Last Friday we took our project H3 Alpha to Matt Dinelli and the team at Attitude Performance in Arlington Heights, Illinois, for new shocks, wheels and tires.

The shocks we installed are remote-reservoir Rod Hall Racing shocks.  Manufactured to Hall specifications by Fox, these little wonders are beefy and tough.  They're designed for stock-height H3s and offer an inch more travel than the stock boingers.  Installation was straightforward and painless.  They're available through Rod Hall Racing and boulderaccessory.com.      

Let's stop right here for a sec.  Did we say stock height?  Yep, that's where our H3 is staying for now.  During extensive testing we've found the stock suspension design to work extremely well in a wide range of 'wheeling environments, while providing an outstanding ride and exceptional handling on the street.  We're down with that.  And since our H3 has to spend the vast majority of time plying paved roads, we want to retain these noteworthy characteristics.  Fortunately, the aftermarket has some absolutely cool products available to enhance stock-height H3s both on- and off-highway.  Now where were we?  Oh yes...

Our hunt for wheels stopped the moment we saw GT Inc's simulated bead-lock wheel.  This very unique wheel is a stock Hummer 16-inch wheel that has been professionally machined to accept a simulated bead-lock ring.  We chose to install a set of black wheels with black rings, but GT Inc. offers other options too.  We dig these wheels because they're double-throwdown rugged-looking and they retain the factory offset and backspacing as well as the familiar Hummer look.

When it came to tires we went with a set of BFGoodrich All-Terrain KOs in load range D.  We want to keep gearing happy so we went with the same 285/75R16 size as stock.  We've always liked the A-T's.  They're absolutely hands-down a great all-around tire.  They work great in a variety of off-highway terrain (hence the name maybe?) and their on-road manners are impeccable.  The bump to the higher load range will be welcome when towing heavy RVs, which is going to happen soon.

So far things are all good with our project H3 Alpha and we haven't had to compromise its civility one bit.  Our H3 looks rugged, durability and function has improved, and the ride, handling and power are as good as ever.

Yep, we got Krappy Kam video of the last round of installs!  Click below to view this fine cinematic achievement.

Click HERE to see Ken's Krappy Kam!!