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This episode of the Off Road Podcast is Sponsored by Colby Valve.



 



Tonight, Aaron breaks out his skill saw, Coy drags something home, & Ben Does not rock out



 



Welcome to the off-road podcast. A podcast about everything off-road. We cover the news, review products, and interview people in the off-road industry.  Your hosts tonight are Aaron, Coy and my name is Ben.  Welcome to the show.



 



Ben - everything has been thrown for a loop trips have been canceled and I've got surgery in 4 weeks



Coy - bought an Intech Discovery



Aaron - Turned my bed from a queen to a California King in the RV.  Had to chop the bottom of a cabinet off & rebuild it.  Prepping for camping.  Fathers day.



 



Tell people we are taking July off



 

Patriotpatch.co 

We also want to thank our sponsor Patriot Patch. Head over to Patriotpatch.co and check out their selection of great patches, shirts, cleaning mats, signs , and stickers.  You can also join the patch of the month club for 15 bucks and receive a patch, matching sticker, and artist proof each month.



 



News brought to you by Colby Valve



Car Buzz - Ford Patents Shock-Absorbing Rock Rails



Ford is continually looking for ways to enhance the capability of its off-roaders, and a new patent discovered by CarBuzz and filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office demonstrates this. The Blue Oval has submitted designs for deployable rock sliders with cushioning pads underneath.

We've seen deployable rock sliders before, with aftermarket outfits like Rock Slide Engineering creating rocker panels with neatly integrated deployable sliders. What makes Ford's design slightly different is that its patent discusses cushioned sliders that would be usable in both the stowed and deployed positions, widening the scope of their practicality.

In the stowed position, the rock sliders would behave as normal, protecting the rocker panels from damage in collisions with rocks and other off-road obstacles and maximizing available ground clearance. In this position, the protective rails would protrude just below the lower edge of the chassis, remaining out of the way of the turbulent air from the front wheels and thereby increasing aerodynamic efficiency, albeit by a very small degree.

But when exiting or entering the car, the sliders could automatically deploy to enable easier ingress and egress. They could also be deployed while in motion. In this state, ground clearance is reduced slightly, but there's even less risk of damage to the rocker panels within which the sliders retract.

To achieve this plurality of states, a worm gear would be connected to an electric motor, although other types of motors are also potentially suitable. Underneath the metal rock sliders, non-metal shock absorption pads (made of rubber, plastic, resin, or other similar material) would provide a slightly higher margin for error before the sliders themselves are damaged. 

These pads would be easy to replace, allowing one to refresh their vehicle and remove all evidence of hardcore off-roading at a reasonable cost.

If this design is approved, it's far more likely that it will be sold as an additional accessory through Ford Performance Parts. Still, we can't see any obvious drawbacks. The patent was first filed in November 2022 and has just been published by the USPTO on May 30, 2024, so if the design is earmarked for production, it probably won't be long before it's rolled out to your local dealer.



 



Motor Trend - Mopar Just Dropped The ’24 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon



The fourteenth consecutive special-edition Mopar custom vehicle has dropped, and for 2024,