While the number of vehicles off-roading increases constantly, more and more off-roading beginners are also inclining towards vehicle modification, the major factor being the urge to get noticed while hitting off-road tracks. Vehicle modification helps in making the vehicles vary which not only makes the vehicle stand out from the rest of the group but is also able to improve the performance of the ride. The only drawback is that the off-road world is full of people who would mistake ignorance for individuality.
What is the essence of vehicle modification?
Perhaps everyone has their own answer to the question. But whether you belong to the “appearance modifications party” and only want to change the appearance of the vehicle, or you belong to the “aesthetic modification party” and you are obsessed with the potential of your ride, believe in making the functional and aesthetic modification, we all could agree on one thing, and that is, vehicle modifications are to break the original balance while establishing a new balance.
But judging from the modification trend in the off-road world in recent years, it seems that many people have forgotten this foundational guideline. From a variety of fancy, "high performance" gadgets to the visual effect overload of the wheel rim offset, putting the actual improvement of the vehicle aside, the stability of the vehicle should be a concern.
For all of those in the off-road world to be able to make the vehicle modification smoothly, we are going to talk about the off-road vehicle modification of some important considerations. Here comes the real stuff!
Front bar
As the first auto part of off-road interaction with obstacles, the front bar determines the approach angle and protection ability of the vehicle. And since most stock front bars are likely made of plastic, the approach angle design is also more conservative, many off-road enthusiasts will list the front bar as their first item on their modification list.
Currently, there are two types of front bars available on the market. There is the bull bar bumper, a kit fitted on the front and provides solid protection. And there is the competition front bar that is designed to be used specifically for off-road competitions. From a practical point of view, they can both meet your needs for protection and expandability, but both have their own drawbacks.
The bull bar bumper is often time used in a location that is sparsely populated and lush, many wild animals have a wide living space, and it is not uncommon for a group of them to "invade" the roads, and if a speeding car collides with them, the consequences are often unthinkable. And so, in this unique context, the bull bar bumper was born. Its full range of protection and exaggerated shape is the best way to show "hormones". However, to ensure all-around protection, the weight of the bull bar bumper is generally significant, the weight of the standard bull bar bumper can reach about 70KG, which will gravely impact the vehicle axle load. And the resulting problem being the vehicle handling will be reduced, and it is easier for vehicles to be understeering when cornering.
The competition front bar is generally designed to fit the style of the vehicle, which is often referred to as the "stock style". Although many indicators of the competition front bar are good, its overall protection is pretty mediocre. The good thing is that the weight is generally lighter than a bull bar bumper by about 20KG, which is also more suitable for beginners.
Rear bar
The rear bar is also one of the disastrous faulted modification areas, many people consider the heavy rear bar with dual spare tires to be looking "powerful". Yet the truth is, it is going to have a great impact on the rear axle load, which means the driver is going to easily oversteer under extreme circumstances. Therefore, based on how you want to use the vehicle in the period, as long as it is not for a long-time heavy traversing, you really should settle at the light-weighted single spare tire rear bar.
Tires
Tires are always the most important part when you want to drive smoothly on unpaved roads. We recommend that you consider AT (all-terrain) tires and MT (mud) tires when replacing tires.
If you need to balance daily driving with occasional off-roading, then AT tires are your best choice. Compared to the stock HT tires, they have larger tread blocks, and the longitudinal and horizontal grooves are constructed larger and deeper than HT tires, also the rubber in the carcass is relatively harder. The design of these can improve the overall grid of the tire on unpaved roads. There is a slight drawback that you should know about, and that is AT tires are not going to be as comfortable as using the stock tires, it is loud and noisy but within the acceptable range.
The MT tires have a more exaggerated tread pattern and a greater distance between treads. This design aims to allow the tires to shake off the mud as easily as possible, thus providing continuous traction under unpaved roads. However, you should know that MT tires are noisy when driving on roads, and tire vibration is way easier to be felt when the speed is below 10km/h, and it is also easier to lose control on slippery roads.
Wheels
For wheels, we would like to remind you that you should not replace the wheels with a large J value but a small ET value just for the fancy visual effect, otherwise it will not only greatly increase the chances of the vehicle coming off the rim when driving with low tire pressure, but also create an additional burden on the suspension system.
Shock absorbers
Whether you choose oil spring shocks or nitrogen shocks, we recommend that you keep the elevation within 2 inches. This is because most front axle structures will change the angle of the main steering pin and the front beam angle when the body of that vehicle has been raised, especially for independent suspensions, which also directly affect the wheel camber. The 2-inch rise will not change a lot of the stock indicators, and we believe it is the best choice from both an economic and stability perspective.
Auxiliary lights
No one wants to experience the desperation of driving at night without lighting, but anything can happen off-road, so most off-road enthusiasts will upgrade or retrofit their automotive lighting in addition to the hardware mentioned above.
For the choice of LED auxiliary lights, the main thing is to pay closer attention to the color temperature, try to choose those that have ranges within 4300-6000k or so. If you deviate from this range, regardless of color temperature, you are prone to a "coloring effect".
For example, the high color temperature of the light will be blue, when it encounters other color temperature environments, your light color will be "dyed" discoloration, thus losing the proper lighting effect. While the high color temperature in the field encounters a dusty environment, light irradiation to dust is easy to cause strong reflection and thus affect the line of sight and observation effect.
OGA has been dedicated to automotive LED lighting manufacturing since the company was founded in 2009. And since then, OGA has grown to become one of the most well-known high-end automotive LED lighting manufacturers in China. Back in 2019, we gather a group of talent to design and develop a series of road-legal light bars (the 46 series), street-legal LED pods (the 3012 series) and some of the most innovated multi-function off-road LED light bars (the 48 series and the 49 series).
In short, a reliable performance, a good-looking off-road vehicle is definitely not just relying on a selection of expensive accessories piled up together. It must be in the full range of multi-angle consideration before starting to create the “beast of the wilderness”.
2023-11-21
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