SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1094818
AN ADDICTIVE HABIT Addictive Desert Designs Builds A 2019 Ford Ranger For Virtual And Real Off-Road Fun By Dan Sanchez Photos Provided By Addictive Desert Designs While many mid-sized truck fans anxiously wait for the availability of the 2019 Ford Ranger this year, aftermarket manufacturers like Addictive Desert Designs received the truck to build as a Ford Image Vehicle for the 2018 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada this past November. The idea behind an Image Vehicle is to give the automotive aftermarket an opportunity to create new products for the vehicle, and give truck fans ideas on how they can customize their own truck, once they get their hands on it. For the build team at Addictive Desert Designs the concept of the truck was, of course, to make it into a performance off-road vehicle, but the twist, is that this 2019 Ranger is one that can be driven both virtually and in real-life. Their ideas led to working with Ford and Xbox to design a truck similarly to what can be done with the Xbox Design Lab, where gamers can customize their Xbox controller using a variety of colors and patterns for the controller body, thumbsticks, and more. The grey and white camo pattern on the truck is one of the patterns in the Xbox Design Lab and was added to the stock body of the truck as a vinyl wrap. For the ADD team, that might have been the easiest part, as the rest of the truck had to be customized in five weeks to get it ready for its debut at the SEMA Show. This meant having to create, from scratch, all of the truck’s bumpers, roof rack and tire carrier that ADD specializes in for the automotive aftermarket. ADD’s team began by designing its Venom R front bumper for the Ranger. This bumper has a low-profile appearance that is made from .120-wall tubing and features aluminum panels that fit a set of Rigid LED lights in the front and corners of the bumpers. The Ranger was also outfitted with ADD’s Venom Rear Bumper, that is also a slim design with steel plates and provisions for a set of rear back-up LED lights. In the bed of the Ranger, ADD created its HoneyBadger Chase Rack, that is a three-piece modular designed rack that allows the addition of a tire carrier and a roof rack to carry gear over the vehicle’s cab. The roof rack on the ADD Ranger, also features dual, 40-inch Rigid LED light bars to provide plenty of forward lighting for nighttime off-roading. To protect the rocker panels on the vehicle, ADD built a set of Lite Side Steps for the Ranger, that also allow easier access into the cab and offer protection during extreme off-road conditions. While the Ranger’s 2.3L EcoBoost engine remains stock, ADD installed a Ford Performance cat-back exhaust system, which allows the engine to breathe a little bit better and gives the truck the sound you’d expect from an off-road vehicle. One of the major aspects of building an off-road truck, is having the tire clearance to take on difficult terrain. Wanting to install larger tires, the ADD team utilized a six-inch lift system from BDS Suspension that utilizes new upper control arms and Fox 2.5 coil-over front and rear shocks for added performance. This allowed the team to add a set of 35x12.50R17 BFGoodrich Mud Terrain KM3 tires that are mounted to a set of color matching Rev 883, 17-inch diameter wheels. The beadlocks and caps match the Xbox Design Lab color scheme of the truck, which includes neon green hardware in the wheels, as well as in various other components of the truck. When it came to customizing the Ranger’s interior, the same color theme was adapted here was well. The factory dark gray upholstery was upgraded to a set of light gray leather that was designed by Katzkin, and features custom embroidery on the headrests and seat backs. A pair of LCD screens were fitted behind the backs of the front passenger seats for rear seat gamers to enjoy playing Forza Horizon 4 on the Xbox One, complete with color matching designed controllers. According to Greg Foutz from ADD, the truck is actually going to be in the game later in the year, where players can start with a factory 2019 Ford Ranger and build it up to the same ADD version that the company built. While some gamers may already be addicted to the Forza Horizon 4 game, off-road fans will definitely want to build their own off-road beast, customizing it to their own personal tastes, but with the ability to utilize products like ADD’s bumpers to complete the appearance and performance they would expect from being addicted to having fun off-road. SJ SPECIFICATIONS: 2019 Ford Ranger Addictive Desert Design Xbox Design Lab Engine & Drivetrain: 2.3L EcoBoost Engine, Ford Performance Cat-Back Exhaust System, 10-Speed Automatic Transmission, Chassis/Suspension: BDS 6” Suspension Lift System, FOX 2.5 Factory Series front DSC Coilovers, FOX 2.5 Piggyback DSC Rear Shocks Body:Custom Xbox Themed Vinyl Wrap Matched to Special Edition Xbox Controller, Addictive Desert Designs Venom R Front Bumper, Addictive Desert Designs Venom Rear Bumper, Addictive Desert Designs HoneyBadger Chase Rack with Add-on Roof Rack and Tire Carrier, Addictive Desert Designs Lite Side Steps, Wheels & Tires: 35×12.50×17 BFGoodrich Mud Terrain KM3 Tires, Rev 883 17-Inch Wheels Interior: Katzkin Custom Leather Embroidered Seats, TVs Behind Headrests with Custom Behind Seat Xbox Mounts