Off-Grid Campers, New Diesel Titans and Off Road Tires with Fred Williams

MotorTrend

Watch Off-Grid Campers, New Diesel Titans and Off Road Tires with Fred Williams - MotorTrend on Dailymotion

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00:00 (upbeat music)

00:02 I'm Fred Williams from 4 Wheel and Off-Road Magazine

00:18 and Dirt Every Day.

00:19 I've got my credentials, I'm at SEMA.

00:21 I'm gonna show you all the cool stuff that I like.

00:23 It's big trucks, stuff on big tires, off-road vehicles,

00:27 anything that's fun for playing in the dirt.

00:29 Let's go check it out.

00:30 (upbeat music)

00:32 So you know that I like big four-wheel drives,

00:40 big off-road vehicles, and stuff on big tires.

00:42 And this is probably the biggest off-road vehicle

00:45 at SEMA this year.

00:46 This is the Curavan.

00:47 It's a massive Unimog truck and trailer camping device.

00:51 This is Don.

00:52 Don's in charge of the whole program.

00:54 What is this thing for?

00:55 - Well, the Curavan's an exploration vehicle.

00:57 Basically, it's to go wherever you want

00:59 and be able to survive from minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit

01:02 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

01:03 - It's a little different than just a Jeep with a tent.

01:05 - Yeah, it's a little different than a Jeep with a tent.

01:07 It's got hard-sided living quarters

01:09 that have really high R-value insulation

01:11 so we can control the temperature.

01:12 And it's actually nice and comfortable inside.

01:15 - Seems to have a plethora of electronics.

01:18 - Yeah, there's a lot of electronics.

01:19 We have over 27 radios.

01:21 There's all sorts of different communication protocols,

01:24 satellite, gotta stay connected

01:25 when you're out driving around.

01:26 - So you guys are doing some groundbreaking technology

01:29 on this thing.

01:30 It seems like a lot of different systems there.

01:32 What type of off-roading upgrades have this thing had?

01:35 - We've upgraded the suspension

01:36 to a hydropneumatic suspension

01:37 so there's no coil springs or shocks.

01:39 It's all nitrogen and hydraulics.

01:41 There's actually a fluidic computer in the valve block

01:43 that actually sets the damping for a roll.

01:45 - A fluidic computer?

01:46 - Fluidic computer.

01:47 - We're gonna need one of those next year

01:48 on one of our projects.

01:49 (Don laughs)

01:50 Well, thanks for talking to us, Don.

01:51 - Yeah, no problem.

01:52 (upbeat music)

01:55 (upbeat music)

01:57 - Here's the thing about SEMA.

02:03 There is something here for everybody.

02:06 It's literally mind-blowing and sensory overload

02:10 when you come to this place.

02:11 So we are at the Maxxis Tire booth.

02:13 You guys have been watching Dirt Every Day.

02:15 You know our Mad Maxxis Off-Road Runner Project.

02:17 This is where it all started,

02:19 but we're here today to talk about tires.

02:21 So John, 42-inch Trepidos.

02:23 - Yes.

02:24 - That's a big tire.

02:25 Tell me about this tire.

02:26 - Well, I think it was originally a challenge from you,

02:30 I think, saying, "Hey, you know,

02:32 "I think we need a bigger tire than a 40."

02:35 And from all the customer feedback,

02:37 "Hey, you know, we need something bigger.

02:38 "We need something bigger,

02:39 "and in America, bigger's better."

02:40 So I went to the engineers and I asked,

02:43 "Hey, can we just build a 42 Competition 17

02:46 "for all the hardcore enthusiasts out there?"

02:48 And we've actually made some little changes.

02:50 We've made some additional sidewall

02:53 and actually tread changes.

02:54 - It looks really cool.

02:55 I like this.

02:56 - This should provide some additional traction on slick rock

02:59 and also the lines on the tread surface

03:01 is also gonna help on slick rock.

03:02 - It looks bigger than some other 42s

03:04 I've seen in the market.

03:06 How big is this tire?

03:07 What's the overall diameter?

03:08 - Yeah, so if you remember our conversation,

03:12 I think you mentioned that a lot of guys build 40,

03:14 but it's not really a true 40.

03:16 So I challenged the engineers to really build one.

03:19 So this, inflated, is almost 42 1/2.

03:22 - So it's over 42.

03:23 - It's over 42 inches tall.

03:25 - We've talked about this tire on Dirt Every Day,

03:27 but here at SEMA, we have your new Razor.

03:30 - Yes.

03:30 - What's the story behind this tire?

03:31 - After getting a lot of feedback from our customers,

03:33 they wanted something a little bit newer.

03:36 And our big horn has been in the product lineup for a while.

03:40 So what we wanna do is we wanna do a modern MT.

03:43 A little bit more quiet

03:44 with a very, very aggressive sidewall.

03:47 The sidewall's brand new, much thicker than before

03:50 for puncture resistance and also for sidewall traction.

03:53 - And you're offering this up to a 40?

03:55 - We may not stop there.

03:56 - All right, let's keep doing cool stuff.

03:58 - Yes.

03:59 - Thanks, John. - Awesome.

03:59 (upbeat rock music)

04:02 - This is Levi Shirley's car.

04:07 He just won the Ultra Four, and the thing's awesome.

04:11 This is a big year for Cummins.

04:17 Cummins has been making diesel engines for a long time.

04:19 They have a brand new diesel engine in the Nissan Titan,

04:22 and it's the first time you guys have been at the SEMA show?

04:25 - That's right.

04:25 - So Steve and Brittany are here.

04:27 These two really helped me with our off-road runner project.

04:30 These engines are in the works to be crate engines?

04:33 Or what's the deal?

04:34 What's gonna happen here?

04:35 - Fred's kind of our pilot for this crate engine promotion.

04:38 - Pilot, aka guinea pig.

04:40 - That's right, guinea pig.

04:41 He's helping us work through what we have to do

04:43 to make this happen.

04:44 - You got the V8.

04:45 You're known for your inline six cylinders.

04:47 What other crate engine ideas are in the works,

04:50 or are you just doing 'em?

04:50 - So the main thing for the crate engine program

04:53 is people want four cylinders,

04:55 do people want inline six cylinders,

04:57 or do people want V8s?

04:58 And ultimately, we'd like to offer all of the above,

05:00 because each application's different.

05:02 Hot rod guys might be drawn to the V8,

05:04 Jeep guys might like the four cylinder,

05:06 and the big truck guys might like the inline six.

05:09 - What type of power numbers

05:10 are you estimating for each size?

05:13 - So we would like to, on the four cylinder,

05:15 be in the 300, 350 foot pounds of torque range.

05:19 The inline six, anywhere from 600 to 850 foot pounds

05:23 of torque range, and the V8 around 560 to 600 foot pounds

05:27 for the kit engine.

05:28 - So SEMA 2017 crate engines.

05:32 - I hope so.

05:32 - Cross your fingers.

05:33 - Cross your fingers.

05:34 Take my serval.

05:35 - Thanks, Dan.

05:36 - Thanks, Fred.

05:37 - Thanks, Fred.

05:37 - Yeah.

05:38 (upbeat music)

05:41 (upbeat music)

05:43 - We're here with Matt Glass from ARB.

05:54 ARB has been a huge supporter

05:56 of 4 Wheel and Off-Road Magazine.

05:57 They make really cool stuff.

05:58 Matt, tell us about this brand new truck.

06:00 - So this is actually our brand new bumper

06:02 that we're gonna have released for this truck in the spring.

06:04 This is the new Summit Series Bar.

06:07 Couple slight differences than our traditional deluxe bar.

06:10 We've updated the styling to match the new designs

06:12 the trucks are coming out with these days.

06:15 Updated the upper hoop, larger diameter,

06:17 LED turn signals and daytime running lights,

06:20 larger fog lights with a nice little Lexan cover as well.

06:23 Rock chips, replace the Lexan,

06:25 don't have to replace the fog lights.

06:27 We moved the winch control pack down a little bit.

06:30 - That doesn't block the radiator.

06:30 - Doesn't block the radiator, better air flow going to it.

06:33 But, as always, the traditional aspect of an ARB bumper

06:37 is airbag compatibility.

06:38 So this thing will make sure that your airbag deploys

06:40 at the proper point in time

06:41 if you get in a bad enough wreck.

06:43 But it's also give you a level of protection

06:45 that's going to allow you to deflect

06:47 any sort of animal strikes or other incidents

06:49 that you might have out in the back country

06:50 while you're out exploring.

06:51 - So what else is new with ARB?

06:52 - This is actually our 40th year.

06:54 - Really?

06:55 - Yeah, absolutely.

06:56 So to celebrate, we're doing something

06:59 a little bit different.

07:00 We asked our fans to pick four, five different vehicles,

07:03 asked them what their favorite trucks were

07:05 for the last 40 years.

07:07 US fans, what do you think they said?

07:10 - Jeep.

07:11 - Obviously.

07:12 So we're building this great little 2004 TJ.

07:15 - Really, a TJ, not a JK?

07:17 - Not a JK, no, absolutely.

07:18 Keeping it a little bit heritage, a little bit classic.

07:20 - That's cool.

07:21 - That Jeep is going to join the other four vehicles

07:23 that are being built in Australia.

07:24 We're sending it in a container over there.

07:26 Those five trucks are going to tackle

07:28 the Simpson Desert together as part of a big celebration

07:30 of our 40th year anniversary.

07:32 - Can I ride in the container and go to Australia with you?

07:34 - We won't put you in the container,

07:35 we'll get you on a plane,

07:36 but you're absolutely welcome to join us.

07:37 - That's even better.

07:39 I can't wait.

07:39 - We'll see you down there.

07:40 - Let's go play in the desert.

07:41 (upbeat music)

07:44 My challenge for this SEMA week

07:56 was to find a really cool truck for the drag race.

07:58 Every year they drag me out here to the middle of nowhere

08:01 to some airstrip to drag race.

08:02 I'm an off-road guy, I need to have a truck.

08:05 Knowing Nissan was involved this year,

08:07 I wanted to find a really cool Nissan truck,

08:10 and I'm pretty sure I found the coolest one available.

08:13 (engine revving)

08:16 This giant automotive trade show held in Las Vegas,

08:26 all these people, all of our friends

08:27 in the automotive industry come to Vegas for a week,

08:31 and you can only imagine how tired we are

08:34 by the end of the week from working,

08:37 because we don't stay up late,

08:39 we're always here early in the morning.

08:41 - We always get enough sleep.

08:42 - We always get plenty of sleep,

08:44 and we eat really well, and--

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