Kolak Performance and Offroad: What Jeep Owners Need to Know About Nick Ianuzzi’s Build Packages
What Kolak Performance and Offroad Actually Is
Nick Ianuzzi — known across Jeep forums as “Kolak” — runs a small performance and offroad parts business out of the Phoenix, Arizona area. No slick e-commerce site, no walk-in showroom. What he has is deep Jeep knowledge, trade-level sourcing through his SEMA membership, and a reputation built entirely on word of mouth across communities like JeepForum, NAXJA, and the Cherokee Forum.
If you’ve spent time in WJ or XJ threads, you’ve almost certainly seen his name. The question that keeps coming up: what does he actually do, and is it worth tracking him down?
The Kolak Lift: What’s in the Package
His most well-known offering is a lift package for the WJ Grand Cherokee (1999–2004). A typical build centers on Old Man Emu heavy-duty coil springs, Bilstein shocks, a JKS adjustable track bar, and a steering stabilizer. The exact spec varies. Nick adjusts based on your target tire size, how you use the Jeep, and whether you’re doing the install yourself or sending it to a shop.
The appeal isn’t novelty. These are proven name-brand components that Jeep builders have trusted for years. What Kolak brings is the combination — parts that work together as a system, sourced at package pricing that routinely beats buying each piece separately at retail. Owners who’ve run the lift report it holds its height, flexes well on trail, and doesn’t punish you on the daily commute.
Exhaust Work and XJ Builds
The WJ is where his reputation is strongest, but he also serves the XJ Cherokee community. His exhaust packages have their own following on NAXJA. If you run a Cherokee and want a full exhaust sorted without hunting parts from three different vendors, it’s worth a call.
How to Contact Him — and What to Have Ready
Nick has historically operated without a consumer-facing website. Build consultations happen by phone or email, and most regulars say calling gets you a faster, more useful conversation. He’ll talk through your project at real length. This is not a two-sentence quote transaction.
A few things worth having ready before you reach out:
- Year, model, and engine — the WJ came in both inline-six and V8, which affects spring selection
- Your target tire size
- How you actually use the rig: daily driver, weekend trails, or a mix
- Whether you’re handling the install or sending parts to a shop
He doesn’t need you to know everything upfront. That’s part of the service. But more specifics mean a tighter recommendation and fewer rounds of back-and-forth.
The One Trade-Off: Lead Time
Nick is a one-person operation. Same-day responses aren’t guaranteed. If you need parts in 48 hours, he’s not the right call. If you’re building a Jeep properly and can give the process a week or two, the patience pays off — both in pricing and in the hands-on build guidance you get along the way.
The community consensus across years of threads and multiple forums is consistent: Kolak delivers what he says he will, at prices that are hard to match, with more real build knowledge than any catalog retailer will offer you.
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