If you are a keen off road driver like most you will want to add some protection to the front of your vehicle. A bull bar will give you added protection from rocks, steep inclines and from plants and animals. These are primarily designed for what they sound like , bull bars meaning a lot or ranchers or farmers tend to use them when rounding up herds of cattle . In the past they have also proved to be very useful in the event of a accident with a large animal such as deer or cows that can stray onto roads. They give solid protection to the from of the vehicle. There are many different brands to choose from so which one is going to best suit your needs you may ask? These days there also a lot visually driven bull bars on the market swell so you now have the choice of having a stylish one for those city drivers who want the versatility.
When choosing a bulbar you want to meet your needs more then anything , and this will dictate the price also. A stronger bar is going to be a lot more expensive verses a lighter cheaper produced one that will still suffice for the occasional off road driver. Another option is to add a off road winch and off road light bars to the bull bar. Some bull bars don't already come with the mounting brackets for these and some are not compatible. When deciding on a off road bull bar its important to know what exactly you want to put on it . This will save on time and money later.
As with every off road accessory to choose a suitable and affordable unit will all determine on your budget and use more importantly . For instance your not going to want to go a cheaper option if you are constantly driving on faming roads or rural properties. A off road bull bar and winch setup will add considerable weight to your vehicle and as mentioned in the previous blog you will have already decided on the major off road upgrades before selecting suspension options. A lot of guys will go out and buy the cheapest or the easiest to fit options and realise later their setup is failing. This can be a expensive lesson to learn . Often a bull bar alone will eventually make your front springs sag if they are not fitted with a bull bar in mind, or rated for the extra weight .
A off road winch is a very heavy little machine and requires a lot of power to keep it running while your stuck ,so a dual battery option is on the top of the list if you are thinking of adding one to your off road bull bar. There are few different options when it comes to fitting these but the majority go with a smart charge system which basically charges your car battery first and foremost then the back up battery and distributes the power in the reverse order so you should technically never get a flat battery to start on. Setting up a dual battery system will also expand your options when it comes to adding other off road accessories later such as off road light bars, additional lighting , air compressors , electric ice box's , solar panels , stereo's and much much more the list is endless. A good idea with any dual battery set up is to add a shut of switch which will reduce the second battery from going flat if it is not used all the time . This will stop the current flowing through your vehicle and discharging the battery. It is a very cheap option to save replacing your off road heavy duty batteries.
Wednesday, 13 August 2014
Wednesday, 6 August 2014
Welcome to a "how to" blog on fitting out your off road vehicle. I will be giving advice on general off road vehicles and fitting them out with things like winches, off road tires, off road wheels, drawer setups and much much more . Feel free to add your experiences to the blog or direct us in the direction of other great sites containing great information about diesels in particular or off road driving and off road accessories for any off road vehicle.
So you have just bought your self a new rig !! or you already own one capable of off road driving but you have so many idea's about look, performance and comfort. Where do you start? I suggest before you start you convince the "other half" that the vehicle needs these upgrades . This is usually the biggest hurdle to get started. Iv always found telling your other half about the fun times to be had in the future always helps as they start picturing themselves in your vehicle on this mad adventure!!
Anyways once you have conquered that mountain its time to start modifying and using the credit card for something worthwhile.
Depending on the make and model you own will depend on the upgrades you may need. The first two things for any serious off road driver is going to be a minimum 2 inch lift kit and some bigger tires. A lot of guys get this wrong from the start, they go and get BIG off road wheels straight up. They often see other models around with a big size on and think their rig can have them too. Unfortunately the tire guys won't usually tell you this but you always need a lift first . This way your new rubber won't rub on anything and you can actually size up the rubber to the vehicle instead of the other way round. So many guys get this wrong to start with, they end up having rubbing issues or have to spend more wasted dollars on rectifying it. So lets look at some different lift kits around . You can go a lift spacing kit or a lift suspension kit. The two do the same thing but are very different. A lift spacing kit is a cheap way to lift your vehicle. It uses the stock suspension and simply places longer swing arms on leaves with lifting blocks and spacing blocks on coil towers. This sort of kit will set you back a couple of hundred dollars depending on the brand and model of your off road vehicle.
The second option will be a aftermarket brand suspension kit , which will come with all new springs and coils with longer swing arms the lot. this is a completely new suspension set up . These types of kits usually come with a couple of options or stages in lift. Often the higher the stage the bigger the lift. these lift kits can start at around $1200 and the sky is the limit when it comes to custom setups . The cost will depend on the quality and brand and location and where you will want to go with it . You never want to go the cheapest but you still want to have a budget in mind. You can always save a bit of money by fitting them yourself if you have the know how or capabilities to. Either way a well known decent kit will set you back $1800- $2000, plus a install fee of around $400. This can vary depending on the shocks you choose and the spring load . This is a big decision when it comes to picking the right spring kit. Your retailer should help you with this choice but its always good to know where you want to go with your modifications . Depending on what mods you want like bull bars and canopies will determine the strength and resisting ability of the springs needed. choose the wrong kit and you will have a kidney rattler or a really bouncy sagging ride. The weight you intend on adding with your mods is a big factor when ordering your suspension so have a good idea of where you will be going in the future with your mods especially if you are going to do it over a few months or years. Id also advise you do your research in online forums about the particular product you are going for to get a idea of how other customers have been treated and feel on the product itself.
Moving on to wheels, wheels as mentioned before come in all shapes and sizes for a lot of different uses. Again depending on your vehicle it will depend on the set up you are able to put on your rig. My suggestion for sizes and price stick with a 16 inch rim . Tire suppliers tend to stock a lot of sizes and brands in off road tires in this 16 inch rim size. They also tend to be a lot cheaper then their bigger cousins the increasingly more popular 17 and 18 inch rims as a lot of new car manufacturers are releasing now. So if you have the luxury of spending the extra money o a new set of off road wheels you can also customise the size much more easily to be legal and fit your vehicle with the look you want to . Having to stick with the stock rims will reduce the amount of costuming you can do with your wheels. The stock rims will restrict the width of the tire you will be able to purchase and may even with the size as well depending with what your local tire dealer has in stock. Moving forwards looking for a off road tire there is a few things to keep in mind :
1 the cost
2 the use
3 the quality
Cost is usually what drives most people, all the big branded names are going to be the most expensive off the bat . but there is other option out there if you don't mind having a cheaper but just as capable tire on your car. If you like a particular brand ask your local supplier if that brand owns a cheaper tire thats similar, often the big companies will own small named tires but make them almost identical to their branded ones so it pays to ask a few questions.
The use of the tire is defiantly what is going to decide the grade or type of tire you will want , for instance if you are going to be heading off road once a month id suggest a all terrain tire. If your a hard core off road driver a few times a week id suggest a mud terrain tire. The difference between the two are fairly unique. The all terrain tires are more suited to on road driving , but also have deep rutted tread for the occasional off road trip , these tires will perform better on the road but are almost as capable off road. Mud terrain tires are exactly that. These tires are built to move mud similar to a tractor wheel. They work on big rutted treads with added side grabbers which help on slippery muddy off road tracks. These tire can still be driven on road but don't perform as well as the all terrain in the wet or while cornering or stopping. The mud terrain tire also tend to be pretty loud on the road and typically have whining sound when driving on tarmac.
The quality of the tyre will defiantly have a big impact on the reliability you want . A high quality tire will be a good mix of soft and hard rubber getting you at least 70-90000 kms a set. Cheaper models may use a harder rubber which will give you a better mileage but will very unsure on the tarmac in wet or sudden stopping conditions .These also might tend to rip of nobs or tread rutts from being too hard. A softer tire will always have better on road performance but won't last very long off road or with general use. They tend to also get cut away or slices in them from heavy off road driving.
Check these links to some great priced tires from big brand manufacturers page link for a off road tire and wheels
Off road BF Goodrich Mud terrains
off road Mickey thompson BAJA mtz radial
Toyo , open country mud terrain
In the next blog we will be discussing bull bars and 12 volt winches with dual battery set ups .
So you have just bought your self a new rig !! or you already own one capable of off road driving but you have so many idea's about look, performance and comfort. Where do you start? I suggest before you start you convince the "other half" that the vehicle needs these upgrades . This is usually the biggest hurdle to get started. Iv always found telling your other half about the fun times to be had in the future always helps as they start picturing themselves in your vehicle on this mad adventure!!
Anyways once you have conquered that mountain its time to start modifying and using the credit card for something worthwhile.
Depending on the make and model you own will depend on the upgrades you may need. The first two things for any serious off road driver is going to be a minimum 2 inch lift kit and some bigger tires. A lot of guys get this wrong from the start, they go and get BIG off road wheels straight up. They often see other models around with a big size on and think their rig can have them too. Unfortunately the tire guys won't usually tell you this but you always need a lift first . This way your new rubber won't rub on anything and you can actually size up the rubber to the vehicle instead of the other way round. So many guys get this wrong to start with, they end up having rubbing issues or have to spend more wasted dollars on rectifying it. So lets look at some different lift kits around . You can go a lift spacing kit or a lift suspension kit. The two do the same thing but are very different. A lift spacing kit is a cheap way to lift your vehicle. It uses the stock suspension and simply places longer swing arms on leaves with lifting blocks and spacing blocks on coil towers. This sort of kit will set you back a couple of hundred dollars depending on the brand and model of your off road vehicle.
The second option will be a aftermarket brand suspension kit , which will come with all new springs and coils with longer swing arms the lot. this is a completely new suspension set up . These types of kits usually come with a couple of options or stages in lift. Often the higher the stage the bigger the lift. these lift kits can start at around $1200 and the sky is the limit when it comes to custom setups . The cost will depend on the quality and brand and location and where you will want to go with it . You never want to go the cheapest but you still want to have a budget in mind. You can always save a bit of money by fitting them yourself if you have the know how or capabilities to. Either way a well known decent kit will set you back $1800- $2000, plus a install fee of around $400. This can vary depending on the shocks you choose and the spring load . This is a big decision when it comes to picking the right spring kit. Your retailer should help you with this choice but its always good to know where you want to go with your modifications . Depending on what mods you want like bull bars and canopies will determine the strength and resisting ability of the springs needed. choose the wrong kit and you will have a kidney rattler or a really bouncy sagging ride. The weight you intend on adding with your mods is a big factor when ordering your suspension so have a good idea of where you will be going in the future with your mods especially if you are going to do it over a few months or years. Id also advise you do your research in online forums about the particular product you are going for to get a idea of how other customers have been treated and feel on the product itself.
Moving on to wheels, wheels as mentioned before come in all shapes and sizes for a lot of different uses. Again depending on your vehicle it will depend on the set up you are able to put on your rig. My suggestion for sizes and price stick with a 16 inch rim . Tire suppliers tend to stock a lot of sizes and brands in off road tires in this 16 inch rim size. They also tend to be a lot cheaper then their bigger cousins the increasingly more popular 17 and 18 inch rims as a lot of new car manufacturers are releasing now. So if you have the luxury of spending the extra money o a new set of off road wheels you can also customise the size much more easily to be legal and fit your vehicle with the look you want to . Having to stick with the stock rims will reduce the amount of costuming you can do with your wheels. The stock rims will restrict the width of the tire you will be able to purchase and may even with the size as well depending with what your local tire dealer has in stock. Moving forwards looking for a off road tire there is a few things to keep in mind :
1 the cost
2 the use
3 the quality
Cost is usually what drives most people, all the big branded names are going to be the most expensive off the bat . but there is other option out there if you don't mind having a cheaper but just as capable tire on your car. If you like a particular brand ask your local supplier if that brand owns a cheaper tire thats similar, often the big companies will own small named tires but make them almost identical to their branded ones so it pays to ask a few questions.
The use of the tire is defiantly what is going to decide the grade or type of tire you will want , for instance if you are going to be heading off road once a month id suggest a all terrain tire. If your a hard core off road driver a few times a week id suggest a mud terrain tire. The difference between the two are fairly unique. The all terrain tires are more suited to on road driving , but also have deep rutted tread for the occasional off road trip , these tires will perform better on the road but are almost as capable off road. Mud terrain tires are exactly that. These tires are built to move mud similar to a tractor wheel. They work on big rutted treads with added side grabbers which help on slippery muddy off road tracks. These tire can still be driven on road but don't perform as well as the all terrain in the wet or while cornering or stopping. The mud terrain tire also tend to be pretty loud on the road and typically have whining sound when driving on tarmac.
The quality of the tyre will defiantly have a big impact on the reliability you want . A high quality tire will be a good mix of soft and hard rubber getting you at least 70-90000 kms a set. Cheaper models may use a harder rubber which will give you a better mileage but will very unsure on the tarmac in wet or sudden stopping conditions .These also might tend to rip of nobs or tread rutts from being too hard. A softer tire will always have better on road performance but won't last very long off road or with general use. They tend to also get cut away or slices in them from heavy off road driving.
Check these links to some great priced tires from big brand manufacturers page link for a off road tire and wheels
Off road BF Goodrich Mud terrains
off road Mickey thompson BAJA mtz radial
Toyo , open country mud terrain
In the next blog we will be discussing bull bars and 12 volt winches with dual battery set ups .
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