We came, we saw, we photographed ’till our DSLRs’ batteries died–the best the off-road community was out in force the weekend of October 4-5, 2014 at the Lucas Oil Off Road Expo held at the Fairplex in Pomona, California. We were there to cover all the goings-on, from Day One‘s epic truck-ness to Day Two’s star-struck autograph sessions and rapidly disappearing swag items.
At the core of the show, however, is the overwhelming amount of new technology and products that aftermarket companies bring with them to this SoCal venue. We covered practically all 435,000 square feet of space within the Fairplex’s grounds, and came up with the following list of our favorite gadgets, parts, and other goods to come from the show.
When it came to suspension, FOX Racing‘s new electronically-controlled IRD Bypass shock absorbers were a sight to behold. Able to be modified by a tuner-like device, a user can manipulate suspension stiffness with the press of a few buttons inside the cab of his truck. The system is expected to make it to the Ford Raptor first, and then expand to other applications.
Currie Enterprises was making the most of the event showing off the new Ford Raptor 9-inch replacement rear end. “Basically, it allows you to run what our trophy truck housings would, and keep all your factory brakes and your ABS working” explained Chris Nissley, sales representative.
“As a one-piece steel design, it improves upon the stock three-piece housing, which has a tendency to get weak and crack.” The housing is available now and takes about three weeks to craft from the company’s facilities in Corona, California.
Over at Poison Spyder, Jeep enthusiasts got a kick out of the new body mounted tire carrier for the JK Wrangler. The part uses body-to-frame bracing inside the body, which helps support the carrier, as well as a spacer on the latching side that offset damage to the body should the tire “strike a two-foot ledge on its way down a rock,” said president Larry McRae.
Dynatrac set up shop inside the largest building, among dozens of other vendors to show off its new ProRock 80 axle. “This is the big, bad setup for handling 40-plus-inch tires, HEMI swaps, and anything like that,” said Collin Dunner, one of the company’s mechanical engineers. “We’re talking 13-1/4 inch rotor, 40-spline axle shaft, full-floating awesomeness. It has an 11.25-inch ring gear, so it can handle just about anything you throw at it.”
Near Dynatrac, we found plenty of companies building stuff that would help put power down to something as monstrous as the ProRock 80. These included AIRAID, whose U-Build-It intake kits had a high degree of customization to them, as we learned from Trent McGee. “The U-shaped tube has a lot of bends and straights in it, and allows you to construct a custom intake for your custom application,” he said. “The systems range from three to six inches in diameter.”
With the in-flow covered, we switched gears and appeared at the Gibson Performance booth to talk with Sean Gibson, who was eager to get the word out about his company’s Metal Mulisha exhaust tips and new dual-port exhaust kits for the RZR XP1000.
He dropped a hint about the 2015 F-150 exhaust kits in development, so we will definitely have to follow up at the SEMA Show to see what comes of that. Which of the new truck’s motors will these kits align with? Only time will tell.
Finally, we got the full scoop on GenRight Off Road as we swung by on Sunday. The company’s popular JK full roll cage kit now has a cool little electronic partner, the Rock Garden Four Speaker Audio System. This roof-mounted device bolts up to the cage and keeps your MP3 player (iPhone, Android, tablet, etc.) locked away inside a waterproof and dust-proof case, while also keeping it charged and ready for phone calls.
This year’s Off Road Expo was another successful meeting of minds and innovation, as well as a lot of fun. Check out our recap on the events of Day One and Day Two to see more awesome stuff.