- by Wil Girindra

If you ever had doubts about the financial viability of the 4x4 after market, the SEMA 2000 show would have been an instant cure.

The show featured over 500 display vehicles and 6,025 booths. Of that number, many of them were 4x4-related.

Here's what we thought was newsworthy:

Tractech debuted a working model of their Truetrac-based, electrically operated locking differential. In the unlocked mode, the differential functions exactly like a regular Truetrac, a limited slip differential. When locked, the diff becomes a spool.

Because the differential shares the same parts as a Truetrac, it is also has the same limitation: it is only suitable for tires up to 33" in diameter. Even so, this product, which will be released in 2001, will be very popular with many fourwheelers. Initially, this differential will be made for Dana 44 axles.

Speaking of locking differentials, we had a look at the Jack McNamara locking differential. This Australian-made unit can be powered by engine vacuum so it avoids the need for a compressor. Like the ARB, it utilizes a sliding collar arrangement but it is much larger and doesn't require any seals inside the differentials. Installation of this locking diff should be easier than an ARB. The McNamara differential has been on the Australian market for a while but as yet, there is no North American distributor. Current applications include Dana 60, Dana 70, and Land Cruiser and Toyota pick up axles.

The new electric locking differential from Tractech.

On the left are the standard True-trac components. The coloured items on the right are the additional pieces used to lock the differential.

Jack McNamara's manually-operated locker.

Another interesting development in the area of differentials came from Teraflex. They had a couple of samples of their Tera60R high-performance differential. Based on the popular Dana 60, the Tera60R is a custom-made high pinion housing that features more ground clearance than a Dana 44 while utilizing the much stronger Dana 60 ring gear and 35-spline axle shafts. The Tera60R achieves its greater ground clearance by shaving the bottom of the housing flat, and using a specially machined ring gear to fit within the modified housing's dimensions. The material used to cast the housing is also stronger and weighs 18% more than a Dana 60. The bearing caps are also 60% larger than a Dana 60's. To complement the housing's strength, its diff cover is cast nodular iron and appears to be at least 1/4" thick.

Other notable developments from Teraflex include long-arm control arms for their TJ 4" lift kit. By changing to longer arms, Teraflex has been able to add 100 RTI points (30 deg ramp) to their test vehicle's score. This product is scheduled for release on Nov 20.

For the XJs, they have just released their Grand-Up rear coil conversion kit. Cherokee owners have been waiting for this one for a while.

Over the past few years, Teraflex has produced some very unique products for the Jeep TJ. Now, the YJ is benefiting from their R&D. Most significantly, the BellyUP skidplate is now available for YJs. This skidplate replaces the stock unit and increases ground clearance by up to two inches.

The latest addition to the TeraLow line of transfer case lower gearing kits was for the Isuzu 'cases.

Tera's long arm kit was a low profile mount that didn't require removal to access the transfer case and transmission.

Tera debuted their new line of shocks. In this display, you can also see the Tera60R axle housing.

The Tera60R has noticably more ground clearance than the standard Dana 60. This axle also has the Tera shock mount extensions that move the shocks further away from the axle tubes so the shock body doesn't contact the tube.

Look at how thick that differential cover is. The bearing caps are considerably stronger than stock Dana 60 units.

They also had a display sample of their heavy duty Dana 300 output yoke but it is not yet in production. Their locking hub conversion for Chrysler Jeep Dana 30 axles was also not yet in production but they said it would be available soon.

They also had good news for Isuzu owners. Besides providing lower gear ratio kits for Dana 231's, 18's, 20's and 300's, they now make a 3.07:1 kit for Isuzu transfer cases.

Ramsey featured a universal wireless winch remote control system which can be used with virtually any winch on the market. At first glance, it may seem like a bit of a luxury item but after our recent experience at the North West Rock Crawling Championship, we can see definite advantages with this controller in a competitive situation.

Having tested a set of Pro Comp MTs for several months, I was excited to see their display model of the tread pattern for their upcoming Extreme MT tire. It featured a much more aggressive tread pattern than their MT tire. I expect this new tread, combined with the flexibility of the regular MT, to be a huge success with the off-road crowd.

Ramsey's wireless winch control is adaptable for use on all major winches.

Pro Comp's new Extreme MT tread looks like it will provide a significant performance increase.

Skyjacker had a visually striking display with their fire engine red Jeep Cherokee and TJ. Both featured their long arm suspension kits. The quality of both kits was top-notch. The longer arms allow for generous amounts of articulation while retaining proper operating angles. The end result is greater wheel travel than kits that utilize stock length arms.

Skyjacker's TJ long-arm kit.

Both the TJ and XJ kits include significant front-end bracketry that requires no welding.

Skyjacker's long-arm kit for Jeep TJ's.

Speaking of coil spring kits, Tomken was showing their 100% bolt-on coil spring kit for '76-86 Jeep CJ's. A three-link set-up is used in both the front and rear, providing 4 to 5 inches of lift. Future versions include support for other axles and a YJ kit. I noticed their kit included front and rear sway bars, presumably to address the problem of instability that is common to vehicles with too-soft suspensions. Warn took the same approach with their experimental coil spring kit installed on a Toyota Land Cruiser.

Tomken's bolt-on coil kit for Jeep CJ's.

Both ends use a beefy triangulated upper arm.

Bestop had a large display featuring their new products. Chief among them was their new line of replacement seats featuring built-in heaters, a full range of adjustment, and neoprene upholstery. If you're looking for a hardtop for your Jeep, definitely check out their Jeep Hardtop which should be available in 2001. Made from a 5-ply composite laminate, it is stronger, quieter, and warmer (or cooler, depending on the season) than any other hardtop on the market. The inner layer of structural foam should provide for a very comfortable, quiet ride. For cruising around town, they showed their new swing-away sound bar prototypes. New to their line of Storage Modules was their TrailMax Consoles. These console were packed with features: slide-out writing board, Power Point DC power plug, multiple storage trails, interior light, locking top, built-in cooler, and a first aid kit. A new addition to their line of products was a heavy duty tire carrier that mounts to the body and tailgate via a unique design. Another featured product was their line of fender flares for Jeep TJ's, YJ's and CJ's.

The Bestop Jeep Hardtop featuring STRAT 5-ply laminate material. Check out the cool forward roof rack, reminiscent of the Nissan XTerra's.	TrailMax seats.	Bestop's tire carrier consists of multiple hinges which allows it to move with the tailgate, negating the need for a second latching mechanism to open the tire carrier.
Treat your passengers to BIG sound. Production models will probably not have the passenger grab rail.	Their fender flares look like they'd do a great job of keeping the vehicle clean.

I know this SEMA report has a lot of Jeep-related content but I swear, that's not my fault. For whatever reason, the majority of the vehicle-specific products were for Jeeps. Case in point, Superior Axle & Gear's new Dana 35 axle truss. This bolt-on piece should address any housing flex problems that plague the Dana 35. Addco Industries debuted a very unique product for Jeeps: a remote-controlled sway bar disconnect system. Their ATB (All Terrain Bar) is currently available for 1997 and up Jeep TJ's. Other applications will follow.

Superior's bolt-on Dana 35 axle truss.

Addco's ATB. The disconnect mechanism is on the right.

This close-up shows you how Addco's system works.

Warn answered the prayers of many rock crawlers with the Warn Hub Fuse. This hub clutch ring is specifically designed to strip its teeth at 46,000 inch pounds of torque. This is considerably less than the 55,000 inch pounds of torque at which the average Dana 44 297x u-joint would fail. The result? The fuse sacrifices itself for the u-joint. Since the fuse will cost around US$25 per pair and is easy to replace, it is a far better outcome than a grenaded u-joint which often destroys one or both axle yokes. Warning: the Hub Fuse is not recommended for use with Detroit No-spin lockers. The design of the No-spin can result in it suffering damage due to the sudden shearing of the fuse.

Extreme Outback showed their new belt-driven rotary air compressor. By using a zerk fitting to keep the internals lubricated, it avoids the problems with trying to run a rotary a/c compressor without refrigeration oil running through the system.

Warn Hub Fuse.

Extreme Outback's air compressor.

And what would SEMA be without some showcase vehicles?

Forget the length, look at the size of that hook!

Turtle Expedition's newest Ford, the F550.

The GM H2. Is this the future of fourwheeling? I hope not.