3 Mods to Turn Your Humble Ute into an Off-Roading Beast
Unless you opt for the ridiculously priced accessory packs, utes come as bare as they get straight out of the dealership. Sure they’ll meet most drivers’ intentions when on bitumen, but it’s the off-roading capabilities that can be bettered. Shocks and springs can be overhauled with a slew of aftermarket options, as well as the range of vehicle protection products starting with a bull bar. The specifics of off-roading though require a bit more. You’ll encounter dust, debris and water and this can have a detrimental effect on the engine. These all need to be filtered before they leave you in the middle of nowhere.
This is where a bespoke snorkel comes in. It’s the aftermarket addition that allows your ute’s engine to breathe, and perform the way you’d expect it to. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be a ute that can have this installed. You’ll find car snorkels sold for a range of vehicles. But it’s on utes and 4WDs where they’re mostly at home.
MOD#1 Snorkels
Snorkels aren’t exactly new. They’ve been standard kits on military vehicles for the better part of the previous century. And these goodies have found their way into civilian vehicles. Snorkels perform a vital function, besides looking cool. They’re positioned higher up, near the rooflines, and this is where they suck in all the cool and oxygen-rich air needed for combustion. This access to clean air, and the fact it’s higher than the standard air intake position in the engine bay helps vehicles when wading through water. This is the primary function. But in the dust and mud-ridden environments of the Australian bush, snorkels also filter out particles that can cause engines to seize. And the more air they push, the more grunt you’ll get out of the engine.
Snorkel Types
There are different types, based on how they push and filter air. Different head designs work in slightly different ways. Air Ram models have front-facing grilles that push dirt and water in an inward position, and then flush these out through the upper vents. The remaining air is filtered from contaminants and makes its way down to the engine air intake. Vortex snorkels push dirt and water in an upward motion through the circular force created by its blades and filter these out through small holes. A combination of the two designs are mushroom snorkels that feature integrated and closely pack slits that do most of the filtering work.
Snorkel Materials
Different materials warrant different levels of durability and how long car snorkels last in more demanding settings. Inexpensive and lightweight options, but still tough enough to handle most off-roading tasks, are available in UV-stabilised polyethylene, coated with a black carbon additive for increased strength. Cheaper still are PV plastic variants, but ones that won’t last long or perform to the needed levels. More durability is offered with metal snorkels, either in mild or stainless steel. The latter offers the most strength and is corrosion resistant so keeps it shining even when pushing the ute to its max. There’s a slight price premium, but worth every cent.
Installation and Vehicle Compatibility
Having the snorkel installed by a pro is one way to have it sealed against the rest of the bodywork. Most car snorkels require cutting into side panels and this part of the installation is what most DIY-ers get wrong. Both sealed and unsealed units filter out air contaminants, but only sealed units also keep water out. When factoring in total costs, also have in mind labour.
Snorkel kits are designed with the specifics of each vehicle in mind. This makes things much easier when buying. Always refer to make, model, engine type and vehicle before parting with your cash.
MOD#2 Bull Bars
The main reason to install a bull bar onto the ute is for front-end protection. You don’t know what you’ll be up against in the bush, so playing it safe is the way to go. Bull bars are more than capable of brushing off branches and overgrowth, or moving large boulders and stumps out of the way of vital engine components. Bars that take up more front-end realty space help keep the headlights intact, as well as side panels clear of spraying debris. Taking out the front bumper also means there are better approach angles when the terrain gets tough.
Though designs and looks ultimately differ, you’ll want a bull bar that is compatible with the mounting points in your utes chassis. Tailored bull bars designed with the specific vehicles in mind cut out a lot of the guesswork when buying and a whole heap of frustration during installation.
Look for bars that do more than just add a buffer between you and potential danger. Winch-compatible bull bars are now more widespread, and won’t break the bank if you’re intent on spending more days in the bush. Bars also need to have rated tow points, for attaching any recovery gear, such as shackles and straps when getting stuck in ruts. As well as secure inserts to handle the weight of the ute when lifted by a high-lift jack. The majority of bars now have integrated lighting but can also be fitted with additional driving lights that you’ll definitely want in the event of a sandstorm and when dusk comes.
Buyers have the choice of going for lightweight aluminium or steel offerings, and both have high impact resistance when hitting roos head-on at speed, and won’t leave dents to the bodywork when scraping anything else. Look for coatings on steel bars to ensure they’ll last in mud and wet. ADR-approved bars take care of any safety issues when fitting factory sensors. Bear in mind the weight the vehicle can handle up front, as bull bars and fitted accessories like lights may mean you’ll need the next mod on the list just to keep handling and the vehicle height at recommended levels.
MOD#3 Uprated Suspension
Standard ute suspension is geared more towards bitumen than unsealed roads, dirt tracks or technical routes that will see a stock ute battered to pieces even before nearing the first rut. Most utility trucks have a leaf spring setup at the back paired with coils at the front and bouncing on subpar shocks. Getting these swapped out with something that offers longer spring travel and better shock compression and rebound rates in ruts and undulations is mostly understood. You’ll want all the wheel articulation you can get, but still, keep the wheels pegged firmly on the ground.
Aftermarket kits tailored to the vehicle weight and the weight of additions like the above-mentioned bull bars and driving lights will handle most off-roading scenarios. And they can be adjusted just the way you need them, to keep the ute level both at the front and back. These do-it-all combos provide just enough lift (50mm) to fit bigger, off-roading tyres with more bite, while not changing steering feel, nor having to do complicated work by including additional upper control arms, changes to fuelling lines, brake hoses and related hassles. Keeping costs to reasonable levels gives you a rounded-out ute ready for almost anything you throw at it. Buyers get better coils up front, uprated leaf springs in the rear, improved shock performance to soak up the rough stuff and mounting goodies like hardwearing bushings, bolts and shackles for optimal all-around handling both on and off-road.