What's do you think the most impactful first upgrade is to a rig?

[ThundahBeagle]

LIFT
Although I can see why people say "tires", or even "tyres", and although i think good tires are very very important, all things being equal, the lift is the most impactful in my view.

When I was a kid, we spent the better part of a decade traveling up and down Adirondack logging "roads" collecting our fair share of firewood. Much to my dismay and embarrassment, the others who did the same often had 4x4 with knobby tires, while our truck was 2wd and had nothing near knobbys on it. It was my father's daily, so it had highway tires.

While we got everywhere we needed to go, we drove carefully, and often bottomed out when fully laden. I remember having to be careful against getting he exhaust or brake lines hung up, or stuck in a rut more that we ever worried about slicing a tire - although that was a concern of course.

A simple 2 inch lift, with equally carefull driving on highway tires will get you very far, at least on service roads and logging roads. Plus the lift keeps the hot exhaust off any scrub brush

 

[RuggedBlackRubicon]

It really depends on what vehicle you start out with as the base.
A stock Jeep, Tacoma, or the like is pretty capable from the factory.

So I started with a 2016 JKUR. Came with a 1.75" lift and 285/70/17 Falcon MT tires. No urgent need to upgrade any of that.
Came with lockers front and rear, Dana 44s front and rear, 4:1 transfer case, and electronic sway bar disconnect.

So, for me the first thing that I needed was COMs. Dual band HAM radio/GMRS.
Second for me was navigation. 10" tablet running Gaia and OnX.
Third was the ability to self recover. 13.5K winch and bumper. Along with all the normal recovery straps and gear. Also added a set of traction boards.
Forth I added a good first aid kit and fire extinguisher. And finished up my tool kit and spare parts kit.
Fifth I added on board air, 850W inverter, 12V fridge, and solar.

It really depends on what you start with.
My list would have looked drastically different if I started with a different vehicle.

 

[Ethan N]

Out of the poll options, I really like that Driver's Training was on there - so I chose that answer. It's indescribably important to stay calm when you get into a tough situation, and training will help you do just that. So many parks and guide services offer 101 courses it's silly not to check one out.

My second choice would be Tires, which a lot of people chose. And for good reason. You asked for impactful upgrades. An upgrade to your traction can't be beat.

 

[Smileyshaun]

A skilled driver can make a stock rig go places people think it shouldn’t and built rig with a crappy driver will be stuck just off the start of the trail .

 

[Shawn686]

Some form of nav.

If you dont know how to get there, you sure a heck cant get back. And if you dont know where you are or how to get back all the mods in the world wont help you

Shawn

 

[MidOH]

Got triple nav in my work truck.

You can't rely on that. Computers, garbage in, garbage out.

 

[MidOH]

Out of the poll options, I really like that Driver's Training was on there - so I chose that answer. It's indescribably important to stay calm when you get into a tough situation, and training will help you do just that. So many parks and guide services offer 101 courses it's silly not to check one out.

My second choice would be Tires, which a lot of people chose. And for good reason. You asked for impactful upgrades. An upgrade to your traction can't be beat.

Without lockers, tire upgrades are mediocre at best.

MT's are let down when traction is limited. There's only so much a tire can do.

Chains or claws, on a milder tread may be better.

 

[Gorunhannah]

It depends on the type of overlanding you do. I drove forest roads with a sedan on street tire for years. There are someplace I wouldn't go and not wheel. I grew up backpacking, surfing, fishing, camping was aways part of what we/I did. I would start with camping in comfort. A good nights sleep makes for a better day, as does going to bed with a full belly. I have a good friend that owns a company that does AK pipe line service, all of his trucks run Michelin LXT tires, 90% of the time they are a dirt side road. If you want to rock crawl start with tires and training. I carry a very full first aid kit with training, used last month when my GF broke her are in Baja. I think you should decide what you goals and how comfortable camping first, this can get expensive especially if you don't like camping.

Absolutely! What is your aim? For me, I wanted to be able to camp in my jeep, so the first upgrade was stood top storage to enable that.

It’s all about what you want to get after.

 

[Shawn686]

Got triple nav in my work truck.

You can't rely on that. Computers, garbage in, garbage out.

Never said anything about computers/electronics

Shawn

 

[Arailt]

Without lockers, tire upgrades are mediocre at best.

MT's are let down when traction is limited. There's only so much a tire can do.

Chains or claws, on a milder tread may be better.

Modern 4x4s have advanced traction control. Going from factory tires to ATs/MTs on the three Toyotas I've owned made a huge difference. Same on my old TJ and XJ with zero electronic traction control for that matter. Tires make a difference no matter what.

If you're rock crawling, absolutely lockers for sure. For the purposes of "overlanding" or general 4-wheeling, lockers are pretty low on my list.

 

[Ethan N]

Without lockers, tire upgrades are mediocre at best.

MT's are let down when traction is limited. There's only so much a tire can do.

Chains or claws, on a milder tread may be better.

Sorry it took me a couple days to get back, been under the weather for a bit.

I mentioned tires in my answer, but I stand by my first choice of "Driver's Training." Knowledge goes further than all! I can't personally speak on lockers, I've never had them in 15 years wheeling. I am a Master Driving Instructor though, and am proficient in BTM. It's not a one size fits all, but I've made it this far.

 

[DintDobbs]

@Ethan N Ignorance and beer can get people farther than you would believe, when you're the one that has to figure out how to get their trucks out of there after they get arrested!

 

[Ethan N]

@Ethan N Ignorance and beer can get people farther than you would believe, when you're the one that has to figure out how to get their trucks out of there after they get arrested!

Oh gosh, the ignorance is what I'm trying to educate out of our trails. I've contacted Facebook admins from groups in my area who ended up being completely unaware they were wheeling in illegal areas near where I live. Let's not derail this thread but yeah, I hear ya!

 

[Arailt]

@Ethan N Ignorance and beer can get people farther than you would believe.

Haha this is the truth. Minus the fleeing from LE piece. 100% of what I know about driving off road was learned through trial and error, 4-wheeling/mudding/hill climbing nearly stock Jeeps in the woods of southwest PA and WV in my late teens and early 20s. Doing stupid/dangerous things I would be scared to do now. You can't buy that kind of "training." It only comes from experience and being ignorant enough to think you aren't going to destroy your vehicle or yourself.

 

[RDevita]

Get your rig in some dirt and see how it performs. Hit some light to moderate trails and see if there is any lack of performance (power, traction, ground clearance, approach/decent angles (from stock bumpers)). Whatever issue stands out the most, do that first.

 

[Lou Skannon]

After driving home in a 25 year old vehicle, I have got to say tires. A front wheel deflation in a snow storm needs to be avoided.

 

[rtexpeditions]

You need to get out there with your vehicle as is. You will figure out what YOU need to do to your vehicle to improve your experience.
From the list, I would prioritise things that make it safe for you like first aid, navigation and driver training.
If you are a newbie, travel with friends that will help you if you get stuck.

 

[Dilldog]

To echo previous sentiment...

You are the most impactful first mod. Get out, get experienced, listen to experienced folks to learn and take a training course if available. Especially when starting out NEVER go alone, ALWYAS share your plan with someone at home.

Coming from a decently built Toyota Hilux to now a stock Ford Escape, I don't miss the Toyota at all. My experience and mellow nature still allows me to get to the good camping spots. Naturally this is me, but I present it as a counter point to the usual gear fetishists. I always say buy the most basic gear you will NEED (I cook with a 2 burner Coleman stove on a 5 gallon bucket) and go from there. Don't let the buying of gear drag you into a vortex of always needing something else. Just get out there, keep a cool head and be willing to turn around. When you turn around analyze why you did, and that right there is a mod opportunity.

Also consider looking into getting a GMRS and/or ham license. With local stuff for me the ham repeater coverage is more reliable than cell coverage. And since my wife also has her license its nice to check in over the radio if cell doesn't work.