Out on the desert for the last few days. Some challenges that I had not expected but survived them all. While I pull my notes together I'll share these thoughts.
A “farkle” is an accessory that is supposed to add function to a vehicle but is often just an add-on to increase the style points of the vehicle. If it is chromed it is bling.
An anodized billet brake reservoir cover is such a farkle. It adds no functionality but looks nice. After market oil filler plugs often decrease functionality because they require a wrench where the OEM plug will require only your fingers to remove.
Normally farkles doe no harm to anything except the wallet. Your buddies think they look good and are jealous. Some are very popular among newbies and are big on the look at me scale. Snorkels on Jeeps are high on this list.
However, I came across an instance where a farkle could be deadly. Wheel spacers and offset wheels move the tire away from the axle, ostensibly to allow wider tires to be installed. When you see Jeeps and pickup trucks with their tires sticking out of the wheel wells this is the reason. Macho looks that generally do no harm. Most of these vehicles never see anything more exciting than a gravel driveway.
On the Lippincott Road in Death Valley they could be fatal. The reason being that the road is extremely narrow with steep drop offs on the side. I got on it by mistake and had a mega-pucker ride to the bottom. My truck has stock wheels with slightly over sized tires and it barely stayed on firm ground. Crossing washouts and climbing over boulders was nerve racking and required 100% concentration. Only with experience and patience did I made it to the bottom safely.
On the way out of the valley I came across some young guys in three vehicles that were looking at maps. The farkles on their trucks screamed newbie so I pulled over to ask them where they were going. They said they were planning on Lippincott Road. Not only that, they were planning on going up where I had just come down. Up being significantly harder than Down.
I asked them about their experience and it became obvious that they were Silicon Valley techies who had lots of money and were out for a good time. I suggested that they get some more practice before attempting the road, and when they did they should go downhill rather than uphill. A park ranger pulled up as I was leaving and must have given them the same advice because I saw them turn around and drive away.
It occurred to me later that they all had heavily offset wheels that might not have fit on the road. That would mean either tumbling down a ravine, probably fatally, or attempting to back down the road which would be beyond extremely difficult. Thus, a farkle that could be life threatening. There is a reason that Jeeps are short and narrow.
I took 1½ hours to go 8 miles and was in no hurry to go any faster.
Make my day, tell a friend about this blog!
No comments:
Post a Comment