[NEWS] OK4WD Vehicle Outfitters partners with MSO

A BIT OF HISTORY

OK Auto, 4wd & Tire was started in 1979 after owner Jim Oostdyk rolled his '61 Jeep CJ-5. Working out of a two-bay gas station called "Jim's Getty," he began rebuilding his CJ-5. When it was finished, other people wanted to have their four-wheel drive vehicles modified, and as a result the "OK 4x4 Shop" was started. In 1985 the name was changed to "OK Auto, 4wd & Tire" to show that the business serviced cars and sold tires.

OK AUTO 4WD & TIRE TODAY

Today, over 30 years later, OK4WD continues to be the source for all of your automotive and off-road needs. They have 22 employees who have worked here an average of 13 years and a cumulative 267 years worth of industry experience! They have seven service bays and they are ASE Blue Seal Certified, with nine certified technician and one certified master technician.

MSO TITLE SPONSOR

We are proud to have OK4WD as a title sponsor of our YouTube series and stay behind their efforts to manage a sustainable business. In 2009, OK4WD took an opportunity to go net-zero. All said and done, OK4WD produces in excess of 100% of its energy on sight with its roof mounted PV system.

To learn more about OK4WD, visit their website.

[NEWS] MSO celebrates 3 years with ARB USA

photo by Jonathan Rutherford Photography

Team MSO is celebrating 3 years of continued sponsorship support from ARB USA. As a title sponsor for our YouTube series, ARB USA joins forces with OK4WD and Cooper Tire. Its humbling know that the great folks at ARB 4x4 Accessories believes in you, thanks so much!

ABOUT ARB
The origins of ARB can be traced back to Australia’s remote Top End, circa 1975. A region of vast distances and rugged terrain, it was fast becoming a Mecca for the nation’s burgeoning 4WD community. However, the very environment that attracted 4 wheelers also wreaked havoc on their equipment – when driving in extreme conditions, only the best 4x4 accessories will do.

This was the conclusion drawn by Tony Brown during his travels at the time. While exploring the treasures of the Top End, the skills Tony gained from working on his Land Rover were regularly called on to mend damaged bull bars and broken roof racks. Bar work back then was crude, not at all suited to overland touring, and through this experience an idea was born - high quality equipment that met the vigorous demands of 4WD owners.

Upon returning to Melbourne, Tony put theory into practice via the family garage, where he sought to address the product deficiencies he’d encountered. His vision called for a combination of sound design principles and reliable raw materials… a simple solution to an endemic problem. The concept was embraced when it hit the fledgling 4x4 market, and ARB – the initials of Anthony Ronald Brown – was founded.

ARB TODAY
ARB is Australia’s largest manufacturer and distributor of 4x4 accessories. We also have an international presence, with an office in the US and an export network that extends through more than 80 countries around the globe. Our philosophy, however, has never wavered from its original course – quality, reliability and practicality above all else.

Learn more about ARB 4x4 Accessories and visit their website.

[NEWS] Cooper Tire joins the team

An industry leader since 1914, Cooper Tires operates over sixty international facilities dedicated to the design, production, and distribution of high quality tires. Through its own name and subsidiary brands, which include Avon and Mickey Thompson, Cooper manufactures outstanding passenger, light truck and SUV, performance, winter, and commercial tires. These tires raise the bar for reliability and performance, providing long tread life, excellent control, and a smooth ride. You can experience Cooper Tire excellence no matter what you drive, since Cooper produces tires for passenger vehicles, trucks, SUVs, ultra-high performance and off-road vehicles.

The Discoverer STT PRO is Cooper’s most advanced, extreme tire to date and we've mounted them on the MSO fleet! The Discoverer STT PRO provides exceptional traction and performance in some of the harshest terrains on Earth. The distinctive tread design and compound provide remarkable on the road performance without sacrificing off-road traction. 3-Ply Armor-Tek3, silica tread compound, aggressive 3-2 center rib design, side-biters and more, all wrapped up in Cooper’s advanced mud terrain tire. Push the Discoverer STT PRO to the limits and you’ll “discover” what your vehicle is truly capable of!

We are proud to represent Cooper's roots as an American based business as well as their dedication to our environment. Cheers to many more miles rolling on Cooper Tires.

Learn more at Cooper Tire.

built for adventure : phase 2 - dual batteries and power management #1mile1tree #overlander #explore #overland #adventure #travel

We charge equipment continuously and most of our electronics demand power 24 hrs. a day. Heavy loads on a single battery isn't an option thus we opt for two batteries.

So there's a "starting" battery and a "house" battery. The "starting" battery is exactly that - power reserved for starting and running the truck and factory electronics. The "house" battery is essentially an accessory battery; everything aftermarket you'll install. With exception to the winch, our house battery will power the fridge, lifts, 3 full time USB and 12V outlets, communications and an air compressor.

I custom built my own dual battery install in the Tacoma last year with a Trail Gear Battery Cage. For the 4Runner, we opted for a kit. Its a bit tight under the hood of the 5th Gen and there obvious space for a second battery behind the passenger headlight but I wasn't willing to fab something with our Season 3 shoot closing in. At the time of purchase, the best option we could find was the dual battery kit from ShrockWorks.

ShorckWorks has a well thought out kit that reuses various parts an pieces that come with the truck. Everything is well documented in the instructions and to be honest, the hardest part of the install is separating factory harness plugs, ha! It does take a bit of time but again, it's well thought out and very clean.

Next, we connected the batteries with a DFNA Dual Battery Isolator Kit. There's some super pricey options out there and some very simple DIY solutions but the DFNA is the best of both worlds in my opinion. The DNFA Kit comes with your wires and isolator but you still need a fuse block and fuse panel. I rely on BlueSea for my fuse accessories since they have a solid reputation in the marine industry.

So here's the general setup - starting battery to isolator > isolator to house battery > house battery to fuse block > fuse block to fuse panel. Simple right?

The DNFA Smart Isolator allows two batteries to be charged at the same time. When the engine is started and the start battery reaches 13.3 volts, the engages, allowing two battery banks (start and house) to be charged simultaneously. When the voltage drops below 12.8 volts (i.e. the engine is stopped), the SBI disengages, separating the batteries. This system eliminates the possibility of draining the start battery and protects sensitive electronic equipment powered from the house battery from harmful engine start up spikes.

So there's no external power monitor with fancy LEDs and such but you can always install that if you feel like you need it. My general rule is, "there's power OR there's no power."

With everything setup in the 4Runner under the hood, we then routed all of the fun stuff through the firewall and even installed a second fuse panel underneath the rear seat for add-ons in the back. There's definitely room for adding more but we need some seat time in the 4Runner before we install a bunch of stuff we don't need.

Next up, the drawers...

built for adventure : phase 1 - tires #1mile1tree #overlander #explore #overland #adventure #travel

Those four round things everyone hates to buy, but loves 'em once their mounted.

Since they’re still fairly new to the market, we opted to install BFGoodrich KO2s on the 4Runner. The KM2s on the Tacoma faired very well last year, but we’ll be pounding a bit more pavement this year and feel like the KO2s will be a perfect fit.

We picked 285/70R/17s to mount the factory Trail Edition wheels and added Spidertrax spacers to bump the tires out a bit. I do have some mixed thoughts on spacers; I like the look but – 1) wheel spray > don’t waste your time cleaning your truck EVER; 2) width > I’ve seen where wide vehicles fail on tight trails in WV and prefer the functionality of a narrow track; 3) rubbing > although not that bad, we did have to make some trims and adjustments.
Back to the tires…

So with just under 7K miles on the KO2s a review isn’t warranted; however, I can comment that wet and road handling are very predictable. We are running the tires at the tire pressure recommended for the T4R5 so we can do an honest evaluation of tread wear and regular performance. On the trail and gravel, we’ll likely air down further.

A good all-terrain tire paired with recovery equipment is essentially all you need and like the KO, I’m optimistic that the KO2 may be the ultimate dual sport tire.

Next up, dual batteries and power management…