Top 5 Must Have Accessories For The GRR

An alternative to a snorkel would be two carry a spare air filter. At the end of a (dusty driving) day swap out the filter element and place the filter dirty side down in a plastic bag in the trailer. The next days corrugated road driving will shake dust out of the filter and again swap it over at the end of the day, and so on.

The GRR is in pretty good condition these days and carries a lot of traffic, headlight covers and windscreen/glass insurance cover would be a very good idea. Duct taping corrugated cardboard or core flute (the plastic corrugated 'cardboard' that real estate signs are made of) over the rear window(s) could save a heap of grief and expense. Broken rear windows are a very common problem when towing with a wagon type vehicle on stony outback roads.

The Pentacost River crossing near Home Valley Station is has excellent approach and departure access with a good gravel/smooth stone and flat bottom. Like all crossings on the GRR taking it SLOWLY will see you OK.

It can be quite corrugated going up to Drysdale Station and VERY corrugated between Drysdale and the Mitchell Falls turnoff but well and truly worth the effort. Again driving slowly will see you through.

The 18'' offroad tyre/rim combo would be a good idea.

My two bobs worth.

Deano :)

I agree with all the other replies but here's my thoughts.


I think there are a number of 'reports' of people doing the GRR and other remote tracks with 19s without out issue, however 18s would be preferable. IMHO if you are tossing up between a bulbar and 18s and you are looking specifically for the GRR then 18s would win. Of course if you intend travelling at night a bull bar is a must....Tyres are the biggest consideration but it can be so different for different people. I carried two spares for both the car (was in a Narava at the time) and trailer (unfortunately different wheels) but didn't use any in 5 weeks travelling through the Kimberley. However we talked to people in Broome and Derby that had had multiple punctures and my step father tells a story of watching two cars with caravans cross a grader windrow and both 'doing' two tyres each.


Sharp rocks and corrugations are the main obstacles, apart from that it's not to difficult. Depending where you go and how long since the grader has been through it can range from flat, 100 kph safey with trailer on, to teeth chattering, bone shaking corrugations that shake every nut and bolt.

A well maintained vehicle with good tyres at the right pressure is a must.


One comment on fuel. I had an 80 ltr std tank on the Navara and carried 40 ltrs in jerries but didn't need them for the whole trip (and that was with the horrific range of 400 km/tank) So it was good to have the extra for peace of mind but there is plenty of fuel available.


We also hired a sat phone for peace of mind as we had our two and three y.o. kids with us. Didn't 'need' it though it did come in handy booking the heli flight back from Mitchel Falls :)

IMO the less accessories carried the better. The biggest enemy on the GRR is weight on the rough roads. Bullbars and big lights etc just shake themselves to death on the corrugations.

18" vs 19" wheels only offer an extra 6mm or so of extra tyre height, so when comparing "apples with apples" with tyres, there is little real advantage in going to 18" if you get a robust tyre in 19". Take an extra 19" carcass vs purchasing a whole set of 18" GOE wheels?

Essential items would be:
- good mud flaps to manage stone damage (particularly if towing).
- spare air filter(s)
- Dual batteries or management of electrical demand as your fridge will work hard in the higher temps.
- cargo barrier
- rods etc would be handy to keep the diffs clear of rocks between the wheeltracks.
- as said before, a sense of adventure!

Honestly, I would take my stock MY14 D4 up there tomorrow with a decent set of 19" tyres. I have done the GRR (and offshoot tracks) several times without even one puncture.

Cheers,

We're planning on doing GRR as part of a round Aus trip in June. I am intending on buying 18's and whilst getting stronger and higher sidewall tyres is good, the other reason is availability of replacements in case of a puncture. Therefore to save a few dollars I'm considering buying 4 and running 2 of my 19's as spares on the assumption a replacement at the next major town should be possible.

Does that work as far as electronic systems go with slightly differing rolling diameters (assuming 265x60xR18 D697's and factory Wrangler 255x55xR19's)?

EDIT: Scratch that question. Gordon just got back to me... the DSC doesn't like the change in diameter and will 'chuck a hissy fit'!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cjc_td5

18" vs 19" wheels only offer an extra 6mm or so of extra tyre height

Cheers,

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Chris, IIRC I think it's more like 20mm (or just under) extra sidewall going from a 255/55-19 to a 265/60-18 ?

David

"Top 5 Must Have Accessories For The GRR" ??

Just a Land Rover - any model, '48 onwards.:D:D:D:D

It's not a hard road anymore.

Terry

Quote:

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Originally Posted by l00kin4

Chris, IIRC I think it's more like 20mm (or just under) extra sidewall going from a 255/55-19 to a 265/60-18 ?

David

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mmmm, I when I calculate the side wall height using the sizes you have given I get 19mm difference too. I definitely recall 6mm from a discussion on here several months ago [tonguewink][tonguewink] .

Of course the 18" tyre size is wider. Without sidetracking this thread, how wide (or tall) can one go on 19" wheels and still fit inside the wheel arch etc?

Corrugations are the enemy (but spare a thought for us leafers as you cruise past). It's worth adding an under body inspection to the usual fluids & air check routine to make sure nothing is coming loose.


(On the subject of air, tyre pressure monitoring is worth every cent)


A good tarp, set of spanners and a battery work light are all it takes and check a random selection of bolts every day - also checking for fluid loss (anything more than the usual Land Rover leakage). Include drive shaft universals and, most importantly, check the wheel nuts!


A selection of nuts, bolts, screws, Loctite, duct tape and cable ties is also a must.


Enjoy!
Pete

Chris.
As far as I know there arent any other 19" sizes available,hence having to go 18" or even 20" for a more suitable tyre.
Andrew

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