It’s a familiar problem: Valentine's Day has nearly arrived, and you have no idea what to buy the gearhead in your life. Every year, you try to buy something that shows how much you care about them and their passion, but those other gift guides always seem to set you up to miss the mark.
Let's change that. We've put together a gift guide that's sure to help you blow them away this year.
We took a look at the most popular items going right now and sorted out what we know will actually make an awesome present. We also sprinkled in a few extra ideas that always go over well during this time of year. The list covers all price ranges, so don’t worry if the budget is tight this year. We can ensure there's something for everyone.
1. Portable Jump Starter
Portable jump starters are extremely handy devices for motorists to keep on hand. They make wonderful gifts any time of year but are particularly helpful in the wintertime. Even with spring rapidly approaching, February can produce some of the coldest temperatures of the season – which can easily kill a battery and leave your beloved gearhead in search of a charge. That can be easier said than done if they're the type to explore trails or any road less traveled.
There are a lot of cheap brands flooding the portable jump starter space. While the prices may be appealing, the performance and reliability leave a lot to be desired. We highly recommend investing in a unit from a more reliable brand, like the Schumacher Battery Portable Jump Starter that's sure to deliver anywhere your automotive lover might take it.
2. Shop Battery Charger
Cold weather kills batteries everywhere, even in the shop. Although a portable jump starter may do the trick from time to time, they shouldn't take the place of a device that can properly top off and maintain battery charge levels. If you find your honey regularly jumping batteries in the garage this time of year, you should consider getting them the proper equipment.
Something like the Schumacher Battery Companion is an excellent budget-friendly piece that'll charge up batteries to avoid the need of a jump starter. If you're looking for something a little higher on the performance podium, check out Schumacher’s Battery Charger / Engine Starter combo unit. Packing some serious punch, it’s an excellent choice since it can charge batteries, as well as jump them should you need life in a hurry.
3. Roadside Emergency Kit
The Performance Tool Deluxe Roadside Emergency Kit is the perfect gift for the gearhead who has ‘everything.’ Why? Because they've probably purchased everything but it. And if you ask them how they could overlook it, they'll probably tell you their rig is so well equipped, they just wouldn't need something like that.
Here's the cold, hard truth, though. Emergencies come in all shapes and sizes, and there's a magnitude that will put them in a situation where the supplies in a kit like this will be lifesaving. Nobody wants to think about that reality, but bad things happen. That's why no gift on this list says "I care," quite like this one, despite it being among the most affordable.
4. Recovery Winch
That special someone in your life has been spending a lot of time and money building their off-road dream rig this year. You're tempted to buy them something to aid the process, but you're not sure what. Especially not when their taste is so specific, and you don't know the first thing about this wing of the industry. The thing is, a winch will always go over well.
You can't just buy any winch, though. If you do this, you need to get them a quality piece that's rated to pull whatever it is they're building, and is constructed to actually do the job. If that machine is a truck or Jeep, or anything with a heavy-duty bumper, the Warn Zeon 10-S Winch with 10,000-pound pull capacity is tough to beat. If you really want to floor them, couple it with an ARB Weekend Recovery Kit to further help them out of a sticky situation.
5. Truck Bed Coverage
If your goal is to absolutely astonish your sugar bear with an expensive dream item for their do-anything, go-anywhere pickup, this one’s for you. One of the hottest items on the market right now is the RSi SmartCap EVO Sport. It may look like any other cap, but the slick 5-piece modular design makes it possible to outfit it for any occasion, while the rigid construction is sure to stand up to anything.
Truck bed coverage doesn't have to be so lavish, though. It can be as simple as throwing on a cover to keep debris and weather out. A quality tonneau cover is more than up to the task in that case. There are many different styles, materials, and price points to choose from, but we recommend investing in something proven to perform. A hard-folding cover like the BAKFlip MX4 from BAK Industries offers several real-world advantages over cheap variants and will surely make for an amazing gift this Valentine's Day.
6. Floor Liner
Nothing tears up the interior of a vehicle quite like the winter. All the ice, mud, and other unmentionable debris become embedded in the carpet, while road salt leaves unsightly white chalky residue on every piece of sleek black trim. Even a winter beater deserves better, and that's why floor liners are universally loved.
Check out Husky Liner’s X-act Contour line of TPE floor liners. Don’t let the soft rubbery feel fool you. These mats are crafted from a super durable elastomeric material that allows them to be strong but flexible, standing up to whatever your loved one can throw at them. They’re also specially molded to the floor of the vehicle, and feature a no-slip surface.
Since X-act liners are laser-scanned for a perfect fit, you’ll need some details regarding the year, make, and model of your Valentine’s vehicle. Don’t let that deter you, though. That little extra effort is what makes them a far better gift idea than the cheap rubber mats that'll end up in the trash next winter.
7. Performance Tires
How could we give all the love to trucks and typical motorists and forget about high-performance lovers? We didn't. In fact, we have the absolute perfect gift for them -- some Mickey Thompson ET Street Tires are exactly what they need this year.
Sure, they're all concerned with turbos, nitrous, supercharges, shocks, and all kinds of high-dollar performance mods. So you might be under the impression that something in those areas is a better gift. It's not, though, because those are highly specific parts that only the builder can properly select.
Drag racing tires, though? They're universal – and there's a good chance it's the last thing on the shopping list. By snagging a set now, you make it easier for them to focus on all that other stuff and get them that much closer to getting back to what they love doing when springtime hits.