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Vehicle Modifications Suspension Due to the increased weight being carried and the state of some of the roads that are expected, a heavy-duty suspension upgrade was on the cards. King Springs have been given the nod with a 50mm lift in combination with Bilstein shocks all round. The front springs needed to be firmer than standard because of the extra weight of the bull bar and winch while extra heavy-duty springs went in the back. These were chosen over fitting air bags due to the possibility of puncturing an airbag in the middle of nowhere with no way to repair it. It is easier to go the heavier springs for the trip and simply swap them for lighter springs when we get home. The ride from the Kings and the Bilsteins is very good, a considerable improvement over standard even considering the firmer ride when unloaded. UPDATE: We found that the King springs were not able to carry the weight in the rear, so 200kg OME springs have replaced these. After blowing three of the shocks in one hit we have replaced the Bilsteins with OME shocks. while the ride is firmer, they are heavier duty and handle the extra weight well. UPDATE 2: The front King springs have now dropped by 35mm. the rear shocks have been replaced again, back to Bilsteins again because of availability. We have found that the rear shocks have insufficient travel for a 50mm lift on the Disco 2. We have fabricated a fix to adjust the shock heights. Tyres Having had Cooper’s previously, they were a natural choice. 265/75 R16 STT’s all round were the final choice. The more aggressive tread pattern on these tyres is invaluable in the mud while being surprisingly quiet on road for an aggressive mud based tyre. Having superior puncture resistance both through the tread area and sidewalls, they offer greater peace-of-mind while giving a pretty good ride on the bitumen. You read that his type of tyre is not suitable in the sand. I would dispute this with the experience I have had. Once dropped down to an appropriate pressure they actually work well in fine sand where road based tyres spin without finding traction. The extra size of the 265’s (over the standard 235’s) offer benefits of increased clearance and approach/departure/ramp-over angles. With the 50mm lift they fit under the wheel arches perfectly without any rubbing or clearance problems. They also give a lot more flotation over soft sand and their larger diameter rolls over rocks a lot better. UPDATE: After 15,000km of rough roads the Coopers are holding up incredibly well. They are the right choice for the roads we have been on. UPDATE 2: After 30,000km in Africa (and 34,000km overall) we have reached Cairo and the Coopers have been brilliant. One puncture only. We would not travel this route with any other tyre. Fuel Storage Instead of living with the hassles of jerry cans, we opted for a Long Ranger long range fuel tank from ARB. Being incredibly well made (as is the case with most ARB gear) and providing a safe home for 130L of diesel, we have a highway range of nearly 1200kms. UPDATE: we would have also have fitted the 30L OME sub tank to give a capacity of 160L and do away with 2 cans on th eroof, making the car safer and stable. The main tank has copped a few large rock strikes with only a dent or two to show for it. Well worth the money spent. Protection Given the potential roads to be faced diff guards were a must along with a front steering guard to protect against stray rocks in the long grass. It is surprising how easy it is to shatter a diff with a well-placed rock. Scorpion rock slider/side steps get the nod under the doors. These little beauties are great. Made of strong steel, they replace the original plastic mouldings and with the side step built in they provide increased clearance over most other side steps. They are incredibly strong and one of our best additions. Bull Bar This was a no-brainer, as ARB makes the best bull bar/winch bar without doubt. It is incredibly strong, well made, makes best use of approach angles and looks the best of any bar I know. We colour-coded ours to match the colour of our Disco. There were two reasons for this – the paint provides and extra layer of protection and is as easy to touch up scratches as the standard black finish. UPDATE: what can we say. ARB make the best bars, no argurment. the bar will outlast the car. Winch To winch or not to winch, to lock your diffs or not to lock – that was a big question. From what we read there were overlanders who worshipped the winch gods, and those who were winch atheists. In the end we went for the winch over an ARB diff lock for a number of reason. Firstly we have traction control on the Disco that works quite well at maintaining traction when the centre diff lock has reached its limit. If I ran front and/or rear lockers, I know that I would engage them when I got stuck, and then leave them engaged to see how far I would get. Once you get stuck with your lockers engaged then there is nothing in reserve. With this in mind we went for a Warn 9000lb winch with the intention of not having to use it but having it there if we did. We carry an ARB snatch block (to reduce the load on the winch) and an ARB winch extension strap if 30m of cable is not enough. We recon the winch will get more use recovering stuck Toyotas along the way than getting us out of trouble. UPDATE: Truckasaurus has never been stuck. th ewinch has only been used a few times to recover stuck Toyota's. It is more peace of mind than essential for Africa. That said, if we had hit certain roads at the wront time of year, we may have needed it. Spot Lights We are not planning to drive at night if we can avoid it, however if we find that we have to, having good axillary lighting would be important. With this in mind we have fitted IPF HID 900 spotlights from ARB. These lights are truly amazing and until you have a pair you wont believe how much light these little suckers throw out. They make night driving so much safer and a lot less fatiguing. An essential item for these spotties is a pair of locking nuts to make sure they stay ours. UPDATE: Awesome lights, they are essential for those times when we had to drive at night. Snorkel The most important accessory in my opinion for a diesel 4wd is a snorkel. Get water in a diesel and given the high compression ratio you can say goodbye to your engine. Apart from keeping water out they do a reasonable job of keeping the dust out and suck cooler air to boot. Combined with a K&N air filter, Truckasaurus breathes at its best. Roof Rack We needed something lightweight yet strong enough to carry the roof top tent and a spare tyre so we went for the Track Lander Tent Topper from Jaram Fleet Equipment. This rack is light yet incredibly durable and so far looks to be perfect for the job. Fridge There is nothing better than a cold beer and a 40L Engel fridge is perfect for keeping both food and drinks cold. It works much better than ice (ice can be hard to get and when it melts it has a habit of spoiling food and half empty bottles of wine). To power the fridge, ARB have fitted a dual battery system that also powers a camp light and though an inverter laptops and camera battery chargers. Its not worth the risk of running your electrical items off the main battery when you are in the middle of nowhere. UPDATE: Fridge has been great, it is a must have. Only drama we have had is the spare battery. We are now onto battery number three as we think the heat from the exhaust and turbo kill them quickly. We will move it to a cooler place when we get home. Tent We weighed up the option of a standard form of tent or a roof top tent. Roof top tents seem to have been around for a while in Africa, but are only new to Australia. Having investigated these options we eagerly opted for the roof top variety. It is easy to set up, is not phased by a rocky or muddy site and gives the wife some comfort from thoughts of animals; both for legged, eight legged and the no legged varieties. The ARB Simpson tent is good value for money and we are keen to see how it holds up through our adventure. We have also got an optional annexe (for when the weather turns nasty) for the tent and an ARB awning that takes a few minutes to set up and provides great sun and rain protection. UPDATE: we broke the awning when a gust of wind in the Sudan desert took it over the car before we could tie it down. we glued bits back and it is ok to get us home. My fault as i didnt ask Jacinda to hold it down before i tied it. The desert made me pay swiftly. UPDATE: The tent has been great. there are a few design faults that need refining, but it has survived rain and strong winds. It is roomy and comfortable. It is durable except for the zip on the canvas cover and the velcro tie downs. The former gets dust and jams (candle wax helps) and the later lose their binding ability. Shock cord would be better. Engine Mods Kevin at Rover-Tech gave the car a mechanical once over and major service. Through Kevin we fitted a coolant low water sensor and a performance chip upgrade. The coolant low water sensor works by monitoring the coolant level at the upper bleeding point and sends an audible alarm should it begin to fall due to a leak or split hose. By the time this loss of radiator fluid would be noticed through the temperature gauge the damage would already be done. This is a potential major cause of engine failure in the Td5 and we now have a lot more comfort. The performance chip, while not essential, is a great item to have none-the-less. It boosts power and torque by some 30% - which means power of 133KW and some 390Nm of torque. The difference in drivability is amazing and is a great bonus on the open road, up steep hills or in soft sand. Communication To keep in touch – mainly in convoy – we have fitted a 40 channel UHF. These are great for keeping in contact between vehicles and for Toyotas letting everyone know when they get stuck. Other Accessories We have decided to carry an air compressor for re-inflating tyres, an ARB tyre repair kit, fire extinguisher, comprehensive first aid kit, snatch strap, spanners, water hoses and spare oils and fuel filters. UPDATE: Spanners are invaluable, as are cable ties and strong epoxy glue. Compressor is essential but tyre repair kit has been used mainly for other peoples tyres. That said the ARB kit is great and good quality. Other kits might be cheeper, but they are not strong enough.