Parts Reviews

Car bras never really caught on with me. They’re supposed to be stylish, but to me my car is stylish, not the bra I put on it. What’s the point in protecting your car if you never actually get to see what you protect? The good thing is that the way your bra looks on your vehicle is mostly defined by the vehicle itself and I found that the Covercraft Bra goes exceptional well with trucks.

I usually don’t like the sharp color change, but depending on your truck’s tone, this bra will do you good. Actually I think in this case the sharper the contrast the better, so you are best off with a redish, yellowish or other vibrant truck tone.

The bra is also best for high front end vehicles, I can’t really put my finger on why I think this. If you take a look at the other pics on the page you’ll see some car examples, and again, it looks horrible. However on the truck it looks awesome. If anyone can explain why this is, please do share.

If you’ve never used a car bra, the main reason people stick these on is protection. Since your vehicles front end is hopefully in front when you drive, it is most exposed to bugs, scratches, bumps and other debris. The thin car bra stops these in their tracks, so insted of the bugs smearing all over your bumbper, you can just take off the car bra and your car is good as new. This specific model is a two piece, meaning installation is easy, but it doesn’t cover the opening of your hood, so you can still open it when the bra is on.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m quite a fan of lighting, weather in house, ourside or speaking automotively. I enjoy the various types of lighting and I’ve found a light that can produce the penetrating wide spread needed for fog, but also the lighthouse type beam needed for the long road.

This light is not pretty. I’ve seen it in person as well and if you want the looks, look elsewhere. It isn’t particularly ugly, but the features it offers obviuosly require a compromise. The rectangular form doesn’t really appeal to me. Somehow I’m more at ease with round lights, and I find the dual shade of the covers so near each other quite ugly.

Despite what I have said, if you are looking for something useful which will help you in any situation, come rain, snow, for or simply good weather, these lights are for you. The lighting quality of the PIAA 940 makes up for any problems with looks, switching from fog to beam is especially rewarding using the in-cab switch.

One of the things that can come really handy in any situation is a winch. If you travel in groups someone could get stuck somewhere, you could use it to winch away a tree blocking the road and a million other little uses.

The Ramsey REP 8.5E is a winch that will never let you down, and apart from the power, this is the most important factor for me. Durable construction, high grade materials and technical expertise make this part one of the best, but I think the lifetime warranty speaks louder than all the others.

If you need power you won’t be disappointed, you will be able to winch at 8,500 lbs, which is almost four metric tonnes! That is more than enough for most trucks and especially cars. A three stage gear for rope speed, built in brakes for safety and a remote for ease of use (and safety) make this product a bargain, but let us know if you know of any better whiches and we’ll take a look!

If you feel like the tuning wizard I think one of the easiest, very visible, tuning option is to lower your ride with some custom springs. I had a look around for a good one and found that Elbach Springs are pretty good. By lowering your body about 1″ - 1.5″ you will gain all sorts of advantages, from reduced body squat, less body roll and so on, giving you a smoother, safer and cooler looking ride.

In fact, the Eibach spring is praised forums as well, take a look at this opinion. “The eibach kit does a great job of giving that “sporty” suspension feel. Steering response is noticably better, low speed body roll reduced, dive under low to medium braking reduced and traction off the line and out of corners reduced.” This is part of a long and very helpful review pointing out the good and bad sides of this spring, take a look at the Briskoda.net forum for more info.

What may deter the pro is that at higher speeds and sharper turns you still get body roll, which means you don’t gain all that much advantage over stock springs. However I still feel that the Eibach is worth it, especially if you’re new in the business. It will lower your ride to make it look awesome and will give you less squat and give you some roll reduction. It’s a great way to ease yourself into tuning in general and the springs are definitely good enough if you just need the looks!

Toolboxes are great for taking your gear with you because they allow you to pack them in the way that you can access them best. You could just throw them on the truckbed, but by the time you get to where you want to go, the screwdriver will be at the tail gate, and the hammer will be under the cab window.

If you like to keep your tools organized you will need a toolbox, which you can use to store everything exactly the way you want to, and if you get a crossover one, you can just lift it off the truck bed and take it inside for example.

The Delta Champion Single Lid Deep Toolbox has a few properties which, I think, make it one of the best. First of all it’s a low profile toolbox, which doesn’t mean it’s a better toolbox, but it does mean that it lays low, keeping your looks great, especially if used with a toolbox tonneau, and it also gives you more “hindsight” while driving.

Also, I like the crossover design because you can easily just life it off and take it inside, although this model performs a bit worse in mobility, since it doesn’t have a handle, but you can still easily carry it anywhere. The aluminum construction makes it durable and it will protect your tools with ease in any condition.

There’s one problem every vehicle owner (except motorbikes) have to deal with which is foggy windows. There are numerous ways to get rid of the fog, but no doubt the quickest is to just roll down the windows. If it’s heavily raining outside though you may run into some problems, especially if you have some some low cold tolerance members of the family.

A window visor will help you solve these problems by enabling you to open your windows in far from perfect weather conditions. The EGR In-Channel Window Deflector for example provides rain and wind stopping power, enabling you to get rid of all the fog by opening the windows.

You’ll still get some wind of course, but not the tornado you usually do, and in case of huge storms you’ll still get some rain in, but again, a little help can do wonders. I for one don’t mind wind at all, even if it’s coming in at 80mph, but I don’t like it when the interior of the car gets wet. Most vehicles, especially trucks can easily take it, but you didn’t spend tens of thousands on your truck to pour water down its neck right?

I was browsing around for a product to show you guys and I think you will be pretty impressed with the fender trims I found. Apart from one of the coolest parts I’ve seen for ages, I really  thought the price would be well above the $200 range, and actually it’s ranges from around $70 to $150, pretty cheap for such a prominent addition.

The trims are available for most models and will install inside 15 minutes, but what I liked about the product is that it comes with an extra secure install system too. While the 15 minute install requires no drilling, the added security does require some, but using the screws included, you will have no trouble drilling them on. I like the fact that they cater for inexperienced truck owners and expert DIY-ers too, so plus points for the company there.

I haven’t actually used one of these myself, but stainless steel has a very high resistance to, well, anything you can throw at it really. You’ll probably rust before your fender trims do, and it will stay shiny and new for a long, long time.

This is a suprisingly small part that adds a surprisingly high amount of class and style to your ride. I think it has a very low profile too, in the sense that it’s not like those huge spoilers you can get, but it ads the same amount of visual quality. If you’re looking or a subtle, but at the same time prominent upgrade, these cheap fender trims should do nicely!

Recently I managed to chip a bit off my handle (it’s a long and stupid story involving me and an equally stupid piece of furnature) and while it remained usable, it looked really out of place. I decided to go shopping for something that looks good, to replace my poor old broken handle.

In the end I went with Putco Chrome Tailgate Handles, which is in fact not a replacement, but essentially a new cover. Since my tailgate handle was mostly in tact, I had no trouble slipping the new Putco ones over them, and now it works like a charm and looks really cool, I can even comb my hair looking into them (although for some reason I don’t do this actually).

Actually there’s not much more I can add to a tailgate handle. I like to write longer posts, but I mean, it’s a tailgate handle, what can I say? It looks good, I like the curvature, I was able to install it without any trouble, I don’t think a long review is needed, this is a good door handle if you need some additional style, full stop.

The steering wheel is one of the most important parts which can aid you in being more comfortable. Since at least one of your hands is on the wheel at all times, you need to make sure it’s as comfortable as can be. I was quite content with both my truck and my car, but after finding some fingernail imprints, scratches and discoloration on the wheels I decided to go for a steering wheel cover anyway.

Wheelskins Steering Wheel Covers offer hand crafted leather wheel goodness, you and your steering wheel will feel right at home. They come in 15 colors, for a quick preview just take a look at the site and click on the colors. This means that whatever color your car and your interior is you will find a model suited to your taste.

If you want to play it safe I believe the sand colored one will blend into most light colored interiors and the charcoal one will go well with most dark interiors. You will need to spend some time with installation, but everything’s included in there. It might seem a bit stupiud to spend near an hour installing a wheel cover, but that’s exactly why this is a quality model.

You couold buy rubberized materials which just slide on, but we’re talking about real leather here, you can’t just force it on. The included nylon thread and leather needle will make the job a cinch and well worht the time, since you get a perfect fit for your wheel.

If you’re a heavy dury hauler you know that there are two things you need to be careful of. One of them is turning, especially if your vehicle is long, and the other is braking. I saw a pic on the net a while back where a slab of concrete went through the cargo bay into the cab, not a pretty sight (couldn’t find the pic, sorry). If you need some braking protection I recommend getting some brake controllers.

This component, or some other method is always present in large trucks, boat haulers and so on, but if you need to tow a large load with your truck, it is a necessity. They provide the highest possible braking power without the breaks locking up so you can stop quickly and safely without damage.

A model I found especially cool was the Curt Integrator Brake Control which is one of the pricier models, but Ithink the added safety and features is worth the money. It is compatible with electric and hydraulic breaking systems and will detect your braking automatically, and will apply proportional pressure to the trailor brakes. You need the Curt Control Harness to install it, which is sold separately for near $20. Not a huge added expense, but it’s a bit agrivating that they don’t bundle it, especially since the Curt Integrator is far from the cheapest solution on the market.

Whichever model you choose in the end, please do choose one. If you’re going to be towing heavy stuff it’s not a big investment and could save your cargo, or in the end, your life too.