RealRides Volume 9: Kolin Toney

What Is RealRides? 

Before we tackle Kolin’s ride, however, we always like to explain the thought process behind the RealRides series—after all, it’s not often that companies give their employees time in the spotlight. 

RealRides is the brainchild of RealTruck’s SEO and Content Creation staff. It’s a series that illustrates that, unlike other soulless companies, we take pride in being a team of enthusiasts. RealRides allows our employees to introduce themselves to our valued customers and demonstrate that, at RealTruck, we only carry parts we’d install on our personal vehicles. 

After all, we aren’t just RealTruck people—we’re Real Truck people. 

Meet Kolin

While waiting to take delivery, I planned out my build. Taking inspiration from the .40 Cal and a few Doetsch Off-Road builds (the team that built our SEMA Matchbox Gladiator), I had exactly what I wanted in mind.

Why Wilder? 

Yes, my Jeep is called Wilder. I am a glutton for wordplay. The color code for my Jeep is Snazzberry Pearl. Snazzberries sounds like Snozzberries. Gene Wilder, the star of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, said the line “the snozzberries taste like snozzberries!” Gene Wilder—Jeep Wilder—it makes me laugh every time.

The Build

Out of the gate, the fender flares had to go. I started off with the Rugged Ridge Steel Tube Fender Flares all the way around. They provided the lower profile and high clearance that I wanted. Great stuff! Shortly after, we started working on the Metal Max Flares. With the large, sequential turn signals with DRLs, I couldn’t say no.

Next up were the bumpers. I had four requirements for my bumpers:

• Stubby bumpers with a shorter width, allowing for more room for the tires to grip the road.

• They had to be functional, not just look good. With my track record of getting stuck, I needed recovery points that wouldn’t just tear off when being yanked on.

• They needed a winch tray (see previous point).

• They had to be compatible with the stock LED fog lights. I paid for them, after all, I want to use them!

After lots of research on various bumpers from all over, I kept coming back to the Rugged Ridge XOR bumpers. Knowing that it was literally designed next door to our studio, I knew they were good to go.

Looking back, the wheels were the easiest to make up my mind on. I liked the idea of bead locks, but wasn’t so sure how they’d work on a daily driver. Method released their Bead Grip wheels relatively recently, and I loved how their bronze wheels looked. The 703s were almost a no-brainer.

To wrap around those Method wheels, I needed some MEAT. After scouring the forums, I saw a few people have luck with 35” tires with no lift on their JL Rubicons. Let’s give it a shot! Why not? Living in Florida, Mud Terrains were the way to go, but since I’ve relocated to Michigan, I needed something that was rated for snow. Fortunately, in my time at RealTruck, I’ve had the opportunity to experience almost every tire on the market. I loved how the Mickey Thompson Baja Bosses handled both on and off-road, and they’re rated for snow! Perfect!

I remember pulling up to the tire shop after they had installed the wheels and tires. I was giggling like a schoolgirl. I was thrilled to see my dream become a reality.

As a side note, the most common question I receive is, “What lift do you have?” The reality is that 35s with these high-clearance flares have everyone fooled. No, they’re not 37s, and yes, it’s the stock suspension—a great setup for a daily driver/weekend warrior.

All that was left was to add on a few lights so I could see on the trails at night. The RIGID LEDs are fantastic and have backlights on the housings that I’ve wired into my DRLs, which look so neat at night without blinding onlookers.

Specs and Current Modifications: 

Currently, Kolin’s Jeep runs a slew of tasteful modifications that make the JLU a competent wheeler and daily driver. Check out the list below for a full rundown of Wilder’s mod list. 

• 2022 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon

• AKA: Wilder

• Color: Snazzberry Pearl

• Wheels: 17x9 Method Bronze 703 wheels

• Tires: 35x12.50r17 Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T tires

• Suspension: It’s stock, really!

• Front Bumper: Rugged Ridge XOR Stubby front bumper

• Rear Bumper: Rugged Ridge XOR rear bumper

• Steps: RealTruck Go Rhino RB30 Slim running boards

• Winch: RealTruck Traction Recovery 13K winch

• Hood Light Bar: RIGID Adapt 20” LED light bar w/ hood mount

• A-Pillar Cube Lights: RIGID Radiance LED cube lights (no longer on the site)

• Rear Lights: RIGID SR-M PRO Black LED lights

• Third Brake Light: Rugged Ridge LED 3rd brake light ring

• Front Fender Flares: Rugged Ridge Metal Max fender flares

• Rear Fender Flares: Rugged Ridge steel tube fenders

• Inner Fender Liners: Rugged Ridge inner fender liners

• Antenna: Rugged Ridge Reflex antenna

• Floor Mats: Husky Liners X-Act Contour floor liners

• Rear Cargo: Rugged Ridge interior storage rack

• Roof Rack: RealTruck Go Rhino SRM500 roof rack

• Recovery Hook: Monster Hooks tow hook

What’s Next? 

Of course, the end goal is to get 40’s on here and turn it into a rock-crawler, but for now, it’s all I wanted. I can wheel it all I want, whenever I want. It looks show-ready all the time, keeps my camera gear safe and dry from mud and water, what more could I want? (they said, knowing what cool things are in store at RealTruck, and knowing full well that they want more).

Follow along with my adventures with Wilder on Instagram or on any of our product pages, and sometimes in our emails!

Huge thanks to Kolin for taking the time out of his busy schedule to be RealRides’ 9th entry! Check in next month as we cover another employee’s radical rides.