With all the hype that is the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas, it's important to remember that companies are developing new products year-round. So with that in mind, we pooled our collective brain power (enough to arc a 5-watt light bulb) to bring you some of the cool developments we've seen in the off-road industry lately.
Randy's Big Tool
Available at Randy's Ring & Pinion is this Yukon Gear Dana 60 spindle-boring tool. One end hooks to your 11/42-inch drill and the other threads onto the Dana 60 spindle and keeps the machine bit centered as it bores the 30-spline Dana 60 spindle out to accept a 1.5-inch, 35-spline axleshaft. Contact: Randy's Ring & Pinion; 888/905-5020, www.ringpinion.com. | 
Le Spacair
Finally, somebody is addressing '90 and older 4.0L Jeeps running the French-made Renix injection system. Rusty's Off Road now makes a cool billet spacer for the three-bolt throttle body. Contact: Rusty's Off Road Products; 256-442-0607, www.rustysoffroad.com. | 
Alloy Joints
Available in both Dana 44 and Dana 60 sizes, the Alloy USA cold-forged front axle U-joints are considerably stronger than factory offerings, yet don't ding the wallet as much as a spendy 300M joint will. The greasable joints even come with a small tube of the right sticky grease for long life. Contact: Alloy USA; 866/352-5569, www.alloyusa.com. |
Rollback Top
The Viking fast back soft top for TJ and LJ Wranglers has a pretty distinctive look. The sides can be removed quickly for a full-length bikini effect, or you can just run with a fully enclosed cockpit. Contact: Viking Off Road; 800/275-3809. | 
Blaircharger
The Blair Built Performance intercooled supercharger system had only a few cosmetic differences between what we photographed and the production version. The intercooled Eaton blower has its own oil supply and pumped up the '00 Wrangler test mule's 4.0L to over 210 hp and nearly 300 lb-ft to the rear tires in the Colorado thin air. Contact: Blair Built Performance; 719/574-2524, www.blairbuilt.com. | 
Two Fer One
Only Jp delivers two new items with one photo. We're magic. Here's Advance Adapter's relatively new four-speed T-case, along with the company's slick cable shifter for the planetary range box. The T-case doesn't look so long that it can't be installed in a Wrangler with a stretched wheelbase. Contact: Advance Adapters; 800/350-2223, www.advanceadapters.com. |
Knobbiest
The latest tire from Pit Bull reminds us of the knobbies we used to run on our BMX bikes as kids - and those could go damn near anywhere. The new Pit Bull Growlers come in several popular sizes that we don't have space to list. Check the company's Web site for a full listing. Contact: Pit Bull Tires; 800/654-2006, www.pitbulltires.com. | 
CTMmmmm Shaft
For drool-worthy axle stuff, we can always count on CTM to come through. At a recent trade show, Cappa spied this CTM 14-bolt shaft and hub assembly in between handing his phone number out to the booth bunnies and trying to see how many peanuts he could cram in his mouth at once. Contact: CTM Racing Products; 949/487-0770, www.ctmracing.com. | 
Welded Locks
Weld Racing is now making bead lock wheels for the off-road market. These off-road suckers have titanium bolts and a fairly fresh-looking design. We're guessing the rest of the wheel is pretty tough too. Sizes and bolt patterns will be released soon, so hold your horses. Contact: Weld Wheel Industries; 800/669-9353, www.weldracing.com. |
Sway Lock
Skyjacker has come out with a pretty trick quick disconnect torsion-style sway bar. The Warn manual hub disconnects one side of the sway bar with the turn of the dial. Once the Jeep is back on level ground, just turn the dial to lock the sway bar back in. Contact: Skyjacker; 318/388-0816, www.skyjacker.com. | | |