TOP 10 modifications for your offroad vehicle

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strawb
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Im sure everyone has thought about lifting their car, changing to bigger tires ...... getting louder exhausts and all the sexy accessories which make your 4x4 absolutely sexy on the road ..... and leaves your wallet high and dry ...... BUT .......

the question would be .....

What is important? What is required? What should be my priority?

So here is a simple list of modifications i have come up with in order from the MOST important to the LEAST important things to do and buy for your 4x4 vehicle:

1. RECOVERY POINTS - people may see this as an after thought when they get stuck, believe me, its a situation which quickly goes from BAD to absolute DISASTER if you get stuck withour proper recovery points.

make sure the recovery points are factory specified and rated. Front and Rear recovery points should be fit for its function in all the proper clear visible locations.

2. TOOLS & EQUIPMENT - well this is self explanatory ...... we have a link to understand the basic requirements as per your grade and level which can be found at the end of this post

an important NOTE to remember though is that ...... make sure that the tools you have will WORK for your car ...... we have seen people with complete tool sets but none of them match the vehicles specification .......

3. OFFROAD FLAG and FLAG MOUNT - These flags are not there for decoration .... they serve a purpose which is safety for the convoy ..... it makes the car infront of you visible after he descends a dune ......

there were discussions about a pajero flag pole (link below in the related topics), the tips inside the thread would be a good lead for any vehicle starting out

4. COOLING SYSTEM - In offroading, the terrain and the way of driving will definitely demand more from your car ..... thus making your engine and cooling systems work harder ....... if your dont address problems like this early on ..... you migt end up with a blown hose, broken radiator or even worse a cracked engine block ...... in desert situations ...... you would rather have your radiator working properly than your AC

5. TIRE VALVES - Make sure that they are not worn out and free of leaks ........ we have seen these many of times ...... the deflation and inflation work load on the basic rubber tire valves has great wear and tear on the valve seals ....... get heavy duty ones if possible

6. BASH PLATES - Once you have gotten the feel of crashing dunes ...... your car must have gotten the feel of leaving all your plastic bumpers crashed and mangled ........ good and reputed offroad shops can locally manufacture you aluminum or steel bash plates so you can enjoy driving on sand with less worries

7. TIRES AND SUSPENSION - This modification has been discussed so many times, a wide range of topics have been posted here wherein people may agree or disagree with upgrading or changing their stock settings ....... i would say that this modification would simply boil down on how you drive your car and to what extent you want to push the cars limit

8. LIFT KIT - This is usually an after effect of tire rubbing after changing to bigger tires ....... it will have its advantages however it will also have its DISADVANTAGES such as roll overs and side flip overs if you are not well trained and aware of how to drive a lifted vehicle - it may look pretty but we have seen this as a downfall to a lot of drivers who have less experience and took their lifted cars in the desert

9. METAL BUMPERS - I placed this modification at number 9 as it directly affects getting your vehicle passed in the RTA ...... this is a matter of preference ..... and if you have low clearnace bumpers ..... this can come earlier in your list of modifications

10. WINCH, LIGHTS, RING & PINION, AXLE UPGRADES, SUPER CHARGERS, TURBO KITS, CATBACK SYTSEMS, ETC ETC - well the 10th least important can be self explanatory .......


I hope this topic can help our brothers and sisters in the club as these suggestions are coming from what i have learned thru experience ......

keep it safe and lets keep the sand flying

ciao


RELATED TOPICS:

1. RECOVERY POINTS

2. TOOLS & EQUIPMENT

3. OFFROAD FLAG & FLAG MOUNT

4. COOLING SYSTEM

5. Grading System
delta83
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great post Strawb , big thanks for the effort,
you forgot one point.. to drive a Nissan SWB :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
Alok708
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Thanks Strawb for this very useful post.
israelsilva1
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Nice post, thanks mate.
I suspect you didn't get many replies because many felt stupid after reading this! :psychotic:
Kris_K
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Great down to the point, informative post, Strawb. Thanks!
Nice one Israelsilva1 :ouch...it hurts:
strawb
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Dear Club Members,

Items 1,2 and 3 will give you your first star

Cheers
desert_jellyfish
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Many thanks for this straight to the point list of information.....i've got 1, half of 2, and 3

i think i'll be going for the tire change ahead of others due to the close to end of life for my current stock tires

doing my tire research this weekend
Alok708
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Dear Strawb,

Thanks and Kudos for this amazingly useful and well written post.

Cheers!
Alok
sakdxb2012
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Hi All, I've newly joined this group. I have a Nissan Pathfinder 2005 model 3.5 SE. I want to raise the height for my car so can anyone recommend me where can I get the pacer kit at economical price to do so. Also I plan to put Cooper Tires once I've raised so any good/bad feedback on these tires will be appreciated.

Thanks
strawb
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The winter season is here and we urge all members to go thru the tips in this thread to help you spend wisely

Cheers
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