Our New-To-Us On-Roader: 2005 Subaru Forester XT

January 15, 2024 / Andy Lilienthal / 4 Comments

For 23 years, we had a sporty on-road car of some sort. While sporty didn’t necessarily mean fast, it always meant upgraded suspension and stickier tires at a minimum. Whether it was my SR20DE-powered Nissan Sentra SE-Limited or 2001 Ford Focus ZX3, our 1998 Honda Prelude SH, or 2013 Subaru Impreza WRX, we always had…

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10 Days, 10 Reels, 5,000+ Miles: An Alcan 5000 Rally Recap

December 21, 2023 / Mercedes Lilienthal / Leave a comment

It’s exactly two months to the day of the winter Alcan 5000 Rally start line. Andy and I are partnering with INEOS Automotive to drive their Grenadier Trialmaster 4×4 for the competition. The 2024 Alcan 5000 Rally starts February 21 and runs through March 1.

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Our Favorite Vehicles From the 2023 SEMA Show

November 11, 2023 / Andy Lilienthal / Leave a comment

The SEMA Show is sometimes referred to as the pulse of the automotive aftermarket. It’s where brands and manufacturers showcase their latest and greatest aftermarket accessories. And every year there are hundreds—if not thousands—of cool custom vehicles to be seen. From hot rods and imports to trucks and vans, SEMA has some really awesome vehicles….

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Mitsubishi Cars Are Popular In Iceland

August 17, 2023 / Andy Lilienthal / Leave a comment

Imagine if you will, a parallel universe where Mitsubishi vehicles, specifically the Eclipse Cross and Outlander PHEV, are some of the most popular cars on the roads. They’re like every fifth vehicle! While a lot of them are rental cars catering to the masses of tourists on the Nordic island, needless to say, Mitsubishi cars…

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Adding a Light Bar, Lights, and Armor to our 2022 Subaru Crosstrek

April 15, 2023 / Andy Lilienthal / Leave a comment

Our goal with our Crosstrek was to add just a bit more capability to it. We want to hop in it and go pretty much anywhere we want (within reason). So after we added the 15×7 Reika Seeker wheels and 215/75/15 BFGoodrich KO2 tires, we added a light bar, lights, and armor to our 2022 Subaru Crosstrek. You can see how we did this in our Subaru Crosstrek video above.

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Finding Our Long-Lost Suzuki Sidekick, The Teal Terror

February 16, 2023 / Andy Lilienthal / 1 Comment

Before our JDM Pajeros or Delicas, before our Jeep Cherokee, we had a great little 1995 Suzuki Sidekick. We called it The Teal Terror. We sold the Teal Terror in 2016, and I always wondered what happened to it. Well, we recently found out. Check out our sister site, Subcompact Culture for the whole story.

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We’re Ready For the 2022 Alcan 5000 Summer Rally!

August 11, 2022 / Andy Lilienthal / 1 Comment

We are one step closer to being ready for the 2022 Alcan 5000 Summer Rally! Our 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness has its rally livery on, we’ve got our modifications installed, and we’re nearly ready to hit the road.

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We’re Partnering With Subaru of America for the 2022 Alcan 5000 Rally

July 5, 2022 / Andy Lilienthal / 3 Comments

It’s officially official: We’re partnering with Subaru of America for the 2022 Alcan 5000 Rally. The ’22 Alcan 5000 is a summer rally vs. 2020’s winter edition. This means less worry about freezing to death, more worry about massive mosquitoes and traversing thousands of miles of Canadian tarmac, dirt, and gravel. And this year’s vehicle?…

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Crankshaft Culture 2022 Q1 Update

April 19, 2022 / Andy Lilienthal / 1 Comment

To say Mercedes and I have been busy so far in 2022 would be a gross understatement. You may have noticed we haven’t made a post since January. Frankly, we’ve been so busy we simply haven’t had time. That being said, the things we’ve been busy with have been automotive-based and awesome.

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Winter Road Trip Road Test: Toyo Celsius All-Weather Tires

January 21, 2022 / Andy Lilienthal / 2 Comments

As you know, we recently got a 1998 Honda CR-V. In fact, we drove it from Oregon to Wisconsin and back and only broke down once. (That’s a story for another time.) Before leaving for the frozen midwestern tundra, we put some all-weather Toyo Celsius tires on. No, not all-season, all-weather. If you’re not familiar,…

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