Tag: Adventure Rig

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TESTED: Armorlite Flooring System

OEM’s should be using Armorlite flooring. But they’re still putting carpet in new 4×4 trucks and SUV’s for the 2022 model year. Which makes perfect sense >insert sarcasm here< for vehicles marketed and sold to people like us who intend to take them off the beaten path in search of all of the things that are inherently wet, sandy, and muddy.

Background

Imagine if you will an aftermarket flooring system that exactly replicates the size, shape, and contour of the OEM carpet flooring kit while enhancing acoustic and thermal insulation properties. Now imagine if that kit was super water resistant with built in drain plugs to hose it out after a long weekend outdoors. Then, what if it was actually easy to install in your driveway with hand tools?

Well, someone finally filled this important niche with a MUCH better option than carpet or even spray in bed liner. Available for Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators (for now), this new solution is called ARMORLITE.

Armorlite was developed and built by Auria, a leading global supplier of automotive acoustics and fiber-based systems. Formed in 2017, Auria is built on a 100-year transportation industry heritage and has produced more than three million Jeep® Wrangler factory floors. Auria’s first foray into the direct-to-consumer automotive aftermarket, Armorlite is designed and manufactured in Old Fort, North Carolina, USA.

Before this product came on the market, I had considered Rhino or Line-X for the tub of my new Gladiator because wet and sandy is a weekly incident here in Florida. But once I looked a little deeper under the OEM carpet I quickly changed my mind. For the “I’d rather Line-X the floorboards like my dad did on his old CJ” crowd, below you can see how ugly the unfinished floor pan is. Note the HVAC and various electrical runs visible throughout. You would be putting bedliner OVER those potentially serviceable items and that would not only be short-sighted, it would look terrible.

Bedliner would also provide NO noticeable sound deadening and no real insulation from the heat of the typical V6 exhaust which is 3-4 inches directly under the floorboards on both sides. Armorlite addresses all these issues well.

Materials

Made from nonwoven thermoplastic material, Armorlite’s layered design appears to be extremely durable (easily twice as thick as the OEM flooring it replaces), and features a patented water-drainage system with heat and noise insulation and a laser-measured fit. I know it’s tough because I almost destroyed a nice pair of trauma shears when I tried to cut a small hidden corner of this dinosaur hide. Here’s a quick dissection of the material composition:

  1. The tough top layer is resistant to scratching and marring, and offers excellent grip and water protection.
  2. The middle structural layer bonds the topcoat to the dense thermal insulator and provides the stiffness to achieve exact vehicle fit.
  3. The underlayment material is made of durable polyester fibers that do not absorb water and eliminates the issue of smelly, moldy OEM carpet. This layer also provides thermal protection for the entire floor surface, with the added benefit of sound management.
Details of Armorlite’s layered design

Installation

This part is really straightforward. The front seats don’t even need to be removed all the way from the vehicle which saves time and effort, and the rear seats just flip up out of the way during install. Removal of the OEM carpet is a breeze once the center console is loosened via four 10mm bolts, then it’s just a few light snaps once the seats and bins are out of the way. The hardest part of the Armorlite install is the door sill trim, they just snap in and out so take your time and make sure everything is fully seated upon reassembly.

Below you can see the driver’s side before bolting the seat back up up. You can see the full coverage under the seats here and the large, protected seam area between the front and rear floor panels. This seam also creates a way for moisture to escape if by chance it somehow became trapped under this layer. A single piece of cab flooring would be damn near impossible to handle during install or future maintenance so this modular design works well.

Here you can see the driver’s side all buttoned up. No more need for floor mats or the pegs to locate them. And no more sand or hair permanently ground into the carpet. No chance of drama with muddy boots, dogs or spilled coffee.

  • Gladiator rear flooring
  • Gladiator front flooring

Drain Plugs!

The floor drain plugs are available in different colors and are what really makes Armorlite unique. The water-repellent floor is designed to channel water directly to the existing factory drain holes in the floor of the vehicle and this plug design lets water out, without letting it in.

Now water, sand, and mud can be easily hosed out of the vehicle, and the flooring material also appears to be impervious to staining from the red clay mud found here in the deep south. Just wipe it down with soap and water and hose out the gunk! If you’re interested, you can see my full build thread on our forum HERE.

  • Drain plugs!
  • Water in. Water out.
Drain plugs are deep and “snap” into place for a watertight cab seal
  • Rear door jam detail
  • Front door jam detail
Armorlite provides great peace of mind in extreme environments

Conclusion

Armorlite flooring is a game changer for me here in the hot, wet of the Deep South. I’m no longer worried about what (or how much) I drag in on my boots because it hoses right out. And if you forget the top is off when the rain hits overnight that’s cool, just pop the drains.

Surprisingly, I feel like I actually GAINED some room up front by removing the factory floor mats and their annoying anchor pegs. Sound and heat are noticeably reduced as well. My daughter likes to kick off her flip flops in the Jeep and had commented on how hot the floor would get. This is no longer an issue as she says she can feel the difference in insulation compared to the OEM carpet with her bare feet.

Weight difference between the OEM carpet and rubber floor mats is negligible, and it LOOKS way better. More important than looks is the fact that the added functionality of the drain plugs isn’t just some marketing gimmick. It’s a robust, well thought out flooring SYSTEM that actually works as advertised. It’s not cheap at just over $600 for the front and rear system, but the fact that Armorlite is actually made right here in the USA and not by some cheap Chinesium peddler makes it easy to recommend to you.

FULL DISCLOSURE: The Armorlite flooring system featured here was provided at no cost to the author for the purpose of this independent product review.

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Eastbound and Down

One fine summer day the wife came home and dropped an ultimatum on me – take some time off for the family or else.

Never one to be threatened by a good time I obediently put in for some time off and set to work planning a family road trip. Kind of. The truth is that I hate detailed planning of my time off, I’m much happier setting off in the general direction of my objective and finding random spontaneity along the way.

Luckily, we both agreed on the end point being a visit to see family over the 4th of July in New Jersey with the rest of the trip being up to me so with ten days to burn we loaded up the Torque Wagon on a Thursday afternoon and set out from the Midwest for the East Coast.

Leaving northern Illinois, the realities of the super slab quickly set in as we faced the debacle that is Chicago traffic head on. Moving south into Indiana we were hit with thundershowers and lightning as we made a bee-line for Ohio and our first night’s rest at Maumee Bay State Park. Arriving very late, our stay there was brief with a goal of maximizing sleep for the journey ahead and we drifted off to sleep listening to the monsoon rains beating on the roof of the Four Wheel Camper.

On the road early and bound for western Pennsylvania, we dropped the hammer through Ohio and headed to the heart of Oil Country and Titusville where we peeled off from the highways in search of the forested glens and hemlock hollers of our long time friends at Clan Haggis.

Mark and Michelle Collins are blessed to live deep in Penn’s Woods and their well known hospitality was in full effect as we dined on bear and other local victuals. We camped in a quiet, forested spot next to the creek on their property and were met yet again with torrential rains as the storms rolled over the Clanhold.

With a break in the weather, and their local knowledge, we were able to explore several sites around Oil Creek and learned first hand about America’s first Oil Rush in Pennsylvania.

The rains continued to fall intermittently as they do in these parts and the Four Wheel camper once again provided an ideal shelter from the tempest outside. We awoke well rested in time for departure and bid farewell to the Clanhold as we made our way east to Washington D.C. for a windshield tour of our fair Capitol.

We had an immense stroke of good luck here as we rounded a corner on the National Mall and found the rarest of things in that City of Magnificent Intent, a parking spot. And one large enough for the Dodge Mahaul to boot. Ensuring the meter was paid, we dismounted and took in the sights of this national treasure.

We stayed the night in Stafford, Virginia as guests at the Bleau Estate. Tim’s well known hospitality and penchant for cooking was well received by all as we were fed copious portions of some of the best food in Occupied Northern Virginia. This came in the form of shrimp and carnitas tacos for dinner and we spent a restful evening here, staying up late visiting before calling it a night. In the morning, Tim was at it again as we awoke to the smell of a French Toast breakfast feast fit for the Marquis de Lafayette himself. We considered trying to finagle a couple more days of this eat/sleep/eat routine out of our fine host but we decided to get back on the road before we wore out our welcome.

Moving on, we set course for New Jersey and the Pinelands where family awaited our arrival. Contrary to what I was led to believe growing up out West, New Jersey has a lot to offer and is an amazingly beautiful state with some great food and culture as well. Our stay was amazing.

No visit here is complete without a visit to WaWa and some tongue in cheek humor courtesy of the South Jersey Deviler. If you know, you know.

Our brief respite from the road over the 4th of July came to an end as we faced the reality that we had no further plans, and several days left to burn. Looking over some maps I drew my finger south from New Jersey all the way down to the Carolinas. My mind wandered as I realized it had been awhile since I had real sweet tea, pork tenderloin and Cheerwine.

We decided to take a ferry from New Jersey to Delaware and drift as far south as possible over the next few days. With fresh territory to explore in front of us I was chomping at the bit to get rolling so we said our goodbyes again and headed south through the forested backroads toward the Cape May ferry and Delaware. The Pine Barrens are another hidden gem on the East Coast with many forested trails and it’s own unique lore.

PSA: If you camp alone here in the pines, keep an eye out for the Jersey Devil. See, that ‘ol Jersey Devil is a thing in these here parts, and if’n you ask any old Piney down here if he’s real or not they won’t answer. People are scared of something out in those Pine Barrens…

Leaving the Pine Barrens behind we reached the southern tip of the state and Delaware Bay. As I mentioned earlier, New Jersey really is a “Garden State” and we’ll definitely be back to explore more of it later.

Arriving at Cape May, the Cape May-Lewes Ferry was our first of several ferry rides as we made our way south and the ride proved to be a lot of fun. It was well worth the price to “cheat” the road and take advantage of this coastal shortcut.

Once the Torque Wagon was all tucked away inside the belly of the beast we hit the lounge upstairs to relax and take in the sights as we crossed Delaware Bay.

Arriving ashore in Delaware, we proceeded to the nearby Cape Henlopen State Park and Historical Area. For the record, I despise established campgrounds as much as the next guy and it chafes me to pay for camping. That said, options for “dispersed” camping on the eastern seaboard are quite rare and Cape Henlopen State Park was in the perfect location on our itinerary. This was how we discovered Fort Miles.

Fort Miles was a key piece of our nation’s coastal defense from World War II through the early 1970’s.  Its dispersed gun batteries and secret installations built within the massive sand dunes of Cape Henlopen were designed to defend against the German submarine threat.

With more than 2,500 soldiers stationed on high alert, the heavy guns, mine fields and searchlights of Fort Miles defended the route to the vital trade centers of Wilmington, Philadelphia, and beyond.

As America moved into the Cold War, the role of Fort Miles shifted to highly classified missions defending against the threat of Soviet submarine operations off our coastline. Eyes and ears were focused on the sea here as soldiers stood the watch in bunkers and atop fortified towers.

Several of these silent sentinels remain, towering above the coastal pine forest at Cape Henlopen. This one is located near the campground by the beach and is open to the public. A climb up it’s interior spiral staircase rewards visitors with sweeping views of the Atlantic coastline and Delaware Bay.

Continued in Eastbound and Further Down, Part II