We hope you've liked what OFF-ROAD magazine has turned into in the past year. In early 2008 (the February 2008 issue to be exact), we took OFF-ROAD and gave it a much more specific direction than it has ever had. We've tried a few different things here and there, but our core direction should have come through loud and clear. If you weren't listening, then let us spell it out for you: we cover fullsize trucks, go-fast off-road vehicles, side-x-sides, daily-driven off-roaders, and the high-performance side of the off-road industry.
Last month the OFF-ROAD staff sat down and deliberated for hours to find the four trucks of 2008 that best represented what we intend this magazine to cover. Well, maybe that's not completely true: we really just found the coolest trucks that we liked the most in the last 12 issues of the magazine. It just happens that they are perfect representations of everything we've been trying to make this magazine represent.
We hope you'll agree with us that these four beauties were worthy of taking a second look at.
Optioned-Out Work Truck 2004 F-250
This truck donned our July 2008 cover, but it actually wasn't even a feature truck. This truck belonged to a guy we know named Mike, who was a roommate of a buddy ... well, you know how those connections are made. Mike had a Super Duty with some custom springs and remote reservoir shocks, but it was sort-of a beat-you-to-death ride. That is, until we needed his truck to install a new Superlift suspension we wanted to try. He was pretty hesitant about pulling off his custom stuff to let us try the off-the-shelf kit, but we promised him he'd like it or we could put his fancy stuff back on.
When everything was done and the Superlift kit was installed, we honestly have to say that it was one of the softest riding Super Dutys we have ever been in.
We really liked the truck because of the pure utilitarian build of Mike's Super Duty. It was built just the way we would build that truck if it were ours. There was nothing too fancy and it was kept reliable and low enough to still use as a work truck. And with an amazingly smooth suspension, nice tires, blacked-out wheels, and a no-nonsense front bumper and lights, we had no choice but to call this one of the top four trucks of 2008.
| Vehicle: | 2004 Ford F-250 Super Duty Crew Cab |
| Owner: | Mike O'Donnell of Arroyo Grande, California |
| Chassis: | Ford OEM chassis |
| Engine: | 6.0L Powerstoke diesel, Edge programmer |
| Drivetrain: | 4R100 transmission with modified shift points, NP273 transfer case, Dana 60 front axle, Visteon 10.25 rear axle |
| Front Suspension: | Superlift 6-inch lift leaves, dual Superlift SSR remote reservoir shocks |
| Rear Suspension: | Superlift 6-inch lift leaves, single SSR remote reservoir shocks |
| Steering: | Superlift drop pitman arm, Superlift steering stabilizers |
| Brakes: | Factory Ford, Bulletproof brake lines |
| Tires/wheels: | 38x15.50R18 Dick Cepek Mud Countrys on 18-inch DC-1 wheels |
| Interior: | OEM interior |
| Other Parts: | Road Armor bumper, Hella auxiliary lights, pillar-mounted boots and tranny temp gauges |