SUV took me to climb mountains and wading to the distance

Long-distance travel is a pleasant experience, but the national highways, provincial highways or highways on the map will have unexpected situations in the rainy and snowy season, and it will be even worse when it comes to road construction. There is a lot of muddy land, and it is necessary to walk on the dry riverbed when repairing the bridge. This is also the reason why the first Shanghai Volkswagen body has such a high distance from the ground. I experienced firsthand how these roads changed after rain and snow in the late 1990s, and while the quality of the roads has improved a lot, care is needed in remote areas.

What to pack for a long trip?

The average urban commuter can spend up to two weeks to play during the Golden Week, and the fun tourist areas are generally far away from the big cities, either the plateau or the mountainous area, and the car is often filled with various Daily necessities and spare tires, gasoline, etc., so a large-displacement full-time four-wheel drive SUV or a large Jeep is more suitable for these trips. Why do you need all-wheel drive? The main reason is that China's national highways are paved with a variety of different materials, coupled with continuous maintenance, the road surface is particularly slippery when it rains, and it is really difficult to cope with the need to run 700 to 1,100 kilometers a day on the national highway. At this time, a good set of AT tires and a full-time four-wheel drive system are very helpful for the handling of the car at high speeds. The anti-roll bar is also very important, and the large-displacement engine is even more necessary.

When choosing a car, it is best to aim for reliability and easy access to accessories in the mountains. In our country, Toyota LC90, LC100, LC120 and LC80, Nissan Patrol, old Mitsubishi Jeep, Cherokee 4.0 and Daqi 4.7 are all good choices. Before departure, you should thoroughly inspect the bottom of the vehicle, tires, gearbox and engine. If any accessories are worn out, replace them immediately (of course, it is better to bring some common accessories with the car for insurance purposes). In addition, you must change the oil and water tank water suitable for the local weather. If you travel in winter, you should pay attention to your own snow chains (especially the larger tires, because the snow chains rented in the mountains are generally only the size of the original tires), and in summer, you should pay more attention to the water temperature system and air conditioning system of the car. Coupled with the independent oil cooling system, the automatic transmission car is more likely to be modified with the independent cooling system of the automatic transmission oil to cope with high-speed driving for more than ten hours a day. The purpose of these modifications is to protect the car, self-driving travel if you encounter a vehicle problem, not only will the vacation be wasted, but the cost of long-distance towing is also frighteningly high.

Nowadays, the security in many mountainous areas is not necessarily very good. Generally, it is safer to travel by car with at least three or five vehicles. The number of women should not exceed half. In this way, everyone will take care of the unfortunate accident. Before participating in the trip, you must understand the route of the trip, the terrain and weather in the mountains, and prepare all kinds of necessities. If you are behind the mountains or during the New Year's holiday, it is best to prepare two spare tires, a reliable luggage rack, a car walkie-talkie, and a HID remote Spotlights are also indispensable. When driving at night in my country, large trucks and buses generally use high beams. Since the body of SUVs, jeeps, and off-road vehicles is lower than that of trucks and buses, HID direct spotlights are particularly important. Now Japan's KOITO and Dakar HID lights are not only bright enough, but also consume only 35W of power each, which is equal to the power consumption of brake lights, but in exchange for a stronger brightness than ten 130W traditional spotlights (of course, the price is also traditional spotlights. more than three times). In addition, since the current new SUVs or large off-road vehicles all use EFI engines, and many mountainous areas can only supply 90 and 93 gasoline at most, it is best to bring your own gasoline barrels, at least 25 liters of rear fuel tanks, original vehicle oil separators and Refuel filter funnel, etc.

Actual combat analysis With a large off-road vehicle or SUV, our range of activities is much larger, and we can go to some remote and more beautiful places, but the equipment also needs to be increased. Now there is a kind of camp in Europe that can be installed on the roof of the car. The unfolded area is 2.1m × 1.3m, and the height is only a little more than 0.3m when not in use. When opened, it can reach 1.6m. It can accommodate two adults and one child to rest, which is far better than camping. Convenient and safe on the ground. In the desert area, if you want to leave the road for a walk, you not only need to reduce the tire pressure of the SUV, but also install the ARB front and rear AIR LOCK, otherwise you will get stuck in the sand sea when you reach the desert. The ARB differential lock has an air pump, and the tire pressure should be restored to normal immediately after returning to the road. To give a practical example, in February this year, I went from Hong Kong to Yunnan via Guangdong with ten SUVs and jeeps. Due to the long journey, we chose large-displacement SUVs, including two LX470s, two LC90 Prados, two LC80s, a Daqi 4700, a Volkswagen Touareg V8, a Mitsubishi 4WD OutLander and a Hummer H1. In order to balance road speed, off-road capability and long-term high-speed driving, these cars do not lift too much (generally 2 to 4 inches), which is far from the modification of off-road competitions, and is more practical.

1. Hummer H1

This is a modern military vehicle that is widely recognized as invincible, but because of more than ten hours of driving a day, the original small gearbox cooling system cannot meet the needs, so an independent automatic transmission is used. Tank oil cooling system. In addition, the front and rear ARB differential locks are installed, which is the most direct modification to enhance off-road performance. A WARN M15000 high-torque self-rescue winch is used at the front of the car, and a set of 38-inch large-diameter tires helps reduce the number of engine revolutions during high-speed driving. A multi-purpose tow hook is placed at the rear of the car. A spare tire (the H1 itself is not equipped with tires, and the owner ordered a spare tire rack from the depot for travel). The H1's performance is average throughout the trip, the body is too wide, it is inconvenient to overtake, and the acceleration on the highway and uphill is relatively slow. But the car is very stable when driving on mountain roads, which is caused by full-time four-wheel drive, mid-engine and four-wheel independent suspension. In general, the H1 is too big, too wide, too heavy, too slow, consumes a lot of fuel, and has little space, so it is not suitable for driving on mountain roads and long-distance travel.

2. LC80 series VX models

They are recognized as good vehicles for long-distance travel and off-roading. However, the front and rear axles of 80 are hard axles with spring coils, and the roll is relatively large when entering corners at high speed, so the bottom anti-roll bar must be modified for long-distance travel. It's a fact that the 80 Series isn't as stable on the road as the new LC100 IFS model, and its fuel consumption is also the best in its class. One of the cars only has two passengers, so there is no luggage rack. Made a 50mm lift, installed a waterproof device, switched to OME springs, equipped with large diameter 350/75R16MT tires and Japanese 4×4 Engineering Bradley V 16×8-25 off-road special alloy wheels. The front of the car is changed to an ARB crash frame and a WARN XD9000 winch, plus KOITO 210 H4 spotlights (in actual driving, it is found that it is still not enough). In addition to the 70mm lift, the other has front and rear anti-roll bars to improve road stability. The tire size is 285/75R18MT, and it is also equipped with 4×4 Engineering off-road special alloy wheels. The front differential is equipped with a protector, and a front and rear differential lock is also installed. The front bumper is changed to TJM T17 half frame, which is much lighter than ARB. It is also equipped with H5 9500 high-speed winch, and the rear bumper is also changed to TJM products, with a tow hook. The car is also equipped with a Safari waterproof device, an ultra-light alloy luggage rack and a Japanese AIBA light rack on the roof, and a TJM tailgate at the rear. It is also equipped with IPF Super Rally spotlights (but not enough when the speed exceeds 150km/h at night) and reversing lights. There is a tent that can be extended on the right side of the luggage rack, and a pair of desert bridges on the left side. This is a very typical long distance. Touring car modification model.

3. Mitsubishi Outlander 2.4 small SUV 4×4

There are also many cars in the mainland. This time we use a set of wider 235/60R16AT tires. The front of the car is equipped with a German COBRA crash frame, two IPF spotlights and a Dakar underbody protection panel. It performs well on the highway, but lacks torque when overtaking on mountain roads and climbing slopes, fuel consumption soars, and ground clearance isn't ideal. During long-distance driving, the temperature of the gearbox is easy to rise, and the owner has to open the hood to dissipate heat every time he stops to rest, which is obviously not suitable for long-term high-speed driving.