I’ve done my fair share of four-wheel driving, but this was the first time I realised how important this 4WD accessory is for your off-road adventure.
I’m not tooting my own horn here, but I know more about four-wheel driving than an average city punter.
However, it wasn’t until I drove in South Australia’s red-dirt-coated, rocky Flinders Ranges as part of Isuzu’s i-Venture Club event that I realised which 4WD accessories I should have fitted before heading off-road.
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The i-Venture Club has been running since 2015 and is open to all Isuzu Ute Australia owners, regardless of the age of their car or where they bought it. The program offers single- or multi-day four-wheel-drive training experiences run by some of Australia’s most experienced 4WD professionals.
These trips teach valuable skills in safe environments where drivers learn what’s required to traverse some of Australia’s most rugged terrain and landscapes.
The program also offers one-day training days for those looking to dip their toe into four-wheel driving or towing. Customers can get involved by visiting the Isuzu website and finding their nearest event.
Customers wanting to complete multi-day i-Venture trips in locations like the Flinders Ranges or Victorian High Country must first complete a single-day, ‘basics of four-wheel driving’ course run at locations around Australia. However, no other experience is required.
I will add that the single-day training session can cost around $300 per vehicle, while a trip like the Flinders Ranges is around $2200.
Given this trip was my seventh i-Venture Club experience, I thought I would be ahead of the crowd with my 4WD experience and skills.
However, I quickly learned that was not the case.
The Flinders Ranges are located around five-and-a-half hours north of Adelaide, meaning it wasn’t quite the quick weekend trip I originally thought.
Our convoy, which consisted of a 2024 D-Max X-Terrain, a 2024 D-Max X-Rider, a 2024 D-Max LS-U+, and a 2024 MU-X LS-U 1.9L, started in Adelaide. We then travelled to a pint-sized town about two hours away called Clare Country.
After dinner, some of us, me included, decided to head to bed early, as a seven o’clock start was waiting for us around the corner.
The following day, we officially reached the ‘middle of nowhere’ after travelling four-and-a-half hours from Adelaide to a town called Hawker. It was nothing but mountains, dirt and this tiny little town with surprisingly good phone reception.
However, it was bitumen the whole way, so I was thinking, “This is going to be easy”. Upon reflection, I spoke too soon.
It was only after driving to the Merna Mora Station’s Wowee Track that I realised the real fun was just about to start. This track is private, so for those looking to travel there, you will need to do some extra homework on what you need to get into the gates. Being part of the i-Venture Club crew, however, all of this was taken care of.
The track opened up to one of the most scenic trails I’ve seen. In the distance, there were mountains beyond what the eye could see, and if I looked down, there was gravel, red dirt, and rocks, all the ingredients for a good off-road adventure.
After lowering our tyres to 20psi, we started our journey up and down the mountains. I will preface this by saying that all the vehicles in our media convoy were running stock tyres; this included mostly highway tyres, with the only exception of the D-Max X-Rider using all-terrains.
While it makes sense to have highway tyres for a vehicle straight off the showroom floor, it wasn’t until we got back to our accommodation in Wilpena Pound Resort that I learned if you plan to go off-road frequently, this should be the first thing you change when deciding to customise your vehicle.
The most crucial 4WD equipment, according to the experts
I sat down with Dave Wilson, the lead trainer on our trip, to discuss the important 4WD accessories drivers should and shouldn’t have on a trip like this.
Surprisingly, Dave said the majority of luxury 4WD accessories – like bullbars, LED light bars, side rails, side steps, UHF radios and awnings – are more “nice to haves” than “necessities”.
In fact, Wilson said the majority of Isuzu’s cars can take on four-wheel tracks around Australia straight from the showroom, and customers with a stock car can join trips like this without any modifications.
The crucial off-roading equipment, in his expert opinion?
“If I had my way, I would certainly recommend a tyre change,” he said.
Wilson said that while stock tyres are “absolutely fine for the 90 per cent of people who spend more of their time around town,” in some environments “they are exposed to some dangers”.
“The rocks we’ve been scrambling over the last few days are the sorts of things that might injure a tyre. I’d always made my first call a new set of light track all-terrain rubber [tyres]. It just gives a bit more insurance. That would be a high priority for me.”
After my conversation with Dave, I made more of an effort to check out what 4WD accessories the customers have added to their Isuzus. Most, if not all, had a tyre change. This wasn’t amateur hour like I originally thought.
Some of the cars featured in the Drive video also had additional 4WD accessories that Dave had mentioned, so I set out to do what every journalist does: investigate.
Meet Peter and Arbary; this is their 2023 D-Max X-Terrain. I got chatting with them and learned of all the upgrades they’d made to their ute, which included:
- 275/70 17-inch Falken Wildpeak tyres
- ROH Trak D 17-inch steel wheels
- Old Man Emu 52 shock absorbers + 40mm lift
- 3.5-tonne GVM upgrade
- Summit bull bar
- Warn winch
- Safari snorkel
- Underbody protection with two recovery points
- Rhino Pioneer Platform
- GME 80-channel UHF radio
- Intensity IQ LED spotlights
- RSI Smart Cap Canopy
- Steel food-grade 80-litre water tank
- Double-drawer system
- Fridge/freezer
- Redarc 2000W inverter
- Redarc 300A lithium battery
- Upgrade to the alternator and starting battery
- Redarc solar panel
The next day, it was time to cross from the gravel to the sand. We started the morning at the Red Sand Dunes in Nilpena Station, which on a map looked like it may as well be Mars.
The sand dunes were a great experience for those who were yet to drive on loose sand. It meant airing our tyres down again and keeping the revs stable to avoid getting bogged.
While I didn’t notice much difference in a tyre change for this terrain type, the all-terrains would still prove useful when travelling to and from the dunes on the rocky corrugated gravel. For those who have driven on the sand before, you understand it’s much different from rocks and gravel. For some, it took some getting used to, with at least two or three getting bogged – beginner’s curse.
This is where I learned the beauty of MaxTrax. Having commonly seen them on the roof or the side of a canopy, I was keen to put the recovery tracks to use myself. Having recovery equipment nearby and people around to lend a hand, it proved light work.
In most instances, however, we didn’t need the recovery equipment as Wilson showed the drivers how by using a combination of sheer grunt from the car and a little bit of direction, it was easy to get out of a sinking situation.
In the crowd, I noticed seasoned i-Venture club participants Martin and Rita, whose 2017 MU-X LS-M is pictured above. While they didn’t have any issues in the sand, I couldn’t help but take a stickybeak at the add-ons on their MU-X, which included the following upgrades:
- Outback Accessories WA tow bar
- Redarc brake controller
- Outback Accessories WA tailgate wheel carrier
- Outback Accessories WA long-range fuel tank
- East Coast Bullbars winch bull bar with wire
- ARB light bar
- Safari snorkel
- 3.5-tonne GVM upgrade
- Isuzu Genuine Accessory side steps
- AT3 LT 265/70 R16 Cooper All-Terrain tyres
- Tyredog tyre pressure sensors
- Third row delete
- Ashwood Timbers drawers and a table drawer
- Waeco fridge
- Rhino roof rack
- Rhino 90-degree awning
- Redarc 150W solar panel
- 100Ah lithium battery
- Pioneer Apple CarPlay-compatible infotainment system
- GME TX3100 UHF radio and aerial
After a day out on the dunes, we set our destination for the resort and called it a day.
The biggest takeaway from my trip? To ensure I equip my 4WD with the best tyres for the terrain I plan to travel on. And the rest is all about practice and patience.
The post The crucial change you need to make before going off-road, according to experts appeared first on Drive.
