How would you make your 4WD better off-road with only $1500 to spend?

Look out for the bloke in the hat (page121) in the current issue of 4WD Action (issue 169) 

Eleven industry guys answer the question. "How would you make your 4WD better off-road with only $1500 to spend?" The same issue also features a massive air compressor comparo.

And my answer....

“A suspension lift with bigger wheels and tyres (for the dollar value) provides the best increase in off-road performance, as well as a cool custom-look. However, starting with none of the above, and having to choose one (sub $1500) I’d go for a reliable electric self-recovery winch.


If you're up past your axles in stinking mud, bigger, aggressive-looking tyres, diff-lockers (that cost you a fortune), and suspension, may not do much apart from coating everything in sight with a blanket of brown.


For less than the cost of the tyres, or a differential air-locker kit, you could have a good-quality winch that can help you out of many situations; (including verbal assault by distressed passengers!)


No other 4WD part, accessory, or vehicle upgrade can provide the same recovery effectiveness (or peace of mind) than a quality electric self-recovery winch.

A winch can be the critical difference between getting into real trouble, and getting home".


What about you? How would you make your 4WD better off-road with only $1500 to spend?

Cheers

Would you trust this man?  :)

5 off-road travelling tips you don't usually hear

(1) One of the best “recovery” items you can carry with you is a credit card.

Serious!

Don’t like them? Don’t want one? We understand, but if you are stuck somewhere and have access to a phone, you can usually order up (like a pizza) the help you require, whether it be a spare part to be air-freighted out of a major city, a towing service, or to pay a mechanic for an unexpected repair.
And, these days, you can’t even book a spot at a caravan park, or a motel, without first providing your credit card details as a deposit

If you don’t trust yourself not to use it for another type of emergency (like running out of beer) freeze the card in a big block of ice and keep it in the bottom of your Engel. That’ll give you at least half an hour to think about it.

(2) Have a budget.

Fairly regularly we receive phone call from people travelling around Australia, who have busted their original suspension, or a brand or solution we don’t sell.

When they calculate the cost of the right product, they often freak out. They don’t have the money. They’ve spent it, and they’re wondering how they will get home.

Without raining on the spirit of adventure, travelling on-road or off, costs money. Include Murphy’s Law in your budget and plans, and your touring should be relaxed and fun.

(3) Check out your jack before you head away.

On a 4WD wagon with a suspension kit and taller tyres, the factory-supplied jack may not be suitable due to the new contact raised height.

If you face this problem in the middle of the bush (or anywhere really) a simple wheel change can become a major drama. So, test your jack for suitability and reach to the axle, chassis or specified jacking points.

Hi-Lift style jacks are popular with 4WD owners because of the extended point they can lift from. These jacks are a great product, but can also be like a ‘brown snake’ in the hands of the inexperienced. Check these free Hi-Lift training clips here.

(4) Sleep is unique. Rest before you head away.

You see the ads on TV, but few people take driver fatigue seriously.

This time of year, the risk increases. You’re working hard, there’s the pre-Christmas madness. You’re juggling extra responsibility. You might be planning for Christmas and its festivities and you’re also going away. If you’re like me, by the time you get to Christmas day – you feel stuffed.

People don't necessarily become fatigued from driving – they're already tired when they get behind the wheel. Long hours, shift work, lack of sleep, and physically demanding roles all take their toll on drivers. So to have a safe (and more enjoyable) journey, try to get more rest in the weeks before the big trip.

(5) Test all your gear before you head away. Know how to use it.

Suspension, an electrical product, something inflatable, something waterproof, anything with a function – Make the time to test it before you head away.

Say you’ve purchased a respected tyre compressor pump kit, which you keep brand new in its box until it’s time to use it. You’re proud of your purchase. It’s known to be a great product. Then, after some beach work, you pull the pump out to re-inflate the tyres and when you flick the switch –nothing!...It doesn’t work…You’re the one in a thousand.

You’re warranty card is not much good to you right now.

You have bought a quality electric self-recovery winch (good idea). You pay for professional fitting, and everything is done really nicely…

Then, you get snagged in the middle of nowhere, with no way out expect for the pulling power of the winch. No problem…. You get out, plug in the controller, attached the cable to a suitable tree with the right gear. You go to power up the winch and there’s nothing. No power. Dead.

Little do you know that all is good (or it would be) if you knew that the winch was also fitted with a manual isolator switch mounted (somewhere) under the bonnet. Its purpose is to prevent the winch being operated unduly. A quick flick would have put you back in business.

In this case ‘knowledge’ really is ‘power’.