On paper, 4×4 and SUV vehicles are a match made in heaven for exciting off-road and road trip adventures. They are powerful, comfortable, and their four-wheel-drive makes them the ideal solution for all kinds of terrains you may encounter when you make a hard turn from the major traffic lines.
Well, that would, at least, be the case if most of the modern 4x4s were designed to be driven in the dirt. It looks that, as of lately, manufacturers have put too much emphasis on comfort and forgotten to spice things up with a bit of fun.
Should that prevent you from venturing out from time to time? Hell no! Let’s take a look at a couple of upgrades that will help you to turn even the tamest 4×4 SUV into a genuine off-road monster.
Get the best tires for the job
After all, the tires are what keeps your vehicle on the ground and provides it with grip. You get the idea of just how important they are for reliable off-road performance. Well, since they need to traverse across a lot of difficult terrains like mud, boulders, dirt, and snow, we would put deep, and specially designed tread patterns as your number one priority. Higher resistance to puncture and reinforced sidewalls come at a close second place. Also, keep in mind that things tend to get pretty wild on these types of terrains – make sure you always have a spare tire in your trunk.
Smooth things out with a good suspension
In a nutshell, a good suspension system is what makes your off-road experience a joyride – it smooths the bumps you will most definitely encounter alongside the track, helps you make more effective contact with the terrain, and keeps the vehicle from falling apart. Yeah, try to imagine how jumping off the rocks affects some serious punishment on your SUV’s more sensitive systems. Not good. Not good at all. So, do your best to find a vendor selling quality 4×4 parts and replace your stock suspension designed for streets and roads with a system that packs more spring power.
Power up the engine
Here, the equation is simple – more power, stronger the performance on tricky terrains. Every additional horsepower you will manage to squeeze out of your SUV will make the difference when the things (and terrains) become rough. But, how does one increase the engine power? Well, there are a couple of ways to do that. Here are the most efficient mentions:
- Install high-performance cold air intake
- Install a high flow air filter
- Replace your exhaust system for something with more airflow
- Don’t forget a good old turbocharger
As you can see, most of these upgrades simply allow for more efficient airflow, so you shouldn’t worry that you will accidentally compromise some of the important vehicle systems.
Do you even lift bro?
Off-road tracks are riddled with various obstacles that can seriously damage your vehicle. A good suspension system will get you around some of them, but if your SUV does not feature enough clearance below the deck, you are pretty much doomed. So, you should seriously consider performing a suspension lift before even thinking of tackling some more difficult off-road sections. A cheaper alternative can be found in some of the aftermarket lift kits that do a pretty decent job at increasing the distance between the body and the frame while preserving the vehicle’s geometry.
Climb the mountains with differential lockers
If you are unfamiliar with this term, diff lockers are simple mechanisms that lock each axle half from a diff together, effectively forcing both wheels to rotate at the same speed. Why is this important? Well, for instance, if one wheel loses traction (an entirely expected situation in off-road conditions), that wheel won’t lose torque in the process. That helps you to crawl up the uneven terrains with much greater ease, keeps the incapacitated wheels rolling and keeps your SUV safe from eventual rough landings.
Always have an emergency plan
Of course, even with everything we covered above, off-road terrains are very dangerous. That’s why you should also take into consideration a couple of upgrades that won’t exactly improve the performance of your vehicle, but are always good to have when things go south (again, an entirely possible situation). So, when you finish the fine-tuning be sure to upgrade your SUV with the following additions:
- A pair of additional driving lights
- Cargo barriers
- Dual battery system
- Roof racks (a great way to pack more fuel and spare parts)
- Tow points and recovery straps
So here you go – six essential upgrades (ok, we sneaked in a couple more of them, but who can blame us) that will turn your city SUV into an off-road beast ready to climb the mountains and race across any terrain that just so happens to be under your wheels. Be sure to check off as much of them as you can. Going off-road is all cool and exciting, but only as long as you are able to drive your vehicle back home.
