Brains Trust Questions re Improving Offroad Performance.

[progen77]

Hi All,


Long-time lurker, first time poster. I have a 2008 Multivan w/ 4-Motion w/ 150,000Kms on the clock.


So far the car has been very reliable. We did 12,000 Kms last year with a Jayco Discovery on the back, including about 1000Kms on unsealed roads around the Flinders Ranges, Oodnadatta Track and Uluru (without so much as a flat tyre).


This year I’ve had a Bluefin remap done (like driving a new car), as well as the Seikel suspension upgrade (done by Trakka). This has been great for driving on sand. The only downside is that with the suspension raised, the 235/55 wheels look a bit small on the car - so I have the following few questions:-


1) At the moment I’m looking at fitting 245/65r17 A/T type tyres. Are there any brands and models people would recommend? Seriously considering Maxxis again. The current tyres have been very good.


2) Re the loss of torque from driving on oversized tyres, I was thinking about compensating by having the DPF removed by <redacted>, and a Provent added to increase the longevity of the motor (since I gather with the Bluefin tune there is probably a bit more of a load on the DPF and increased blowback of crap into the intake). Does anyone have any experience with these guys? How did the car perform after the mod, and is there a noticeable increase in smoke out the back end? (Please PM me if you are not comfortable discussing in public)


3) The alternative mod I was considering was the Seikel short final drive, since the Multivan gearing sucks a bit for driving on sand and towing. Wolf4x4 quoted $4K to have this done. Has anyone had this mod done to their van? What is the performance like following the upgrade?


4) If you could kindly spare me any lectures on the legality and stick to the technicalities, that would be fantastic




Thanks for listening,


Dan