Vehicle modifications need a philosophy

[XJ Junkie]

It seems that everybody & their dog that buys a 4x4 immediately feels the need to blindly modify the hell out of their new vehicle, without giving much thought to what it is they want to achieve. I’ve done this myself.

One can almost predict what’s coming next when your mate buys a 4x4. Big BFG overpriced tyres to reduce grip, handling & general ability, then an overpriced Aussie 2 inch lift like his mate has, supplied from a country that has very little expertise & questionable knowledge in suspension dymanics, to the extent that their government had to introduce legislation to stop them marketing anything over 2 inches in order to avoid road deaths.

Then they need the obvious overpriced bumper that’s poorly engineered & unsuitable for actual off-roading & so unnecessarily heavy, that the suspension already fitted can’t handle the altered dynamics. But it’s airbag companies right? Even though the average punter doesn’t understand what that term actually entails, nor will he bother to explore that marketing term is all about & it’s relevance to his vehicle.

Once all of the above has been added to his pride & joy, he will top it off by adding the compulsory snorkel, even though he doesn’t know why.

I personally believe that all motifications should be done once the punter has a clear understanding of the positives, negatives, actual value & price relevance.

Furthermore, I’d advocate that punters need to first adopt an approach whereby they first understand what it is they want to achieve with their vehicle before embarking on their crusade.

Each vehicle should have a philosophy that dictates its requirements.

I’ll attempt to address each of the common areas of regular modifications, one by one on this thread & will look forward to some input from your esteemed selves......

.....I’ll start with tyres.....

[Chris Stoffel]

Neil, you can start with my BFG 33" Muds and Dick Capec rims.
I will need new tyres soon and I'm a bit worried about debeading and stuff like that.

[ThysleRoux]

It seems that everybody & their dog that buys a 4x4 immediately feels the need to blindly modify the hell out of their new vehicle, without giving much thought to what it is they want to achieve. I’ve done this myself.

One can almost predict what’s coming next when your mate buys a 4x4. Big BFG overpriced tyres to reduce grip, handling & general ability, then an overpriced Aussie 2 inch lift like his mate has, supplied from a country that has very little expertise & questionable knowledge in suspension dymanics, to the extent that their government had to introduce legislation to stop them marketing anything over 2 inches in order to avoid road deaths.

Then they need the obvious overpriced bumper that’s poorly engineered & unsuitable for actual off-roading & so unnecessarily heavy, that the suspension already fitted can’t handle the altered dynamics. But it’s airbag companies right? Even though the average punter doesn’t understand what that term actually entails, nor will he bother to explore that marketing term is all about & it’s relevance to his vehicle.

Once all of the above has been added to his pride & joy, he will top it off by adding the compulsory snorkel, even though he doesn’t know why.

I personally believe that all motifications should be done once the punter has a clear understanding of the positives, negatives, actual value & price relevance.

Furthermore, I’d advocate that punters need to first adopt an approach whereby they first understand what it is they want to achieve with their vehicle before embarking on their crusade.

Each vehicle should have a philosophy that dictates its requirements.

I’ll attempt to address each of the common areas of regular modifications, one by one on this thread & will look forward to some input from your esteemed selves......

.....I’ll start with tyres.....

The above is so true........ but together with your Mahindra thread where you biggest gripe is the lack of TC, makes me wonder who the heck you are and what you have done to the Junkman

[XJ Junkie]

Thanks Thys. Although it’s important to note that even older Jeeps have traction control, namely fear divided by ability

[XJ Junkie]

But there are less than 5 vehicles on the market that can cope with their TC switched off.

The rest need it. The world has changed

[KurtG]

The invention of TC has negated the need for flex.... ask me, I drive a Pajero

[ThysleRoux]

Kurt I see it the other way around - the pressure for off-road vehicles that can be driven on-road by incompetent, over-zealous drivers at high speeds, have resulted in 4x4's ending up with road car suspensions that cannot flex and necessitated the adaption of the road car TC for off-road use - as XJ said, without it most modern "off-road" vehicles would not be able to cope and just be road-cars.

[Ricof4e]

Neil, you have hit the nail on the head.

Every Tom, Dick and Harry wants to compare their Dick and Hairy Tom through their 4x4s. This leads to unnecessary mods and an empty bank account.

A person that has bought an 4x4 to do overlanding will buy a certain vehicle known for its reliability. An experienced overlander will know what mods are absolutely necessary and what mods will suffer under severe strain.

An inexperienced hobbo will buy a 4x4, because it looks lekker, and mod the hell out of it to make it look more lekker, regardless of stuffing the warranty and the general drive-ability thereof.

If I take myself as an example, I mostly use 4wheel drive on my Navara every other weekend - when I go fishing at the coast or when I go to the family farm. So my 4x4 use is restricted to sand, mud and the occasional bit of rocks. But to get to thew farm, I need to drive about 500km on a tar road. To get to the coast, it increases to about 1,200km. Apart from a canopy and towbar, I require no further mods as I have bought a vehicle which ticks all the boxes I need. I do not need a snorkel, nor a winch, nor a set of BFGs.

And that is where the line must be drawn, but sadly it is not on most occasions.

Looking forward to your discussion on tyres!

[Paul#25]

Going to follow this thread with interest.

[Michael]

I’ll attempt to address each of the common areas of regular modifications, one by one on this thread & will look forward to some input from your esteemed selves......

Awesome idea and I look forward to them.

Just an idea, would it not be better to put each topic in its own thread to keep discussion etc on topic and to avoid having to dig through, for example, 500 messages on tyres to read the 20 on suspension

[Mad Manny]

Please bear in mind that the priorities of a guy doing dunes & sand are different to guys to ruts & klip.

Tyres are massively important to dune drivers, but rock sliders are not.
For us 'Up Country' folk, underbody protection is vital.

I always give the example of the Olympic Pool:
If you park in an empty Olympic sized pool & slowly start filling it, you priorities should be, roughly, in the same order as the parts get wet.
A bottom up strategy. Tyres first, roof rack last.

I know Neil XJ has a few refinements to my analogy, but bottom up is the way to go.

If you fitted the Raptor kit first, then, not only is your order wrong - you shouldn't be on this Forum unless it's to repent.

[Samaya]

I own one of those road going 4x4's with TC. I have gone up and down many obstacles with good results. I know it has almost less flex than a skateboard but it didn't stop me from doing some difficult obstacles (difficult to me... ). The only mod I would still consider doing is an extra fuel tank (or tow a fuel tank trailer) but that is a massive mod for the GV as the exhaust will have to move and the big silencer in the back will need replacement. 4x Jerry cans are WAY cheaper than that mod...

[XJ Junkie]

Guys I started a new thread in relation to tyres. It’s under Tech Discussions

[dawidloubser]

I've come to believe that different people have different purposes in life.

They guy who wants to mod the hell out of his 4x4 without know what he wants / needs, just because it looks great, achieves that goal. He's happy.
The guys who try to remain purist, and add only literally what they need for better off-road performance, without ruining the originality or "look" of their vehicle, also achieve that goal. They are happy.

I fall a bit more into the latter category than the former, but I think an important philosophy is to simply do what makes you happy.
Don't do things that are unsafe to yourself and other road users.
Don't blow money you don't have to blow on a 4x4.
Don't lie to your wife about what those mods cost - rather get a wife that encourages you to do even more mods.
But do what makes you happy, and have fun.

We live in interesting / scary times, and we only have one life. Live it.
(No, no, I don't currently own a Land Rover....)

[Mad Manny]

Dawid, it's easy for a UniMog owner to talk about doing the bare minimum.
The vehicle rolls off the production line modded to hell...