Top Ten Products from 2008 Off-Road Impact Show

As a business-to-business only show and not open to the public, not many of you may know about Off-Road Impact. However every year the finest in the off-road industry gather to do business, talk the talk and show off their new products. Of course, with latest cool new gear on display we had to be there to get the scoop on what’s hot and what's not. This year the show moved from Las Vegas to the Anaheim Convention Center in California making the journey from our Santa Ana headquarters an easy one.  We wandered the aisles and pounded the pavement on both days of the show and spied the following products that made our Top 10 list.

1 - General Tire Competition Grabber
Remember General Tire? For a long time the company has been absent from off-road motorsports but at Off-Road Impact they unveiled a new competition tire along with announcing a huge entrance back into racing the dirt. General Tire will now be the official tire of the Protruck Racing Organization with the new race-spec tire shod on every Protruck. Along with that major news, General Tire will also be the official tire of the 2008 KMC Wheels Trophylite Championship series. And the news doesn’t just stop there. General will sponsor Scott Steinberger and his PCI Racing Trophy Truck as well and Steinberger showed us a brand-new and very cool paint scheme for his truck incorporating the new sponsor. To further add to its presence in the desert, General will sponsor Kent Kroeker and his stock-full Dodge race truck. The tire itself features two-distinct tread patterns that look aggressive and feature more of block design than the typical “mud-terrain” tire. Testing has shown that wear is minimal and grip is high. Currently the tire is only a race spec tire (meaning no DOT approval and not legal for street use) but General plans to use its heavy involvement in off-road motorsports as a launching point for versions available to the public. For further information visit www.generaltire.com

2 - KORE Performance Long Travel IFS Suspension
An interesting product from KORE Performance is their new long-travel suspension systems for independent front suspensions. Long known for their high-quality Dodge ¾-ton and 1-ton solid axle suspensions, the new systems represent an expansion for KORE into independent suspensions and outside of Dodge with applications in the works for Toyotas, Fords, Chevys and, of course, Dodge as well. The system utilizes a new billet upper control arm with a unique ball joint that allows for high misalignment and is said to outlast uniballs. A Fox coilover with valving specific for each application and a custom top hat makes the install easy. Also included are custom 930-style CV joints to allow full articulation and a strength increase over the weak factory tripod style CVs. The system does not increase track width so no fiberglass fenders are needed and cycles out to 12 to 14-inches of wheel travel depending upon application. For further information contact KORE Performance, 760-749-8687, www.koreperformance.com

3 - K&N Drop-In Dodge Cummins Air Filter
Replacing your stock air filter with a higher-flowing and better performing one is about the easiest performance mod you can do. However diesel engines need a lot of air and usually a simple drop-in, flat panel filter can only do so much. That is why K&N came up with this innovative filter that uses a basket like shape to greatly expand its surface area but still allow it to be a simple drop-in installation. Along with allowing more air, the K&N filter also does a better job of filtering with its six-layers of cotton and better design. K&N’s 1-million mile warranty is also included and it fits 2003-2006 Dodge Ram pickups with the Cummins diesel. For further information contact K&N Engineering, Inc. 800-858-3333, www.knfilters.com

4 - Fabtech Polaris RZR Long Travel Suspension
Expanding upon their long travel suspension system for the ever-popular Yamaha Rhino, Fabtech Motorsports unveiled a system for the Polaris RZR. Details were still not fully available but the arms looked very beefy (were guessing it is a +6 system) and it uses Fabtech’s own line of coilover shocks. Production versions should be available very soon. For further information contact Fabtech Motorports, 877-432-2832, www.fabtechmotorsports.com

5 - JKS ACOS Pro
Also on exhibit at Off Road Impact was the JKS ACOS Pro system that features vehicle ride height adjustment with a bump shock all fitted into one trick little package. Installation of the ACOS Pro system automatically raises the vehicle ride height one inch. A billet adjuster ring provides further and easy adjustment to increase ride height even more. The trick feature is an integrated air bump that prevents harsh bottoming that is also height adjustable to allow the user to determine the exact amount of compression before the bump shock comes into use. While the ACOS Pro system comes pre-charged with nitrogen, it is also user tunable to allow the compression rate to be changed. For further information contact JKS Manufacturing, Inc., 308-762-6949, www.jksmfg.com

6 - KC HiLites POD 70W HID Light
If you need some serious light than the KC POD 70W HID is perfect for you. It is an extremely bright 70 Watt, 4200K HID light in a beautiful 7.25-inch carbon fiber housing making it both extremely light and strong. The hard coated Lexan lens is said to be unbreakable and is spring loaded for accurate and easy beam adjustment. Stainless steel mounting hardware comes with each light and the ballast is externally mounted to the back of the light. For further information contact KC HiLites, 928-635-2607, www.kchilites.com

7 - Holder Off Road LED Light Bar
Holder Off Road introduced its new LED light bar at Off Road Impact. In testing since August of 2006, the light bar is available in both a wide pattern and a focused beam. Unique is that the light is only three inches high and available in 10-inch segments with a maximum width of 50 inches. Each segment draws 3.3 amps at 38 watts and is 38 watts. The entire assembly is housed in a high-quality aluminum housing that is designed to extract heat quickly and efficiently. Another highly unique aspect of the Holder light bar is that it uses LED lights instead of HID technology. In this design the LEDs are mounted to a surface and are not subject to vibration like a typical bulb assembly. There is also no external ballast setup making wiring and installation an easy affair. Several race teams have begun to test the LED light bar but they are also rapidly gaining popularity in the UTV market as their small size makes them perfect for Rhinos or RZR’s. For further information contact Holder Off Road, 949-338-6699, www.holderoffroad.com

8 - Nordskog GPS Speedometer
Originally designed for marine applications, Nordskog’s GPS speedometer unit makes sense for the off-road market as well. With engine swaps and drivetrain swaps common in just about everything, electronics do no always talk to each other and sensors do not always fit. The Nordskog GPS speedometer eliminates the need for this and has a built receiver to acquire a GPS signal and accurately display speed. Nordskog also makes a full line of conventional gauges to complement the GPS speedometer as well. For further information contact Nordskog Performance Products, 714-991-9999, www.nordskogperformance.net

9 - Smittybilt XRC 10 Winch
A new product and a new direction for Smittybilt is the company’s XRC 10 winch. The all-new 10,000 lb. winch features a 5.5 horsepower, series-wound motor that is said to offer unmatched durability and overheat recovery. A three-stage planetary gear system is utilized to provide a 218:1 gear ratio to provide up a 10,000 lb pull rating. The XRC 10 comes complete with a roller fairlead, hook, remote control along with a separate solenoid box. It is designed to offer a heavy duty winching system with great features at a low price. For further information contact Smittybilt, 888-717-5797, www.smittybilt.com

10 - Weld Racing Beadlock
Spotted on Alan Roach’s (of Baja Designs) beautiful new Class 1 car were a set of brand-new beadlocks from Weld Racing. Previously Weld offered the Commando Pro beadlock but this wheel is definitely not a Commando Pro! First its ring is of a much lower profile design but just as thick as the Commando Pro. It also features cool recessed retaining bolts that were first spotted on the Commando Pro. Like all Weld Wheels it is forged for ultimate strength. Sizing appears to be 17x8 and it was on a set of Pro Am race hubs so we at least know it is available in this pattern. Whether or not it is a one-off prototype or a production piece remains to be seen. For further information contact Weld Racing Wheels, 800-669-9353, www.weldracing.com