Outskirts Overland Podcast
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Outskirts Overland Podcast
Off-Road Upgrades, Suspension, Tire and Wheel review ( Rough Country M1, KMC KM729 and Kenda KLEVER RT)
What if you could significantly improve your off-roading experience without breaking the bank? In this episode of Outskirts Overland, we promise to enhance your adventure with an in-depth review of Rough Country's M1 shocks and struts for lifted Tacomas. Discover why these budget-friendly shocks rival higher-end brands like Bilstein and Icons, and learn about essential vehicle modifications such as aftermarket upper control arms and a shackle flip kit. We also spotlight an upcoming community cleanup event organized by Toyota Trucks of Arkansas, showcasing our commitment to giving back to nature.
Ever wondered how different tires perform in challenging terrains? We've got you covered with a comprehensive comparison between Falcon Wildpeak and Kenda Cleaver RT tires. While Wildpeaks excel in snowy conditions, the Cleaver RTs dominate in mud and rocky environments. We also test the KMC 729 wheels, discussing their unique features and performance on the trail. Whether it's aggressive tread designs or the benefits of lighter wheels, our reviews offer invaluable insights for any off-road enthusiast looking to upgrade their gear.
But it's not all about the gear; it's about the camaraderie and spontaneous adventures that make our journeys unforgettable. From testing the WeBoost signal booster to preparing for a full marathon with my good friend Johnny, this episode is packed with personal anecdotes and inspiring stories. Join us as we explore the thrill of off-roading, the importance of friendship, and the joy of pushing our limits together. Tune in and be part of our adventure!
Hey guys, welcome to Outskirts Overland. It would be awesome if you guys that are listening, if you could go on over to Apple Podcasts and leave me a review or a comment. I'm also on YouTube as well, under Outskirts Overland, and it would be awesome if you guys would like and subscribe over there as I stream live weekly. If you're the person that's more inclined to be seeing what's going on with my life via Instagram, I am on Instagram as outskirtsoverland and I put a lot of pictures up of things I'm doing adventures, I'm going on things with my friends events and if you really just are interested in staying connected with me in general, it'd be really awesome if you would go to those different platforms and give them a look, give them a follow and continue to try and grow this thing with me. I'd really appreciate that. Guys, and as we get into the show, I would like to just say thanks for being here. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to Outskirts Overland. And gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to Outskirts Overland. This week is finally the week I'm going to review my stuff Before we get started. First things first got to let you guys know. If you're looking to try Onyx Off-Road, please use my code, it'll save you 20% off. I got it running on the bottom. It is GlobalOverland two, three, six. It'll save you 20 off on onyx off road a couple new people that I got. I got all the codes. Now you can go to toyota overlanders and use the code charlie 10 at checkout, get 10 off toyota overlanders. You can go to we boost and use outskirts 5 to get 5% off of WeBoost products. Yeah, that happened and excuse me and Marvin's messing with me here, guys, and I think that's all the discounts I got for now for you guys. Weboost Toyota Overlanders and Onyx. I got for now for you guys. We boost Toyota overlanders and on X off road. So, anyways, guys, also, if you're in the Midwest and you are any type of Toyota enthusiast of any kind, go ahead and scope out Toyota trucks of Arkansas. It's a great group, lots of cool people. They are actually getting ready to go do a community cleanup, like they're going to go out and clean up some trails. I've seen some of the footage. Sorry, I'm jacking on my camera here, guys. I've seen some of the footage from what they're going to clean up. Looks like it needs cleaned up. So that'd be something cool to get behind. I think they give me one sec here, I think the dates on that. If you are in the Arkansas area, toyota Trucks of Arkansas go on over there, join the group. Let them know I sent you there. They know who I am, they're just my friends over there.
Speaker 1:September 7th they'll be doing a cleanup ride and I don't know if it'll even translate, but let me see if I can get it. That's a lot of stuff, guys. There's a lot of trash. So if you're watching it I'm just scrolling through my phone the pictures it's like a considerable amount of trash. Well, that's not what I wanted to do. It's a considerable amount of trash, guys. This is the one that blows my mind. That's couches, guys. There's couches out in the Arkansas backcountry. What is that about? Anyway, september 7th, put that on your calendar, go out and help. That's giving back to the. You know the natural forest, national forest. I mean, it is a natural forest as well, but that'd be a great thing to do. So today I'm going to talk about a few products and reviews I've done. They're a little longer term reviews, the longest one I've got and I'm going to address this because I said I would.
Speaker 1:I got some Rough Country shocks and struts. Now I have. I do drive a Tacoma so there's no, so that no one there is surprised. I drive a Tacoma so it has leaf springs in the rear struts in the front. I got loaded struts and just shocks for loaded struts for the front, shocks for the rear, three inch lifted on the front, two inch extended in the rear. I have aftermarket upper control arms. In the front I got extended bump stops in the rear. I have lift, not add a leaf. I got totally separate leaf springs that lift the truck and timber and bump stops, shackle flip kit, the whole nine there. But I did change the shocks. They're lifted three inches in the front. They're a little extended in the rear. I'm going to talk about those first as the other two go together. So I'm going to talk about the shocks first.
Speaker 1:Now I was reaching out and this is something I do regardless of the podcast does definitely help. But I was reaching out to companies about looking at getting some shocks and Rough Country was like, hey, we got these M one shocks. I think they're somewhat new to the rough country line. They have a step up from that with, like, external reservoirs they're the vertex verdicts whatever and they've got external reservoirs and stuff. I got the M ones there. They're quite a big step above what everyone knows rough country. For I am not paid by Rough Country or anything. I'm just telling you about my experience. I'm very familiar with the reputation that company has in the off-road space.
Speaker 1:I'm pretty sure if your truck's lifted and it has 14-inch wide wheels and a custom offset sticker, you probably have a Rough Country lift like a standard Rough Country lift. I don't mean to say that to put anybody in a box, but that does just explain the demographic of individual that's typically buying a rough country lift. It lifts your truck, it lifts your truck, it is suspension and it's relatively inexpensive. Now, given that it's inexpensive, I think it is a positive. There's a lot of people get into this hobby and get into things and they're like dude, everything's so expensive. So when the opportunity came to try these out, I was like you know what that might appeal to way more people than if I get, I don't know, mrrs from Dobinson. Like maybe Dobinson would be happy to work with me, but now I've got a $3,000 suspension. Robinson would be happy to work with me, but now I've got a $3,000 suspension.
Speaker 1:So anyways, long story short, these shocks show up. They look pretty cool. Everybody says made in China. I had Toy Tech before. I believe they're also made in China. I don't use that as a negative. Again, they are rough country. I'm going to give you guys my honest opinion here and I have already somebody else already bought them. I got their review as well, based off my recommendation. So, anyways, because they're affordable, they're really good for what they cost, like very good for what they cost.
Speaker 1:So they're a digressive valve shock. They're zinc plated. They're not. They're made to be corrosion resistant. They're one piece. They're adjustable, so you can adjust them from I think mine are like one inch lift to three and a half inch lift. They got like little clip rings. I have mine set at three Cause that's where I like to run my truck personally for what I do. So, anyways, I'll bring them up on the screen here and this is the, and you guys will see. See, this doesn't look like something you guys have seen from rough country before and so I'm gonna bring them up on the screen. This is the rough country m1 strut right here. So, as you'll see, they got a little heart. They got a harder bushing down here at the bottom. They they're one piece design, they're zinc coated, they're digressive valved I can go over, like the stats on the sheet, like I went down and I was looking at it two inch, they're a two inch shock, they're not a 2.5.
Speaker 1:I actually had 2.5s before and they performed worse, which actually surprised me quite a bit. They're 46 millimeter digressive piston, self-adjusting, independent rebound, like this is. And again, I'm listing stuff and if you're not familiar with shocks, it's pretty standard stuff. They're a monotube design, fade-free performance. I can tell you that I had these things. They actually don't. They do fade eventually, okay. But once I show you what they, well, and you could probably see it up here in the top, look at what they cost it's $4.99. That's the pair. Okay, like that's the pair, $4.99. They do eventually fade, but not I was giving them some work.
Speaker 1:I went out with my friend, johnny and his tires needed rebalanced after our trip because we were just going so fast, like I was really trying to give these a solid go, like I was like they make it, they fade, they break. We're going to find out. Like we went very hard and these shocks got really worked. We were going over rocks, whoops, whatever, really worked. We were going over rocks, whoops, whatever. There's times. I'm pretty sure my truck got off the ground just trying to really get it handled.
Speaker 1:Now, digressive valves means digressive valving for those of you that don't know is more like a 6112 Bilstein. Now, again, that might not mean jack squat to you guys. What's a 6112 Bilstein? It just means it's a stiffer. It's a stiffer ride at the in the short and as you get into more compression it softens up. So if you're heavier and stuff like that for like daily driving, like I don't have sway bars. So a digressive valve shock actually creates a lot of rigidity for my truck, given that the suspension really is my sway control. So I prefer a digressive valve shock. These are not soft by any means, but they're not hard either. Again, they're just digressive valve.
Speaker 1:I have had them on my truck for probably a couple thousand miles, at least 500 off-road, like actually off-road forest service road trails. Quite frankly, I've wrecked my truck trying to test these out, unfortunately, and it is still in the shop. But they have done me extremely well. They've got a lot of droop to them. They compress up really well. They're coated so they don't rust. That's a problem you got to look at with a lot of shocks, but for $499 for the pair and these are lift struts the whole thing comes together and you can order them.
Speaker 1:Like I said, they are adjustable, quote, unquote. You can't adjust them with a spanner, like a lot of other ones. They have a pin. But as you'll see here I'm scrolling down you can get them in a six inch lift three and a half, three and a half six inch. You can get them in two inch. Here's the rears that I have. The same thing, though there's still the M1s.
Speaker 1:They actually look really good. I think they look good. Myself I have been. I've been again. I know the reputation that currently exists with this brand. I think they're doing something great $169 for the pair of rear shocks. So you're looking at less than 700 bucks total front and rear. That's pretty good. Again, it's not extremely affordable, like you can get a puck lift for 160 or whatever. But quite frankly, you're going to do the same labor to put that in as to put these in, so just I'll throw that out there. I've been really happy with them, surprisingly enough that one of my friends buddies, was due for new shocks on his Jeep and he recommended them. He's hey, charlie, got these rough country M ones, and this is a lifted Jeep that had previously had different suspension components on it. And uh, the guy bought them and he's that's the best shock I've ever felt.
Speaker 1:I haven't ever tried Like I. I don't want to put that claim out there Cause I haven't tried any. I haven't. I've never tried like I. I don't want to put that claim out there because I haven't tried any. I haven't. I've never tried like bp51, old man, emu or kings or anything like that. What's up, man? So I don't know, I couldn't tell you if I think they're like the best of the best. And again, for the price point, I don't think they are. They have far exceeded my expectation for the price point they sit at. I will tell you that. And I mean I, you guys won't. You guys won't understand how hard I was going on these things. Just see if they like fade or bend.
Speaker 1:I've been to shock before, like, and, quite frankly, was it my stupidity or was the shock just not as tough as it said it was? These have done me phenomenal. The bushings aren't collapsing, which is actually really huge on a lifted tacoma. The bushings on the shocks when you lift them. The bottom eyelet bushings tend to like, I don't know, mushroom. I guess would be this the comment the the way I would explain it, they'll mushroom. These are not doing that and my other ones did it by now, like in the same amount of time they would have done it already. So these are doing really good.
Speaker 1:I was fully prepared to tell you guys I'd already taken them off and done something else. They come with a three-year warranty and I fully expect it. If they don't last me three years, I'll get another set For the price. They are so good actually they still come in cheaper than the Bilsteins and I think they are right there. I think this shock Now do I think Rough Country and Bilstein as a suspension company are on an equal playing field?
Speaker 1:I don't know, I'm not going to make that claim, but I can tell you that these M1 shocks far exceed their price point. I will 150% tell you that and I think they're trying to get in the market with them at that price point and I think they're an extremely affordable lift. Suspension with that works really well. I've used them much harder than you should probably be using essentially $250 a piece full struts and they have just done phenomenal. Again, I cannot express how good they are and I'm going to sound like ridiculous today, because the three things that I'm reviewing today, I actually really enjoy all three. Actually, I do have some negatives, though there are some drawbacks now, but not with these shocks. I cannot express how much I like these shocks seriously.
Speaker 1:So I again, just for the sake of discussion, I think if you're somebody looking for it to get into an actual suspension from a puck lift, I, everybody in the world is going to tell you don't look rough country. And prior to trying these are potentially these existing. I would have probably told you the same thing. I'd have been like Bilstein 5100, 612s is the way to go. If you've got money to burn, you could absolutely go.
Speaker 1:Fancier Icons Old man Emu Upper Line. They're great. That's Old man Emu's ARB. Everybody's probably heard the name. I think they're great, great and I would steer somebody that way. Those are still like twice as much money, though for what these cost phenomenal, and I'd say not even for what they cost. For twice what they cost, you are not going to be disappointed at all.
Speaker 1:I could easily say that I have had literally had some shocks that were more that I paid for that weren't as good as these, and they're obviously. They may be. Even are the same shock as other shocks rebrand, who knows. They work great, though I wouldn't be able to say. I can't say a negative thing about them. So the Rough Country ones are great. If somebody just commented right now, boondock Haverlock, he has a Tacoma now, but he said he had M1 leveling struts on his Silverado Same exact thing, way better than he expected. Literally I'll pop that comment right up here. You really think you're about to get budget stuff and this stuff is budget, price, performs way better than budget stuff. I have been really blown away and I hope I can be an advocate to some of you guys now, because rough country is known to be cheap, but cheap quality. These are cheap and I don't think they're cheap quality. I really don't. So it's worth a look. It's worth a look Again.
Speaker 1:I think the Overland space, a lot of it, comes with a. There's specific things that Overland people like to get brands and such things. I am, I'm really not a brand loyalist to much Dex, dex, bed drawer systems for trucks. I am a huge, like I'm all Dex system and that's due to having two now and two different trucks and they're great. Customer service is great. They ship fast extra parts, fix them. They actually are waterproof. When they say they are, they work great. Deck systems are the way to go, but I'm not here to review that. So, anyways, m1 lift struts and M1 shocks regular and extended, great, great. I have been beyond happy with them, like so happy with them. So the next thing that I got is I decided so.
Speaker 1:I'd been working for a long time on tires and wheels and there's a lot of people out there. This is a huge thing and I'll express it now. These companies don't know anything. I was working with tire companies before wheel companies. Some people seek out like companies that do both, companies that do both, and I was interested in trying something different.
Speaker 1:So my truck has Kenda Cleaver RT tires, 10 plies and KMC. What are they called? There's a specific name for them. It's like a special type of forging. They're forged. They're rotary forged wheels, so not fully forged but rotary forged, and I'll show you guys those here in a second. But I got the KMC or the excuse me, the Kenda Cleaver RTs and I actually got them in a size larger than my the wheels that I had on the truck when I got them, so like I had 16s on the truck with Falcon wild peaks, which were good, I which were good, they were good.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to say Falcon wild peaks aren't bad, they're probably the best of everything If you want to have the best on snow. Uh, with comparable like they're here, they're not. They're good at everything they're not great at. They're probably great at snow. I would say they are great at snow, but they and this is the Kenda Cleaver RT, they're. The wild peaks are good for a lot of reasons for an all-terrain tire, but even so, there's a couple things I'll say about this. So it's not going to be all positive.
Speaker 1:Okay, these are louder, for sure, louder road noise, they have road noise. And again, they have a tread. These bad boys got a tread. Okay, there's some thick blocks on these suckers. Okay, there's also a really lot of of sidewall grip. These are definitely a more aggressive tire and they sound like it. Uh, there's no doubt about siping.
Speaker 1:I've had no issues with these on any wet road conditions. I have done. Usually I'm somebody that takes mud bypasses. I've purposely not been doing that and these clear pretty well. I've yet to get stuck with them. I am by no means going in three foot deep mud though. We're talking one foot deep maybe. But they have done it okay and I do not think my wild peaks would have gotten me out of those situations. I don't think they would have cleared as well. These do pick up rocks, so you're going to sling some rocks with the Cleaver RT. That's all there is to it. But one thing I actually like a lot about the Cleaver RT is, at least in my size for my Tacoma.
Speaker 1:This tire in 10 ply with a three ply sidewall is lighter than the Falcon Wildpeak AT3 or AT4 even they're lighter. Peak AT3 or AT4 even they're lighter. So that's a huge positive Unsprung weight. It makes a big difference when you have a heavy vehicle for throttle response, control, gas mileage Not that I'm really paying a whole lot of attention to gas mileage in my truck but our lighter, even as a 10-ply rug. They call them rugged terrain, they're hybrid tire. They're way more. They're way more of a mud tire.
Speaker 1:So it was just asked what size I go with. I got a 285, 70, 17. So they are 285, 285, 70, 17. I could have fit a 285, 75, 17 or a 295, 70. I just went with what I felt like across most 33 inch tires. That people, that's your, that's a large majority. So when dealing with brands, I don't want to be testing a tire that's 35, 37. I could my truck could fit 35s actually but that's not necessarily. Most 35s aren't 10 ply and that's not relevant to your normal person. That's probably listening to. This. Like 33 is pretty relevant. 17 inch wheels are pretty common, so I had 16s on my truck because that's what the Tacoma comes with. I have 17s on it now with these tires and a 285 70 17. And that's what I went with, and so I could give an honest review for everybody that has a Lexus or a Land Cruiser or a 4Runner. This is what. This is the 33 inch tire size for you. This is what all those people are going to. So I could give an honest review on that tire in that size that a lot of people will run and a lot of people do run that size in a variety of tires.
Speaker 1:So it is loud. It is loud. It does pick up rocks. It freaking mud. It extracts mud like it gets rid of mud really well. It did really good on rocks.
Speaker 1:The sidewalls I have smoked the sidewalls, which I'll get into when I talk about the wheels, because the wheels aren't as good looking as they were when I put them on, but that's whatever. So smoke to the sidewalls and they're not showing anywhere from that. I'm fine, I'm I put. They're a 50,000 mile tire, maybe 55, 50,000 mile tire. I've had them on my truck for I don't know, 3,000 miles probably. I'm not showing any signs of looking or anything like that, but I think it's too early to even give. I think it's too early to say if that will or won't happen. So this will be ongoing because they're definitely on my truck. And just because I got a set of tires doesn't mean I'm going to get a new set all the time.
Speaker 1:I see this as probably a one and done, so that's just what it is, which is still awesome. By no means they are as far as affordable. There's a lot of sizes of this tire and they do cost different, so I'll scroll down. But they actually make this tire and you'll see me here a lot of sizes. This is a tire they make in a lot of sizes. So there's a size for you in the Kendrick Cleaver. In the Kendrick Cleaver it's considered an all season.
Speaker 1:It's a rugged, but it's got. They've done well for me. They are loud but they do great on water. I've had rugged like hybrid slash mud terrains before that were really like almost dangerous in wet conditions and not great in dry conditions, like under braking and stuff. These are great. Cornering, these are great. I don't notice a lot of tire limitations on road, just they're a little louder Off-road.
Speaker 1:They do really well. I've been very happy with them for not being a legitimate mud terrain. I think they perform as well as a legitimate mud terrain and they have a harder tread. So a lot of mud terrains are a softer compound. Just because that's how mud terrains are typically, these are much harder. They have done me really well in slick conditions, wet rocks, even water crossings. They've done really well.
Speaker 1:I would say they do at least 30% better, I would say if I was to put a statistic to it, than the Wild Peaks off-road. I'd say they're probably 10% louder. Like they're not way loud. They're not, I don't know, like they're not like a true mud terrain. Loud they're not but you can hear them. They don't vibrate through the steering wheel, so that's good. They balanced well.
Speaker 1:So yeah, positives and negatives, but that's just the type of tire. It is Like you're going to have the negatives. I'm explaining. I will again. It'll be ongoing. Do they have any chunking issues? Do they wear? I'm rotating them. I've already rotated them once. Do they have any issues with wear? Do they have any issues under hard braking? Do they have any issues from running them aired down for a long period of time? A lot of mud terrains wear quick, much quicker when you run them air down and you don't want to go run like a trip on the street air down, I mean off-roading air down. They and they're not any louder than they don't have they don't? They're not too stiff of a sidewall for being a three-ply.
Speaker 1:I had mickey thompson's previously. They're pretty stiff, still did fine. I would say these perform better than the than. So again, these aren't an AT, they're an RT. But I had Baja Boss ATs and I think these perform better than that tire. This tire does. But again, it's supposed they're not direct competitors but I can't have tried every tire guys. So it's close enough because the Baja Boss AT is definitely more aggressive than the Wild Pekin. And I had Baja Boss MTs and they're just a whole nother world than these and I don't have. They're not a comparison to these. That's a mud tire big treads, loud, very loud, heavy, all of the above. So that's just what that is, but they're great. I think they're great. They're definitely a hybrid tire. Again, really good mud, really good mud for a tire that also does good on road and in water, and that is not something you're always going to get.
Speaker 1:And the fact that they're lighter I really like that's just a. I like it for peace of mind. Have I noticed it? No, I have not. But I also did get wheels that are like half the weight of my previous wheels, but you notice the wheel and tire combination weighing less when you're rotating them, taking them off to do any work or stuff. But I'd say the majority of that's in the wheel, to be completely honest. But they are four, four pounds, I think four or five pounds a piece lighter than those ats with similar specs. Their load rate, g lt, three ply sidewall, like things I said. So I've been happy with them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I, for what I do more of, like off-road stuff, I think this is a. If you daily your vehicle and you do a lot of miles daily, say you do I don't know 60 to a hundred miles a day, I couldn't tell you if this is the best bet for that. Say, you drive, I don't know, 20, 30,000 miles a year and five of it's off-road. I don't know that would warrant this tire being on your vehicle. That's where I think is a good case for the Falcon If it's more of a daily driver. But you need that capability sometimes my truck probably does quite a bit. It's probably like 30, 70, just because I got to drive where I'm going. I'm putting 30, 40,000 miles on it a bit. It's probably like 30, 70, just because I got to drive where I'm going. I'm putting 30, 40,000 miles on it a year. Still a considerable amount off-road. The off-road capability does matter a lot. These have great grip. I even had them in the sand and really loose. I'm going to try and say bank gravel, no problem, none, zero problems. I have dug in with all terrains doing that and they get packed and that sucks. So they've been good. But, as expected, I know that Falcon makes a RT. I know that Toyo makes one. The Falcon RT is actually, I believe, the heaviest RT and again I'm reviewing what I've got.
Speaker 1:This is, I'll be clear with you guys, I don't. If I was, if it wasn't the way it is. I don't know what I would have bought. To be completely honest, this tire was on my radar, but so were others, but I have been very happy with this tire.
Speaker 1:Now onto the wheels that I got. I got the KMC 729 wheels. Now, these are new, okay. So this is one of the situations where I did not pick these. This is what was I got to pick the color, but this was picked for me. These are a specific offset. I got a negative 10 offset there. I think that even on this ad for them this is KMC site yeah, they're on a Raptor, like they. They are 100% for, like your Raptor, tundra Tacoma. You'll see they got them in a lot of sizes and you'll see the bolt patterns, but not actually a lot of bolt patterns on this wheel. This is it, like you guys will see. Not, it's only 17 inch. So this is a very new wheel, very new.
Speaker 1:I got them in matte black here, like these here. They are very nice looking. They're a nine inch wide wheel negative 10 offset. These allowed me to get rid of the wheel spacers. On my stock wheels I had wheel spacers, spider track wheel spacers, which were fine, but not my favorite. Okay. These are a huge step in the right direction. As far as wheels are concerned, they're much lighter and they look really good. They look really good for not you know, but not flashy, okay, like now.
Speaker 1:I had the opportunity of when I got my wheels. I got four wheel boxes and three of them were the matte black and one of them was this machined. So, although that's not what I wanted and notified them and got my ship that one back and got my fourth black one, I was able to see the machined one and they are. They look, I mean, in the right application, not for my truck, but in the right application super good looking wheel, and I believe that's what's on this yeah, that's what's on this Raptor here in the ad for the right truck. That'd be a great looking wheel. But I think these are more geared toward your Toyotas. Honestly, really honestly, toyotas Raptors like specific vehicles based on the, just based on looking at the specs of them. So they're, but they are phenomenal. They've got a big lip on them here that kind of protects your tire, but the lip doesn't impede on the valve stem, so when you're going to air up and air down it's not a huge pain in the butt like some other wheels are. I sought this brand out, though this is the one guys.
Speaker 1:I did not reach out to everybody under the sun for wheels. I was pretty dead set on figuring something out with KMC. The reason is when I was due, so I used to. I had a Subaru STI, a WRX STI, a relatively new one, and I worked with Method with that car. I raced that car. I worked with Method and General Tire. They were really good to me. I moved on to get a truck, a full-size truck, and both those brands worked with me there. I had Method bead grip wheels on my truck and General ATX tires on my truck as well. That partnership continued. So I've had methods on cars, methods on trucks. I've gotten a lot of people into methods as far as wheels are concerned. So I was actually I could tell everybody now method's a great wheel, bead grip's a great technology.
Speaker 1:But I was interested in something different and I really like the styling of KMC's and for me it was just more. It was just more and this is what the wheel looks like on a bigger spectrum, but for me it was more like I want to go with just something different, Like I'd done methods a couples, three times Different wheel types. I had some rally style wheels on it for the street. I had some actual B-grip wheels on that car for the track. I drag raced that car, so B-grip was actually super beneficial because you air those down as well. Again, super cool. A lot of people work with Method and that's great. I don't mind that, but I really wanted to work with KMC. That's all there is to it. I rhyme. A reason Couldn't tell you.
Speaker 1:I like these wheels. They have a lot of wheels I like. I did again, this is not the one that I didn't go to them and I want these. They were like, what color you want in these? Cause these are what's newest. I like them a lot, though. Still, they're great looking. This lip is super nice.
Speaker 1:Now, the one thing I will tell you is I got black ones and from now gouging the living shit out of them, I could tell you they all probably start out as this wheel, cause that's what it looks like under my black ones, where I've scratched them, but they've the coatings come off a little and again, again, I'm off-roading this thing. We're not talking about going through somebody's yard like it's been against rocks and things. Um, the black has come off of them a little bit, but it's not gouged the wheel so I could care less about that, that's fine. Um, my stock wheels are all kinds of mess. Up to you Like the code, the color coding on them.
Speaker 1:Though if you off-road a lot and you want them to not be shiny through, get the machined. I got the black and I'm sure the gray and the blue. Same thing. If you were to scratch them, they're going to show through in this bright machined color that I think that's just what's on. I think that's just how they are. But they are flow forged and that's some type of or they're flow formed, excuse me, rotary forged. Now, I wish I could explain that. But it does have a bead retention system on them too. You'll see here it's different than bead grip, but I've aired them down super far. I've actually never even had a problem with my stock rims. So I think this bead retention is great. I think bead grip's great also. I've never been in a situation with a stock rim where, like, they're popping beads or anything, and I go down to 10 psi probably at the lowest. So, yeah, I don't know. Yeah, I just don't know what's going on with that, why that's so popular of a thing right now. But they'd be good. They look sick.
Speaker 1:I prefer the look of these over methods myself and KMC in general. They just got a ton of good looking wheels so I've been happy with them. They do scratch. They do scratch. It's not matte underneath, so you do see some brighter metal color underneath. So if you're somebody that wants to hide your scratches a little more, have some flat black paint or blue or gray, because if you're off-roading it, they do scratch and it's going to show. That's just all there is to it. They don't weigh nothing. They're one piece. They're super light. I've been happy.
Speaker 1:Again, I'm going more for looks. Just try something different out I. I think icon wheels are great off-road wheels as well. Icons are really good brand. I think method's a good brand too. Just they all look the same methods all a little bit.
Speaker 1:Which method I love you guys. You guys did me a solid numerous times. If you guys were to go look through their page, you'll see my last two vehicles on their social media a ways back, but they're both there. So they're a great company just in this off-road space. I think they're a little bigger than me, quite a bit bigger than me these days, but they sponsored a Subaru rally USA and stuff. So the Subaru was appealing and then when I got a truck, they were getting into off-road and stuff.
Speaker 1:I think I was just the right place at the right time with them. Honestly, kmc they've been around forever and ever and ever, but I guess I can click off-road here. They've got a ton of wheels guys Like these are just different styles and again you can see you can get them all in different colors. But, dude, like this is what what I was. That's the wheel I really wanted, that I would have loved to have, but that's and those are impact forged, minor, that I got a rotary forged. But these are all and some of them are pretty affordable if you look. But they just got a lot of variety. Like I really like a quality wheel brand with a lot of variety.
Speaker 1:Guys, these are all your off-road ones. These actually are pretty cool in black. Those guys I like those too. Those are super cool and they're affordable. But yeah, these are sick man. They got a lot of really good looking wheels. These are on some other popular YouTubers stuff. You guys will know who that is by looking at them, but they do sponsor some other social YouTubers stuff. You guys will know who that is by looking at them. But they do sponsor some other social media people and they have these wheels and they're a big deal. So if you recognize those, you'll know who I'm talking about. And those are a true, true deal there. They got adventure wheels, though, too. These are. These will work on a truck as well. Just fine, there's my range 729 right there, and they are right there at that 267 a wheel. So it's middle of the road, but they got just a lot of variety, good looking wheels. So I can't like I'm thrilled to have gotten a set of wheels from them. They're a phenomenal company.
Speaker 1:I followed them for a long time and I did not try to have anything else. So then KMC wheels. So I would just leave that where it's at. You guys heard me talk about getting shocks. I got what I got. Tires. I got what I got. They were on my radar. Shocks were not on my radar, tires were, the wheels were. There was one option I was working with them or I was buying them. That's all there was to it. I wanted to work with kmc, so that's all there is to that. So, anyways, that's my reviews on those things.
Speaker 1:Um so again, method has the market pretty well. I think there's a lot of like brands of wheels that are like no-name brands that are knocking off other designs. You can get KMC's affordably, for sure and for sure $180, I think to $220 a wheel. That's pretty good for a good quality wheel. These Kenda tires, I would love to tell you guys what they cost. But tires, okay. So Kenda doesn't tell you what they cost, because when it comes to tires, you can't buy the tires from Kenda. You have to go to a Kenda authorized dealer, and they are all over the place. What these tires cost from size or even just distributor. So I'm assuming some distributors get a larger discount than others if they sell more of them per se. So check them out though. Yeah, so check them out. The Kenda tires are all over the place, but you will find deals on them like any other tire brand.
Speaker 1:They have an AT as well. They make a Cleaver. I've had ATs, so I decided to go with the RT, because that's a segment that I'm not real familiar with. I've had MTs and I've had ATs. There's no magic to what I'm doing here. Let's try something different. So yeah, but the wheels are sick and if you see my truck here, that's the wheels and tires on it Look great. That's a negative 10 offset. There's no spacers to that and that's the tires and I think it's got a little bowl. It looks phenomenal. I think it looks really good. I am a big function guy and in a function world 17s I could fit 16s Functionally. That would make more sense. But again, when you're working with brands, 16s aren't as common and if you're going to be doing reviews on stuff, you want the more common stuff. So welcome to how that life works.
Speaker 1:For any of you that want to know WeBoost I'd previously talked about tech nomadism and connectivity and stuff. I got a discount code for WeBoost for 5% off and it's Outskirts5. I am working with them to get some stuff out to you guys. I'll test it just like this, though, like I've had these things on my truck for a long time, I've mentioned that they exist, I haven't really went over them. It will be exactly the same.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to go out twice and this thing either works poorly or great and tell you guys one way or the other. I'm going to use it many times and I'm going to tell you like, in this type of terrain it did better than I'm not going to provide a biased yeah idea of how this thing works without giving it a good test. I will test it, I'll tell you where it doesn't work. I will find where it does not work. I'll find instances where it works better than advertised and instances where it doesn't work as advertised, and I'll just give you guys my experience with that. I don't know a lot about cell towers, but I think that's how it operates. But I am intrigued with WeBoost the more I have gotten into looking, because it's a product you buy once so you don't have to buy a product that costs a lot and then a subscription that costs a lot on top of something that uses a lot of power. So I want it to work really well. I will come into it telling you guys I want the WeBoost to work really well, because I will come into it telling you guys I want the Wii Boost to work really well Because if it does, it's going to be more savings than Starlink.
Speaker 1:I am positive Starlink works well, but from everyone I look at on social media, the Starlink you got to get a new mount for it. You got to get a flat mount for it. You got to mount it somewhere. It does come with some. If you get it out and stick it somewhere, like people stick it on a pole on stuff Like a wee boost is more like a flat mount, like it's got a. They've got a whip with the wee boost to where it like a flip up or flip down for more coverage so you can get to camp and flip it up and it won't mess with any of your off-roading. But it's always there. You're not getting it out and putting it away Like it's a fixed system. I really want it to work well, but if it doesn't, I'll let you guys know If you're interested in looking at it or you're interested in anything they have again.
Speaker 1:Outskirts 5, it'll save you 5%. It helps me out, helps you out. That's the only brand where it helps me out. You go buy wheels, tires, shocks. None of that helps me. I'm just bringing you the information. Got some product moving on. Weboost appreciated me enough, so that does actually help me out from them.
Speaker 1:Onyx Offroad I'm just a discount for you guys. You guys just save money. Onyx is just again. Onyx is like method for me, something I've used for a long time. General tire as well, used a lot of them. They work fine. I don't know. I like these Candas better than my Generals either set that I had, honestly, so I would just leave that at that, even though X-Overland is sponsored by General and they do, the X3s, I think, is what they have and it's like this Cleaver probably is a great tire. I've never tried the X3 actually, so don't know, but I like these better than my ATXs that were on my full size. They're far better tire. So yeah, that's the reviews of the things I have right now. So a couple other things.
Speaker 1:Like I said, I'll be doing a review on the WeBoost at some point and I have a new rooftop tent. You will see it in the back. It's a 23-0 Kabari light. I have spent I don't know a considerable amount of nights in it. I just thought suspension, wheels and tires were a review to be combined, even though the wheels and tires went on at the same time. Naturally the suspension was on previous, but I thought they were worth putting together.
Speaker 1:I'll talk about the tent another time, but I will be doing a review of the tent. I actually have been messaged most about doing a review of the tent. Evidently it's not a very popular tent. Maybe not popular to see online, I don't know but yeah, I'll review it. That's a review for you guys that have listened to me talk about rooftop tents before and had all the amazing things I said about Overland Vehicle Systems, ovs. I've had three of their rooftop tents and I do think they're great. But it will be worth listening to me review this tent and just the way I talk about it. There's just some takeaways, for sure.
Speaker 1:So, anyways, before I get out of here, my friend, johnny, which you guys have heard about a lot Okay, so this is like the reviews are done. Make sure you guys comment, like subscribe, whatever it is. You do Continue to follow the podcast, but for those of you guys that hear about Johnny, johnny is a friend of mine and Johnny is like, no matter what's going on, I can tell Johnny I'm going out and he'll come, like Johnny's with me. I wrecked I like wrecked the side of my truck. Johnny goes down the trail, eats a freaking taillight, like we're like a hundred percent. He knew it was bad. It just kept doing it with me. He's with me, he'll go with me. He's pretty game. Okay, this is going a whole different direction than you guys will believe.
Speaker 1:Johnny texts me today. This is just a piece of comedy, let me. It says something along the lines of you want to run a marathon? And I was like do what, a marathon? And I was like do what in April? And I was like what are we talking? Like he. So he sends me a link to this marathon.
Speaker 1:Now I'll be clear with you guys I'm five eight, johnny's probably five eight. We both definitely weigh more than 200 pounds. He is not a runner, johnny's not a track star. I definitely have nothing to do with this. I wouldn't say either of us are out of shape by any means, but not that shape. So I'll preface with that. So it's not like he's a runner and is asking me to partake in his hobby. He's not a runner, he's not a runner. We both hike, we both off-road, we're both outside like we're outdoors people.
Speaker 1:But anyways, long story short, he sends me this thing and I go okay, marathon. He says marathon, right. So I'm like oh, they got a half, they got a marathon relay. I'm like so what are we looking at here, johnny? He's like the full thing and I'm like relay no, 26 miles. So, given that. And there's a reason.
Speaker 1:Johnny asked me this is how we operate. He's always down when I ask. I'm always down when he asks. So he asked and I was like, hey, man, if you're wild enough to do it, I'm wild enough to join you. So I guess me and Johnny are going to be crawling, walking, running. I don't know. It's April, so I got time to train. I'll give it a shot. Boondock here, he said power walk it to train. I'll give it a shot. Boondock here, he said power walk it. I don't think me or johnny intends to. That's not going to be our strategy. That might not be how it doesn't end up, but I think we'll both try to run it, jog it, trot it, whatever. I think we'll train, so be ready to hear about that journey. But that just goes back.
Speaker 1:The reason I even bring that up is not like, oh, listen to what I'm doing, but I've said it multiple times in the last few days, like, good friends are hard to come by. So yeah, be a friend. He asked me if I wanted to do it. That's not something that he was just like partially. He knows that I would do it, even though I gave him a lot of crap about whether I would do it or not. The moment he asked he knew I was like in I would do it or not. The moment he asked he knew I was like in I would do it with him. But that's good friends. Good friends are hard to come by. So I've said it last week, like where I talked about the community, I didn't know Johnny from anybody before.
Speaker 1:I met him through another friend that I met at an Overland Expo. So I met somebody in an Overland Expo that met Johnny. That introduced me to Johnny. And now me and Johnny have been camping I don't know 10 times and we're running a marathon together through overlanding. So it's still relevant.
Speaker 1:But again, when you meet, good friends are hard to come by. So, like I always keep that in the back of my mind, like, even if this thing takes me six hours, it's six hours one day. It's probably a lifelong friendship. Do cool stuff with your friends, guys. The community is phenomenal. Again, good friends are extremely difficult to come by.
Speaker 1:My leg's hurting for a week again. Whatever, in the grand scheme of things, is it going to suck? It should. If it doesn't, I'm not trying hard enough. So it should suck, I would say. But I guess me and him are doing that thing. So you guys will hear about that when that comes around. But he sent me a me a text. He's like how awesome would that be? You do a podcast, run marathons and drive your truck on mountains. So he's got some type of uh he, this is obviously something he's been thinking about. I got asked, not two, three hours ago, and I was like you know what, whatever, yeah, I'm free that weekend. I already checked. Yeah, I'll run this thing with you or walk it or what. Carry each other. Maybe I push him in a stroller for half. Then he pushes me. I don't know. I don't know how it's going to go, but we're going to do that thing. So be ready for the comedy that comes with that, cause I'm sure that text thread between me and him is going to be funny, cause I don't even know what I'm getting into.
Speaker 1:I never run. I was in the Marine Corps. I've ran a lot, but not 26 straight miles. I've hiked 26 miles or rucked 26 miles, but I was also 22. I'm 37, 36, 37. It's a long time ago and quite a few pounds ago and quite a bit of cartilage ago. So I'm not even gonna act like it's the same thing.
Speaker 1:So, anyways, just back to the community piece. Like that's a fun thing about the community. We're gonna do a totally unrelated activity together, but this is how we met is overlanding and and it's great and I go with him a lot. We kind of just we do stuff together. So this will just be another thing. If any of you guys want to run a freaking marathon April 12th in Fayetteville, arkansas, we're running a marathon, or I don't. Let's get a little closer before I say what we're doing a marathon. I'm not going to say we're running shit, we'll figure that out when we get closer. It's not going to say we're running shit, we'll figure that out when we get closer. It's not like I could do that right now. So I don't want to get ahead of myself. Don't make false promises. So anyways, guys, I really appreciate y'all being here. I appreciate you listening.
Speaker 1:If you have any questions or comments on any of the products I reviewed, if you want any links, like again, I have them here. Like I'm just on KMC wheel. If you want any links, like again, I have them here. Like I'm just on KMC wheel. Rough country suspension, kenda tires I am not on anything special. I don't have some special link, don't have no discounts, nothing like that, just bringing stuff to your guys' attention that I'm trying, that I've got.
Speaker 1:I would highly recommend giving the rough country suspension a look, as I'm sure most of you would think. The tires are fine and the wheels are nice. The suspension's really the surprise product of everything I've gotten. I can't believe it's as good as it is. To be completely honest with you guys, don't sleep on it. Give it a shot. Maybe if you're in the market. It's not a bad shot to take, is all I'm telling you. And my truck is heavy 5,800 pounds. Heavy steel bumpers, and that's not aluminum steel bumpers, so I can't imagine it being. They're good Again. They're good, like the stamp of approval on those. So, anyways, I will catch you guys next week. I'm having some issues getting my truck fixed Parts shortage, so we'll talk about that. Maybe I might have it situated by next week. And then I've got a pretty whenever my truck's done.
Speaker 1:I have a super exciting thing that I got. I bought it but it's like really freaking cool. So I cannot wait to share that with you guys. You might have to wait. Hopefully my truck's done by big iron. I'll be a big iron, no matter what, whether it's in my truck or different vehicle maybe not an overland vehicle, but my, my fridge will fit in whatever and I can sleep wherever. I'm not about it when it's just my truck. If I'm in a car, even a rental like I will be a big iron. I'll be camping. I might be in a tent on the ground. I'm not against putting a tent on top of a rental car either if it's got bars. So anyways, I'll be there, no matter what. I'm not about it, just if I got this cool truck. So you'll see me there, no matter what Rendezvous.
Speaker 1:On the other hand, if my truck isn't done, I wasn't going to go to Rendezvous for the three days. If my truck's not done, I probably will actually go to Rendezvous for the three days because I won't be off-roading. I'm not going to off-road a rental, I don't know. I off-road or rental, I don't know. I'm having some troubles. They're having some issues getting some of the stuff from my truck. It's not available right now, so we'll see what comes of that. But I'll be at Big Iron period so you guys can see me there. I don't need to be in my truck to be there I could be on a bicycle really, and maybe that's what you will see me on, who knows? No-transcript.