It is perhaps most important to first consider what type of person you may be, as an off-road enthusiast. Generally, people who enjoy these types of activities are fun-loving and/or free-spirited, as well as talented; however, it is not uncommon for these qualities to be accompanied by a certain recklessness or feeling of invincibility. Therefore, if you are an off-road driver, it is important to be very honest with yourself, and to realize that no matter how confident or how talented you are, you are putting yourself on a relatively dangerous path on a regular basis. This only amplifies the need to protect yourself and your vehicle with adequate car insurance.

There are generally a lot of differences between different car insurance companies, and even between the different packages offered by each company. Sometimes, the insurance can be as simple as covering broken windows and dents, and not much more; however, some packages can also include more severe accident compensation, and even certain compensation for injured passengers in your vehicle or in another, in the event of an accident.

The point is, there are a number of potentially helpful advantages to investing in a reliable car insurance company, whether you are a casual driver around town or someone using your vehicle as a competitive tool or a means for amusement. Particularly if you practice relatively dangerous driving activities such as racing or off-roading, you want to strongly consider signing on with one of these companies. If something bad happens to you and your vehicle, and you are not covered by a solid car insurance compensation package, the out-of-pocket costs can be extremely hard to manage.

To help advance outdoor recreationists’ knowledge of how to avoid environmental damage and conflicts with others, the nonprofit organization Tread Lightly! has released a newly updated series of “quick tips” for 18 forms of recreation.  The tips are available to read online and can also be ordered in a brochure format.

New tips for UTV riding, shooting sports, and trail sharing have been created, and the classics have been updated and redesigned—such as ATV riding, camping, boating, geocaching and others.

The printing of the new brochures was made possible by Foremost Insurance Group, which specializes in policies for off-road vehicles.  The brochures are available to the public at no cost except shipping and handling.  They can be read or ordered at www.treadlightly.org.

“Foremost recognizes that education is crucial to keeping the great outdoors healthy and open to the public,” says Randy Slotten, Foremost’s Director of Direct Marketing.  “The information in these brochures should be practiced by every single outdoor recreationist, and we are proud to partner with Tread Lightly! to help make that happen.”

Some sample tips include:
·      When camping, try to use existing campsites. Camp on durable surfaces and place tents on a non-vegetated area. Do not dig trenches around tents.  Camp at least 200 feet from water, trails, and other campsites.
·      When approaching a horse while on an off-highway vehicle, immediately pull to the downhill side of the trail far enough for the horse to safely pass.  Ask the rider for the best way to proceed without startling the animal.
·      Cross streams only where the trail crosses the stream or at designated fording points.

The full series includes tips for responsible camping, fishing, off-highway motorcycling, mountain biking, geocaching, ATV riding, hunting, hunting with an ATV, four-wheeling, snowmobiling, personal watercraft use, horseback riding, snow sports, hiking, sand duning, boating, shooting sports, UTV riding and trail sharing.

Tread Lightly!, Inc. is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to proactively protect recreation access and opportunities in the outdoors through education and stewardship initiatives.  Tread Lightly! is the nation’s signature ethics message for outdoor enthusiasts that use motorized vehicles.  The organization also offers unique training and restoration programs strategically designed to instill an ethic of responsibility in a wide variety of outdoor enthusiasts and the industries that serve them.

Foremost Insurance Group is a single source for personal property and casualty and commercial insurance. A member of the Farmers Insurance Group®, Foremost has been a leader in the insurance industry since 1952. Foremost is headquartered in Caledonia, Michigan. To learn more, visit Foremost.com.

About the Company: Founded originally in 2006 as Rev111, the company closed its doors in late 2007. In 2008, Armored Works, LLC, purchased Rev111 and renamed the company MetalCloak after their most popular product line, the MetalCloak Body Armor. Reopening their doors on January 5, 2009, MetalCloak continues to improve the original designs and develop new products for growing platforms including the YJ, TJ, and JK.

Custom Jeep Wrangler 07 from BDS Suspension

Grizzly 550 with Electric Power Steering from Yamaha

A Few Featured Outdoor Gear Products

4-Pack of Hunter Radios from Cabela’s

WindShear Fishing Gloves

Gift Certificate for a Sportz Truck Tent III from Napier Enterprises

Portable gas campfire from Campfire in a Can®

Ultralight Pro Adventure Medical Kit from GoBagGear.com

Mountain Bike Grips from Grab On Grips, LLC

Camo Bikini from Rocky Trail Outfitters

Mini Telepro Avalanche Shovel from Voile Equipment

MAX Multi-Purpose Tool from Forrest Tool Company

A Few Featured 4×4 Products

A Removable Roof Rack for Jeep Wrangler from RockyRidgeProducts.com

Any new Mud-Terrain or All-Terrain Tires from BFGoodrich

Jeep JK 4″ Suspension System from Zone Offroad Products

RCD Suspension Lift Kit from West Coast Off Road

Chevy Front Tube Winch Bumper from Blazen Off-Road

Jeep TJ Flat Style Fender Flares from Bushwacker

Hi-Lift Handle-All from Hi-Lift Jack Company

Seat Belt Pads from Jettrim

Custom Retrofit Signal® Mirrors from Muth Mirror Systems

Certificate for a 4-hour Driving Course from Sedona Jeep School

NoLoss Valve Caps from Sierra Expeditions

Set of Hydro or Nitro Shocks from Skyjacker Suspensions

Pocket Tire Plugger from Stop & Go International

$50 Gift Certificates from TRDparts4U.com

$200 Gift Certificate from 4x4ReplacementParts.com

Toyota Rear Drive Disconnect from Trail Tough Products

A Few Featured Powersports Products

2 Speed Child’s Electric Gator from John Deere

Stealth Exhaust 2.0 from Kolpin

Renthal Twinwall Handlebar from Renthal Ltd.

A Set of Grim Reaper Radial ATV/UTV Tires from GBC Motorsports

Universal Mount ATV Windshield from Powermadd

Genuine Fake License Plate from ATV-MC USA State License Plates 4U

Halogen 5-Light Bar from UTV Sounds

Kolpin Gas Pack from ATVNAtion.com

UNO™ UTV Gun & Bow Rack from All Rite Products

Rhino Gauge Cluster from UTV Concepts

A.R.C. MX240 Helmet from Rocky Mountain ATV/MC

RC Evolution Race Collar from EVS Sports

Eclipse X2 Motorcycle Headlight from Trail Tech Inc.

32oz Bike Magik Qwik Shine from BioKleen

World’s Best Grab Handles from Off-Road Trail Tools

Revolt Riding Pants from Klim USA

Off-Road Motorcycle Handguards from Enduro Engineering

Helmet Bag from AFX North America

Flywheel Puller from Dennis Stubblefield Sales, Inc.

2-Cycle Bio-Degradable Oil from Aerospace Lubricants

Women’s Free-Style Riding Gear from Damzl

Deluxe Hauler Soft Bag from QuadBoss   

UNO™ UTV Gun & Bow Rack from All Rite Products

Ski Defender Covers from Sandberg Snowmobile Ski Covers

LEAD-DOG Helmet Light from Helmetlight, Inc.
 
Get more information about the auction and see the rest of the products at www.treadlightly.org.
 
Tread Lightly!, Inc. is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to proactively protect recreation access and opportunities in the outdoors through education and stewardship initiatives.  Tread Lightly! is the nation’s signature ethics message for outdoor enthusiasts that use motorized vehicles.  The organization also offers unique training and restoration programs strategically designed to instill an ethic of responsibility in a wide variety of outdoor enthusiasts and the industries that serve them.
###

With summer right around the corner many of us are looking to go topless with our Jeeps. Unfortunately, most Jeep hard top and soft top damage occurs when the top is off the vehicle. Here’s an article I came across detailing a few different storage solutions that’ll keep your top in, well, top shape.

Need to protect your jeep’s top from harm? Then look no further. The jeep soft and hard top storage is the perfect way to achieve that protection while retaining the jeep’s good looks. The hard and soft storage help keep the tops free of debris and dirt. In addition, these storage boots are designed for use even when the windows of the jeep are zipped out. Moreover, for those of you struggling to find room for the soft and hard tops, worry no more. There are various ideas on how you can store a jeep’s hardtop. The hard top storage device presents a section for storing hard tops. You can build a dolly made of caster wheels on the base so that it is easy to move the top around the garage. This also keeps the hardtop level and flat for protection. The caster wheels at the bottom allow for mobility. Another great idea of storing hardtops is by placing the tops properly in the rafter of the garage.

There are covers that come in handy for your jeep soft and hard top storage. These covers feature loop and hook fasteners that seal a hardtop in the hard cover. The cover is custom tailored with the dimensions of your jeep Wrangler hardtop that features the technical Noah barrier fabric. The fabric is also breathable and features a layer made up of microscopic holes that allow heat and moisture vapor to escape. You also get a storage cart, which is convenient for storing soft and hard jeep tops. The carts are designed to permit storage of your hard tops in an upright position. This takes about 1/3 the space of horizontal storage. The cart brags of features such as a heavyweight caster wheels mounted on a steel frame with a long-lasting black powder finish. For added safety, you can use lockable casters. Safely lock the hardtop lift gate before placing it on the cart.

Most damage of your soft and hard tops happens when they are off the car. For your jeep soft and hard top storage, use an entirely padded bag, which has a kit for hanging on the wall. The interior of the bag is completely lined with a soft material, zipped on both sides and is padded while the outer part is made of strong nylon. The bag has two strong ‘D’ rings that support the back straps and comes with two hardwearing hooks, which screw, into a wall. Generally, the bag is shaped to support the soft top safely for long periods with no distortion of damage risks. Creating a one compacted storage bag is the soft-top bag. It is sized to fit the soft top and you can easily store it in the jeep when riding topless. Simply place your soft top in the bag between a separate divider then roll it into a tube shape. Subsequently place it in a vinyl protective cover securing the ends with cords. Then you can lay the bag on the trunk area ready for use in case need arises.

For excellent jeep soft and hard top storage, use the Rampage Soft Top Storage Boot Gray for Jeep wranglers. This allows you to store the soft top in the car boot while traveling. When folded down, the Rampage Soft Top Storage Boot Gray guards the soft top from strong sunlight, dirt, and debris. The storage bags and racks for soft and hard tops help to secure the jeep’s tops. They protect the tops from damage, debris, dust, dirt and from blowing away.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sydney_Davidson

Shirley, MA  — April 6, 2009  – Drop your top! On May 9th, 2009, AllThingsJeep.com is sponsoring their 2nd Annual Worldwide Go Topless Day and invites Jeep owners everywhere to take the top off their Jeep and celebrate. Whether their Jeep’s top comes off or not, Go Topless Day is a day for Jeep owners to celebrate Jeep love, Jeep spirit, and the sense of fun and adventure that comes with owning a Jeep. What started as an idea for a local event last year quickly grew to a worldwide phenomenon through the help of the Internet. Over 50 Jeep Clubs on 4 continents participated in the event last year and this year’s Go Topless Day is expected to have triple the participants.

In Massachusetts, the flagship Go Topless Day in Lancaster, MA  is near the All Things Jeep headquarters. The event is free, the giveaways – plentiful, and all Jeep owners are invited to attend. The celebration will include music, food, giveaways, raffles, activities for Jeep kids big and small. Local Jeep and Off-Road clubs are attending and are invited to set up booths.

“We’re going to create a world record this year,” said Jean Wnuk, co-owner of All Things Jeep, “Let’s get 1000s of Jeeps going topless on May 9th and make it a worldwide celebration of Jeep ownership. We encourage Jeep clubs and Jeep owners everywhere to join in the event.”

Last year Go Topless Day was the largest coordinated event among Jeep owners ever to exist.  This year you can sign up to participate either individually or as part of a group and AllThingsJeep.com will send you materials to launch your event.

About All Things JP LLC
All Things JP LLC runs www.allthingsjeep.com and is one of the largest providers of gifts, apparel and memorabilia for the Jeep® and off-road market. All Things JP LLC satisfies Jeep® owners desires for products that enhance their adventurous lifestyles. Visit  www.allthingsjeep.com for the perfect gift for Jeep® lovers including Jeep memorabilia, clothing, decals, tire covers, jewelry, seat covers and more.

The National Off-Road Association (NORA) announced its annual membership drive last month.

Along with the usual association benefits, you’ll have access to some killer deals like the ones below:

• $100 off Goodyear Tires
• Over $400 off a Superwinch EPi 9.0
• 20% off all Black Diamond lift kits
• 15% off all purchases at Rubicon Express
• 15% off all purchases at Superior Axle & Gear
• Up to $100 off Teraflex lift kits
• $25 off Hi-Lift Jacks
• $25 off a Ready Welder II unit
• $25 off a PakkRatt tire cover
• $10 off shipping at 4Wheel Drive Hardware
• $10 off an ARB tire repair kit
• 10% off of purchases at All Things Jeep
• 10% off of purchases at Runck Manufacturing

An annual membership to NORA goes for $29.95, so if you’re in the market for a set of Goodyear tires or a Superwinch EPi 9.0 the membership easily pays for itself.

To learn more about becoming a member of the National Off-Road Association, please visit www.nora-usa.com.

I wrote a post last June titled “Hybrid Electrics—When will Jeep go Green?” that sparked quite a bit of conversation on the site. It seems we have our answer!

According to Chryslerllc.com they’ll be “Introducing five distinct vehicle platforms with ENVI’s electric-vehicle technology” the site goes on to further state that you will have the “Ability to own one of these electric vehicles as soon as 2010.” with “At least three more models available by 2013.”

The new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited EV will feature a 200 kW engine, which translates roughly to 268 hp. This models boasts a 40-mile all-electric range and a 400-mile hybrid gas/electric range. In electric-only mode the Lithium-ion battery will provide 70 kW or 94 hp worth of juice.

0-60 time is estimated at 9 seconds with a mid-16 second quarter mile time. Top speed is greater than 90 mph.

One really interesting quote from the site reads:

“We are also exploring four-wheel-drive, in-wheel electric motors to demonstrate the full reach of ENVI’s advanced electric-drive technologies. The instant high torque of the electric-drive motor and the ability to precisely control each wheel independently results in off-road capability ideally suited for the Jeep brand, without compromising on-road driving capability.”

A motor for each wheel? Where do I sign?

Ultimately, it looks like the question “When will Jeep go Green?” has been answered by Chrysler and we’ll be seeing the results sooner rather than later.

The Mopar Performance Model 44′s are shipped complete with 4.10 gears, disc brakes and a factory Rubicon E-locker. The E-locker does require a wiring harness and switch panel, but it’s well worth the price for the convenience of push button traction.

You can pick up a Mopar Performance Model 44 Axle online for around $1,850 plus the cost of shipping. The factory wiring harness and switch kit will run around $110 more.

Product Specs:

• Axle ratio: 4.10
• Factory Rubicon E-Locker
• Track width: 61.9
• Wheel bolt pattern: 5 on 5.0
• Rear axle tube diameter: 80mm
• Front axle tube diameter: 63.5mm
• Front brake rotor: 302mm diameter x 28mm wide vented