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Overland Updates, Snow Wheeling Hitchhikers, and Boring F1

Overland Updates, Snow Wheeling Hitchhikers, and Boring F1

The Avants Podcast Mar 23, 2026 47 min
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About this episode

Corvette talk kicks off with Brian’s fresh Corvette E-Ray and the crew’s ongoing car-hunting banter. Dan shares travel and an Overland Southern Cal update: bigger crowds, lots of vendors, but a feeling of stagnation—too many similar F-350/F-450 builds and ā€œgrocery getterā€ trucks. Newer trends include specialized overland trailers, more battery/power tech, and Starlink mounts. The group also swaps stories from snow-wheeling and rescue help in the mountains, then debates F1’s Apple TV era and the broader push toward more tech-heavy racing. They close with an ā€œobscure enginesā€ carter tip on V4s.

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Technical Too Afraid to Ask
Car

Corvette E-Ray

"Hi, Brian. Hi, Brian. That's sexy. Brian's back from the road and the other Brian, Brian Elich, bought, he got a new Corvette E-Ray."

The Corvette E-Ray is a special Corvette from Chevrolet that adds electric power to help the car accelerate and grip better. It’s basically a performance Corvette with a hybrid/electric twist.

Car

Chevrolet Camaro

"I like that he posted the Camaro that he just bought online and then literally went back in like a day or two later and went, oh, that didn't last long."

The Camaro is Chevrolet’s classic performance car. It’s the kind of car people buy when they want a sporty, loud, V8-style driving experience.

Car

Ford F350

"And one particular gentleman who came up and we were talking about it Saturday, I think something like that. He was like, this is the same stuff like I'm seeing the same stuff over and over again. Like I just, it feels very repetitive. Like I don't need to see, you know, 400 different variations of an F 350 or F 450 or F 550, that's a half three quarters or a million dollars. Yeah. That can only go to about 10% of the trails in the world. And then, then you've got the opposite side where you look at sprinters, you know, where there's tons and tons and tons of Sprinter builders now that are trying to build a better mousetrap on that side."

The Ford F-350 is a heavy-duty pickup truck. It’s designed to tow and haul more than a typical smaller truck. The podcast mentions it while discussing what someone keeps noticing.

Car

Sprinter

"And then, then you've got the opposite side where you look at sprinters, you know, where there's tons and tons and tons of Sprinter builders now that are trying to build a better mousetrap on that side."

The Sprinter is a Mercedes van that a lot of people turn into camper/overland rigs. There are many companies and hobbyists building them, so you see lots of different versions.

Concept

rock crawling

"That's always sort of been the base build for rock crawling and things like that. Yeah, but there was so many grocery getters and"

Rock crawling is off-roading where you go slowly over rocks and try to keep traction. It usually requires special tires and suspension so the truck can move carefully over obstacles.

Term

carbon hoods

"you know, parking lot princesses that were parked there with carbon, you know, window fender flares and carbon hoods and stuff like that. Like those trucks are never going to see any dirt ever."

A carbon hood is a hood made from carbon fiber. It can look really cool and may be lighter, but it’s not always the most practical choice for heavy off-roading.

Term

fender flares

"you know, parking lot princesses that were parked there with carbon, you know, window fender flares and carbon hoods and stuff like that. Like those trucks are never going to see any dirt ever."

Fender flares are the plastic or metal pieces around the wheel area. They help keep dirt and water from flinging out and can fit wider tires.

Term

dented rims

"I always think like I would rather see a Toyota that's sitting there with dented rims Same and and goes thinking the same next to the boost and the guy goes."

Dented rims usually mean the wheels took a hit from rocks or rough ground. In off-roading circles, it can be a sign the truck actually sees trails.

Term

pinstripes

"It really is like it. I mean for us we get pinstripes on our trucks all the time. Yeah. Um, I got some good ones this weekend and uh"

Pinstripes are thin decorative lines you put on a vehicle. People add them for looks, and here they’re talking about how lots of stripes can make the truck look busy.

Term

wrap my truck

"And that's the whole reason I wrap my truck. That's the whole reason you hopefully will do something about your bed one of these days"

A wrap is a big sticker made of vinyl that covers parts of your truck. People use it to change the look and also help protect the paint.

Term

carbon fiber

"Nope, even the Baja teams aren't running carbon fiber. No like nobody cares that much about the weight like they run fiberglass, but"

Carbon fiber is a very light, strong material used on some car parts. Here they’re saying off-road teams don’t usually bother with it because other materials make more sense.

Term

skid plate

"I mean, I guess apg off-road has a carbon like a heavy heavy duty like skid plate level carbon fender"

A skid plate is a protective plate under the vehicle to help prevent damage when you hit rocks or debris. It’s a way to describe ā€œtough enough for impact.ā€

Term

burnouts

"A good guy's show. I love looking at a chivalre that's got rubber all over the back of it because it's been doing burnouts and things like that"

A burnout is when you spin the tires on purpose. It leaves rubber behind, and here they’re saying they like seeing cars that get used, not just parked.

Concept

trailers

"Yeah, so the trend that I saw and I've seen here since the last show of last year to this year was trailers like people wanting to do some sort of trailer that's you know specific so that they can outfit that properly"

They’re talking about trailers becoming a big trend—people are building them for a specific purpose instead of using a basic trailer. These can be pretty advanced.

Concept

four link suspension

"I mean, they're full you know, yeah four link suspension everything. Yeah that that kind of thing So that's so you can't get it in your car. So you're gonna pull it behind your car"

Four-link suspension is a way to connect the trailer’s wheels to the frame using four arms. It helps the wheels move more smoothly over bumps and keeps the trailer more stable off-road.

Term

hitch

"Yeah, so I start to see a lot of those with the proper trunk with the proper hitch on them"

A hitch is the receiver-mounted hardware that allows a vehicle to tow a trailer. The speaker mentions having the ā€œproper hitch,ā€ which matters because correct hitch rating and setup affect safety and towing stability, especially on uneven terrain.

Company

Dometic

"Uh, dometic has come out with a new trailer. Oh, so okay, so dometic and forerunner, you know, um, so those two are uh"

Dometic makes a lot of camping and RV equipment. Here they’re talking about a new trailer, which is useful for overlanding because it lets you tow gear and then leave the trailer at the trailhead.

Concept

towing something behind it

"There's that idea of having a nice rig Toeing something behind it and then when you don't need to go do your overlanding you just leave your trailer at home and that kind of thing"

This is about pulling a trailer behind your vehicle using a hitch. It’s convenient for carrying stuff, but it can make it harder to drive on rough trails.

Concept

Moab

"Then you can go on wheel you're like, you know go to moab and Find your trail that you want to go do but you can't pull a trailer through it"

Moab, Utah is a famous off-roading destination known for technical trails and challenging terrain. The speaker uses it as an example of where you might want to tow to a base area, then leave the trailer and tackle the trail with better maneuverability.

Concept

snow-wheeling

"Yeah, there's not a lot of good places close by to go snow-wheeling [1069.5s] You have to get pretty far out there now [1071.3s] Well, we were going to go for 10 but for 10 was closed because of trees and things like that"

Snow-wheeling is off-roading on snow-covered terrain, typically using 4x4 vehicles and appropriate tires. It often involves careful traction management, route planning, and sometimes winching or recovery gear depending on conditions.

Brand

Apple TV

"I'm surprised apple stepped up for that for one ... I'm just surprised to see the the streaming. That's such a huge acquisition for apple"

Apple TV is Apple’s streaming service. The point here is that Apple paying to stream big sports like F1 can bring more attention and money to the sport.

Concept

F1

"I actually get pretty bored watching f1. I don't watch it that often. I'll watch highlights more than I'll watch a race because I'm just like "

F1 is the highest level of open-wheel racing. The conversation is about whether modern F1 feels too technical or automated compared to earlier eras.

Concept

MotoGP

"[1453.8s] but motor gp like you bring up is especially great to watch because [1458.3s] That is a [1460.0s] Hardcore body game the same with like I think the peep the pinnacle of that is not motor gp."

MotoGP is the highest level of motorcycle racing on road-style tracks. It’s exciting because the riders are extremely precise and the bikes are very advanced.

Concept

Isle of Man

"[1460.0s] Hardcore body game the same with like I think the peep the pinnacle of that is not motor gp. It's isle of man [1464.9s] That's a little too extreme people die way too often. It's amazing"

The Isle of Man TT is a legendary motorcycle race known for being extremely dangerous. The course and speeds make it a huge test of skill and nerve.

Concept

nascar

"[1492.4s] Exactly do it and that makes it all the more amazing and I think [1499.2s] You would see that in racing a lot where it's it's sort of the same appeal nascar has [1503.1s] Yeah"

NASCAR is a type of racing where stock cars race mostly on oval tracks. It can involve a lot of engineering, but the racing style is different from road racing and can feel simpler to some viewers.

Brand

Honda

"Speaking of motorcycles is my favorite sound of a motorcycle is a v4 [1718.8s] And then that's this goes back to the Honda RC 45 days"

Honda is the motorcycle brand being mentioned here. They’re linking Honda to the V4 bikes that helped create that famous sound.

Term

V4

"It's one of the I think the best sounding motorcycles actually have v4. It's just there's a Certain synchronicity to the way those pistons fire that just goes oh when they're screaming or the race pipe"

A V4 is an engine with four cylinders arranged in a V shape. Different engine layouts make different sounds, and V4s can have a very distinctive high-pitched note.

Term

V-twin

"You get all that thunder of like a v-twin, but all the high pitch Of a super sport bike, but there aren't a few cars that run v4s"

A V-twin engine uses two cylinders arranged in a V configuration. The hosts are contrasting the ā€œthunderā€ typical of V-twins with the higher-pitched sound they associate with V4s.

Car

Honda CBX

"Maybe it was 80s Honda came out with that straight six the cbx. Yeah, Great engine actually. Yeah, super smooth."

The Honda CBX is a classic Honda motorcycle with a straight-six engine. The big takeaway is that it runs very smoothly because the engine layout is inherently well-balanced.

Brand

Yamaha

"It's an incredible engine. Yeah, Yamaha's [2032.0s] No slouch when it comes to building performance engines"

Yamaha usually makes motorcycles, but it also has experience building engines. Here, they’re saying Yamaha has a track record of making engines that perform well in cars too.

Term

DEF

"Literally there was a senate hearing about how bad def has been for vehicles... And so now because those laws are basically non enforceable... they're just removing the def injection..."

DEF is a special fluid diesel trucks use to clean their exhaust. It’s injected into the exhaust so the truck can reduce harmful pollution.

Concept

James Bond gadget appeal

"[2683.5s] You know, I mean we talked about that the astad martin event [2685.8s] It's the fact that like the reason that car was so cool is the gadgets and james bond drew the coolest spy in the world drove it and [2692.4s] You know, yeah, yeah, I think"

The hosts are saying the DB5 is cool partly because James Bond made it look like a gadget-filled spy tool. So it became famous for the ā€œmovie techā€ vibe, not just how it drives.

Car

AMC Pacer

"I thought you told me that the amc pacer was your it is but I mean that's that's the one from wames world"

The AMC Pacer is a quirky, boxy compact car from American Motors (AMC) known for its unusual styling and roomy interior for its size. In the segment, it’s referenced as a ā€œposter carā€ and is tied to a humorous pop-culture description.

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