15 WORST to BEST OFF-ROAD MODS for Protection
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- Опубликовано: 31 май 2024
- From the very worst to the very best in regards to protecting yourself and your 4WD
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I believe the humble UHF deserved a spot on the list. While it's not a preventative measure, it can greatly increase chances of getting help when needed when phone signal is non existent.
Should be standard in a ranger 😅
@@johnp6640 Bold of you to assume a Ranger would go far enough to not have signal 😂
@@SeasonAscent the irony here is that UHF should be standard equipment given the higher chance of it being used in the ranger.
radioing off the top of a 50m tower from a 5 watt hand held GME I've reached 55kms away to a mate in his car
Saved me a couple of times when out in western Queensland, definitely up there
I used to work in the wheel manufacturing industry and encountered wheels of all types and observed the tests to get a standard accreditation for them. I can tell you not all standards are equal and many forged after market dont even get accredited. Proper OEM cast and in some cases forged OEM are strong and often pass the gutter tests without loosing air at all. Lightweight after market wheels failed every test, Forged,Cast or even billet. Explosive Air release and very often if not huge cracks through the bead seat. Cornering loads are not so severe but after market Steel rims usually fail very quickly cracking in the hub, Alloy after market are better but depending on their design will also fail quite early. Multi drilled patterns should be illegal IMO as they crack a lot and keeping wheel nuts correctly tensioned required a lot of attention in every long duration test. After market Steel rims are almost always made from thinner steel and are frequently pressed without the dimples that allow a little flex between the mounting holes that allow for a little flex all wheels encounter during mounting and use. This is where they usually crack if they have been made properly. Wider than standard steel rims will also add increased load to the wheels hub mounting so a wide set of steels should use a hub that's thicker than even standard.
In short if isn't OEM 90% of the time it's weaker in all aspects. Forged rims can often hide pinches due to the process if there has been a temp issue when being made and should be avoided unless x rayed 100%. Their strength VS weight benefits are good but unless it's for track use is a down grade durability wise. Steel rims are the toughest by a long way however material thickness, hub design and weld quality play a big part. Cold welds and or undercut will start cracks. Hoops can often have undersized bead seats that keep the tire mounted when it goes flat. Also on the majority of modern passenger stuff the bore for the hub should be made to fit very snugly around the pilot on the brake hub. Wheel studs are there on these types of mount to hold the rim against the hub and not locate it radially. If there is to much clearance it introduces extra loads on the wheel stud, nut and the contact point between the two.
Hey, thank you for the comprehensive and informed comment. You have confirmed my view that OEM (steel or alloy) is best unless you really know what you are buying and have done your research! If you like Toyota quality and reliability, use Toyota wheels. Simple.
What alloy rims and brands would you recommend on the Aussie market? And what brands would you stay away from?
@@daniel-ll5zr It isn't brands so much it is styles of after market rims. Unless they are steel and it's easy as metal thickness plays a massive part in their strength. most other things would take pages to explain. With cast wheels most are cast from the center out so spokes can get dodgy if the wheels mass when cast causes it to cool at different rates stretching the metal and causes it to take on the form of a sponge internally. Reducing its strength significantly. Forged wheels are very hard to pick faults visually. Most of the time a fully machined wheel will always be made properly as if it wasn't the holes would show through. Even when raw from a die wheels will often need to be either X rayed or cut up to check if the process is operating correctly.
Have to disagree about OEM steel wheels. I'm a Tyre fitter working on the mines in the Pilbara. I have lost count of the amount of Toyota steel rims I have scrapped because they have cracked even new vehicles with less than 10000km crack.
@@DazC-ln7rb Well some one is doing something wrong if they are indeed genuine or more likely fitted out before they arrive with non oem? You can break anything if you try hard enough.
I used to drive the Guatemala jungle and found that the…
Rear bar = protection reversing in tight spaces i.e trees, rocks, and option for rear winch.
Brush bar = also for tight spaces, lean overs, and protection in really deep ruts
Big fan of snorkels but they do become a liability on the trail, getting caught up on branches. Need to turn the snorkel head around.
I do enjoy Peace of mind! Good bar work also helps protect your vehicle from people who can’t park and I find it keeps other vehicles at a distance on the road. If they tailgate, sucks for them if they accidentally rear end you.
👏
Absolutely coming from Norway. rear bar is a must have in tight forests. but Australia dont have big trees most places so i guess thats why he put it low.
And a big winch. When I lived in Panama, a winch wasn’t an option…
Yup… i have a slightly protruding tow bar… i can’t count the times it saved me backing up in high grass hitting hidden rock, stonework, concrete flowerbeds and the list goes on…
I have none of those, I don't even have a 4x4 yet but I am here to learn.
We all started where you are bud. 👍
Start saving those paychecks buddy, 😆
@@elliotkane4443 indeed.
Do it now! Start off with just doing local day trips. You won’t need almost any of these tips, but you will learn to drive off-road.
@@JimsEquipmentShed best advise I’ve received when it comes to my dream of overlanding some day. Thank you so much.
Ronny you need to open your mind a bit and realise that not everybody lives in WA . I’ve said this to you before when you told people that a winch isn’t important to have. Brush rails , nobody in history has ever bought one for animal strikes or branches! They are for if you slip sideways and lean agains a tree or a dirt bank or wall . I’ve seen many people on clay hills get off line and rear the bar directly agains the base of a tree . Other places exist other than WA outback . I thought you’d have leaned this on your trip to Victoria
I can appreciate his input for sure, but a lot of his "unnecessary" mods are game changers in the states depending on where you wheel.
We need to test Cybertruck in various Offroad situations
@@drive-channel1834 Spoiler, it's bad.
Rock&tree sliders give protection for under the door sills. If damaged this is a costly body work repair. For me it proved to be one of the best investment
Numero uno. Fridge & Beer.
Thanks anyway Ronny.
03:37 True! plus carrying the compressed air in that second spare (when you're already carrying a compressor) is another good couple of kilos. I believe in the 'carry the spare tyre, not the spare wheel approach'. That being said, it might then also be useful to carry a spare inner tube, in case the rim gets badly whacked, although this would be a terrain specific consideration.
Offroad driving/driver training. Whilst not a strictly a vehicle mod, it certainly changes the risks, peace of mind, and reduces track damage.
Hey Ronny, Kangaroos are often disorientated by bright lights. Dim your lights right down and move the car slowly and they will move out of your way much quicker, especially if they are just sitting on the road.
That’s an old wives tale and a dangerous one. It results in people driving plastic fantastics with poxy yellow headlights that don’t belong outside the city along rural roads late at night thinking they are safe because they can’t see the roos just outside their field of vision on the side of the road.
Get a bullbar, big lights, drive a bit slower and pay attention.
@indeepeterhopwood8106
He's talking about the clip of them chilling on the road
rear bumper and brush bars are a god send in victorian 4wding, remember not to count out states with different driving.
I love my suspension upgrade. On unsealed roads it feels like the Ute is running on rails.
A jump starter is also a good insurance if you can’t fit a second battery, like in the Navara D40.
Tyre pressure monitors reduces the risk of losing a punctured tyre.
10 years ago I drove from Brisbane to Birdsville via Windorah with lots of traffic (Birdsville races) and back on the Strzelecki Track, no snorkel but also not extra dirt in the air filter. Though never encountered long stretches of bull dust.
I've actually had 2 tires blow out at the same time.
Middle of nowhere no phone signal. Ended up driving around 15-20 miles to the nearest town with 1 still blown. Totally destroyed the rim. Almost nothing left of it. Luckily the little farm shop had an old tire on a rim that fit.
So 2 spares for me when I'm way out there by myself.
Full spare + carcass would have been fine in that scenario too though
I added the brush bars to my Grenadier because they were only a couple of hundred dollars and I felt they gave good protection against car doors in car parks and gave a bit of extra strength and support to the outside hoops of the standard bar. I also live in an area that is crowded with big roo's so if they add any extra protection I will take it. As you said, a little extra peace of mind.
Good on yah Ronny for having the guts to say you might have been wrong previously. A trait not too many exhibit on youtube but a real element of improvement in real life.
You missed nudge bars and 2 inch body lifts... these seem to be popular with the crowd that thinks that 22 inch rims with low profile muddies is a good idea.
Body lifts that are legal aren't all bad..
nudge bar is a joke during the real off-road. no real protection but less approaching angle.
whats the difference between suspension lifts and body lifts
@@surdious8096the body lift is for looks, the suspension lift is for underside clearance.
@@ellietthillery8204not all that useful either.
I'd push the rock sliders up the list a few pegs, if you get 'T Boned' in any accident, they transfer the impact to the chassis .. instead of the other vehicle crushing the cabin into the chassis. Confident that steel side steps saved a friend's children seated in the second row seats, in a side collision.
It's "PEACE of mind" not "piece of mind". As in "these brush bars bring peace to my mind about the issue of dents."
After watching shauno flop the dirty 30 over in the Rubicon, the brush bars have earned their place.
I raced off road with steel rims, so many dented up rims and yes we hammered them back into shape, keep a tube of silicone to help reseal the tyre bead if really badly bruised
First thing I did with my Defender was put HD steelies on it. They are heavy but I’d have other bigger issues if I did enough damage to the vehicle to damage them.
Also put a raised air intake on it because I was heading to Morocco, the dust and sand it collected was an eye opener.
No mention of being able to jack from the rock sliders in crazy. Perfect for a Shepard's jack when you're in a touch situation
World solo travellers I met (LR Discovery) recommended 'no winch'. Stops you thinking you're invincible. Same as the snorkel water argument.
When I was a youngster we called them ‘roobars’ not bull bars…no bull.
Even in South Africa 🇿🇦, fifty years ago, we called them roo bars. No, we don't have kangaroos. It should have been called kudu bars here. 😂
Another tick for the Grenadier. The number 1 mod, a pre-filter, isn’t a mod. It comes included from factory.
yep my 40 year old 4wd came standard with a pre filter
Our bull bars have saved our trucks 12 times from deer strikes. One strike was so hard the buck flew over the fence after impact about 20 feet. None of these were deliberate but because of running deer. Your list is very comprehensive and exact. Thanks for sharing this knowledge.
Rock sliders definitely saved my door sills, good protection.
Brush rails help hold the bull bar forward with multiple animal strikes
Also when you're on an angle in deep cut out
I hit a red roo with a TJM bar, folded the bar over the bonnet and the bonnet couldn't be opened
l now run brush bars for that reason,
$800 from OCAM including the side steps is very cheap
I've had a full size roo hit my rhs hoop and it folded a bit but the brush bar held straight. Both bar and bush were replaced
Brush bars were originally only in conjunction with bullbars and the concept was ONLY about protecting against animal strike.
Then like most things people thought they looked “tough” and bolted them to every suburban 4wd and don’t even know what they’re for
Brush bars have prevented my vehicle being damaged by more than a few shopping trolley strikes.
That front side bar helped save a colleague and from a high speed accident. Oncoming car lost control on a corrugated bend and slammed into us and skid down the side.
Personally, winch is always #1 and proper anchor points, I'm american y'all do it different down under. Burying the spare as an anchor, I never thought of that, thank you. Solid presentation 12/10
I have all these mods in my Pajero. I completely agree with every single point raised, this is probably the most informative video around! Great work!
I would actually have added “fixed UHF” radio on the list.
Great vid mate as always and excellent editing. Agree with the listing obviously others might have a different view however you have provided it to us in an easy to watch and understand format. 💯🤙🏽🇦🇺
The Snorkel has given me so much peace of mind before I had it I was out one day and I tried to cross a big mud and water hole driving in the shallow section I suddenly slipped into the really deep section and the water was just below the air box in that moment I decided to get a snorkel.
Nice 👍 I had a suspicion fuel wouldn't even make it on the list at all at first.
I'll add an extra long fuel hose as a Mod too - direct to the tank, no dodgy joins anywhere, and wrapped in chafing points with that split plastic cable conduit stuff - cheap, effective.
If the hose does still end up drawing air/losing fuel through a split/hole somewhere - then you can cut n' shut with a cheap connector.
Interesting seeing the difference in concerns of where you are vs here in the Mohave Desert. For us, underbody protection is one of if not the most critical because of the sharp rocks that put holes in everything. Dual spares is also a very good idea for long trips due to the likelihood of sidewalls being taken out by sharp rocks, mesquite bushes, etc. I really like the idea of just carrying a 2nd tire instead of the whole wheel though!
30 years of off roading and one time I destroyed two rims. We won't mention how fast I was going when the rock jumped out and took out the passenger side wheel. Or that I continued that speed after replacing the first bent rim until number two went by-by.
I think number 1 should have been a good friend with a second car.🙂
When I had my 98 XJ Cherokee...the snorkel and a K&N filter improved my fuel mileage. While I was not as aggressive with my build as most...It brought my "modded" Jeep...it had a 4.5" lift, ARB front bumper and a custom rear bumper on 31" tires...at almost 300K in mileage...I was still getting 19-23 on the highway. While I didn't test the mileage on a trail...it is something to consider as a positive.
thanks ronny - you knew this would incite all sorts of comments. Well on my 200 series - the rear bar with no attachments has otherwise saved my plastic rear bumper on just about every long trip. Gotta notch that up a few rungs on the list. Otherwise great session.
Good video, Ronny. Thanks for sharing.
Very easy peace of mined task to do straight away is to make sure whatever style jack you have is actually going to fit and work to lift your car also just a bonus is a uhf even if it's just a hand held
You mean piece of mind lol
Brush bar, used by cattle farmers to reopen a gate that is closing due to wind or design wear as the vehicle is going through, A quick tap on gate and your through
Ronny, I have yet to realise my dream of the great lap, this episode is a real eye opener for a novice such as myself and where to set the priorities for the mods, thank you
Scrub bars for me are used mostly with cattle or gateways but when 4wding mine have been strong enough to support my vehicle against banks. I've been up on 3 wheels in massive ruts and my scrubbies have hit stumps and the bank itself saving me from panel damage alot. But when pushing cattle around it gives me alot of confidence not to have to worry. The only part of my ute that isn't protected is the doors but doors are easily replaced
Surprised at the rear bar position. I have probably done about a ten thousandth of the off-roading you’ve done - I’m basically a weekend warrior in a Troopy in the UAE and Oman, but I damaged my OEM rear bumper very quickly after getting the Troopy on some simple tracks. I’ve damaged my new rear bar as well, but only with minor scratches :) Plus my rear door doesn’t squeak any more now the spare wheel is on that rear bar!
I don't even have a rear bumper on my pickup. I built my own spare tire and jerry can swingout which I don't install unless I'm going offroading, as unless I'm going offroading I don't need a second spare or all that extra fuel.
For protection I actually adapted a tow hitch meant for a vehicle with a much wider frame, cutting off the brackets meant for that other vehicle and constructing new brackets to weld them onto that hitch crosstube. It's still not _quite_ wide enough to protect the rockers behind the wheels but I can add more material on if I feel it's necessary.
Nice work great episode thanks
Brush bars come in handy when you have to park on tight streets too. I got a few peoples paint on mine from their sideswipes
Forgot lager... a cooler and ice and lager. Absolutely a safety necessity!
So far a fridge is the only mod I made! Helps when you're waiting for someone to winch you out!
I spent a couple of months in Botswana, out in the Kalahari, where the locals carried no spare at all. I asked why, response was "why, we fix the puncture instead". Granted, that was sand country so sidewall damage is unlikely, oroblem was mainly thorns.
This is great! this is also the content i love to see :)
Great info - thanks.
From my personal experience the brush bar (we used to call them side rails) has saved me twice. First from a roo that bounced into the side of my troopy and second from sliding into a large boulder on a narrow muddy track. Yet while I would not get rid of the bull bar, after 4 trips around OZ it hasn't saved me once. It is just how the dice roll.
You might wince at 2 spare tyres but having experienced 2 punctures in Tanzania in open lion country I can assure you that we definitely needed both of them after crossing various creek beds and then promptly had the 2 punctured tyres repaired at the nearest camp station we could find.
Just a note about "side steps" or as we call them over here, "sliders". Back in 2021, while driving home from getting a burrito in my H1, I got t-boned by a young girl (dashcam video is on my channel) in a volvo. Since the body of my truck is aluminum, there's not a whole lot of structure there in stock form... thankfully I had just put on the H1 version of sliders which probably is the reason I'm able to walk today.
Rear bar has been my best investment. Twice i have been rear ended driving through Dar es Salaam. Once I backed into a tree, which was my fault. Yet you would never know looking at the back of my 76.
Context will determine much, as will the vehicle.
Tirfor style hand winch beats electric winch hands down. You can pull sideways and backwards. You can pull a fallen tree off the track. The hard physical labour is also a psychological deterrent to getting stuck.
This was some great info. I was expecting led spotlights in the top 5 and a higher rated bottle jack. Gearbox breathers are also a good investment if i didn't catch it. Im guilty of carrying a spare on the rear. Ive got two swing aways. One for an extra spare and the other has two 20L jerry cans with water and taps for weekend trips.
Loved the list. Nice work. The only other thing that came to mind when you were talking about engine protection was a Provent. I would be curious where that fits on the list?
Did you realize the 1 GD already has 2 fuel filters? High pressure and low pressure
Saving this wisdom for future reference! Very nice info esp here in Africa.
Grenadier lookin awesome, Ronny!
awesome as always
I was wondering about the on-board air compressor. So you can reinflate after flats or airing down.
Excellent video.
I have all those mods (apart from the hoopless bar).
I would agree with the rankings overall and it would be futile to argue a place or two up or down for a particular mod.
I think the biggest takeaway here is to understand what a particularly mod can offer you and how that intersects with the type of travel that you undertake.
I am 100% onboard with steel wheels and you did not mention the drawback of recessed wheel nuts on alloy wheels, that I know you had experience with.
This entire list suprised me, with the exceptions of winch and off-road tires.
Many of the videos that rank offroad mods list rock rails at the top of the list. But this might depend on the type of offroading the person does. In my area, dust isnt a problem, so the snorkel might not be important. But rocky, uneven trails are the norm, so roackrails and skid plates might rank higher.
So what have we got on our 4wd out of this list..
rear bar.. tick (doubles as the tow bar too)
brush rails: no
2nd spare: no
suspension: not yet
side steps: sadly only factory.. so useless
bash plates: tick
dual batteries: no
diff breathers: not yet
winch: no
steel wheels: no
hooped bull bar: tick
offroad tyres: AT's tick
snorkel: tick
pre fuel filter: tick
not bad so far.. work in progress :)
Brush bars make a difference depending on tyre and wheel offset. I've seen caved in guards on inbankments, but the same car with wider tyres and negative offset ran through with about 30mm to spare
Make my own (weld) rear bar small in size but most rock protection i can get. My Rock skids are "weld in " protect underside and side i can even change a bolted L skid if it scratched it too much.My front bumper is "Pre runner" style even for best offroad angles and most protection.
Good review. I'm a Landy guy, Defender driver. Discovery is great, but I wouldn't touch TD/SD V6
Great video
I run a FASS fuel pump on my 02 duramax but for a little extra peace of mind I bought an adapter for the factory fuel filter that allows me to put Caterpillar 1R-0750 2 micron filter. I do intend on adding bull bar later on.
Long range tank should be top 10
Hell Ronny That's one, Piss Poor Horn you have there🤣🤣🤣 sorry couldn't help myself
Very good i have to agree with all those things
The double battery is a nice idea. But I would wire them in parallel for more cranking amps, and even more so wiring in a lightweight capacitor pack in parallel with the batteries, like that Lasersaber video. There are also low-voltage-cutoff devices, that automatically disconnect something, when a battery drops to a preset voltage. You can set one of those up to disconnect your entertainment, lights or whatever, before they make your battery/capacitors too low to crank the engine. And maybe carry a handcrank 12volt generator for the battery, just in case?
Oh!
Did you forget portal-axles, and built in tire inflation & deflation like a Hummer H1?
And camera system, covering the blind spots around the vehicle, including underneath with spray cleaners and compressed air nozzles, so you don't need a spotter?
And sidelights/active-nightvision?
Winch … If you don’t have one drive as if you don’t have one.
Sounds like me.
And if you do have one don’t drive the shit out of your vehicle to not use it
You are basically describing my Defender 90 300tdi.
i have a rear bar on me 76 series mainly to get the 35” spare off the door and extra fuel. but in the vic high country the bar copped a hiding in and out of rivers, saved the back of me cruiser when a car rammed up me arse on the monash fwy and lastly when the engine blew up, was the only way to push it onto the 4 post hoist with the forklift. some excellent points on this vid tho mate, making me wanna take me arb side rails off! 😂
*my*
@@oggyoggy1299😂
Great list! Unfortunately the snorkel option for my 2004 Touareg is twice the cost! Two air boxes…
Ronny. Best regards from Poland
I would add a fire extinguisher to the list. If you can't put it out a small fire can become a very big fire really quickly.
I've never used the "Brush bars" as brush bars. More as a way to cover my wider diff/wheel combo to stop mud,rocks and water spray up the side. And of course keeping it "legal" from wheel poke.
Yes a good video,it hard topic to talk about,where do you start,yes carry tyres no rims,but you have to carry good tyre levels and know how to put tyre on rims,a lot of green horn ,outback today 😂,corrugated road I find people travelling to fast,I ask myself why,your on a holiday or full time on the road,if you only travel 50 km in one day because road rough so be it ,why rush and break things,I have done the Nullarbor where it taken a month to get across,at least I had a good look around 😅safe travels everyone.
Would be interested to see you run a Central Tire inflation system for a bit. Having used them on trucks I'd like to see how they go on a car.
We wrecked two tyres in 20 minutes on the Gibb River Road years ago. Had to hitchhike 100kms and would have killed for a second spare. But you’re right. It’s really not worth the weight, space and expense to carry 2 spares.
Hey , Thank you very much for these videosqui have taught me a lot and comforted me in some ideas. Did you make a video about the role of intercoolers are they really useful? Thank you and enjoy
Hey Ronny, I don't often Disagree with most of the points you make on these videos, but I just saw the first one, and I feel the rear bar is more than what you mentioned, because you can have a custom bar that includes Rear Side Wings that protect your rear quarters, which are SO very expensive to repair if you cave them in, and also smash your tailights. I have never seen rear quarter protection that wasn't attached to a rear bar, but it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I'm building my on rear bar and wings right now and its a massively slow process due to having to redesigning it on the fly, from one step to the next. So Maybe a point that was glossed over or ignored.
I agree with you completely. We were out wheeling going down a fairly steep little hill when one of our front brake flex hoses gave out and totaled a strangers jeep because all they had was the stock bumper, when all it did to ours was put a little scratch on our winch bumper. Guy had just "finished" buildings it too, first time it had seen trails
I pretty much agree with all of these except steel rims.
As you said you have never needed two spares so even if you damage one aluminium rim you are still fine.
My main point though is that aluminium rims are generally stronger and harder to damage so in most situations it pretty much balances out.
I have used steel but these days I prefer aluminium.
I have a rear bar for my LC200 for the second spare. Do I need it? Probably not but I have previously ruined three tyres on a 4WD trip. The tyre I run now would be better than they were back then but there is still that nervousness at the back of your mind. I could carry a carcass but I would not have the skills or tools to change it in the middle of no where. I am happy to sched the extra 30kg else where to carry the second spare on a rim even if it is overkill. Just a personal preference.
My dad blew 2 tyres on a gravel road, we went to pull over and something blew the rear tyre. 30mins later another tyre blew so we replaced both
You didn't comment on the effect on intended use on the rankings. If you're doing rocky trails like the Rubicon in the USA, you should definitely consider rock rails, rear bar, suspension lift, winch, bash plates to be at the top of your list.
Lots of INCORRECT information.
I'm surprised a decent set of spotlights didn't make the list for protection. Forewarned is forearmed. Avoid rather than evade. Recently I would have cleaned up a stage deer at 100 km/h, had it not been for the decent set of spotlights. It provided me the opportunity to hit the ABS early and stop. And they weren't the expensive ones either. 9 inch Kings was all it took to give me the heads up.
Howdy Ronny, greetings from virginia in usa.
I think the diff and gearbox breathers is the best mod you can do. So cheap but can save you a blown gearbox transfer or diff
suprised the uhf radio didnt come at #1
An inner tube is compact and can be a good temporary fix for an un-pluggable hole if it's not too big
Having recently trying to remove a Mitchlen xzl tyre from a steel rim, I'd like to see a video on removing and putting on a carcass on a rim in the Bush, I found the belting too tough, had to take it to a garage. Thought the same when ASPW said take a carcass.