Accessorizing A Daily Driven Off-Roader With Help From Auto Anything

Roaring across the desert landscape of Baja at over 100 miles per hour in a perfectly tuned trophy truck, crawling out of the Devils Hot Tub in a fully built bulletproof Jeep or ripping through a Mississippi mud hole in a 3,000 horsepower monster bog truck. These are all amazing ways to get your offroad fix, but for most of us our weekend excursions happen in a truck that also pulls commuter duty come Monday.

With that dual duty in mind, I decided to call up our friends at Auto Anything to talk about some of the best accessories to help tackle the trail without compromising the comfort and drivability that modern trucks have become known for. It’s easy to get carried away given the sheer amount of parts available on AutoAnything’s website but, with a little time and a little help from Patrick Turcar, one of their sales reps, here are some of my favorite accessories that keep the balance between offroad capability and daily driver civility.

Interior

For me, the balance of hitting the trails in my daily driver truck is bringing the least amount of the trail back home as possible. Here are a few pieces of gear that will keep your cab from looking like the undercarriage when it’s your turn to drive the carpool.

Saddleman has recently revamped its neoprene seat covers with new and improved materials and designs. Boasting a form fitting waterproof design, they are machine washable and promise an easy install. Available in several color options these seat covers will save your factory interior no matter what climate your trail runs through.

Saddleman Seat Covers (top) offer a variety of colors and snug fit to keep your seats protected. WeatherTech Floor Liners (bottom) have a host of features to keep the dirt and grit contained.

Trying to get sand and muck out of factory carpet is one of the least fun post excursion activities that I know of. With WeatherTech waterproof floor liners, clean up is easy thanks to a low-profile design that redirects dirt to reservoir channels keeping debris from escaping onto your carpet. Fit is second to none so there is less worry about them sliding or moving around underfoot. Being fully waterproof, they also provide protection when your back on the road and that cup of coffee finds it’s way to the floorboard.

Suspension

While there is no doubt lifting and increasing suspension travel greatly improves offroad capability, both can become quite the compromise on the highway. Looking for ways to boost both aspects of driving here are a few picks that can actually increase performance regardless of surface.

Designed specifically for dual purpose driving the Bilstein B6 series is a great choice when it comes to upgrading your suspension. The 46mm monotubes are built for fade-free performance under all conditions. They include OE-certified mounting hardware and are specifically designed for use with factory suspensions and springs. Backed by a limited lifetime warranty and made here in the U.S.A, the B6 4600 is the great upgrade for your next adventure. These shocks are one of Patrick’s favorite upgrades to recommend, “They are great for stock suspensions and if you do lift your truck the B8 1500 series offer some great options as well”

 

Bilstein B6 4600 (top) series shocks are a great option for factory height vehicles. Air Lift Air Bag Suspension Kit (bottom) can level and smooth out some of the problems created by increasing your load.

When it comes to ride quality, adding a load, whether it be in the bed or on a trailer, is a sure-fire way to change the way your truck handles. This is where an airbag kit can help level everything back out and keep things comfortable. Air Lift kits are available for a range of applications and they come in five different versions depending on your hauling needs. Ranging from 1,000 to 7,500lbs of leveling, these kits install in about an hour with the supplied hardware and basic tools. Air Lift also offers in-cab adjustability with their control kits if you want the flexibility to adjust on the go.

Recovery

Recovery gear is one of those things that you really only appreciate when you need it.   With all the latest and greatest from a variety of manufacturers available these items represent pieces that are an easy grab and go solutions without permanent modifications or storage. If you are looking for heavier duty solutions they plenty of options as well.  

Being able to recover or getting a little extra help through a tough spot can definitely change the course of an excursion. With that said a full time mounted winch drastically changes the appearance of a truck. The Superwinch Wich2go system, on the other hand, gives you the best compromise of both worlds. With no permanent install required, the system gives you 8,000lbs of pulling power in just a few minutes when the need arises.

SuperWinch Winch2go (top) is a self-contained portable winch system with 8000 pounds of pulling power. ProZ Foldable Traction Mats (bottom) take up less space than larger one-piece boards.

The rest of the time the winch, pulley block, shackles, straps, and 50-foot cable all store neatly in the lockable tackle box. The system is designed to connect directly to the battery terminals and then to the supplied remote for easy operation. One added bonus to this system is when the need arises to load up a trailer you are covered with some extra pulling power as well.

Traction boards can be a great addition to your gear kit. The downside to most boards is size, creating a storage issue that eats up valuable space for other gear. That’s where these ProZ Foldable Traction Mats stand out from the crowd. The ability to fold up to less than a foot allows them to be stored in a toolbox or gear bag that can be carried when needed and left tucked away when the day calls for all paved roads. Made from tough weather-resistant plastic they are ready to deploy when the situation arises.

Exterior

Keeping in mind the everyday utility theme, I scoured the AutoAnything pages looking for styling options that added to both protection and style. While I love full steel bumpers and found plenty on the site, I wanted to add too, not replace the factory components and came up with these options.

Featuring three-inch steep tubing these Auto Anything Select bull bars are a great way to add both style and protection to your rig. The bars come pre-drilled for light bar mounting and are available in black or polished finishes. No cutting no drilling installation is standard for most applications and includes a removable skid plate.

AutoAnything select bull bars (top) are a great option for adding both protection and style to your rig. The Thule AeroBlade (bottom) is just one option the company offers in its line of racks.

With custom fits available for most applications the Thule AeroBlade Roof Rack System is a great way to add additional cargo space to your rig. I personally prefer a cargo basket when mounting stuff up top and opted to pair the rack system with the 859 Canyon Cargo basket for its integrated fairing and curved side design.

The basket is also designed to mount to the AeroBlade rail system and includes needed hardware. Overall the combo can drastically increase gear capacity, give you a location for a rooftop tent, serve as a mounting point for light bars or act as an oversized spare carrier.

After spending some time talking through part options for a wide array of build levels one thing became clear. When it comes to planning out the right accessories for your rig, talking to one of the experts at AutoAnything is a great place to start. So whether your looking to start making your truck just a little more comfortable or add to an already capable build having some support and recommendations never hurts.

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Dustin Singleton

Dustin is an internationally published photographer and the founder of IALS Photography. Managing a successful mobile electronics shop led him to become completely entrenched in the tuner scene.
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