Wanting some advice/new gear for a Prado.

[Torquen]

OK, after deciding to keep my 2000 model Prado 3.4L GXL and sell my Camry instead I want to start moding it.

Will be used as a daily driver so must still remain practical but after a little of road performance as well.
Was looking at getting a bullbar, small lift, and when the tyres need doing go a little bigger. Anyone want to recommend some gear to suit this description and a good place NOR to go to get it done.

Cheers, Jesse.

[mr_mike]

depends how much you want to spend, if cash isnt and issue then look at ARB and TJM stuff for bullbars and Toughdog for suspension.

If ur on a budget then the Ironman gear is pretty good for price, 2" lift ur lookin at about $700-1000 supplied and Ironman dealers have a special on at the mo for a steel winch bar, 12000lb winch, spotties for $1900.

tyres the options are limitless but again depends on what u want to spend, keep an eye on the quokka and you can pick up some 2nd hand muddies with useable tread for around $500

Also if u plan on going offroad get urself a CB radio about $300+ for new, u might not use it much but if ur heading out with mates its handy to have to keep in contact also if ur doing some more technical tracks make it a heap easier if u have a spotter outside the car with a hand held CB and they can tell u exactly where to go.

Dont forget recovery gear! long handle shovel if ur gonna be on the beach alot, a snatch strap, an aftermarket bullbar will have recovery points so thats the front covered then either a reese hitch recovery point or a bow shackle if u have a regular tounge tow ball.

A set of tyre deflaters are handy aswell just set them to whatever psi u want screw them on and off you. Not a neccesity but alot easier than sitting there for 20min with ur keys deflating each tyre.

Thats the miniumum i would equip a 4wd with if i was going to do any offroad/beach work, from here there is heaps more stuff you can do and it starts to get expensive.

[Deke]

everything mike said is pretty much spot on , cant stress the shovel and snach strap enough , if i was you i wouldnt be looking at a mud specific tyre i would be looking at something more all terrian or something like maxxis bighorns which i currently run on my car now and im more then happy with.

[Passage GT]

check out 4wd1.com.au (i think)
they do free delivery on orders over 1500 bucks
very handy when getting heavy stuff like bullbars etc

[Torquen]

Cheers for the help lads!
Tyre wise I would probs be doing mostly sand work (70%) when it is used of roadm so anyone want to recommended a good tyre for this application.

[DanWA]

bfg all terrains

throw it on gas to, to get costs down

[gt86wa]

Ive got the same car
I looked into ironman for suspension but had heard some stories of them sagging/leaking after a while. I ended up putting in bilstien shocks and lovells springs, which is a pretty popular choice in this model. Very happy with it.
As for tyres im using mickey t atz 4 rib, there ok. My first 4wd tyre so cant really compare to anything.
Go to pradopoint.com , plenty of info on there.

[mr_mike]

Cheers for the help lads!
Tyre wise I would probs be doing mostly sand work (70%) when it is used of roadm so anyone want to recommended a good tyre for this application.

If ur going to mainly be doing road and beach then dont go for an aggresive tyres as cool as they look they are not all that great for what you want.
Road they are noisey and wear quickly and i found muddies in the sand to be not all that great even as low as 10psi they would still just shovel to much sand out of the way and bog in.

Definetly look at an all terrain tyre as Dan said the BFG's are good but expensive.

Even a highway terrain (HT) tyre that are fitted standard to most new 4wd's are good on the sand if you air them down as most have softer side walls so when they are let down they bag out nice and wide. The general rule when driving on sand u should be able to lift of the throttle and you should roll, if u dont ur tyres are to hard.

[Torquen]

Thanks again, will take all this on board and keep ya posted on what I end up with :)

[South]

Best off getting an AT, but in light truck (LT). Once you start playing on the sand you generally play elsewhere, so a HT will no longer be suitable (HT is THE best tyre for sand driving)

One thing though, tyres bag in length when aired down, and only marginally in width.

[Niva]

wich is why you shouldnt go a LT?

[mr_mike]

arent LT tyres usually triple ply due to needing to have a higher weight rating than standard tyres.
I was always under the impression being triple ply made the sidewalls extremely stiff which would make them bag out less.

[MrSparkle]

Instead of a gas system for economy get yourself some extractors and a high flowing exhaust. Mine has the same engine as yours and with a set of extractors and high flow exhaust ( I think its 2 1/2 inch) i was getting 550 km's out of a tank with a buttload of more power to boot.

[mr_mike]

bet the s/c had nothing to do with it eh shane? hahaha

[South]

LT has a stronger carcass, not only in the sidewall but has more plys in the face of the tyre. Anyone that is going to drive off the bitumen in their 4WD should be buying an LT construction tyre, purely for longevity, puncture resistance and load carrying.

You also don't want the tyre to bag in width, as this exposes the sidewall to nasties on the track, the sidewall is weak as piss in comparison to the tread face.

Last but not least, if you are going to sand drive only, go skinnies, find the tallest but skinniest tyre to suit your car, something like a 255/85/16 which is 33" tall but only 10" wide, its also lighter than a 285/75/16 so performance won't be hit as much.