The 3 Most Essential 4×4 Off-Road Accessories
If you’re a new 4×4 owner or someone who just decided to conquer the challenging Australian outback, it’s important that you ensure you’re properly equipped for the task at hand. You need to realise that no matter how tough you think your 4×4 is, it still needs some accessories to make the trip more enjoyable. If you’re not sure where to start due to the huge amount of 4×4 accessories available, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll cover 3 of the most important, yet affordable accessories 4×4 enthusiasts buy before they venture off the beaten trail.
Before we even start talking about the essential accessories 4×4 owners shouldn’t go without, it’s important to first understand how to use your 4×4 properly. Go and find YouTube videos of “how not to recover a 4×4”, and you’ll see plenty of people using wrong recovery techniques and destroying their 4×4 in the process. That being said, let’s take a look at the 3 most essential accessories for your 4×4.
Air Compressor
The first thing you should get if you want to take your 4×4 off the beaten path is an air compressor. When going to sandy areas, deflate your tyres to an appropriate pressure level. Reducing their air pressure will improve your friction and lengthen the footprint of your tyre (increases surface area of contact with the ground). Additionally, this reduces your fuel consumption and makes the entire ride more comfortable.
Recovery Equipment
If you plan on doing some serious off-roading, it’s recommended that you get a winch. However, if you’re on a limited budget and don’t plan on doing any hardcore 4x4ing, then you might want to consider recovery tracks. Alternatively, you can get a winch as well as recovery tracks, just in case. If you do opt for a winch though, make sure your vehicle has recovery points installed, because if it doesn’t, you won’t be able to securely pull yourself out of a pickle.
Bull Bars
Bull bars are one of the most sought-after pieces of off-roading equipment. They offer optimum front-end protection, which is crucial, seeing that all of your vehicle’s important parts and fluids are located there. There are various different types of bull bars, all made of different materials. Most bull bars feature recovery points you can attach a winch to and pull yourself out of a sticky situation. Additionally, bull bars allow you to push out other vehicles without risking causing damage to your own. Overall, you get a lot of utility from this accessory. When buying bull bars, you can look for vehicle-specific models in order to ensure you get the right fit without doing some heavy modifications on your vehicle.
