May 12, 2020May 12, 2020

Toyo Tires – Open Country H/T II- Review

Ian Harwood

Toyo Tires – Open Country H/T II- Review

A wholly-owned subsidiary of Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd., distributes a complete line of premium replacement tires for high performance cars, luxury vehicles, light trucks, and SUVs as well as commercial trucks, buses, off-road vehicles, and construction applications.

The vision to manufacture great tires began in August 1945, when the founding president, Mr. Rikimatsu Tomihisa, established the Toyo Tire & Rubber Co, Ltd. in Japan.

In 1982, Toyo Tires established a Canadian subsidiary. From a small office just outside of Vancouver, Toyo Tire Canada Inc. began warehousing and distributing passenger, light truck, and commercial truck tires. Through a network of independent tire dealers, the Toyo Tires brand began to grow in Canada.

The first tires manufactured in North America to bear the Toyo Tires brand occurred in the late 1980s when the company began producing commercial tires in Mt. Vernon, Illinois.

Today, the company’s Canadian headquarters are in Richmond, British Columbia, and distribution is supported by nearly 90,000 square feet of warehousing in BC, with additional warehouses in Ontario and Quebec.

Toyo - Open Country H/T II - Sophia & Tire

Toyo Tire has a new tire for the Canadian market. The Open Country H/T 11. This tire is an All-Season Light Truck highway tire. The center tread of the tire consists of 3 ribs that are designed to increase wet and dry traction while improving highway stability. The multi-wave sipes on the tread reduce irregular wear, giving this tire a smoother and quieter ride. There are two different sidewall designs. The first is a conservative design, and the second is a more aggressive one that improves traction in deep mud, slush or snow. The Open Country H/T 11 is backed with an impressive treadwear warranty, 80,000 km, and 5-year workmanship and materials.

We decided to install these tires on a Toyota Highlander to put them to the test. Samantha Syrenne is a new mother that leads a hectic lifestyle. Going to University during the week and while running errands around town with her baby girl. Her old tires had serious wear problems on the front despite having her tires regularly rotated and serviced at the local Toyota dealer. She expressed concern about regularly over correcting the steering on the highway and excessive noise at over 50 KMH. We had the Open Country H/T 11 tires installed on a weeknight so she could have it ready to go to school the next morning. Her first drive was an eye-opener. The issues had gone, and the vehicle drove smooth and quietly down the highway.

We asked her a few questions:

Would you say that this tire improves the way your vehicle handles?

Samantha… It is like a new truck. I look forward to the drive now.

Would you recommend these tires?

Samantha… I would defiantly recommend these tires. I am happy with the results.

Would you like us to switch them back now that the test is over?

Samantha… Give me my keys and watch me drive away.

I would say that test was very positive and glad we could improve the handling and drivability of her vehicle. For more information visit toyotires.ca

Features:

SYMMETRIC, NON-DIRECTIONAL TREAD DESIGN
Improves all season traction and tire life.

MULTI-WAVE SIPES
Improves the wear life of the tire by minimize irregular wear for a smoother, quieter ride.

DUAL BUTTRESS & SIDEWALL DESIGN
The sidewall design also helps improve traction in deep mud slush or snow.

GROOVE DIMPLES – TAPERED SHOULDER SLITS
Dimples in the tire grooves and tapered slits in the sidewall expand as the tire wears helping to maintain good wet performance throughout the tire’s life

VARIABLE PITCH TREAD DESIGN
Varying the angles and position of the tread blocks reduces road noise for a more comfortable ride.

FOUR WIDE CIRCUMFERENTIAL GROOVES
Improves water and slush evacuation for better all-season traction.

OPTIMIZED CENTER BLOCK ARRANGEMENT
An optimized design also reduces road noise for a more comfortable ride.

LARGER INTERLOCKING OUTER BLOCKS
Locking the blocks reduces deformation which causes irregular wear for longer tread life and ride comfort.

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October 10, 2017April 25, 2018

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2017 Brown Bros Racing – Ford F150

Ian Harwood

2017 Brown Bros Racing – Ford F150

October 10, 2017

2017 Ford SVT Raptor is in hot demand; customers are flocking to the dealers trying to get their hands on one of these. Brown Bros Ford racing division has the answer.

They have started a Raptor factory and are cranking out their own version of the Raptor, based on a 2017 F150 XLT Supercrew 4×4 FX4. The factory F150 starts out with a 3.5L V6 Ecoboost engine with a 10-speed automatic transmission. This motor produces 375 horsepower at 5750 rpm with 470-pound feet of torque. The 10-speed transmission allows you to save fuel for your everyday driving. Shifting more often means less time putting the twin turbos through their paces. Save that for the off-road.

Brown Bros Racing 2017 F150 XLT Interior

Factory installed voice-activated navigation shown on a 4.2” productivity screen plots your desired drive route although does not work when you yell “get me out of this mud hole” unless you are talking about the one you created washing your truck outside your house.

The convenience package includes backup sensors, rearview camera, power sliding rear window, remote starter, 400w power inverter, LED box lighting. The truck is then customized by their in-house tech department.

Ford factory trained mechanics install a 4” Zone suspension lift with off-road shocks. This lift will enhance the truck’s abilities off-road, very similar to a Raptor the shocks will absorb the terrain without catapulting the truck in either direction; it will also give you a firm but smooth ride on-road. The exhaust is changed in favor of a Magnaflow performance system that not only improves performance but sounds great too. The grille is replaced with an aftermarket Raptor grille that looks right at home on this truck. Addictive desert design front bumper is added with Rigid LED lights all across the front. Night becomes day with this many lights.

Brown Bros Racing 2017 F150 XLT Front Bumper

You can start to see the Baja race-inspired vehicle starting to claw its way out. Bushwacker flares provide ideal coverage for the new Toyo MT 35X12.5X18 tires with 18”x9 Fuel Maverick wheels. I personally have had a set of these tires and found them to be terrific on and off-road. The tires increase your ground clearance and give you much more ability to climb over obstacles such as rocks, falling trees or that futon bed your wife dragged to the curb. The interior is not overlooked, with the addition of Katzkin leather seats with custom stitching. Add that to the already great factory interior you have yourself a sweet ride.

The 5.5’ truck box is covered by a Bakflip matte black tonneau cover that can open in two sections to allow larger items to be transported.

This truck is ready to play and looks good doing so. Head down to Brown Bothers Ford and check them out.

Price $75,607

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Importance of a Winch

Ian Harwood

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There has been very few times that I have gone four wheeling and not run into a situation where a winch is required. Sometimes it may be our group, and sometimes it is someone who is not as prepared to get stuck as they should be. It can be an important tool is safely plucking a vehicle from an impossible situation, or righting a truck after a rollover. A winch can also be used to clear properties of logs or rocks. A winch is an important tool, and if you travel the back-roads of British Columbia, you should never be without one.

There are a few things to know before you operate your winch for the first time. What appears to be a simple operation can quickly turn dangerous if basic safe winching practices are not used. Most winches are equipped with a varying length of wire rope, and the length of the rope is determined by the winches load capacity. The wire rope should regularly be inspected to ensure that it has not become crushed, pinched, frayed, or kinked at any point. Should the rope be damaged, it should be replaced before use to avoid injury. All winch owners should have a winch accessory kit to properly and safely recover a vehicle. The average kit includes a 3-meter choker chain, a clevis, snatch block, 5-centimeter tree trunk protector, gloves, and a carrying case. Price is $250 to $375 depending on the manufacturer.

Most winches are offered with a winch hook strap to ensure that operators do not put hands and fingers in harm’s way. Always wear gloves when operating a winch or handling wire rope. A single line pull is one of the most basic winching operations. It involves rigging the wire rope to a stable anchoring point and spooling it in to pull the vehicle toward the anchor point. This type of pull can also be used to extract a truck without a winch; the winch equipped truck becomes the anchor point and the stuck vehicle is pulled toward it. It is a good idea to throw a jacket or blanket over the wire rope midway between the winch and the anchor point. This will prevent the cable from whipping back to the truck in the event of breakage. A tree can serve as an excellent anchor point, but never attempt to wrap a wire rope or chain around it. In addition to being extremely dangerous, this improper winching practice can damage or kill the tree. Use a tree saver strap, along with a clevis.

When a truck is stuck, more winching power can be achieved through a double line pull. To do so, un-spool a length of a line from the drum and thread it through a snatch block. The cable’s hook can then be fastened to an anchor point on the trucks frame or tow hook, and the snatch block will secure to an anchor point toward the direction of the pull. This method decreases the number of layers of wire rope on the drum and greatly increases pulling power. A snatch block can also be used to change the direction of the pull, without the wire rope collecting on one side of the drum. If you have followed the basic principle of four-wheeling and brought a buddy or a second vehicle, then chances are you will have some assistance in the recovery. Sometimes all a stuck vehicle needs is a little motivation. In those instances, a quality recovery strap ($53) will work fine. Knowing how to operate a winch correctly is as important as knowing how to drive the 4×4 it is mounted to. Misuse can result in injury or even death, so it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with your winch before reaching a situation where you need to use it.