Last updated: October 18, 2026
This page explains how Off-Road Riders chooses topics and researches, writes, checks and updates its content.
Our purpose
We publish guides about off-road vehicles, off-road accessories, tires and suspension, driving technique and vehicle preparation for 4×4, ATV and UTV owners preparing vehicles and learning off-road driving. Our guides focus on explaining off-road vehicles and equipment by rating and purpose, and teaching driving and recovery basics with safety first.
How we choose topics
We cover the questions our readers need answered to make a decision or finish a task. Each topic gets one main guide, so we do not publish several near-identical pages on the same question.
How we research
- We base our guides on vehicle and equipment manufacturers’ owner’s manuals and ratings, the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) ATV safety resources, Tread Lightly!, and land-management agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.
- We separate facts, estimates and opinion. Facts and figures link to their source; estimates state their assumptions; opinions are labeled as our view.
- Where a guide covers safety, we link to the official source rather than restating it as our own advice, and we place warnings where readers will see them.
Research-based and hands-on content
Most of our guides are research-based: they compare published specifications, manuals and official guidance. If an article is based on our own hands-on use of a product, it says so and describes what we did. We never present research as personal experience.
What we do not do
- We do not invent test results, scores, star ratings, statistics, testimonials or reviews.
- We do not promise results, savings or performance that a source does not support.
- We do not publish hand-typed prices or “deal” claims, because they go out of date quickly.
- We do not accept payment, free products in exchange for coverage, or sponsored placements in our guides.
Safety-sensitive topics
Off-road driving and vehicle recovery can cause serious injury or death. Use only rated recovery points and equipment within their working load limits, keep bystanders clear of straps and winch lines, wear helmets on ATVs and UTVs, and take hands-on training. Drive only on routes that are legally open to your vehicle, and turn back when conditions exceed your skills or your vehicle.
Affiliate relationships
We earn commissions from some links, as explained in our Affiliate Disclosure. Commissions never decide which products we include or how we describe them, and articles with affiliate links say so before the first link.
Updates and corrections
We review guides when products, specifications, rules or official guidance change, and we show the date a guide was last updated. Errors are handled as described in our Corrections Policy.