BEST 4X4 ON EARTH, EVER
The most on- and off-road capable F-150 on the planet
If you want some really serious performance upgrades you’ll have to dive into the deep end of the aftermarket or design it all yourself from the ground up. This is where engineering genius meets mad science and the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory is reimagined for the world of 4WD trucks.
We’re not talking about the kid’s version where Oompa-Loompas work in a secret factory, but a place where a truck is innovatively designed and built with no compromises. We’re talking about a pick-up truck that will drive a straight, smooth line at 145 kph (90 mph) and can access the toughest off-road area with minimal environmental impact, over everything from washboard gravel roads, landslides, logging cuts, bogs, muskeg, sand, and deep snow. We’re talking about a full-size crew cab, a regular-bed truck that can turn a 10.7 m (35 ft) circle, crab walk, run 44” x 21” tires without an increase in width, has 66 cm (26 in) of ground clearance but can be at stock tailgate height for loading, will auto level to traverse 45-degree slopes, all the while having a smaller per square inch ground impact than a man.
I wish I could say that this was a wheeler’s dream come to life and in many ways it is, but the impetus for this build comes from industry; when firefighters or search and rescue crews need to get a rapid response team into the backcountry instead of using a helicopter at night or the mining or forestry industry needs to access uncompromising terrain through environmentally sensitive areas. On top of maximum on- and off-road specs, they need a 4x4 that is extremely reliable, easy to maintain, easy to repair, and to paraphrase the words of Gene Roddenberry, go where no truck has gone or can go, before.
At this point, you may be rolling your eyes in disbelief feeling your humble author has stepped out of the realm of reality and into
a marketing fantasy where Matthew McConaughey goes ice fishing alone in a luxury SUV. I assure you this is real. It’s not a concept truck living in a CGI world or pushed onto a stage. The prototypes are not just being tested in a controlled factory setting or test track. These trucks are functional prototypes being driven every day in the real world, in town, on the highway, and off-road in the most punishing environment – British Columbia, Canada.
The man with the plan is Geby Wager. A Kelowna local who started modifying 4x4’s in the ’80s to go wheeling with his buddies. He says the constant one upmanship where every great improvement in one aspect led to a compromise in another, made him realize that the truck that was decent at everything would win the day. That led him to challenge the way trucks were built and look for a better way, until today when a modified F-150 has been created to be great at everything.
The current prototypes run on TrXuS STS 44 x 21 x 15LT tires from Interco Tire, wrapped around Keizer 15,” aluminum beadlock wheels. Wager chose the bias-ply TrXuS STS after wheeling them several years and noticing they required no balancing, were relatively quiet at road worthy tire pressures and had exceptional traction in every terrain including snow.
These 15” wheels made it tougher to design the truck as the tolerances for brakes and steering components were much tighter than if they had chosen 17” rims. But airing down the larger sidewall for the maximum terrain-grappling footprint was worth the effort.
Wager designed a proprietary hub, steering knuckle, and spindle combination that allows 51 cm (20 in) of wheel travel while tucking the 21” wide tires within a stock truck width configuration. It’s complete with four-wheel steer, central tire inflation, and the ability to grease the CV and bearing without dismantling or jacking up the vehicle. Remove the hub cap and you can even remove axle shafts without having to remove the wheel.
To reduce the number of spare parts, each corner of the truck uses the same components with a couple of exceptions related to steering in the front. The central tire inflation system works on-the-fly. Tire pressures can be adjusted to match the terrain while rolling, using full tire pressure on the road, down for washboard gravel, and down even further for more extreme conditions. Each individual tire pressure can be controlled. Let’s say there is a slow leak in one tire, which you want to maintain at a certain tire pressure – program it and forget it.
A 12V compressor fills dual, three-pound
air tanks to adjust tire pressures and drives the air suspension system. However, a higher volume engine-driven compressor is in the works. The air springs are custom made and paired to Fox Air Shocks. Lowering the truck to stock height lets the driver and passengers easily access the cab and load the truck bed. Lifting the truck to its max height with 66 cm (26 in) of ground clearance means you can crawl over monster-sized obstacles or extract yourself from very tough situations.
What’s more, rear-wheel steering lets you turn in a 5.3 m (17.5 ft) radius or crabwalk through obstacles on a tight trail, while the suspension system is computerized allowing you to comfortably traverse a 45-degree slope or adjust it to eliminate body roll on the highway. More importantly, the air suspension system is the cornerstone of the truck’s insane traction. A four-wheel independent adjustable air suspension system allows you to change the weight placed on any given wheel. More weight on a tire means more traction.
With optimal traction and even weight distribution over all four corners, there is less tire spinning and fewer reasons to hit the skinny pedal to bump over obstacles, and with the larger tire footprint, a minimal environmental impact.
When your 4x4 has two wheels downslope (i.e. in a ditch), the angle of the truck will put most of the vehicle’s weight on the bottom two tires. If it’s a muddy, wet or frozen ditch, those tires might not be able to get enough traction to let you drive out. By raising the low side (and perhaps lowering the high side), you apply more weight to your high side tires giving them more traction and you’re able to drive out of the ditch.
Traversing a slope with this technique has similar benefits. Aside from driver and passengers being more comfortable in a level cab, levelling the body applies similar weight to all tires, improving traction and control, and reducing the likelihood of a roll. In a solid-axle 4x4, the weight of the vehicle can shift beyond the downside tires, increasing the chance of a rollover. This suspension maintains the vehicle’s balance.
Wager says another benefit is in snow. Some deep snow conditions result in a 4x4 becoming centre high and losing traction, even with 54” tires. His method is to lower the truck to compact the snow, then lift the tires so they are tucked up into the fender wells. This creates space under the tires to add snow and then lift the truck to its new improved height and drive out. It beats having to pull out a Hi-Lift jack, raise the vehicle, add snow, repeat for the other side or each corner, and then drive out- or be winched out assuming someone is available and able.
At this point, you may be wondering what is left stock on the F-150. Surprisingly, it’s essentially stock from the frame up although the front fenders are custom graphite. They are able to take a substantial beating and allow room for the tires to go to full lock without rubbing. Wager says the 3.5L EcoBoost is powerful enough to turn the 44-inch tires over all terrain due to the good low-end torque (but he is a self-confessed fan of V-8 engines) and the powertrain is all stock including the driveshafts. He favours Ford’s 10-speed transmission for its smooth shifting. No enhancements have been needed to the power steering components and cooling system as yet.
We asked Wager why he chose the Ford F-150 as the base for this truck. He replied it is the number one selling truck in North America, which means clients already choose
it over the other manufacturers and models, and because of the aluminum construction, which makes it one of the lighter (if not the lightest) pick-up in its segment. All of the modifications add roughly 318 kg (700 lb) to the build so starting with the lightest truck results in the lowest environmental footprint in the end build, and the highest flotation in snow, mud, and sand.
The system can be applied to any truck and Wager is already thinking about designing the components for the Toyota Tundra. While he doesn’t expect to modify trucks in-house, he says it’s possible (although it’s not his call) that the kit could one day be sold to custom shops to turn your F-150 (or any other light- or heavy-duty truck) into the quintessential 4x4.
Walking through the shop and yard my wandering eye caught sight of a few other works in progress tucked into corners. Yes, that means I pulled the tarps off projects, took pictures, and fired off questions like an over-eager six-year-old. “What’s this, what’s that, and why?”
I discovered a Hemi-powered Jeep with a pair of retractable snow tracks, a snowmobile with independent front air suspension (think traversing steep slopes), and a converted offroad camper with 44” TrXuS tires waiting for its own air suspension system. A little over the top for a trailer? Not for rapid response fire suppression as it will be able to carry a fire-retardant power sprayer saving forests, land, and lives.
It was time for a test drive. One downside is that its off-road capability makes everything appear and feel easy. The cab is level on off-cambered slopes, and its tires don’t have to rely on droop to reach the ground (instead you lower the high tire and retract the others as necessary).
It was early December as we made our way into the mountains to access familiar trails. We left clear, dry roads for a winter wonderland. Airing down the 44” tires smoothed out the ride as did the fresh snow, but the snow also made for greasy terrain and hid the rough obstacles beneath a white soft blanket. The fullsize F-150 followed tight trails used by small 4x4’s and ATV’s as branches bashed the sides and roof of the truck. The rear steer turned us smoothly around turns too tight for a full-size truck. When you’re not used to the action, it feels like your backend is sliding through the corner rather than driving.
We crab-walked around slippery, off-camber portions of the terrain instead of sliding down into trees and rocks. Then we left the trails. All the truck needs is enough room between the trees. The side mirrors were punched against the cab when the trees got too tight, and were forced to the front when we had to reverse as the forest was too thick to continue.
Rarely did the tires spin. Rarely did we need the skinny pedal to bump up and over obstacles. We would adjust the weight on the tires by adjusting the suspension and continue to crawl steadily forward. This F-150 currently doesn’t have lockers, but it can access more terrain more easily than highly-modified 4x4’s with lockers.
Naturally, I had to ask how much this modified F-150 would cost…ballpark? He replied (politically correctly) it's not his call. Looking it over and comparing it to some performance snow-wheeling rigs I’ve seen, I threw out the number in my head - $250,000. He smiled and said that’s not an unreasonable guess.