Unlike a lot of countries that have to vehicle prep for winter travel by considering snow, ice, sleet and sub-zero temperatures, here in Australia, winter brings the best opportunities for hitching up, filling up and hitting the road.
The colder months allow access to the deserts, the Top End and more. And if you are chasing a snow-covered winter wonderland, alpine Victoria and NSW have options for you too. It really is peak adventure season for people like us.
Psst. If you are heading to Alpine Victoria and are unsure if you need to use Alpine Diesel, make sure to read our article, “Alpine Diesel – do you even need it?“
Of course, you can’t just head off to the Outback without making sure your vehicle is in top condition first. Nothing can ruin a trip quite like paying for a new fuel pump to be shipped to Birdsville. Or the sting of losing your second spare tyre to a gibber stone a few hundred kays out of Karijini.
Giving your vehicle the once over a couple of weeks before you head off should be considered mandatory. You can either do this vehicle prep for winter travel yourself if you know your 4X4 on a level that’s more intimate than you feel comfortable revealing to your friends and family, or take it to your trusted 4WD specialist and let them know your travel plans and intended usage.
Get the mechanicals sorted
How exactly does a pre-trip service differ from a regular one? Well, if you or your mechanic are as thorough as you really should be, then not much really. However, as much as we would all like to spend a solid couple of hours testing out every suspension bush with a prybar and inspecting every wiring terminal for the correct connector, protection and soldering technique, there’s a pretty good chance you actually have a life and a quick eyeball will get the job done.
In reality, you have to think about the driving and towing you’ll be doing on your trip when prepping your vehicle for winter travel (which we’ll talk more about in a minute) and inspect the things that can be impacted. Is your tow harness wiring all working well? Is your suspension in good nick? Do your tyres need rotating? When was the last time you checked the lifters or had the timing belt done?
Of course, the bread and butter of service can’t be ignored either. Make sure you replace all filters before a big trip with quality items (we use and rate Ryco). Even if they’re not due. Don’t forget the cabin filter either! Copping a cab full of bulldust is about as fun as explaining your internet search history to your entire family.
The must-have spares
With the engine running on fresh oil and filters it’s always a sound idea to have spares on-board too. If your trip is going to be over 10,000km, then planning an oil and filter change should be non-negotiable when vehicle prepping for winter travel. If you’re not quite clocking up that amount of driving, however, it’s still strongly advised to have spare air, fuel and cabin filters in the kit.
This goes from “strongly advised” to “you’re nuts if ya don’t” if you’re travelling anywhere off the beaten track. Ask anyone who has copped an intake full of water, or picked up some dirty fuel or spent a few hundred kilometres breathing the aforementioned bulldust. Good filters are cheap insurance, simple as that.
Prep your vehicle for your destination
Getting your vehicle prepped for a trip will also largely depend on where you’re headed. If you’re shooting for Cape York (for example) then you’ll want to prepare for corrugations, potential stone chip damage, vehicle recovery, water crossings and hit-and-miss fuel availability.
Yeah, you’ll need spare filters, but are your shocks up to the hundreds of kays of rough roads? What about the gibber stones that can shred tyres? Have you got a puncture repair kit and an extra spare? How big was the wet season? Is that snorkel you’ve been meaning to fit for three years still on the to-do list?
What about vehicle recovery, are you travelling alone or in a convoy? Is there at least one winch fitted up? Are your snatch straps and winch rope in good condition or are they more resembling an old pair of frayed pantyhose?
What about a different destination, say the Vic High Country? There’s a lot of mud and slippery conditions to be found in that part of the world. And how about those temperatures, make sure you remember to fill up with alpine diesel before stopping for the evening. Have you got some decent fog lights and a decent base plate for your jack if it needs to be used in muddy and wet conditions?
You get what we’re driving at here for vehicle prep. To steal a poker aphorism: Play the man, not the hand. Or to paraphrase it more applicably: Get your vehicle ready for where it’s going, not the freshly sealed bitumen on the way.
The importance of tyres
One item that really needs its own section of this yarn on winter vehicle prep is your tyres. Now, there are more options on the market than pokie machines in an RSL, so we won’t go into them all here, but the TLDR version is to get some quality All Terrain rubber from a reputable manufacturer (buying on price alone is Russian roulette) and ensure you’re always running the correct pressure for the terrain you’re on.
Modern rubber is pretty darn good these days, and ATs or Hybrid ATs give a fantastic compromise between off and on-road ability whilst returning excellent wear characteristics. And that’s coming from a diehard mud-terrain fan. Newer designs like the Kumho AT51 or AT52 are pretty hard to beat for an all-rounder vehicle.
Check those pressures, rotate them as part of your service regime, replace them when needed and you’re golden.
Safety in comfort
Finally, and this is a bit of a personal preference, but good seating is a must if you’re spending long-hauls in the saddle. Modern vehicles can have some great seats as stock. But there’s more than a couple of manufacturers who haven’t seemed to have learned the lesson of ‘a well-supported driver is an alert driver’ at all.
There are multiple aftermarket seat manufacturers, almost all of whom will offer way better butt-hugging than the stock units. It may seem like spending a couple of grand extra is a waste of money, but after you’ve driven a long way on a concrete slab, then done the exact same drive in the exact same vehicle but with some upgraded cushioning, the difference is Tony Stark, to say the least.
If you find yourself tired and stiff after a few hours chasing lines, try a new seat. Trust us.
