72 NOVEMBER 20194-WHEEL & OFF-ROAD 4WHEELOFFROAD.COM
NUTS & BOLTS
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WRITE TO: Nuts & Bolts, 4-Wheel & Off-
Road, 831 S. Douglas St., El Segundo,
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FAX TO: 818.566.8501
EMAIL TO: [email protected]necting or breaking the path of either the
positive side of a circuit (most common) or
the negative side of a circuit. A relay does
the same thing, but instead of a physical
toggle or lever, the contacts that connect
or break the circuit are controlled by a small
coil inside the relay that is energized or de-
energized by a switch that can be mounted
elsewhere (hence the term “remote con-
trol”). While a relay does add an extra
step to the switching process, the main
advantage is that you can leave the actual
switching of high-power circuits for things
like off-road lights or air compressors in
the engine compartment, and control that
switching with a much smaller amperage
circuit that energizes the relay’s coil via
a switch mounted inside the passenger
compar tment. It’s always good to have
high-amperage circuits separated from
the passenger compartment by a firewall;
should something go wrong with the circuit,
there’s a physical barrier between vehicle
occupants and the potential fire. Smaller
amperage circuits also allow the use of
physically smaller switches, so packaging
is easier. You will often see circuits carrying
less than 20 amps s witched directly, while
circuits of 30-40 amps can sometimes be
directly switched but will often be con-
trolled by relays. Anything above 40 amps is
pretty much always on a relay.
Much like switches and relays, fuses and
circuit breakers do the same thing, but they
go about it in different ways. A fuse con-
tains a heat-sensitive filament inside that is
designed to heat up and melt if the current
of the circuit exceeds the rating of the fuse.
This breaks the path of electricity before
damage occurs to the wires or other com-
ponents of the circuit. A fuse is one-time use
and must be replaced. A circuit breaker also
uses a heat-sensitive element, but instead
of burning up, it trips a spring-loaded
mechanism that breaks the path of electric-
it y. Some breakers must be physically reset
(much like breakers on your house), but the
breakers used most commonly in vehicles
will reset automatically after a certain
amount of time. If the current fault is still
present, it will trip again shortly after recon-
necting the current path. You will often see
circuit breakers used in important circuits
like headlights and wiper motors, but we’ve
al so seen them used to control ABS ser vos,
window regulators, and door lock circuits.
The vehicle’s owner’s manual will typically
tell you which circuits are on a fuse and
which are on a breaker. Fuses are cheaper
to wire and use, but a breaker is sometimes
preferable for a troublesome circuit or
something that periodically gets wet when
it shouldn’t and shorts out.SPORT TRAC UPGRADES
Q
I’m currently a guest of the state of
North Carolina but will be getting
out soon and look forward to returning to
the “real world” and start making up for
all of the things I took for granted. Among
those things are the outdoors and four-
wheeling. One of the things I have waiting
for me is a 2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
with less than 70,000 miles on it. I know
it’s not ideal, but it’s what I have. Is there
any thing at all that can be done to improve
its 4x4 abilities? Does anyone even make
a lift kit for it? What size tires can I run
without causing damage to an otherwise
low-mileage and dependable little grocery
getter? Does anyone make a limited-slip or
a locker? Is there any hope at all other than
throwing big money at it and replacing
everything from the transmission back?
CARL O.
Tabor City, NCA
Any 4x4 is better than none, so start-
ing with an actual four-wheel drive is
a good start regardless of make or model.
While a Sport Trac might not be the most
popular off-roader in the world, there are
a few things you can do to improve its off-
road ability.
The two biggest things that impact off-
road performance are traction and clear-
ance. Investing in a decent set of all-terrain
or mud-terrain tires is a good first step. Your
Sport Trac came stock with 235/70R16s,
which are only about 29 inches tall. We
would be willing to bet you could squeeze
some 31s under the truck with some minor
and creative fender well trimming , or maybe
even a bit taller if you’re not afraid of taking
a saw to sheetmetal. If trimming sheet-
metal makes you queasy, then Truxx (truxx.
com) offers a front leveling kit as well as a
3-inch lift kit for your Sport Trac. The front
consists of reindexed torsion bar keys to
bring up the front, while the rear has add-a-leaves and new U-bolts. It’s a pretty basic
kit , but it should gain you some room for a
larger tire and wheel package. Any more
than about 32-inch-tall tires and you’ll
likely find the limits of the front axle and CV
shafts anyway.
The one good bit of news is that by all
accounts your Sport Trac should have an
8.8-inch rear axle. The Ford 8.8 is an excel-
lent a xle and is really stronger than it has
a right to be. It also happens to be well
supported, so there’s no shortage of lock-
ers, limited-slips, and gearing options out
there. Toss a locker in the diff and you’ll be
able to peel out without worr ying about
breaking anything in the rear axle.
If the truck has any low-hanging acces-
sories, such as side steps or running
boards, remove them or el se they ’ll likely
just damage the body when you hit them
against rocks and trees.
Beyond these suggestions, we advise
you to just go four-wheeling. You don’t
have to have the best of ever y thing to
enjoy the backcountry. It’s more important
to get out there than to worry about not
having the best equipment. Know your rig’s
limitations and do your best to stay within
them, but don’t let having a relatively
uncommon 4x4 with a lack of off-road
modifications keep you at home.