# off-roading gear in the UK



## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

Does anyone know of a source of underbody protection (sump guards n stuff), 2" lift kit and snorkel fur use in the UK?


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

Hey, you're getting serious. These peeps will flog you a sump-guard: 4x4 accessories


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

hi Flynn - did yu see my last posts in http://www.nissanforums.com/x-trail/131359-uk-meet-up-event-2.html?

I didnt say I wud get the stuff - just wondered if it is available. Mind you - looking at the underneath of mine on Sunday, maybe I do need summat


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

Just been looking at your videos. 

Haven't looked to see how vulnerable they are under there but a decent sump guard is reassuring. And decent tyres.


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

that was all done on road tyres! hence the questions


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

flynn said:


> Hey, you're getting serious. These peeps will flog you a sump-guard: 4x4 accessories


Hi Flynn - unfortunately, I dont believe that the sump guard by these peeps is man enuf! it is made of polished Stainless too - not sure that yu need polished stainless under the car - it doesnt improve its rock-stopping by being shiny.

Rite folks - it looks like I am going to have to ....
a) get stuff made specially
b) import stuff from America or Australia.

can anyone in the "states" or Aussie give me any info on the following....
1) A "proper" sump guard - I.e one which protects the bottom of the engine and gearbox, with preferably some protection of front suspension.
2) Rock Sliders - sometimes called Rocker sliders to protect the side "sills".
3) rear diff/tank/suspension protection.
4) 2" lift kits.

any help appreciated. I have looked on the Australian web site which has links to Japanese web-sites, but none of the links I tried worked


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

The cheapest one is 48mm thick steel which sounds pretty macho to me unless you're thinking of something like Kevlar but whether it has better than chocolate teapot qualities depends on what it covers - and for that you'd need to see it or at least a decent pic methinks. They're in Essex.


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

flynn said:


> The cheapest one is 48mm thick steel which sounds pretty macho to me unless you're thinking of something like Kevlar but whether it has better than chocolate teapot qualities depends on what it covers - and for that you'd need to see it or at least a decent pic methinks. They're in Essex.


Sorry Flynn - dont believe it - 48mm is nearly 1.5"" thick - I think yu will find that that is the diameter of the tubing they use fur the "A" bars. Most underbody stuff is 1/4" thick - certainly not 1 1/2"


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

48mm is nearly 2" so maybe it's for tanks. I'd guess it's some sort of bar rather than a proper sump-guard. If it does include a proper sump guard, how useful it is depends on how it's made, whether it's ribbed, and what it covers. Don't think there's any way of knowing whether it's good or bad without seeing it but remember that it's easier and cheaper taking something useless back to Essex than to the other side of the world. You'll still have most of the limitations of a soft-roader so if you need to do that much you might be better with a vehicle intented for the job.


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

yup - i just dont wanna have to admit that i need a lr.


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## Canada's Far East (Jun 15, 2005)

The Mad Hat Man said:


> yup - i just dont wanna have to admit that i need a lr.


Not exactly sure what you are looking for BUT if it is an under-body (front) guard (bash plate) then you may want to send a PM to Aussietrail (Jalal) - - he has imported some of them for members of his down-under X-T forum.

Hope this helps.

Cheers = Roger


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

rite - found a sump guard - thank yu Roger and Jalal.

here is the link if you want to see it.

Is anyone else interested to get one and share the shipping costs?


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

now sourced a 2" lift kit (spacers) - only because I cant find any info on spring kits and no-one in the UK know of EMU stuff!

any ideas on these?


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

Rich,

Have you read THIS thread yet?


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

aussietrail said:


> Rich,
> 
> Have you read THIS thread yet?


Yes - I spent ALL DAY, yesterday chasing threads here and in the Aussie and American forums.:woowoo: 
That is where I got the Spacer from. They (you) also mention the spring upgrade, made by "Old man EMU", (I fink) but I couldnt find details of exactly what that was (apart from an uprated spring)  - and the response from the 4x4 specialists in the UK was "WOT!? - WHO?":lame: , so I think the spacer option is, most likely the better one, in as much as it is "fit and forget". I cant get into protracted negotiations with Oz to determine what is required. I think it would have to be order and ship.
I hear what yu sed about "remove the back (silencer) box, as it would be the lowest point of contact, but I am unsure as to whether yu meant "Remove and forget it" or "Replace with XXX". In the UK any aftermarket back boxes are the same size (more or less) to the OEM one, except for a "twin pipe" box which seems to be just for looks.
I am also concerned about the susceptibility of the fuel tank, which had no protection at all. 
I notice in one of your e-mails than you sed that your side rails where fine as Rock sliders. What make are they, because, I have no confidence that the UK ones are no more than for show. No UK 4*4 company that I could find, suggested using them seriously:idhitit: . 

Once again I appreciate your help - it seems that the Aussie market is the only one that take the X-Trail seriously.
As yu can tell, I am not in the market for "pimping" my machine


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

I have just received this reply from one of the UK 4x4 specialists.:woowoo: I enclose it in full to...
a) help others in the UK who mite be interested.
b) for any comment from peeps wot know the kit.

_Hi Richard

I have spoken to our ARB/OME importer who has just heard back from Australia.

We can supply the Old Man Emu 30mm suspension lift which consists of 4 coil springs £234.00 + VAT and 4 Nitro charger shocks £276.00 + VAT. Unfortunately it not a kit that we have supplied into the UK before so it is on special order only, which means a wait of 12 weeks. But, the good news is that we can get it for you.

Some very good news however is that we can supply an Asfir 6mm Sump Guard








for £235.00 + VAT + Shipping, this would only take 1 working week. 

Any other equipment i find out about i will let you know.

Regards
John Jennings

Specialist Sales
Frogs Island 4x4 Ltd
37c Milton Park
Abingdon
Oxfordshire
OX14 4RT

01235 832100
frogsisland4x4 - Home
_


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

Rich,

My side bars/steps are a serious and heavy duty type, in addition to looking cool, they have been the perfect companion in my off-road trips and saved my exy from having major damages to the door sills area.

They're made in South Africa by a company called Maxe Stainless Steel and my nudge bar is from the same company too and it also saved me once after a huge flying attempt and a sharp noise dive LOL 

As for the Asfir bash plate, just make sure it fits the petrol xtrails because the reply I previously received from Asfir stated that this type of bash plate is only suitable for the diesel xtrail due to some shape variations in the under-carriage area at the front between petrol and diesel.


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## Canada's Far East (Jun 15, 2005)

The Mad Hat Man said:


> rite - found a sump guard - thank yu Roger and Jalal.
> 
> here is the link if you want to see it.
> 
> Is anyone else interested to get one and share the shipping costs?


Glad I got you guys together and things worked out.

I'd like to have one of those but the shipping (because of the weight / size) make it impractical for me to import......:thumbdwn:


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

Hi Roger - have yu considered the Asfir one? For me - it is more expensive, but it is 6mm, not 3mm. 
I havent got a clue as to how much it wud be in Canada, but they seem to be well thought of. (sorry Jalal - I aint tryin to do yu out of business, just comparing the options)


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

Hey Rich,

I don't have a problem with that at all mate.

You need to "weigh" up all of the options before deciding what you wanna get for your exy and I do mean that literally.

The Asfir bash plates is twice as thick compared to the other aluminium bash plate but on the other hand it weighs a whopping 16Kg (compared to only 5Kg of the other bash plate)

Now, if you do your calculations correctly, you will be driving around with all that extra weight and something has to give, in this case, it will be your fuel economy.

Looking at your shopping list it makes me wonder if you're living in the city or the bush, as this will be the deciding factor if you wanna put all this off-road gear on your exy, only to find yourself using it 10% of the time when you have the occasional fun off-road and you will be suffering the consequences of driving with that heavy gear for the remaining 90% of the time around the city.

I was and still am not convinced that the exy needs a suspension lift and never looked at this as an option since I got rid off the bulky factory muffler which is the lowest point on the exy. Since I had done that, I never bottomed out once if my off-road trips, but then again, I do off-roading within the limits and capabilities of the exy and don't try and copy everything the big boys do with their rides, cause it is NOT meant for it. (or for all of it)

Just keep these tips in mind as you dress-up your ride with the shiny armor


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## Canada's Far East (Jun 15, 2005)

The Mad Hat Man said:


> Hi Roger - have yu considered the Asfir one? For me - it is more expensive, but it is 6mm, not 3mm.
> I havent got a clue as to how much it wud be in Canada, but they seem to be well thought of. (sorry Jalal - I aint tryin to do yu out of business, just comparing the options)


In my case ( life style, driving style ) the Asfir would be over-kill.

My preference would be the one like Jalal has but I can't seem to source it in North America.....:thumbdwn:


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

I think yu will find the supplier will ship abroad - at least they quoted me including shipping charges


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## flynn (Jun 23, 2006)

In the south-east UK the only off-road opportunities on public land I know of are "green lanes", which are ancient tracks and lanes that have never been surfaced. Because the area is naturally wooded they can get narrow and overgrown so when I've taken my Xt down them, the main risk of damage has been from protruding branches damaging the paintwork - not from flying rocks and the like. There's probably a fair bit of strain to the suspension too

When Nissan were demonstrating the Xt and the Pathfinder off-road at the Festival of Speed, the only damage I saw was the back bumper ripped off a Pathy. Don't think any sort of guards or bars will protect against that sort of damage. 

As Jalal says, the back-box hangs fairly low and I've had it touch ground a couple of times but in some ways I find that an advantage as it reminds me of the clearance I have and, if I do damage it, won't cost a fortune to replace. I'd rather hear the back-box scraping the ground than something more expensive. 

If I was to take off-roading with the Xt seriously, which I doubt, the first thing I'd go for would be decent lumpy tyres. If I felt the need to raise the suspension and risk losing its great on-tarmac handling I rather get a vehicle more designed for serious off-roading. An Xt is never going to be the ultimate off-roader without losing its on-road manners.

Any case, there's loads of fun to be had from overcoming the limitations of the vehicle instead of making it too easy. When I was a kid, when they didn't put you in gaol for such things, I drove a standard Mini with four of us over Wimbledon Common from Wimbledon village to the A3. Had 10" wheels and just a few inches of clearance. When we got stuck or had to cross ditches we picked it up, one in each corner, and carried it over. We got as big a buzz doing that in just a Mini as we would have in a Landy crossing the Sahara.


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## The Mad Hat Man (Oct 3, 2006)

very true, Flynn - but yu forgot the 9 inches of mud and the tree roots and the occasional lump of concrete used to fill a pothole! 

Playing devils advocate here - why shouldnt the X-Trail be just as good as the Freelander off-road - that is used seriously.


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