Off-Road & Camping: January 2017

Austin O’Krinsky has always been a builder. From a young age, he was obsessed with trucks and off-road racing, which evolved to working on trucks by the time he was a teen. 'The bigger, the better' was his motto.

As a fan of lifted trucks, he knew he wanted to go beyond being an enthusiast and found his calling while in college when he realized that the custom trucks he worked on were better than most shops. With the help from his father and brother, he founded Extreme Offroad & Performance, Inc. in Katy, TX six years ago.

“At first things were slow and difficult, but once we started getting in work and building an awesome product, word got out about our work and things just skyrocketed from there,” Austin explains. “We named it Extreme because we thought it was a catchy name and it fit the product that we were creating.”

From enormous wheels and tires to sky-high lifts, show-worthy custom lifted trucks that impress at car shows and excel on dirt are the shop’s specialty. “I have a certain eye and talent to make them into what they are,” he says. “I can take something bone stock and with a few basic tweeks, transform them into head-turning vehicles. There has been a big off-road boom, starting with the introduction of the Hummer H2 and Jeeps, with the hottest off-road vehicle on the market the Ford Raptor, in my opinion. These vehicles have brought back the true off-roading enthusiast.”

With a strong attention to detail, no corner of a truck/off-road vehicle that rolls through his shop’s doors gets overlooked. For Austin, everything has to be perfect or it’s not a finished build. While wheel and tire packages are the most requested customization, the shop can do it all and sees anywhere from 15-25 cars a day and a couple of long-term, more in-depth projects at all times– a testament to how successful Extreme Offroad & Performance has become since its inception.

“We’re lucky to have such a huge customer following,” Austin says. “The majority of our customers are referrals and repeat. Word of mouth is still the best advertisement. That’s why you have to make sure your customers are satisfied with the final product and ours always are.”

Extreme Offroad & Performance’s detailed skills are especially seen on Austin’s own “Clownin’” Dodge truck, which he built for last year’s SEMA Show. “I thought the clown theme would be something different that no one has done before,” he says. As his most costly and detailed build to date, as well as one of the largest Dodges they’ve done, the clown-themed truck sports an insane black and orange exterior paint job that features intricate air brushed artwork from Coachwerks by Kinsey and personal details like necklaces with Austin’s wife’s initials and a portrait of his dog. “The guys at the shop like to joke around and name the crazy clowns after one another according to their personalities,” he laughs. “It’s a true crowd pleaser that we take to local car shows, tailgating at the Texans football games and more. It never disappoints.”

The paint job alone on the Dodge took three months. With suspension, accessories, wheels and tires, the sound system and interior another five weeks, making the build long and extensive, but it was all worth it in the end. “I’ve met my expectations with this truck,” he says. “It exemplifies what our shop can do. We strive to be innovative in our industry. We recently started doing in-house hydro dipping, which is a water ink transfer process with more than 500-plus patterns that we can put on lift kits, dash pieces, etc. We aim to stay ahead of the curve with the latest technologies and engineering that keep developing in the customization industry.” Now, Austin’s biggest problem is trying to figure out how to make something bigger and better than his Clownin’ Dodge for this year’s SEMA vehicle.

And from all his experience in the custom truck scene, Austin has a few words of advice for those looking to build their ultimate vehicle. “Don’t be part of the norm,” he mentions. “Do something extreme that makes your build stand out in a crowd. The aftermarket accessory business is always growing and there are thousands of ways to make your vehicle your own. Just think outside the box.”

2013 Dodge Ram Mega Cab - “Clownin”

Full Throttle suspension
16” lift kit
Resi rear shocks and coilovers
Custom powder coated orange suspension and axles
Fab Fours front and rear bumpers
Rigid Industries LED lighting in front and rear bumpers
AMP Research PowerSteps
Bully Dog performance tuner
aFe power cold air intake
Custom RBP grille,
Custom headlights and taillights by Plain an Simple by design
Custom hydro-dipped Hades skull patterns by

Extreme Hydrographics (Katy, TX)

Toyo Open Country M/T 40x15.50x22 tires
Custom Fuel Driller 22x14 2-pc color-matched wheels
Custom black and orange clown paint scheme
Rockford Fosgate sound system

2013 Toyota Tundra

BDS Suspension 6” lift w/ FOX Shocks powder coated teal green
3” Performance Accessories body lift
22x12 KMC Wheels ROCKSTAR II XD series
Nitto Trail Grapplers 37x13.50R22 tires
Boondock front and rear bumpers
Rigid Industries LED Lighting in front and rear bumpers
Custom 1-pc XD Series grille
Custom painted rear drive train in teal green
All interior pieces hydro dipped by Extreme Hydrographics (Katy, TX)
Monster Hooks Inc powder coated teal green

2014 Chevy Silverado

Full Throttle suspension
7” lift w/ Front Resi coilovers and rear FTS Resi shocks powder coated blue
N-FAB front and rear bumpers and light bar brackets
50” Rigid Industries LED Lighting E-Series light bar
20x12 TIS Wheels TIS535B
Nitto Trail Grapplers 35x12.50R20 tires
Custom T-Rex Billet mesh grille
Custom headlights and taillights by Plain an Simple by Design
All interior and engine panels dipped in “Defective” by

Extreme Hydrographics (Katy, TX)

UnderCover Tonneau Covers
Lux Series bedcover and swing cases
AMP Research PowerSteps
Bully Dog performance tuner
aFe Power cold air intake

2013 Ford Super Duty F-450

Kelderman Air Suspension 4-6” lift
Road Armor Stealth front and rear bumpers equipped w/ Rigid Industries LED lighting
Rigid Industries LED light front grille holding w/ E-Series 30” LED light
Custom headlights by Plain an Simple by design
American Force Liberty 22” wheels
Toyo Tires Open Country AT II 35x12.50R22
Retrax Pro Bed Cover
Undercover swing cases for storage
Bully Dog GT Diesel Tuner
AFE Stage 2 cold air intake
Custom Alea Leather and suede seats
Custom painted dash pieces by Extreme Hydrographics
Custom wrapped suede headliner
Recon LED taillights, cab lights and mirror lights
Monster Hook forged titanium hook, powder coated to match
Horn Blasters Katrina Horn