Are you ready to go 'wheelin?

Peterson’s 4Wheel & Off-Road
Publisher: Primedia Group
Editor: Rick Pewe
Website: www.4wheeloffroad.com

----- Introduction -----

The market for off-road truck magazines is swamped with various contenders. All you need to do is browse the magazine rack at any store and look for magazines about 4WD trucks to see there is no shortage. After buying several different magazines over a period of months, I decided to subscribe to Peterson’s 4Wheel & Off-Road. It helped they were offering a one year subscription for $12.00 at the time I subscribed, but I was planning to sign up anyway. I liked this magazine enough that after my subscription expired, I sent away for another two years.

----- Magazine Contents -----

The cover of each magazine is dominated by a super-size action shot of some type of 4x4 in action. Usually the picture on the cover is of a featured vehicle for the issue, and there will be an in depth story deeper in the magazine. Just inside is the typical index of contents for those readers that want to skip to a specific section.

The first actual content you will turn to is Rick Pewe’s editorial titled 4xForward. He tackles a different topic each issue, and generally it has something to do with either the magazine, the readers, or the 4x4 industry.

Reader’s Letters come next, and this is where readers can both praise and complain about anything relating to 4x4s or the magazine. Some letters earn replies from the editors or columnists.

Next is my favorite section, and one I turn to first with each new issue. Readers’ Rides is where readers send in pictures of their vehicles in various stages of upgrade. From monster Chevy mud trucks to mostly stock SUVs, this is where ordinary folks can show off their pride and joy. This section is usually 3 to 4 pages long, but I wouldn’t mind if it were 10 or 12.

Drivelines is the industry news and gossip section, with various pictures and reports from auto shows, manufacturers, and trade shows. You’ll find lots of info on upcoming product releases and spy shots of the cool stuff you won’t see for awhile.

Finally we get to the core of the magazine, which happens to be product reviews and stories. Each issue will have 3 or more reviews of various products from tires and winches to bumpers and traction products. The stories range from mud-bog events to rock crawling competitions and are always accompanied by pictures of the event for you to drool over.

Also included in the above section are the tech-tips and how-to articles. From installing a locker in your truck, adding rear disc brakes, or converting an old vehicle to fuel injection, you can find valuable help and information here each month.

Finally we find up-close exposé’s on the featured trucks for the month. You get to read about some of the coolest, most expensive, most unique, or just plain weird vehicles to ever roll on four wheels.

At the very end of each issue we get to look at the lighter side of driving in the backcountry. Whoops is a collection of photos and captions of what happens when it all goes wrong. Rollovers, water crossings that failed, big time vehicular stuck-ness, and all other types of blunders. These are the stories you can laugh about after the fact and tell your friends all about.

----- Bottom Line -----

There are no downsides to this magazine for me, and I have enjoyed each issue I’ve received. There is a large amount of advertising with each issue, but I don’t mind as I have purchased several items from vendors I would not have known about if not for the advertising. Major advertisers include: National Tire and Wheel, 4-Wheel Parts Wholesalers, and Randy’s Ring & Pinion. If you are looking to upgrade your truck these are all great companies to deal with.

For most people (including me) this is as close as we’ll ever get to a $40,000 off-road beast. Be forewarned, this magazine is aimed at the hard-core 4x4 set, and doesn’t focus on street drivability or practicality. Most of the projects and how-to articles involve expensive parts and upgrades. Some the more expensive projects do have a trickle-down effect to those of us on poorer budgets… while we may not undertake the whole project, some of the info can be very useful! If you have any interest in extreme off-road vehicles or the lighter side of enthusiast 4-Wheeling, take the time to read a copy of Peterson’s 4W&OR.

The runner up for my favorite off-road magazine is Four Wheeler which is also published by Primedia.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment!
Openroad