥檙e in Trail Mode, which is the general four-wheel-drive setting, and you lose contact with the ground on one or more tires, 75 percent of the torque will be sent to the wheels that are still in contact with the ground; the system maintains 25 percent of potential torque on the airborne wheels, so there鈥檚 an immediate transfer of power once ground contact is regained. This is what allows you to carefully throttle through certain obstacles.

And while you鈥檙e in Trail Mode, the Trail Watch camera system is activated on the 12.5-inch touch screen, engaging four cameras so you have a complete view of what鈥檚 around your vehicle while you鈥檙e navigating the trail. This enhanced view gives uneasy drivers more confidence that they鈥檙e keeping their vehicle safely on the trail and allows them to see obstacles that might be hidden from their natural point of view. Gauges on the dash track your elevation, pitch, and rollover status on the driver display so you can keep an eye on key factors that keep you safe in rough terrain.

I also really liked the Downhill Descent feature: Click a button on super steep terrain and the Trailsport goes into 鈥渁utopilot,鈥� maintaining your speed on the downhill. A similar Brake Stop feature will keep you from sliding backwards on steep ascents.

None of this is ground-breaking technology, but the fact that it all comes standard in the Passport Trailsport is incredibly enticing, especially to a casual off-road enthusiast who isn鈥檛 quite sure what features he/she should add on to their purchase.

On-Road Comfort

That鈥檚 not to say the Trailsport is only an off-road workhorse. The truth is, most people that buy this SUV won鈥檛 test its limits the way I did in Puerto Rico. It is an easy, comfortable car to drive, whether you鈥檙e heading deep into the desert or taking kids to their Saturday soccer game. The cabin is plush, with synthetic leather seats that wipe clean, a panoramic roof that comes standard, and lots of easy-to-navigate tech with a large touchscreen as the infotainment hub. The seats are heated and there鈥檚 even a built-in wireless phone charger in the front console.

Cargo space is off the charts, too, thanks to the almost 84-cubic-feet of hauling space when the second row seats are folded down. That means you can fit two adult mountain bikes inside the vehicle. There鈥檚 also under-floor-storage that holds a spare, and is big enough for folded camping chairs or other camping gear even with the spare stored inside. Large side storage bins add dedicated spots for smaller items too. Even the cupholders between the two front seats are big鈥攍arge enough to fit 32-ounce Nalgene and Hydroflask bottles.

One of my favorite details is that every model of the Passport Trailsport comes standard with all-season rubber floor mats, which is typically my first purchase after I get a vehicle.

国产吃瓜黑料 Ready

Honda also created a new line of accessories that can be added at the factory or dealership, giving you a handful of packages that enhance certain aspects of the vehicle. There鈥檚 a Pet Package that includes seat covers and a separation barrier, and a Tow Package that adds a trailer hitch, hitch harness, and ball mount. My favorite is the Trailsport 国产吃瓜黑料 Package, which includes a platform roof rack, Molle storage panels in the trunk, a rear LED cargo light, and a cargo shelf that increases the hauling capacity in the trunk and can be converted into a picnic table with the screw-on legs that are stored next to the spare tire.

Another cool detail that won me over: There鈥檚 a garnish on the tail end of the roof that鈥檚 made of a resin material that allows you to lean skis or fly rods against the vehicle without scratching the body.

Final Thoughts on the Honda Passport Trailsport

Honda built the Trailsport to compete with the Toyota 4Runner, in hopes of gaining some die-hard 4Runner fans with its combination of off-road prowess and top-of-the-line styling. Normally, I鈥檇 say there is no chance that a new SUV would win the hearts of 4Runner devotees because of their cult-like enthusiasm for that rig (I say that as a card-carrying cult member myself). But I know that a lot of 4Runner fans are upset that Toyota has abandoned the V-6 for a 4-cylinder turbo engine, so I think there鈥檚 a window for Honda to pick up some ground in the mid-sized SUV category.

My two-day test drive of the Passport Trailsport was a winning experience, and if I were in the market for a new SUV, this would be at the top of my list. But the Trailsport is not perfect, at least not for my personal requirements. First and foremost, Honda is not producing a hybrid version of the Passport Trailsport. I want my vehicle to do three things: take me into the backcountry, carry my gear, and do as little environmental damage as possible. Hybrids and electric vehicles aren鈥檛 a silver bullet, but I do believe they鈥檙e a step in the right direction, and I think my next vehicle will be a hybrid (if not fully electric). That鈥檚 a personal preference, and I鈥檓 sure many will disagree with me in the comments.

Another thing to consider: the Passport Trailsport only has two rows of seats. This is less of an issue for me now that my kids are driving their own vehicles, but I know plenty of people who simply will not buy an SUV that doesn鈥檛 have third-row-seating. That鈥檚 a non-starter for them.

But the Honda Passport Trailsport is a badass vehicle. It will take you deep into the backcountry, handling a variety of terrain along the way. And with its superior cargo space and smart accessories, it will carry the gear you want to use once you reach your destination. And isn鈥檛 that exactly what we all want from an off-road vehicle?

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The post How Rugged Is the New Honda Passport? I Drove One Through the Jungle to Find Out. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

New cars and trucks are more expensive than ever鈥攖he average price of a used car was just shy of $50,000 in January, according to Kelly Blue Book. Interest rates to finance a vehicle are as well. To this car enthusiast, out of control costs sounds like a good argument for hanging on to your current vehicle, and taking care of it so you can keep driving safely and comfortably. And while maintenance often sounds intimidating, it really doesn鈥檛 need to be.

With 35,000 miles of off-road driving, plus big trips like last year鈥檚 three-month epic through Baja under its belt, is starting to feel a little beat. Like anyone whose truck is squeaking, driving poorly, and becoming a pain to use, I started to plan on buying a replacement. I pondered my options鈥攎aybe a little bigger truck, probably with a more comfortable camper, definitely brand new. But with interest rates still exceeding seven percent, vehicle prices at an all-time high, and creeping in, the thought of adding an expensive payment to my monthly budget just no longer seems prudent. So I鈥檓 doing something else: I鈥檓 keeping my truck.

But choosing to keep my truck does nothing to eliminate its squeaky bearings. So I decided to give the Ranger a makeover. And even if you鈥檙e not a truck enthusiast, here鈥檚 how you can do the same.

1. Make a List

You don鈥檛 need to be an expert to do this. Just write down everything you don鈥檛 like about how your vehicle is performing right now. Every creak or problem or task you can come up with.

Mine looks like this:

• Sticky ginger-ale explosion residue all over windshield, headliner, seats, dashboard, buttons
• Goose Gear Seat Delete plate system squeaking. Smoothie residue in nooks and crannies
• Dog hair everywhere
• Headlamps bulbs older than one year
• Intermittent check engine light
• Worn/squeaky suspension bushings on all four corners
• Oil/filter change overdue
• Differential fluid front/rear probably needs changing
• Fog lights have rattled out of alignment
• Camper interior lights broken
• Solar panel(s) broken
• Broken bumper swingout retention pin
• Bent bumper swingout latch
• Apply yellow film to rear work lights so people can see me during blizzards
• Intermittent clunking over bumps
• Decked drawer system loose and clunking, filled to brim with mess

2. Diagnose Problems

Even if you鈥檙e not an amateur mechanic, you can likely tackle more of these jobs than you think. But, you have to figure out what鈥檚 wrong in order to fix it. Don鈥檛 be intimidated;听diagnosing your car’s issues is easier than you think.

Any car or truck听made since 1996 includes a standardized electronic Onboard Diagnostic port called an OBD-II. Diagnostic ports were mandated as part of a drive for more stringent vehicle emissions standards鈥攃heck engine lights are typically related to a vehicle鈥檚 intake or exhaust systems鈥攚ith the intention of keeping these complicated parts owner-serviceable. OBD-II readers can be purchased for as little as $20. But odds are good one of your friends or neighbors already has one.

To use an OBD-II scanner, just plug it into the port below the steering wheel while the vehicle is fully off, then turn the key or push the ignition button to turn the car on in accessory mode, without starting the motor. Then follow the instructions on the screen.

Some modern vehicles may also push fault codes out to a smartphone app, along with a brief explanation.

Once you have that code or smartphone alert, all you need to do is perform a simple search. Put your car or truck鈥檚 year, make, model and trim (i.e. 2021 Ford Ranger XLT) into Google, along with the fault code or name, and you鈥檒l find help immediately.

My OBD-II scanner pointed me toward an exhaust gas pressure sensor, and a search sent me to a thread on the vehicle鈥檚 owner forum detailing the problem: the sensor can fill up with moisture created during fuel combustion. A new sensor costs $19, and following instructions on the forum meant replacing it was as simple as removing and re-tightening two bolts. The entire job took about half an hour, and the only speciality tool needed was a step stool, so I could comfortably reach all the way into my lifted truck鈥檚 engine bay.

Mechanical problems are even easier, but they typically require help from another person.

For noises, start by parking the car safely, with the engine off and parking brake engaged. Then crawl underneath your vehicle while a helper bounces whichever front, rear, or corner you think might be home to the problem. Once you can track down the noise to a specific area, like the suspension controlling a single wheel, then you鈥檙e ready to diagnose the specific component. Grab a can of penetrating oil鈥擶D40 will do in a pinch鈥攁nd carefully squirt it into and onto any part that moves, until the noise stops. When it does, you know the last component you hit with that oil is the culprit. Anything made from rubber or plastic鈥攍ike bushings, rubber isolators that reduce noise and vibrations鈥攚ill need to be replaced. Anything metal can likely be loosened, lubricated, and adjusted.

That鈥檚 what my mechanic (who鈥檚 also a friend) and I did to diagnose issues with my bushings. I鈥檓 running a complete Old Man Emu BP-51 suspension system, and it turns out the lower bushing up front, and all four bushings for the rear leafs,听were totally shot. We also found the source of that occasional clunk off-road: relocating my spare tire to the bumper swingout left the under-bed pulley with too much length in its chain, and that was whacking the underside of the body. Lefty loosey on four bolts and that鈥檚 now riding in my giant box of spare parts.

3. Decide What to Handle Yourself

Working on your own vehicle is often much easier than you think it might be. Consult owners forums and YouTube for help, invest in new tools as you need them, and the only significant cost should be to your own time.

Of course, some matters are better left to professionals. Even if you technically know how to fix something, doing so is not always convenient. Since it鈥檚 cold and snowy here in Montana, and my truck won鈥檛 fit in my garage, I let my mechanic handle those suspension bushings himself. And, try as I might, I couldn鈥檛 free the seized collar holding in the broken swingout retention pin (I have an aftermarket rear bumper that carries tools and the spare tire on a pivot), so I handed him that task, too.

I have a great relationship with an independent mechanic, and you can too. Read reviews, ask around for referrals, and chat with a few in your town until you find one that makes you feel confident.

4. Create a Maintenance Schedule

It doesn鈥檛 matter what you drive, components on your car or truck will wear out over time. Manufacturers provide maintenance schedules for their vehicles that must be followed to retain warranty coverage. Keeping yours up-to-date is probably a lot more affordable than you think it鈥檚 going to be.

Car owners tend to neglect two important maintenance principles. The first is failing understand and manage your vehicle鈥檚 maintenance schedule yourself. By relying on your dealer to tell you what work is needed, you end up paying for a ton of stuff that鈥檚 either completely frivolous or which you could do yourself for free. A real maintenance schedule includes year and mileage intervals suggesting when it鈥檚 time to change out fluids and filters, or replace items like belts. But if you just trust a dealer, they鈥檙e going to bill you for the time it takes to check your tire pressure, top up your washer fluid, or change your wiper blades鈥攁ll easy tasks you can do yourself.

For my truck, I try to change the oil and filter every 6,000 miles. I clean my aftermarket air filter with compressed air after any off-road trip, check my fluid levels whenever I think to do so, and swap my summer and winter tires once every fall and spring. Once my truck reaches 60,000 miles it鈥檒l be time to change the spark plugs, and at 100,000 miles I鈥檒l do a coolant flush. Aside from stuff like my bushings that I beat to hell off-road, that鈥檚 it.

The second principle鈥攁nd this is doubly important for us outdoor enthusiasts鈥攊s understanding that maintenance schedules are based on normal driving cycles, and not heavy use activities like towing, hauling a heavy camper around, or driving off-road. So we need to use our judgement, and bring forward certain maintenance to suit the additional wear added to some parts.

Those of us who drive off road tend to abuse our axle differentials. Any time you ask your truck to move a lot of weight, climb steep inclines, or manage traction off-road you鈥檙e asking your differentials to work hard. Drive through deep water, and your diffs may also suck in a little bit of moisture, slowly polluting the oil that lubricates them. Replacing that lubricating oil more often than the normal maintenance schedule suggests may help your differentials last longer and work more efficiently. I鈥檒l spend an hour swapping mine out once I have a dry driveway to work in.

Hard driving will have similar effects on brake pads, tires, transmission fluid, your battery, and more. Start with the manufacturer鈥檚 suggested service intervals, then modify the timing to suit how hard you use your vehicle.

My Ranger had been feeling pretty worn out. It was squeaking loudly everywhere I went, and had become a real challenge to use daily between all that ginger ale, the broken bumper, and the combination of all the other small issues. But now, after completing my to-do list? I took it out during a blizzard the other night just to play around in the snow, and my truck is back to being the smooth, controllable, extremely capable vehicle I built it to be. Heck, I can even see out of the windows. I think I鈥檓 in love with my truck again.

Wes Siler has been writing about topics like cars, trucks, and the outdoors since the early 2000s. You can find more of his work and get his help on .听

The post Can鈥檛 Afford a New 国产吃瓜黑料mobile? This Is the Ultimate Guide to Rig Maintenance. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Dear Sundog: Am I a jerk for not owning an electric vehicle yet? I live in a city, commute to work, and like to get outside. I have a decent car that gets decent mileage, but feel like I would be doing better for myself and the planet with an EV. Should I buy one? 鈥擫ooking for Environmental Alternatives that are Friendly

Dear LEAF,

Let鈥檚 say you鈥檙e the average American who commutes 42 miles per day round-trip to a job that you find moderately soul-sucking. Maybe your labor serves a corporation that enriches its execs and shareholders while doing ill in the world. Maybe you work for an idealistic school or nonprofit, but are expected to work nights or weekends without additional pay. Or perhaps you simply sense that your one and only life on this gorgeous Earth is slipping past while you compose reports and gaze at Zoom.

In any case, you want to lead a more principled and less wasteful life than your vocation allows鈥攜ou don鈥檛 want to be a jerk鈥攕o you upgrade your Corolla for an electric vehicle. Where will you find that $35K or $75K? If you can pull the funds directly from your savings or trust fund, then God bless you. Otherwise, you鈥檒l borrow the money and make a monthly payment. You鈥檒l have to keep doing your job in order to afford your green ride.

You will likely be paying interest to some bank. Will that bank use your hard-earned dollars to manifest a better society? More likely, their profits will go for millions in dividends to stock owners, or they鈥檒l be loaned out again to finance all kinds of hideous adventures, from oil pipelines across to deforesting the .

So by reducing your dependence on the gas station鈥攐ne tentacle of the fossil fuel industry鈥攜ou鈥檝e now become a partner to some other tentacle. Also, much of the electrical grid from which you鈥檒l power that EV is still burning coal and gas to make electricity, so unless you鈥檙e charging from your own rooftop panels, you haven鈥檛 fully escaped even one tentacle.

So, no, LEAF, you鈥檙e not a jerk should you choose a different path. And yes, if you鈥檙e buying a car鈥攅specially to replace a gasoline car鈥攊t should probably be an EV. But there are so many variables.

You will no doubt have heard about the of using rare-earth elements like cobalt and lithium for electric batteries. It鈥檚 true: mining is bad. But this alone is not a valid reason to pass on buying an EV. The damage required to extract these miracle elements is much smaller than the alternative鈥攄rilling for oil and gas, and digging coal to produce electricity. If you can鈥檛 stomach the exploitation of nature and humans that is inherent to the industrial economy, let me gently suggest that you make a more radical lifestyle change than getting an EV鈥攁nd try giving up your car altogether.

Sundog does not give advice he would not heed, so here鈥檚 my full disclosure: even I鈥攍iterally a professor of environmental studies鈥攄o not own an EV, not even a hybrid. My family鈥檚 fleet consists of a 2005 Toyota Tundra that gets an alarming 15 to 22 miles per gallon, and a 2012 Subaru Outback that does only slightly better at 21 to 28.

As a matter of principle, I don鈥檛 think the only way to save the planet is by transferring billions of dollars from regular citizens to the corporations that build cars. As a matter of budget, I have never owned a new car. All my vehicles have cost less than $10K, except the Outback, which was $16K. I鈥檝e actually never even sat in a Tesla, but I imagine driving one to be like having an orgasm while watching a looped clip of Elon Musk declaring: 鈥淚鈥檝e done more for the environment for any other single human on earth.鈥�

Let me state on the record that I love cars and trucks. They鈥檝e provided much joy in my life, usually along a lovely lonesome stretch of two-lane blacktop or at the terminus of some rutted old ranch road. But those sort of experiences likely account for less than one percent of overall driving. In the past century, we have built American cities to accommodate people using cars for the most mundane of outings like commuting, shopping, and bar-hopping. The tradeoff is not just carbon emissions and pollution, but also sprawl, isolation and streets unsafe for walking and biking.

Turns out that in cities built before the era of the automobile鈥攆rom New York to Barcelona to Kathmandu鈥攜ou can get around without a car. When you remove traffic jams, parking tickets, the endless search for a place to park, the glum designation of a sober driver, and the claustrophobia of being locked in a metal box, city living is just more . . . fun.

When Sundog and Lady Dog set out to design our own lives, it was not to be in some Old World capitol, but rather in a midsized city in the Rockies. We didn鈥檛 aspire merely to burn fewer fossil fuels: we wanted to free ourselves from our car. We bought a house less than a mile from the place we work, less than a mile from the center of town. Our kid goes to preschool two blocks from here. Now we get around mostly by foot and bike, and can walk to trails and a creek. Many days go by where our dented guzzlers sit on the street鈥攚e drive each vehicle about 5,000 miles per year, about a third of the of 13,500.

The downside is that the houses in this neighborhood are a century old, dilapidated, small, and expensive. It鈥檚 a bit of a whack-a-mole game: our heating bills are low because we live in 1,000 square feet, but we can鈥檛 afford solar panels or a heat pump. We don鈥檛 spend much money on gasoline, but we can鈥檛 afford an EV.

Had we decided to live 21 miles from our jobs, we might have had a big new well-designed home and a slick new EV. But we love walking and biking; we want to teach our son that he can do the same, and that his parents are not his chauffeurs.

So why do we bother owning cars at all? For one, Montana is a lovely place to live, but it sure costs a lot to leave. Cheap airfares are not really a thing here. Neither is public transportation. So if you want to take a family vacation within a 1,000-mile radius, you鈥檙e likely driving. We bought the Tundra during the pandemic to tow a camp trailer (our 鈥渙ffice鈥�) and to haul lumber while we built a permanent office. Now we use the truck for long river trips, which entail carrying heavy loads for hundreds of miles through remote areas and down rutted dirt roads.

I don鈥檛 know of any EV that could do this. The Subaru is the town errand runner, and also takes us down bumpy roads to lakes and up icy mountains to ski. If it bites the dust and the cost of used four-wheel-drive EVs drops below twenty grand, I鈥檇 be happy to upgrade.

None of this makes Sundog feel particularly righteous. My point is that choosing a car is not a stand-alone decision as you forge an ethical life.

Mark Sundeen teaches environmental writing at the University of Montana. Despite his fleet of internal combustion engines, he refuses to purchase a parking permit and therefore commutes on a 1974 Schwinn Continental, with a ski helmet in winter.

If you have an ethical question for Sundog, send it to sundogsalmanac@hotmail.com

The post Am I a Jerk for Not Owning an Electric Car? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Despite being the of vehicles in the U.S., crossovers like the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CRV get , especially in the off road and overland communities. They鈥檙e regarded as a poor compromise between a sedan and an SUV that tend to do nothing particularly well, and are often ridiculed for without actually possessing that capability.

贬别谤别鈥檚 the thing, though: crossovers are popular for good reason. They meet the needs of most people incredibly well, are fuel efficient and comfortable, and with modern all-wheel-drive systems and traction control, I鈥檇 argue they鈥檙e able to get most of us pretty much anywhere we actually want to go.

My wife and I own a 2021 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, which happens to be the in the U.S. and is one of the best-selling vehicles in the country year after year. It has been a phenomenal car for us, but we wanted to make it perform a bit better off-road, so we made some modifications.

How 鈥淥ff-Road鈥� Are You Really Getting?

Before I dive into what we did to our RAV4, let鈥檚 take a second to talk about what 鈥渙ff-road鈥� and 鈥渙ff-road capability鈥� really mean. For some folks, off-road capability might mean their vehicle needs to come equipped with large tires, front and rear locking differentials, a winch, and the ability to safely navigate a .

If that鈥檚 what you need out of a vehicle, then yeah, a crossover isn鈥檛 for you.

The thing about those types of trails is that you have to seek them out鈥攖here are not many of them, and most folks are not running trails in Moab very often. To most people, 鈥渙ff-road鈥� really just means driving off pavement, usually to get to a trailhead or campsite鈥攁nd for that, a crossover is more than enough, especially with a few simple modifications.

What Not to Do

There鈥檚 been a trend of people similarly to how one might modify a four-wheel-drive truck or SUV like a 4Runner: adding big, knobby tires, lift kits, rock sliders, heavy duty front bumpers, winches, and more.

Bolting all that stuff to your car might make it look cool, but it also affects the ride and your fuel economy. 贬别谤别鈥檚 what I did to modify my crossover to make it more capable without ruining the way it drives.

Tires

The number one thing I recommend to anyone looking to give their crossover more capability is upgrading the tires. The first thing we did to our RAV4 when we bought it was swap the stock tires with a set of 听They鈥檙e an all-terrain tire specifically designed for lighter duty vehicles like crossovers. So, unlike fitting a traditional all-terrain tire designed for a truck or heavier SUV, these won鈥檛 ruin a crossover鈥檚 fuel economy or create an unnecessarily harsh ride.

What they will do is give your rig a lot more traction on dirt roads and slippery surfaces, like mud and snow, than the highway tires that are stock on crossovers, thanks to a more aggressive tread pattern. They鈥檙e also severe-snow rated, and while not as good as a true winter tire, we鈥檝e found them to work very well in the snow. We just put another set on the RAV4 after over 50,000 trouble-free miles on the first set. We鈥檝e taken the RAV4 on many adventures along dirt roads and haven鈥檛 had a flat yet.

If you want to use your crossover to get to a remote trailhead or gain some confidence in slippery terrain, I highly recommend investing in aftermarket all-terrain tires specifically designed for crossovers.

Recovery Points and Gear

Next, we added a receiver hitch. We don鈥檛 plan to do any towing with the RAV4, but we do want to be able to use a hitch-mounted bike rack and, more importantly, add a proper recovery point in case we get stuck.

You might think that requires a trip to the dealership, but if you鈥檙e even mildly handy, you can easily add an aftermarket hitch yourself with听a socket set. I went with a because it鈥檚 one of the lowest profile hitches on the market for crossovers, but still uses a 2-inch receiver (it also costs hundreds less than the ).

Most trucks and SUVs use a 2-inch receiver, so in our case, the bike rack and cargo rack we use on our Tundra fits the RAV4 without issue or adapters. Torklift is also a brand I鈥檝e used in the past for things like truck camper tie-downs, hitches for travel trailers, and more, and I鈥檝e always been impressed with the quality of their products.

The Ecohitch doesn鈥檛 require drilling, and, it took me about an hour to mount it. As for the actual recovery point, we carry a ($47) and a ($75) in our car. The shackle receiver slots into the RAV4鈥檚 hitch and provides a secure attachment point for the recovery rope.

We also got another, dedicated set of ($180) for the RAV4. Rather than mounting a set of the larger MaxTrax to the roof of the car like we do on the truck, we opted for the Minis and a carry bag. They鈥檙e a better size for the RAV4, and the carry bag lets us toss them in the back if we know we might be in a situation where we鈥檒l need them, like a camping trip or heading up to the ski area for the day.

Suspension听

One of our only complaints about the RAV4 has been the ride on rougher dirt roads. Ours is a Hybrid XLE model, so presumably Toyota meant for this thing to spend the majority of its time on pavement, and they specced the shocks accordingly. It rides nicely on the highway, but it鈥檚 uncomfortably stiff on dirt roads, and any sort of pothole or larger dip feels like听you鈥檙e riding a pogo stick. Some online research revealed this as a common complaint, and I noticed Toyota specs different shocks on its Woodlands and TRD Off Road RAV4 models.

When I looked for a suitable upgrade, everything I came across was part of a and specifically designed to give the vehicle more clearance. I wasn鈥檛 interested in lifting the RAV4 since there are a lot of vehicle with independent suspension and limited suspension travel. We鈥檝e also found the RAV4 to have ample clearance for what we do.

That鈥檚 when I found . I came across the brand while researching suspension options for our new camper van (more on that in an upcoming article), and realized they make . Koni is based in Holland, and while they鈥檙e somewhat of a new name in the U.S. overland market, they made a name for themselves in the heavy truck off-road racing world long ago.

Their line of Special Active shocks features what Koni calls 鈥淔SD鈥� or Frequency Selective Damping. In a nutshell, the shocks use low damping forces when the vehicle is traveling in a high frequency environment, like on long stretches of smooth road, but use high damping forces when traveling in a low frequency area like a road with a lot of bumps or sharp corners. It鈥檚 a simple design that doesn鈥檛 require any adjustment on the part of the driver, but works wonders to smooth out the ride on rougher roads.

These shocks have made a massive difference in how the car handles on rougher dirt roads. Washboard is significantly more comfortable, as are larger bumps and potholes on pavement. On-road driving feels about the same, with perhaps less body roll than before鈥攐ur RAV4 hasn鈥檛 turned into a desert racing machine, but getting to the trailhead is now a lot more pleasant.

Less Is More听

The list of modifications we made isn鈥檛 long, and it might not seem like much of an adventure rig 鈥渂uild,鈥� but that鈥檚 the point. As the old saying goes鈥攊f it ain鈥檛 broke, don鈥檛 fix it. A crossover like our RAV4 is already great at doing a lot of things, like daily driving duties, light dirt road touring, road trips, and more.

The only other modification I鈥檓 considering is adding a front skid plate from for more protection from rocks and other obstacles you鈥檙e likely to encounter off-road. I think adding skid plates is a much better idea than adding a lift for more clearance, and LP 国产吃瓜黑料 is a great source for things like skid plates, bumper guards, wheels, and tires for crossovers.

The improved ride, along with better tires and a dedicated recovery point in the form of a hitch, have significantly improved the capability of our little RAV4. It鈥檚 not鈥攁nd never will be鈥攁 Jeep Wrangler or a Toyota Tacoma, but for 90 percent of the driving we do, it works just fine.

The post 3 Easy Fixes to Make Your Crossover Vehicle More Off-Road Capable appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

I think of my old car sometimes when I drive by the Walmart Supercenter. The parking lot there was essentially the launch point of my first real long-distance road trip as an adult, spanning ten days and eight states in the late spring of 2004. We drove my 1996 Pontiac Grand Am GT, a car that my friend Nick announced had taught him that he would “never buy a two-door car.”

I didn鈥檛 keep a journal of the trip, but I believe Nick said that while standing in the Watchman Campground in Zion National Park, on maybe our eighth day of wrangling gear in and out of the car’s back seats. We couldn鈥檛 use the trunk because it was full of everything I could justify bringing from my grad school apartment in Missoula, Montana, to our terminus in Scottsdale, Arizona, where I was moving in with my then-girlfriend. We tried to keep what we needed in the backseat, and of course to access anything in the backseat, you had to fold the front seat down, lean in, and bend around the corner.

I believe this type of two-door design was, and maybe still is, referred to as a 鈥渃oupe,鈥� a word that is almost never paired with the word 鈥渁dventure,鈥� which is what we were trying to use the Grand Am for, and certainly not the word 鈥渄irtbag,鈥� which is the type of adventure we were trying to have.

We left Missoula about 10 days before Memorial Day. Nick bussed in via a Greyhound from somewhere in Iowa, an 18-hour ride he鈥檇 probably never do again.听 So a car, any car, a space he鈥檇 only have to share with one person, probably felt like an improvement.

I had gotten the car through my college roommate Chris, whose brother, Andy, had bought it at an auction, repaired the one thing that was wrong with it (someone had tried to steal the passenger-side airbag), and then sold it to me. There were a few reasons why it was not the ideal road trip car, some of which were my fault.

I had packed the trunk almost full by the time Nick added his stuff, and then attached a trunk-mount Yakima bike rack to haul an old Schwinn mountain bike all the way to Arizona, so if either of us wanted anything in the trunk, we had to remove the bike, pull off the bike rack, and then open the trunk. The bike and the rack, of course, fell off the back of the car multiple times on bumpy mountain roads, first on our way up and down to the Mt. Pilchuk trailhead outside of Seattle. The summit was in a cloud when we arrived at the end of our short, steep hike.

People sleep in all kinds of adventure vehicles鈥攐ld vans, new Sprinter vans, RVs, trucks with toppers, trucks with campers, station wagons, even in sedans in which the back seats fold down. The Grand Am鈥檚 seats did not fold down. And we couldn鈥檛 recline the front seats very far on account of all our stuff in the backseat. Still, we slept in the car twice, because we were young and durable, and had no other options, once next to the ocean somewhere near Aberdeen, Washington, and once near Barstow, California, where we鈥檇 driven after hiking up Half Dome and being unable to find a campsite anywhere near the park.

We camped almost all the other nights, except for a couple nights we spent on friends鈥� floors in Seattle and Bend. The trunk light somehow melted a hole in Nick鈥檚 Therm-a-Rest on the second-to-last day of the trip, so he slept rather uncomfortably on our last night in Mexican Hat, Utah. We鈥檇 walked into the ranger station at Natural Bridges National Monument late that afternoon and asked about campsites, and in an I-swear-this-actually-happened exchange that I鈥檝e written about elsewhere鈥攊t鈥檚 so dumb it sounds like I made it up鈥攖he ranger said, 鈥淵ou guys don鈥檛 want to camp here. You鈥檒l be done with this park in an hour. Tell you what: Are you intense?鈥�

I looked at Nick, kind of shrugged, and nodded. We were young, fairly fit, and maybe looked pretty intense, I guess. The ranger went on to tell us to head south to Valley of the Gods, the entirety of which was BLM land, and we could just pull off the road and camp anywhere we found a spot. We thanked him for the advice and left, and I was unlocking the car door in the parking lot by the time I realized what he鈥檇 actually said. Over the roof of the car, I said to Nick,

鈥淥h, he meant 鈥榠n tents,鈥� like are we camping in tents or do we have an RV.鈥�

鈥淵eah,鈥� Nick said, not understanding my confusion.

The low clearance of the Grand Am meant we didn鈥檛 get too far into Valley of the Gods before we chickened out and drove back to the paved highway, and spent the night in a paid campground behind a lodge in Mexican Hat. It was not that intense. The next day we drove through Monument Valley, checked out the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, and gave the car a well-earned rest in a visitor parking spot at my girlfriend鈥檚 apartment complex in Scottsdale, after the biggest adventure it would ever go on.

To be fair, I had not bought the car under any pretense of it being a 鈥渞oad trip vehicle鈥� or 鈥渁dventure vehicle.鈥� I bought it because it was a pretty good deal, from a trusted friend, and I was not very picky about cars. And I didn鈥檛 treat it that well鈥擨 bought it in 1999, if memory serves, and I have been sober since March 2002, but the period of time between was a bit rough on the car. The inoperable driver鈥檚-side window was my fault (rolling it down when it was iced over), as was whatever went wrong with the front right wheel (hit a curb at high velocity). The windshield had been shattered once (a friend tried to jump over the car as we were leaving a party; I eventually got it repaired), and the trunk-mount CD player had been smashed by a full beer keg that rolled into it (on the drive back to our party).

Still, it was what I had, and entering the job market in 2004 with a graduate degree in journalism, I wasn鈥檛 exactly ready for a down payment on a new BMW. Or any car, really. I worked for a year in the Phoenix area, and then moved to Denver, where the Grand Am was even less useful, because, you know, snow.

Luckily, Nick, who lived in Denver, had bought a 2004 Toyota Tacoma, and was willing to drive to Summit County ski resorts in the winter and mountain trailheads all summer. One winter day, though, I drove up to Rocky Mountain National Park to snowshoe, and met a guy my age who also happened to be from the Midwest. We chatted all the way back to the parking lot, and when I stopped behind the Grand Am, he asked, 鈥淚s this your car?鈥�

I said, 鈥淵eah. It鈥檚 kind of a Midwest car.鈥�

He said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of a meth car.鈥�

I wasn鈥檛 about to defend the Grand Am鈥檚 honor. I mean, its overall aesthetic didn鈥檛 exactly scream 鈥淣OT a meth car,鈥� but it also had never really let me down, at least not in a big way. And although we never drove my car to a trailhead if there was any sort of questionable dirt road involved, I thought of the day the previous summer that we had taken Nick鈥檚 Tacoma to climb Grays and Torreys peaks. The road to the trailhead was rough with bumps, holes, and big exposed rocks, and I was glad Nick had volunteered to drive his truck.

But then, about a half-mile from the trailhead, the Jeep in front of us slowed, and in front of the Jeep was someone in a Honda Civic negotiating a very tricky-for-a-sedan spot in the road, backing up, re-orienting, pulling forward, backing up again, and then sending it, with nary a scrape. The Civic made it to the trailhead just fine. I lived in Colorado off and on for 15 years, and I learned that whenever you think that a Forest Service road is impassable by anyone without high clearance and 4-wheel-drive, you鈥檒l always see that someone made it up to the parking area in a goddamn Honda Civic.

The Grand Am survived our 10-day, eight-state road trip, and saw its share of national parks and quite a few Forest Service roads, but it was never my first choice if anyone else was willing to drive their vehicle for a day of hiking or skiing. One night in February 2006, I was cruising up Josephine Street in Denver with my then-girlfriend, and a guy floored it from a stop sign on 5th Avenue, not seeing us until his car bulldozed into the front passenger side of the Grand Am at full speed. We rammed into a light pole on the street corner, hard enough to bend it, but not hard enough to knock it over. Just after we came to a stop, I looked over to my girlfriend and asked, 鈥淎re you OK?鈥� She answered yes, she thought she was OK. A few seconds later, I quietly but excitedly said, 鈥淚 think the car鈥檚 totaled.鈥� The car鈥檚 destruction, of course, being the only way I would be able to replace it, with my $25,000/year salary at the newspaper. As soon as the insurance money came, I found an all-wheel-drive 1996 Subaru Impreza Outback on Craigslist. I figured it could take me anywhere I wanted to go, and it did.

The Grand Am was a bad fit for the lifestyle I wanted at the time鈥擨 was chomping at the bit to see the world, and the world I wanted to see didn鈥檛 have smooth roads leading to it. It was a piece of gear that didn鈥檛 work that well. But when I was first starting out, none of the stuff I had was very good鈥攃otton pants, clunky hiking boots, bargain backpacks that didn鈥檛 fit, a heavy sleeping bag, the cheapest climbing shoes I could find, thrift-store snowboard pants.

Would some better gear have been nice? Sure. But I鈥檓 glad I didn鈥檛 let it keep me from getting out there.

The post An Ode to the Worst 国产吃瓜黑料 Car鈥攁nd All the Places It Took Me appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

As he slathered SPF 30 onto his left calf, Ryan Johnson looked back at me and issued a warning: expect honking. I hadn鈥檛 been astride a bike in six years, but here I was on a brutally hot late-October afternoon in Arizona, an e-bike beside me, preparing for a ride. Our destination was a cycling path along the Salt River, which bisects Tempe, a city of 189,000 people about ten miles (or 60 minutes by bike) east of Phoenix. Tempe is home to Arizona State University, and it鈥檚 also the place where Johnson is currently running a grand residential experiment.

Johnson is the cofounder of Culdesac, a real estate development firm that wants to flip the script on urban living. In May 2023, he became one of the first tenants of Culdesac Tempe, a new complex taking shape on an otherwise inconspicuous tract of dirt. More than 225 people have since moved into apartments located inside a tight grouping of white stucco buildings that might be described as Santorini lite, with trendy balconies, spacious courtyards, and inviting patios shaded by trees.

Similar to those pseudo-urban enclaves situated outside America鈥檚 metropolises where residences and retail commingle, Culdesac has its own grocery store, gym, caf茅, and mail service. There鈥檚 a bike shop on the premises, as well as a clothing consignment store, a plant emporium, an art studio, and a wellness boutique that offers IV hydration. A coworking space is located above the gym. Cocina Chiwas, the restaurant on the corner, combines craft cocktails with its own take on Mexican fare. This past May, the restaurant鈥檚 owners opened up Aruma, a coffee shop across from the restaurant.

Once construction is complete, which will take several years, will comprise 760 units total, ranging from studios to three-bedrooms and housing approximately 1,000 residents. The catch: not one of those units will come with a parking space. 鈥淲e鈥檙e the first car-free neighborhood built from scratch in the U.S.,鈥� says Johnson.

Virtually every residential development anywhere in this country includes parking, a requirement common in city building codes. At Culdesac, if you do own a vehicle, it鈥檚 a condition of your lease that you refrain from parking it within one block, in any direction, of the community. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 tell people that they can鈥檛 own a car,鈥� says Johnson, a tall, lanky 41-year-old. 鈥淏ut if people want to have a car, there are other great neighborhoods for them.鈥�

The thought made me shudder. Where I live, in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., about an hour from the city, a car is practically a prerequisite for getting to the grocery store, the barber, the doctor鈥檚 office, the liquor store. Bike lanes are sporadic. There aren鈥檛 many bus stops within walking distance. Taking a rideshare to visit family, an hour by car at least, seems more than a little silly. While I typically work from home, when traveling I drive to the airport鈥攊n the Ford Bronco my wife and I bought last year. (And if I can be frank: I just want a vehicle.)

鈥淚 had an SUV in high school,鈥� Johnson, who hasn鈥檛 owned a car in 13 years, told me when I met him. 鈥淚 just didn鈥檛 know any better.鈥�

The e-bike ride was my first lesson in automotive deprivation. I had flown here to try out a one-bedroom apartment at Culdesac and experience carless living for several days. There鈥檚 a light-rail stop one street over, but early Culdesac residents received a complimentary electric bike, which is Johnson鈥檚 favorite mode of transportation. (He owns about 70 of them, most stored at his company鈥檚 main office downtown.) Plus, I was told that a ride on the Salt River bike path, 100-degree weather be damned, would provide unobstructed views of the mountains framing the city鈥檚 skyline.

We just had to get there first, which involved traveling on streets lacking any bike lanes. The speed limit on our route was 25 miles an hour, but my e-bike maxed out at 20. Barely ten minutes into the journey, I heard the first honk.

Ditching cars entirely might seem crazy. (In nearby Phoenix, once described by The New York Times as an 鈥渆ver-spreading tundra of concrete,鈥� they鈥檙e more of a necessity than a luxury.) But what Culdesac is attempting to accomplish is a revision of city living, where the pedestrian, not the automobile, is more valued. To Johnson, Culdesac is an oasis in a desert of car-fueled aggravation鈥攁 walkable community that鈥檚 safe, entertaining, better for the climate, and better for the individual. And he believes that if he builds it, people will come.

The post Can Car-free Living Make You Happier? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

How do you organize tools, camping gear, and sports equipment in your truck bed? It鈥檚 a complicated problem that requires you to balance factors like security and accessibility, even while dealing with stuff that comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, and degrees of fragility. That problem is even harder if you drive a small truck like , simply because you have very little space to work with. But finally, there is an easy solution to all of that.

Decked has been around since 2013, and most truck enthusiasts will be familiar with the brand鈥檚 recycled high-density polyethylene, made-in-America truck bed drawer systems. That material is virtually indestructible across exposure to weather, chemicals, and impacts, making it perfect for use in the back of a pickup, but molding it into elaborate shapes is complicated. So, compared to weaker, less weather-resistant drawers constructed from plywood, the old Decked systems sacrificed a lot of space.

Let鈥檚 look at what I鈥檓 talking about. Above is an image of the old Decked drawers, mid-explosion. Storage space is only available inside the drawers themselves (which are narrower at the bottom than at the top, and inside the bins at the corners. There鈥檚 several inches of lost space along the entire length of the system, at the center between the drawers, and large volumes of wasted space all around the wheel arches on both sides. Even in a \ small truck like a Ranger, that likely totals several cubic feet. I enjoyed the ability to organize smaller items while carrying large loads on the system鈥檚 totally flat top surface, but never felt like I was getting the most out of the space available in my five-foot bed.

Developing this new system, Decked set out to waste less space.

“We have been listening intently since day one to our customers, and after ten years, we knew what needed to be improved,” explains Decked’s vice president of marketing, Greg Randolph. “Our new Drawer systems feature way more drawer extension, bigger drawers, far less wasted space, and vastly improved topside cargo retention. Redesigning from the ground up allowed us to address these common complaints. We also brought our molding in house and stood up a 70,000 square-foot, high-pressure injection molding plant in Ohio. Switching from low-pressure to high-pressure injection molding allowed us to produce higher fidelity and better quality parts and doing it ourselves allows us to control every piece of the product all along the way.”

The advantages the new system brings are obvious. By switching to one large drawer (on midsize trucks only, systems designed for larger vehicles like a Ford F-150 still run two drawers) with vertical sides, will enable you to carry larger objects safely inside, while making better use of space both in the bed and drawer. And, at the corners, those bins are replaced with open voids, accessible both from the tailgate and doors in the top load surface. The system is supported by vertical walls that run the length of the bed on either side of the drawer鈥攖hose represent the only lost storage space.

Readers who have asked if the large, single drawer means you need to move stuff off the tailgate to access the drawer’s contents. While the answer is obviously yes, there’s plenty of spare room on either side to scoot your beer or whatever, so it really doesn’t feel like there’s any additional hassle over the old system. As an advantage, the drawer now pulls out three inches further than before, making it easier to reach anything you have shoved deep inside it.

Another big change is that the floor of that drawer is now made from aluminum slats rather than HDPE, allowing Decked to span that distance with total rigidity, and that surface is then covered by a rubber pad to prevent contents from sliding around too much. The entire drawer system is sealed by a thin HDPE wall that butts against the truck cab, corrugated plastic drawer sides, and a length of rubber weather stripping at the drawer opening, all of which help keep stuff in the drawer while preventing dust and precipitation from whirling their way inside through the complex aerodynamics taking place around an uncapped bed. Just like the old system, you can clean this new one-off using a pressure washer, while stuff stored in the drawer stays totally dry.

Decked claims these changes add 30 percent more available volume inside a 5-foot bed like mine. That鈥檚 an enormous difference. Where I pretty much maxed out any available room in the old system with essential tools and supplies I feel I need to carry all the time (Boy Scouts really hammered that 鈥渂e prepared鈥� message into my still-elastic brain at an early age), loading that same stuff into the new drawers leaves about one-third of the drawer space and the entire side areas open. That means I can move several bulky items of camping gear inside the drawer and under the side load surfaces, freeing up equivalent space inside the that caps my bed.

But I needed to install the system before I could do that. Pulling the old one out of my truck and then bolting it into a friend鈥檚 was a good reminder that the simplicity of the previous product brought some advantages, even if it wasn鈥檛 terribly efficient. Removing and reinstalling those old drawers took maybe an hour-and-a-half and could have been handled by one person. The new Decked involves a lot more small parts, a fair amount of head scratching, and some trial and error with fitment. I鈥檇 tell a friend you need them for an entire afternoon and make sure you have a truck鈥檚 worth of flat, dry floor space to lay parts out on while you puzzle your way through assembly.

The big downside with Decked has always been that HDPE is slick, and the system typically covers the tie downs provided inside a truck bed. With the old system, you could add tie-down tracks by bolting them to the steel supports inside the load surface. Doing so cost a little extra money, but provided multiple, reconfigurable tie-down points. On the new system, Decked provides three mounting points for D-rings on each side (and gives you four of those D-rings to fill the six locations). That partially addresses the problem from the beginning, but ultimately provides you fewer options for attaching stuff to the load surface. The optional also helps, albeit for an eye-watering $500.

Along with the squared-off drawer (replacing the tapered shape on the old system) come new, squared-off storage boxes. These also make better use of space. The ($150) and ($90) are extremely robust Pelican Case alternatives that feature much more user-friendly latches, and a really convenient folding handle.

I鈥檓 using a Halfrack to store my recovery straps, shackles, pulleys, and other related items. Not only is all that stuff heavy, but you sometimes need to carry it for a few hundred yards if you鈥檙e helping a stranded vehicle other than your own, and the secure latches and comfortable handle help there.

Other stuff I鈥檓 loading into the ($125 for a set of three), which are a more robust alternative to the snap-lid bins all of us organize our basements, and are also custom-fit to take up one-half the width of the drawer. Those are strong enough to house tools, kitchen gear, clothing, or whatever you can come up with, and make even better use of space thanks to thinner, less robust construction. All these new boxes also nest together when stacked, so work as well on top of the load surface as they do in the drawer. The system ships with one Halfrack, one Sixer, and a Bin. The extremely large volume of the new drawer necessitates that you use boxes or bags to keep small stuff from rolling around.

There鈥檚 also an open catch-all bin at the rear of the drawer that makes a great home for frequently used odds and ends like lighters, multitools, bug spray, hand sanitizer, and such. It鈥檚 sized to fit a 12-back of beer sideways on either side of the single latch.

The open voids on each side of the drawer run past the wheel arches, all the way to the cab. There鈥檚 a large door on each side over the rear portion, and a small one up front, by the cab. Not only do these voids provide access to check tightness on the new turnbuckles that attach the system to your truck鈥檚 bed tie downs, but they make versatile use of awkwardly shaped spaces left unused by the original Decked drawers system.

I鈥檝e already found use for the rearmost void areas by stuffing camp chairs and my large camp stove鈥檚 legs, plus awning stays for the GoFastCamper鈥檚 windows into them. The front part of the void I haven鈥檛 figured out yet, since it鈥檚 mostly wheel arch below the load surface, but I may use that to stash emergency clothing layers, a backpacking quilt, or similar backup items it鈥檇 be reassuring to have along, but which I don鈥檛 need frequent access to. Should you want to organize small items using those areas, the system ships with two deep and two shallow bins that nest into the rear access doors. I may use mine to store fuses, nuts, bolts, filters, and other spare parts.

Right now, I鈥檓 packing the truck for a three-month trip to Baja Sur. It鈥檚 never easy to fit 300 pounds of dogs, all our camping gear, plus the clothes we want to wear in civilization into such a small truck. But compared to the trip we took down there in my first Ranger to get married, right before the pandemic was declared in 2020, I feel like I have loads of space to spare. And I packed the truck that time using plastic bins instead of drawers. Not only does the new Decked system make it feel like I鈥檓 working with a larger truck bed, but it does that while organizing all the stuff we鈥檙e carrying better than ever before.

The post This New Drawer System Will Revolutionize How You Pack Your Truck appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

No traction system in your car or truck can operate except through your tires. But here in North America, it can be hard, if not impossible, to tell if a tire is safe to use in winter conditions. And that鈥檚 what a new Ice Grip symbol aims to fix. Already rolling out on tire sidewalls, it indicates a tire has undergone testing to demonstrate safe levels of traction on bare ice.

I talked to two of the engineers behind the symbol to find out more.

Why do we need a new sidewall stamp? Well, last winter鈥檚 record snowfall in Tahoe provided the perfect example. Drivers visiting the area to ski were filmed pirouetting down hills, piling up in multi-car crashes, and generally exhibiting poor behavior. Why? Because every one of the cars filmed struggling was wearing inappropriate tires.

Tahoe indicates a larger problem. Like we explored at the time, existing sidewall symbols, tire categories, and government regulations are colliding to dangerously mislead consumers. Let鈥檚 briefly recap some tire terminology:

All-Season: A type of tire drivers understandably assume is safe to use through all four seasons, but is in fact simply the cheapest possible option. All-season tires begin losing grip even on dry pavement as temperatures fall below 45 degrees.

All-Terrain: A type of off-road capable tire that prioritizes on-road safety and efficiency. While an all-terrain may wear sidewall stamps that indicate winter capability, many don鈥檛. And even though many drivers assume all-terrains make a good option for tackling winter conditions, none match the safety provided by a true winter tire.

M+S: Like the topic of this article, a sidewall stamp. This one claims to indicate capability in mud and snow, but is actually obtained through a two-dimensional analysis of the tread pattern indicating a ratio of at least 25 percent void to lug. California regulations refer to tires wearing the M+S stamp as 鈥渟now tires,鈥� and allow any all- or four-wheel drive vehicle fitted with them to drive over snowy mountain passes without first fitting chains (you must still carry those). It鈥檚 easy to see why drivers assume M+S tires are safe to use in snow, but no test of any kind is required to earn the stamp, and it indicates no designed, intended, or incidental capability in winter weather.

Three Peak Mountain Snowflake: Commonly abbreviated to 3PMSF in North America, or 鈥渁lpine tire鈥� in Europe, tires which earn this stamp have completed an actual test. The procedure requires that a tire must demonstrate acceleration traction at least 10 percent superior to that of the , which is manufactured for that express purpose by Michelin and has characteristics similar to those of a typical all-season. That test is performed on medium-packed snow only, and while tires wearing the 3PMSF may perform better than that 10 percent baseline, there is no way for consumers to learn that information. As a result, 3PMSF also ends up being effectively meaningless in the real world. A tire wearing it may perform better in winter conditions than a standard all-season, but how much better can vary from that 10 percent minimum, to something that genuinely feels safe and reassuring.

And that鈥檚 it. That鈥檚 the extent of officialdom surrounding what defines a winter-capable tire in North America. As a result drivers are left to parse consumer reviews, tire maker marketing, and my advice if they want to run a tire that will actually make them safer in winter. A situation that鈥檚 far from ideal, even if judged only from the perspective of the number of unread emails in my inbox.

Enter Mikko Liukkula and Jarmo Sunnari, respectively the development manager and global product manager for Finland鈥檚 .

鈥淧eople didn鈥檛 understand that wet grip and winter grip and snow grip and ice grip were different things,鈥� explains Sunnari. In Europe, there鈥檚 actually two categories of winter tires: those designed for central European conditions鈥攚here the challenges are rain and slush鈥攁nd听 the ones necessary to drive safely in nordic countries. Not only are temperatures far colder in those countries, but roads at northern latitudes remain snow-covered all winter long. Since you can drive on frozen lakes, the amount of drivable terrain is much larger in the wintertime. So, while a 3PMSF tire , that standard isn鈥檛 stringent enough for Lule氓.

鈥淲e tire manufactures realized this dilemma that we have two types of winter tires in Europe,鈥� Sunnari continues. 鈥淲e have the nordic winter tires with terrific ice grip, and we have central European winter tires with terrific wet performance and high speed performance. And we wanted to have this element somehow visible in the tire labeling, so that the consumers would not be misled by the label and the criteria, and the performance that it shows.鈥�

So, about a decade ago, Sunnari and Liukkula worked with their colleagues at other European tire makers to establish a winter tire working group within the European Tire and Rim Technical Organization, which promotes safety through mutually agreed standards and testing.

鈥淎nd so we started there, together, to create a test method,鈥� says Liukkula. 鈥淲e selected some tires and we tested together in various conditions and, little by little, we restricted the conditions and the methodology. I think we did two or three years of testing together. And then we restricted the parameters, the temperatures, the temperature window. For example, for ice and snow, how the tire load conditions should be, how different sizes could be tested, and so on.鈥�

The challenge in establishing a test standard is to eliminate variables while staying relevant to real world conditions. Winter driving is unpredictable. Drivers encounter many different types of snow, for example, and driving along a road through varying altitudes, sun exposure, wind conditions, and human activity vary snow from loose powder to hard pack to bare pavement and back again, constantly. But the most difficult challenge a tire will encounter is ice, which is pretty straightforward for humans to create and control. So, the ETRTO working group decided to focus on icy surfaces.

First published in 2021, the resulting specifies a course that, 鈥渟hall be flat, smooth, polished ice and watered at least 1 hour before testing.鈥� Air temperatures measured 3.3 feet above the surface must be between 5 and 39 degrees Fahrenheit, while the surface of the ice itself must be between 5 and 23 degrees. The standard also instructs that weather conditions like precipitation, blowing snow, and direct sunlight must be avoided. Brand new tires are used, but each is broken in for 62 miles on bare pavement before initial testing, and 3 to 6 miles between each test run. Michelin鈥檚 Standard Reference Test Tire is used as the control, and must be the same size and load rating as that which comes standard on the test vehicle, and as the tire being evaluated, and both must be inflated to pressures specified by the vehicle manufacturer. Test runs are then conducted while braking from 15.5 miles per hour to a dead stop.

I asked Sunnari why the braking test was chosen rather than, or in addition to, acceleration or lateral grip. 鈥淲hat we decided in the very beginning of the development of this method was that we need the simplest possible way to segregate the tires upon the ice grip,鈥� he explains. 鈥淪o the easiest way was ice braking. And that is also creating the most safety. Acceleration is of course important from a mobility point of view, but it is not as important from the safety point of view. And when you have good ice braking properties on the tire, you probably also have good acceleration and good side grip.鈥�

鈥淭he short answer is we use the ice braking test because it鈥檚 the simplest way,鈥� continues Liukkula. He explains that Nokian uses a 2,300-foot long tent to cover its test course to eliminate environmental variables, and that the test must also be repeated three times on three subsequent days, with the control tire running both before and after the test tire. All runs are averaged at the end, and to earn the ice grip symbol, a tire must demonstrate an average stopping distance at least 18 percent shorter than the reference tire.

Is an 18 percent difference at 15 MPH really a significant advantage? 鈥淭he relative performance between the tires is not changing if you change the starting speed,鈥� says Liukkula, going on to say that you can continue to extrapolate that same percentage difference as speeds increase.

That鈥檚 something demonstrated in this video Nokian put together. 40 kilometers per hour is just about 25 miles per hour, and we can easily see here that the difference between an all-season (what Nokian labels a summer tire), and a winter tire wearing the ice grip symbol (nordic non-studded) is a full 197 feet. The ice grip symbol tire also stops 65 feet shorter than a 3PMSF tire (what Nokian labels a Central European winter tire). That could be life or death, even at such a low speed. Or the difference between a ski day, and a very expensive tow to a body shop.

What about the performance of the studded tire? Nordic countries don鈥檛 plow their roads clear of snow like we do in North America. Studs wear to the point of uselessness in as little as 1,000 miles when driven on bare pavement. While studded tires may offer some benefits over standard winter tires when new, the studs wear out so rapidly in North American conditions that they aren鈥檛 a great choice here.

Nokian currently sells one tire without studs in North America fitted with the ice grip symbol鈥�. But more should be on the way, both from Nokian and other brands. 鈥淚鈥檓 quite sure they will come in the very close future,鈥� says Sunnari. 鈥淧robably the next products they will launch they will also have the ice grip mark. We have developed this method together with Continental, Michelin, Pirelli, and Bridgestone.鈥�

One of the great tragedies associated with winter tires is that, even if you and I go through all the expense and effort of swapping onto them each season, we鈥檙e still only as safe as the drivers around us. Without incentives like reduced insurance rates or government mandates, there鈥檚 no way to improve that situation. But that鈥檚 actually the most exciting thing about the ice grip symbol. Since it finally gives us a standardized ability to define true winter capability beyond 3PMSF, it opens the door to official recognition of what a true winter tire is, and the benefits that tire can bring not just to individual consumers, but to all road users in areas that experience winter weather. Right now, winters are only required in a handful of European countries, some areas of Japan, and Quebec. A little sidewall stamp with three icicles hanging from the peak of a mountain could be what finally changes that.

How to Use Winter Tires

Since winter tires are such a novel concept to American drivers, I think it鈥檚 a good idea to include some basics in any article about them. I鈥檒l keep this as brief as possible, linking to more information.

• This article provides a more detailed explanation of why studs aren鈥檛 applicable to North American roads.
• This article explains why all-wheel drive is not a replacement for winter tires.
• This article includes many fun examples of people driving badly on the wrong tires, as well as an explanation of why you don鈥檛 want to rely on chains.
• This article contains my current recommendations for winter tires for 4x4s, trucks, and crossovers.
• 贬别谤别鈥檚 an article about all-terrain tires.
• How do you afford winter tires? In the five years that most car purchasers own their vehicle, you鈥檒l need two sets of tires anyways. Moving that purchase up, to buy a set of winters, doesn鈥檛 add any money to that total, while potentially saving you all the costs associated with a crash.
• Winter tires are safe to use in warmer weather, but wear out quickly in temperatures above 45 degrees. Either pay a tire shop to remove and store your summer tires every October, then refit them and store your winters every April, or purchase an additional set of wheels, mount your winters to those, and mount/dismount them yourself whenever needs dictate.
• What should you do if you live somewhere warm, and only visit winter? You鈥檙e spending a ton of money on that hobby already. Delay the purchase of the latest set of skis until next year, and instead spend that money on a set of winter tires mounted to a spare set of wheels. Put them on before every trip, then take them off after. Driving in winter is too dangerous to go unprepared.

The post Recognizing This Tire Symbol Might Save Your Life This Winter appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Tesla faced an avalanche of online mockery听after a video was posted to Reddit on December 12 showing a prototype Cybertruck that had to be towed out of a snowy hillside. By a Ford, no less. The vehicle, carrying a solitary Christmas tree in its bed,听lacked the traction to free itself from the slippery terrain听in the Stanislaus national forest, despite running all-terrain tires that, per Tesla鈥檚 marketing,听鈥�

The Forest Service capitalized on the viral blunder by issuing a pithy public statement that proposed听a partnership with Tesla to promote awareness and education of their motor vehicle use maps. 鈥淲e feel confident that had the driver of the Cybertruck had a better understanding of the topographical feature indicated on our maps, practiced Leave No Trace principles, and generally been more prepared, this whole incident could have been not only avoided, but also provided much-needed education to many new off-road users,鈥� said Stanislaus National Forest Supervisor Jason Kuiken in a

The听maps, which the forest publishes online, illustrate which roads and trails motorized vehicles are allowed to use. If the road is out of bounds, it鈥檚 for good reason: the unsuspecting off-roader will likely get stuck.

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The video, which was shared widely on Reddit and Instagram, prompted vitriol about Tesla, its founder Elon Musk, and San Francisco drivers infamous for misbehaving on snow. Each year, the hordes of fintech and coding bros descend upon the Sierra Nevada and wreak havoc upon small mountain towns, these commenters say.

It seems they don鈥檛 teach comp-sci students in systems architecture classes that 80 percent of any vehicle鈥檚 traction capability comes from its tires. But maybe the driver鈥檚 18.5-inch TV in the middle of the dashboard became a distraction, and led them to drive off off the road and into a ravine.

The vehicle was a prototype, so it may not have been equipped with the Cybertruck鈥檚 production tires, but taking it off-road in the snow was a particularly boneheaded move if the product tester knew the truck was under-equipped.听Tesla, who blew up its PR department back in 2020, has not commented on the incident. For their part, the National Forest spokespeople 听they were dead serious.

A better driver would have aired down the tires, which would lengthen the contact point and make the tires more flexible, or brought a traction device like Maxtrax. This driver was probably more focused on adding meme coins to his crypto portfolio than planning ahead and preparing for an excursion into the forest.

It鈥檚 heartening to see someone make use of the Stanislaus National Forest鈥檚 free , even if the tree itself will probably be decorated with benign ornaments that won鈥檛 offend whoever AirBnBs their Tahoe cabin that they visit once a year.

We hope the tech company takes the national forest up on its offer. It could use the PR, and perhaps engineers will听add grippier tires to the next fleet of Cybertrucks. For an upcharge.

Tesla鈥檚 marketing materials say the truck was built to perform on 鈥渁ny planet.鈥� Maybe it would鈥檝e gotten better traction under Jupiter鈥檚 gravity.

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