Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Accessories advise + brands

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Accessories advise + brands

    After picking up my 2015 3.0lt last week. Its time to slowly add accessories.
    1. Are the supacentre light bars and spotties going to last as long as say lightforce etc
    i dont want to pay cheap price for cheap brackets and leds etc.
    In my mind i think i would have a nice car with cheap accessories. Correct me if different.
    2. As its stock as a rock atm, what would be first few things i should add.
    Not after exhaust or chip, so rule them out for now.
    Im also NOT reading to many builds with catch cans. Why. Think all diesels should have one.
    Thanks

  • #2
    Congratulations on the purchase.
    As far as what order to purchase your accessories everyone will have a different opinion but generally buy the best accessories you can afford but let me clarify that last bit with what I think
    Fridge and winch certainly buy the best you can. Plenty of people will say I can buy cheap and when it fails buy another and still be in front but say with a fridge if you are in the middle of the desert and the fridge shits itself and you lose all your food you will wish you bought the best. Same with a winch if you are travelling solo, get bogged and the winch shits itself again you wish you spent the extra.
    Now driving lights and light bars I reckon you can buy the supercentre ones and if they fail it won’t ruin your trip. Same with a lot of other things but you do want to have a quality installation. Dual battery systems don’t need to be top of the line but they need to be installed well to be reliable.
    If you are touring look at a cargo barrier if not using third row seats. Bull bar for frontal protection and mounting accessories. Decent LT rated tyres and with that a decent compressor, tyre gauge and tyre repair kit - the plug type. With the compressor refer to my fridge comment.
    UHF radio
    Aftermarket suspension
    Recovery kit
    Snorkel
    Back to tyres any AT pattern from the 5 major brands will be fine. People will bang on about their preference but usually haven’t tried the others. All down to terrain, tyre pressure and the load you are carrying. You can be a pound or two off the right pressure and have difficulties then bag out that brand because they didn’t work for you.
    Same with suspension. Wrong tyre pressures and your suspension will behave differently. Just look for after sales support and warranty.

    Others will chime in with their two bobs worth and none of it is to be discounted. Read everything and take what you want out of it including mine.

    Comment


    • #3
      Here’s something to consider
      http://unsealed4x4.com.au/issue019/#23

      I’ve have this light bar from Stedi lights since 2014/15 on the old girl and they’ve been underwater crossing the creek between Fruit Bat Falls & Elliott falls see pic (not my vehicle but same crossing) and not a drop of water. They have a constant spread of light between the flood and spot. They’ve been used at night when it’s raining all good . no condensation at all.. Really happy with them... no idea why there upside down. Ps no affiliation with this mob!
      Attached Files
      Pradosaur
      Member
      Last edited by Pradosaur; 11-06-2018, 05:47 PM.
      2018 VX Prado

      Comment


      • #4
        Well MDS69, i believe you just answered me in the best way possible.
        makes a lot of sense.
        Ty
        Attached Files

        Comment


        • #5
          Wow good read pradosaur. Big price differences and general output. Some looked really good, like the protype

          Comment


          • #6
            To second MDS69's comment- Buy good stuff where it will matter if it fails, and where it's most likely to cop abuse- To that end your winch, fridge and suspension should all be good name products, as should any major accessories that you bolt to the car (roof rack, bulbar etc.). There's an old saying that the poor man pays twice, and it's especially relevant here- You'd be furious with yourself if you are out with the family and stuck in a bog hole and the winch shits itself- same with a roof rack that has the welds crack and break while you're in the middle of the Simpson desert.

            That said there is some really good cheap stuff coming out of supercenter that I've found to be of really good quality- The spotlights are fantastic, the quality for the price is exceptional and I've drowned my set a dozen times or so on creek and river crossings with no dramas at all- The harness and loom is of reasonable quality, however I'd suggest replacing the relay with a decent branded name (i.e. Narva).

            Mod wise, it really depends what you want to do- If doing some casual off-roading is the aim then a set of good quality AT or MT tyres will make the single biggest difference to your cars off-roading performance (as per above comment everyone has their favourites, personally I love my BFG KO2's in a 265/70 R17 which are a popular choice around here as well)- The next thing to look at is a suspension upgrade to get some much needed clearance and provide a good ride in the rough stuff. Buy good quality components from well-respected outlets and make sure they know what they're talking about before you part with your hard-earned cash. I’d suggest reading around some build threads here to get an idea of what people have fitted and what works/ doesn't work. I had a bad experience with some suspension components that were incorrectly supplied, and I found that even a supplier with a good reputation in the industry won't always know what's best for your vehicle. Research the hell out of anything you're looking at buying so that you don't end up with something that doesn't work well or plain makes things worse- This forum is a fantastic place to see a plethora of different approaches to building great off-road touring rigs- Pick the best bits out of each and make them yours!

            Comment


            • #7
              Good point on suspension. Reading about blistein struts and dobinsons springs. BUT make sure i get the correct ones as some got wrong part numbers

              Comment


              • #8
                Yup, there's more than a few people on here with that combo (myself included). It is important to realise that it won't ride as nice on the highway, but you also get a package that performs much better offroad and doesn't feel like a boat when driving it hard. As you've noted be sure to get the part numbers right. John Zordo is the man to talk to if you're keen on getting that package. John is localted in Brissy but can ship anywhere abd has a serious amount of knowledge on the Prado and how they should be set up.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Sorry, meant to add these into previous post- Shows the difference between the right gear and wrong though. (plus one stock to give reference)

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Ive seen those pics in diffefent thread, and i see what you mean

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Atherton, the second pic. Is that the correct set up, as the prados are suppose to sit slightly higher in the rear i believe i read here

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Pradosaur View Post
                        Here’s something to consider
                        http://unsealed4x4.com.au/issue019/#23

                        I’ve have this light bar from Stedi lights since 2014/15 on the old girl and they’ve been underwater crossing the creek between Fruit Bat Falls & Elliott falls see pic (not my vehicle but same crossing) and not a drop of water. They have a constant spread of light between the flood and spot. They’ve been used at night when it’s raining all good . no condensation at all.. Really happy with them... no idea why there upside down. Ps no affiliation with this mob!
                        I was just re reading this as i was going through the unsealed 4x4 mags and did notice in the test, that condensation had built up from just leaving them outside and water inside from submerging.
                        are your still going strong.
                        maybe they just got a dud light or they made your properly.
                        others have mentioned stedi brand and like them. Price is good for me to

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I'm over buying cheap stuff. I've done half half on my previous two cars and it's a pain in the arse with the cheap stuff always failing or not meeting expectations.
                          Get decent brands of everything. You won't regret it.

                          The cheap brand lights for example don't put out anywhere near as much light nor as good a spread when compared to the good ones. Guarantee they'll say they're as good but if you see them side by side there's no comparison. Cheap ones usually fog up and are more likely to fill with water.
                          I've got cheapos on my car at the moment (courtesy of last owner) and will upgrade to Stedi's shortly.

                          Cheap roof racks sound great - they'll rust within a year.

                          Etc etc
                          <Rob> '12 Prado GX - https://www.pradopoint.com.au/forum/general/my-rig-build-up/32702-i-m-back-with-a-2012-150-gx-toorak-tractor

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Pradoleum View Post
                            Atherton, the second pic. Is that the correct set up, as the prados are suppose to sit slightly higher in the rear i believe i read here
                            Yep, they're supposed to sit "arse up".

                            I think cheap stuff is fine depending on how important it is to your safety and how much trouble it'll cause if it breaks. I've got a set of Supercenter spotties on my car and they put out an insane amount of light and they're cheap as heck. I've drowned them at least a half dozen times and they don't get water trapped in them and they still work fine. I'm not pretending they're as good as ARB or Lightforce but they're also about a tenth of the price. On the other hand I didn't buy a supercenter roofrack because they're known rust buckets and also give you the height profile of a road train- and if it failed on a remote track (cracked the welds etc.) then I'd be in trouble. If my lights fail then at worst I'm back to the factory high beam which while garbage will be enough to get you back to civilisation. I'm not convinced about STEDI, I hear good things but I've also read that they're basically the same chinese stuff everyone else is flogging but with prettier covers- If you want quality then buy the brands that have been around for years and are proven, Lightforce, ARB, Greatwhites etc.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              I agree Atherton, the supercentre 9” led spotties I have on my 90 were cheap as, took a flogging over the super corrigated road from mt dare to the western edge of the Simpson and put out more than enough light.
                              I will certainly be going that way on my new 150 I picked up last month.
                              agree with previous sentiments though anything that will really ruin a trip if it fails, suspension, fridge, roof rack, battery system etc buy quality.

                              Comment

                              canli bahis siteleri bahis siteleri ecebet.net
                              mencisport.com
                              antalya escort
                              tsyd.org deneme bonusu veren siteler
                              deneme bonusu veren siteler
                              gaziantep escort
                              gaziantep escort
                              asyabahis maltcasino olabahis olabahis
                              erotik film izle Rus escort gaziantep rus escort
                              atasehir escort tuzla escort
                              sikis sex hatti
                              en iyi casino siteleri
                              deneme bonusu veren siteler
                              casibom
                              deneme bonusu veren siteler
                              deneme bonusu veren siteler
                              betticket istanbulbahis
                              Working...
                              X