The Avants Podcast
Avants
Updated 6 days agoJoin hosts Dan Putnam and Nick Bergeron as they get to know industry leading guests beyond just what they drive. The Avants Podcast is never scripted and never predictable, but it’s always a good time and full of surprises. You won’t find any boring reviews that sound like reading off a pre-planned info sheet, ”history of” shows that are reworded Wikipedia articles, or advertisements for the next new foam mattress here! The Avants Podcast focuses on making sure guests are always authentic, just like your hosts.
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Episodes (447)
Christmas Gifts Every Car Enthusiast in Your Life Will Want
Are you all ready for Christmas this year? Didn't think so, but we've got your back! We've got some great last minute recommendations for all budgets for the car enthusiast in your life. None of these links are affiliate links; this is just the stuff we love that we think make great gifts. $50 and Under $20 - Husky Stubby Ratchet and Socket Set $50 - GOOLOO GT160 Tire Inflator $40 - Baofeng GMRS Radios $14-50 - Griots Garage products $20 - Milwaukee Goatskin Leather Work Gloves $22 - Scrubs in a Bucket $17 - Lexivon Torx Bit Socket Set $11 - RJ45 Panel Flush mount $27 - INIU Magsafe Charger $40 - 800Pcs Waterproof Automotive Electrical Connectors $25 - Door Slot Mats for cupholders $13 - 2 pack Eraser Wheels $100 and Under $99 - Kershaw Leek Carbon EDC Pocket Knife (BIFL) $99 - Gooloo GT4000S Jump Starter $50-100 - QuadLock Phone Case and Mount $99 - Husky Mechanics Tool Set $99 - OnX Elite Membership $70 - The LTT Screwdriver $60-80 - Brothers PT Label Maker $65 - 2x10 Ratchet Straps $70 - TP-Link Tapo Camera $70 - Bose Sound link Micro $200 and Under- $150 - Griots Garage Cadillac of Creepers $150-$400 - Avants Membership! $160-$325 - Morrflate Compressors and hose kits $90-500 - Viofo or Vehicle Specific DashCam $199 - Milwaukee Blower and batteries or similar for your preferred tool brand $120 - Bose Sound Link Flex $160 - Mackie 5” Bluetooth Studio Monitors $200 and Over: $300-$750 - DJI Drones at Costco Avants Partner Gift Cards - Metropolitan Detail, Park Place Auto Salon, Accutint, HKP Customs, and more! Driving School - DirtFish, ProFormance, Turn2 A night out at Salish Lodge and Spa - 15% off for Avants! $450-$700 - Uniden R7 or R8 Radar Detector Michelin or BF Goodrich tires at 15% back for Avants members! Of course, STEK - tint, PPF, etc. $160-$500 - Traxxas RC Crawler in 1/18 or 1/10 scale!
Avants...Utah?
Nick's windshield remains a blurry mess, the death (or rebirth?) of Jaguar conversation continues, the poor man's stethoscope reveals a potential engine issues on the Ranger Raptor for Nick, Nick's still talking about Moab, Liberty Walk molests a Miura, and we need to open an Avants in SLC. We're getting ready for our upcoming Gift Guide episode and we would love to hear from you! What's on your list this year? Let us know!
The Worst Rebrand in Automotive History!
This week we discuss what is without a doubt the single worst rebrand in automotive history, Black Friday deals, diving for Porsche parts, how not to clean your glass, and more!
Megan's Back and We're Talking SEMA, Raptor Assault, and Black Friday!
Megan Zalud is back with in the studio this week to catch up! She gives us the scoop on SEMA, Nick talks about his awesome experience with Ranger Raptor Assault, there’s a new Bronco Raptor at Dan’s house, and Dan gives you the inside track on how tell if that Black Friday deal is actually a deal or just a scam to make you feel better. A special shoutout to Emy Kissick for winning the Mazda Spec MX-5 Shootout!
Ramon Antonio of Avants Portland
It's about time Ramon joined us in the studio! Ramon Antonio is the Portland Coordinator for Avants and he joins us this week to talk about his love for all things on wheels, including the unpowered kind. Ramon talks about his brand StillPour, his tow driving work in San Francisco, and his abundance of cars he has owned. Follow Ramon here! https://www.instagram.com/stillpour https://www.instagram.com/stories/antonioautogarage
Justin Chesnutt Drifts on In!
Formula Drift PROSPEC Driver Justin Chesnutt drifts on in the Avants Podcast this week and talks all things drifting with us! As the owner of After Hours Autosports, Justin isn't just a driver, but he knows a ton about car builds and proper setup for drifting. He's a great resource for anyone looking to get into the sport or who might just be curious about how it all works. You can find Justin at all the links below! https://www.afterhoursautosports.com/ https://www.instagram.com/afterhoursautosports/ https://www.instagram.com/chesnutt_motorsports/
The Pro of Ceramic Pro, Adam Cote
On this weeks episode we have Adam Cote of Ceramic Pro here to demystify all those different paint coatings you keep hearing about. Adam tells us all about different coatings, how to maintain them, if you can apply them yourself, and every other question we could think of asking him.
Cristy Lee Does It All and Does It Well
Cristy Lee is almost a household name if you're into the car shows, but she does so much more than that. Cristy joins us this week to discuss her love for all things automotive, motorcycles, home improvement, and now... sculpting? Cristy is as fun and friendly as she appears on the screen and a real enthusiast you just have to like. We had such a fun time getting to know her and we know you're going to love this one.
Live from the Rebelle Rally, It's Team Velocity!
Karisa Haydon and Trista Smith give us a live update from the Rebelle Rally! They're currently sitting in 5th place, but the rally is far from over. They've had some really close calls and some 4 wheel air time already with more exciting updates to come. Follow along on their journey at on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/live/R0IW8nd6ELM?si=ncm2iuwbrG9EMEDf Follow with live tracking here! https://www.rebellerally.com/live-tracking/! Learn more about Team Velocity: https://www.rebellerally.com/2024teams/131-team-velocity/
Is Living on the Road the Dream?
Nick went to the RV show, the Crosstrek is king according to Consumer Reports, most car "refrigerators" are junk, and more on this weeks shoptalk! We're looking for you remote workers who really are embracing that remote life! Are you living on the road and traveling in a van? We want to talk to you and hear more about your life. Give us a call at 425-298-7873!
A New Ring Record, A New McLaren Hypercar, and Ford Makes a Ranger Raptor
Mercedes recently stomped the latest ring record with a blistering 6:29 second run, McLaren drops the P1 successor, and did you know Ford makes a RANGER RAPTOR? Who knew? Hint, not the guy at Griots last weekend. It's a tough time for car makers right now. Nissan, Stellantis, Tesla and more are making serious cuts to once top selling models as car sales start to fizzle out due to various reasons.
Colton and Will Take Us to the Cascade Edge
We've got Colton Edwards and Will Morris from Cascade Edge Motorsports this week talking to us about their journey to motorsports. They are yet another reminder that you even if you started a little later in life, you can still have an amazing career in motorsports with a lot of hard work and dedication. They're also driving instructors down with our Avants partner and personal friends at ProFormance, so if you want to try and learn how to drive just like these guys, you absolutely can... try. Cascade Edge Motorsport is a new race team founded to bring the spirit of Pacific Northwest racing to the national stage. Drivers Colton Edwards and Will Morris are taking the next step in their motorsports careers by entering the Michelin Pilot Challenge in IMSA, the premier series for sports car racing in the United States. Their first professional race will be the BMW M Endurance Challenge at Daytona International Speedway in January of 2025, and Cascade Edge invites motorsports fans to follow their journey as the team makes the leap from local, grassroots racing to competing on a national level. For sponsor and partner opportunity inquiries, contact Keagen Edwards, Director of Operations, at [email protected].
The Mini Bikes Conquer Moab
We took the Monkeys and Groms to Moab and survived! We tackled Onion Creek, Kokopelli, Hell's Revenge, Fins and Things, Shafer Trail, Chicken Corners, and several trips through Moab traffic all without dying! We even put the GMC HD AEV through its paces tackling Top of the World. It wasn't an easy however with two of the bikes taking some ride-ending damage, not to mention our old bodies taking the brunt of it. We'd like to thank ibuprofen for unofficially sponsoring this trip.
Curtis Creager Returns from the Ring!
This week Curtis Creager joins us in the studio to discuss his return from the Nurburgring! Back in February Curtis joined and discussed his plans for his first time there, and now he's back with all the good stories and more tips and tricks to help you get ready for the big day. Thumbnail photo credit to Jason Tang.
Would You Buy New or Upgrade Older?
We welcome back Brian Elich for some shop talk around buying a previous gen vehicle and upgrading or buying new with all the options. It's a huge price difference, but is the peace of mind worth it? Dan goes and checks out the new GX550 and still thinks you should probably just buy a Raptor.
We Hate Haptic Feedback Buttons and So Should You
On this episode we discuss the the new car reveals that worth looking at from Monterey, an automatic noise ordinance camera tickets a car with a stock exhaust, Drivers Assistance features are proven to not actually help, a designer at Audi proves they have apparently never driven a car before, and how the tires on your new truck can easily get out of balance in spite of how angry you make people on a forum.
Enjoy the Magic of Pistons and PixieDust!
This week we get the always impressive Faye Hadley on the show! Not just an extremely skilled automotive tech and educator she is also the co-host of MotorTrend’s All Girls Garage, and the featured mechanic on MotorTrend’s Motor Mythbusters series. You can hear all about how Faye got here, her PNW connections, and her love of chickens! Follow along with Faye here! www.youtube.com/fayehadley www.instagram.com/pistonsandpixiedust/ www.tiktok.com/@fayehadleyofficial www.facebook.com/pistonsandpixiedust www.pistonsandpixiedust.com
A Disco Party With Golden Rovers!
If you've got a Land Rover Discovery, we've got the show for you! Our friends Daniel and Emily join us to talk about their company Golden Rovers who specialize in essential accessories for Land Rovers. Emily and Daniel were famously the friends of ours who hydro locked their Land Rover discovery while out playing on Stampede Pass with us and then immediately started an LS Swap. They have also helped volunteer for Avants Off-Road days and are always out there supporting the community, so next time you see them be sure to say hello!
A Blue Ribbon Kind of Episode
Do you like forest service roads? Do you like doing anything off-road? Do you like dispersed camping? Then you should be supporting the Blue Ribbon Coalition. It's hard to believe how much access we have lost to beautiful lands, and the only people really making a difference to keep our access is the Blue Ribbon Coalition. We strongly believe in treading lightly, packing it in and packing it out, and even want higher fines to people who abuse land, but a lack of management is not land management! Unfortunately we're losing the battle and we need your help. The best way to do that is by supporting the Blue Ribbon Coalition. You can read more about and support the Blue Ribbon Coalition here: https://www.sharetrails.org/
From Mendocino to Happy Camp - The Best Roads You've Never Driven
The best driving roads aren’t the same things as the best roads. The best road in the country is Highway 12 in Utah, but the best driving road is almost every road in far northern California. Dan discusses his epic R8 road trip, Nick discusses CRF450 sales, Ranger Raptor warranty repairs, and more on this week’s Shop Talk episode.
Ryan ZumMallen Creates Car Books About People
We always say the Avants Podcast is a car show about people so it made perfect sense to have someone like Ryan ZumMallen on as a guest since he creates car books about people. Ryan tells us about his publishing company Carrara Books and talks more about the book everyone should own, Cult of GTR.
The New Kitch on the Block, Siena Kitch!
This week the newest member of the ProFormance Racing School joins us in the studio, Siena Kitch! Siena is a proud chip of the Kitch block and has been basically living and breathing the automotive racing world since the day she was born. She's smart, funny, and a great guest we know you'll love to hear! Check out ProFormance on Instagram and TikTok to see all of the latest content. Be sure to check out our Avants Track Days at ProFormance! https://proformanceracingschool.com/events/
R8 Track Days, New 911 Hybrid Doesn't Suck, and That New RS6 Avant GT
The R8 heads to its proper home at the track next month, Porsche lets the media judge it's new hybrid, and that new RS6 Avant GT is HOT! Check out our friends at STEK USA! https://www.stek-usa.com/ Need the perfect vehicle for the PNW and beyond? Go see our friends at Carter Automotive group! https://www.carterseattle.com/
The Ranger Raptor Arrives!
It finally happened! Nick got the new and Ranger Raptor and it lives up to all the hype. When it comes to factory capable trucks, Ford really set the bar with the F150 and we think they truly did it again with the Ranger. With less than 600 miles on the odometer, we put Nick’s new baby to the test by taking it over Stampede and up WABDR Section 2! Special thanks to Hailee Lehtinen for making this deal happen for Nick!
It's Always a Great Episode When We Get Phillip Griot
It’s no secret we are life long fans of all things Griots and Griot's Motors is just the latest reason to like everything they do. This week Phillip Griot, owner and CEO of Griot's Motors, join us to chat about what they have been up to down the hill from the flagship store and he gives us all the great results they’ve had working with Bring A Trailer, how to sell a car, what he’s looking for in cars, and so much more.