When the zombies come, you want to be prepared. No matter what comes your way, escape is possible with the right truck upgrades.
A tough and reliable vehicle is a necessity, in the event of an emergency, just like food and water. But upgrading your vehicle for offroad use is as much about pleasure as it is about necessity. There are changes you can make today that will allow you to get more joy out of your vehicle for years to come.
When you have purchased a new truck and you start looking at all the options you have and want to make some upgrades, your head can start to spin. Beyond the nearly endless list of potential changes, you can make is the price tag that accompanies them.
If you are working on a budget you need to make sure you are upgrading things in the right order. So what is the best place to start? And what kind of performance should you expect after an upgrade? Keep reading to find out.
1. Onwards By Upwards
If your truck doesn’t have adequate ground clearance, you will have problems when you try to drive over rocks and debris. That is why it is helpful to have a lift added to your truck.
A lift can also be helpful if you would like to add large tires that can’t fit completely in your wheel well as is. By lifting your truck you will give your wheels more room for clearance.
Keep in mind that for every inch you lift your truck, you will be adding three percent more drag to it which means that you will use more fuel. Be sure that you find the right balance between the lift you want and the amount you plan to spend on gas when you are using the vehicle.
2. Suspend Disbelief
Even if you decide not to lift your truck, it is still important to pay attention to your suspension. It is what affects how comfortable your ride will be the most. It also helps you to maintain control of your truck so you can do more when you’re off-road.
Many people choose to wait to upgrade their suspensions, choosing instead to work on cosmetic changes. While this upgrade isn’t always visible, you will see a huge difference in the quality of your drive when you choose to improve the suspension of your truck.
3. Take a Breath
Since you will be using your truck in tougher conditions than it was originally made for, you need to truck upgrades to your air intake so that your engine can get the oxygen it needs. There are two ways to do this: a snorkel and a cold air intake.
When you are choosing between them, ask yourself how often you plan to bring your vehicle to wet areas for use. If you plan to drive along river beds then you will need a snorkel to keep your engine purring. But if you aren’t, then a cold air intake may be all you need with your truck upgrades.
4. Exhaust Your Options
Since you are going to be pushing more air into your engine, you will need a place for it to escape. Truck upgrades for your exhaust are an easy way to give your truck more power.
One of the best ways to improve your exhaust is to limit the number of bends in your exhaust system. By increasing the diameter of your exhaust tubing, you should be able to maintain the same volume of ventilation that you currently have, only with straighter pipes.
5. Say Goodbye to Stock
The first thing to go when many beginners do truck upgrades are the tires. This is because the stock tires on your vehicle are specifically designed to grip the asphalt and help keep your car on the road.
When you are going off-road, you will want to find a tire that is a bit larger and wider than your existing ones. The width is used to help give your vehicle a better chance to get out of a situation where you might be stuck. The increased width allows your tire to get a better grip and helps to disperse the weight of your truck more evenly so that you can get going again as soon as possible.
6. Light It Up
When you are taking your vehicle off road, you have very different lighting needs than the typical car on the road. Fog lights can be an excellent choice to make sure you are able to see as you navigate rough terrain.
Bolt-on lights are also very helpful truck upgrades. They can be places to cast a glow in any direction. Click for more lighting options and accessories for your vehicle.
7. Don’t Forget the Brakes
The specifications of your vehicle when it was made were used to calculate what kind of breaks you would need. Now that you have made changes to many of the components used to calculate that figure, you will most likely need to upgrade your breaks accordingly.
From the rotor and pad size, down to the size of your wheels and tires, your breaks are affected by every other part of your vehicle. You can choose which parts of your brake system to upgrade in order to have the best experience. Depending on the maker of your vehicle, you may be able to reuse most of your existing parts.
Truck Upgrades and Their Selection
When you buy a new truck and want to take it off road safely, you need to make a lot of changes to the existing parts and stock equipment within it. Some of the most popular ways to upgrade your truck include changing the tires, putting a suspension on, adding additional lights, and altering the air intake and exhaust systems.
These types of changes allow you to drive on rough terrain so that you can take your vehicle off-road with confidence.
If you are looking for more articles on automotive repair and maintenance, at Motor Era we have articles on nearly every make and model from as early as the 1930s.