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Not sure what modifications can be done legally for Off-road Prado.


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As an expat owner of a Prado what type of modifications are allowed to be carried out for off road use. I am specially intreseted in finding out about front bumper protection as that is a continous issue for me. Hopefully this season I can drive with some peace of mind.

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For your shape Prado, there is a modified bumper available for offroad - part metal + plastic + rubber that should suffice the RTA clause of no full metal bumper. Go to tires and accessories shop near Sahara center before Troy university crossroad and many shops have ARB, TJM and ARB look-like bumpers for Prado. My price guess will be in range 1500 - 2000 dhs max depending on your bargaining skills.

Choose less aggressive to retain the same looks as you are not intending this car to modify for 100% offroad and it will be your daily driver too. Basically look for a bumper that can keep similar front looks and trim the sides upwards as that's what the impact area in this shape of Prado.

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Also, my suggestion is to avoid bullbar as we don't hit Kangaroo's here in UAE, as it will shave a bit of weight on the nose, which is better for a long hill climbs. And for adding additional light, I highly suggest LED bar on top than the front nose, to have a better spread and saving it from nosedive impact. 

Get the front bumper sorted first and drive for few drives and then judge if you need firm suspensions or stock is reasonably good for your usage.

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Another alternative if you really want to keep the front bumpers very close to stock, you can remove the mud guards in the front of the tyres and get a workshop to trim the bumpers in front of the tyres. Can work out to be quite cost effective as well. Prado, has quite a decent approach angle. If you intend to do more aggressive offroading then it would be advisable to go with what Gaurav has mentioned regarding the bumper along with some firmer suspensions.

image.png.f5599b46c6f6f04dbd768ccfb0c63879.png

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  • 8 months later...
11 minutes ago, yogic72 said:

@Gaurav are there any particular recommendation for suspension for a Prado

Are you planning to convert your Prado for offroad only....?

As with offroad suspension, you will seriously regret the daily comfort no matter with all the switches, settings and options any suspension company advertises.

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I would continue to use the Prado for off-roading and daily use. So what basic modification I will need to do for off-roading.. I am still clueless ..When I visited the Titan garage in Ras al khor, I was given a quote of 25k whilst Icon garage in Al quoz asked me to just put a lift kit. So I am really unsure 😐 and would like an opinion from the expert 

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This is a typical case and we all have gone through several hundred and thousands of dhs quote.

My suggestion is don't touch anything in your Prado suspension if it's a daily driver, you will highly regret by firming up the ride for 1-day benefit and leaving you with a sore back for 5/6 days commute.

Instead, just remove the lower lip of front bumper and/or trim them safely as much as you can and this same Prado can get you through Newbie and Fewbie level drives easy. And even to an intermediate drive, but with caution.

If you have really decided to continue offroad for a long time, then spend the same money on the second car so that:

  • You can have the best of both world (firm + soft)
  • You will always have a backup car
  • Your daily driver will stay clean - always
  • Your offroad ride will be packed up ready always
  • Maximum damage (if happen) will be the cost of an offroad car only
  • You will be more comfortable pushing cheaper offroad ride to redline
  • Distributing the load on two cars will extend both car life significantly

 

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@yogic72 since you have had a few drives with us already you should already have some idea of what kind of mods you need. Don't let others decide what you need. If you find clearance to be the problem, you need a lift kit. About 2 inch lift will be sufficient and can support bigger tires. Like @Srikumar advised you can have a garage trim the bumpers and other plastic parts to give you the extra clearance. If you want to go the more expensive way you can find metal bumpers with rubber fixtures to escape from RTA passing vows. However nobody can guarantee you that RTA will pass the car after putting metal bumpers, so @Srikumar option sounds reasonable and has worked for others. Please be more specific if you have any other concerns. There are millions of off road mods, but you should have an idea by now what bothers you so we can assist you accordingly.

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