Simpson Desert - July 2013.

[camo.b]

Jealous.....

 

[PeteV]

Hey mate, I am interested in doing the Simpson with a mate, he's planning for Sep/Oct. He's got an FJ Cruiser. Mine is a 2013 Nav D22 ST-R. Done 7K on the clock sofar. Mechanically stock everything. Extras are as follows - Nissan bulbar, Nissan towbar, Nissan snorkel. I have a Hi-Lift Jack, a pair of TREDs, a toolbox in the back and a 20L jerry can. I would expect to end up with 3 jerries of diesel and 2 or 3 of water. I have towpoints, a drag chain, a snatch kit and puncture kit. What's your thoughts on getting across with that apart from the additional preparations for this type of crossing? I am on a budget and am trying to avoid any major mods. Perhaps can afford a couple of bash plates, if anything would probably the best investment, aside from spare parts. Cheers.

 

[Ridgie]

G'day Pete,

A great trip - and well worth the effort.

The key is weight - don't carry stuff you won't need or use. There is plenty of fuel on the way up and back. You won't need three jerries of fuel - two will be more than enough - there is fuel at Mt Dare & Birdsville. I used 85 litres to get across. Drag chain - nope. Hi-lift - nope - although they are handy for changing tyres on the flat - but the extra weight needs to be considered. Snatch kit is a must have. Two vehicles will make any recoveries a breeze - and you will see plenty of other tourers. Keep tools and spares to a minimum.

Take your time, and plan each dune to ensure momentum is with you. Bash plates would be a good investment for your vehicle as there is some belly bouncing over some of the sand.

Here are a couple of links with great info and worth the read.

http://www.exploroz.com/TrekNotes/Deserts/Simpson_Desert.aspx

http://www.mtdare.com.au/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

.

 

[siringo]

I'd recommend your get yourself some good quality tyres and shocks. The stock items won't last.

While a I agree about keeping your weight down, I'd carry as much fuel and water as I could comfortably carry.

 

[siringo]

work out your kms/litre a few times so you can get a reasonably accurate guide as to what your truck uses on the road. Once you know that, you can then add half again and use that as a gauge as to how much fuel your truck may use in the desert.

 

[Ridgie]

New quality aftermarket shocks are a good suggestion. Taking time to stop every couple of hours to let components cool down is also worth the effort.

IMHO any more than two jerry's of fuel is overkill.

 

[siringo]

I guess it comes down to each individual. I always end up with more fuel and water than I needed to take when I return to civilisation, but that's how I am, I prefer to have it and not use it than need it and not have it. It always gets used anyway.

Another good thing to take are cable or zip ties and some plastic spring clamps like these (http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRYVQTq_YjbFUxkWNVszPi5reFX8Bv3085_5rap0YAiXF6OPYTZeA)
and don't forget some good quality tape.

 

[PeteV]

Thanks for the reply all! Looking at the after market stuff Ridgie has put on, I'm in no budget state to match that. Bear in mind mine is a near new car with sofar only a few off-road trips to test it. I'm really keen to do this trip. Of all the extras, what would you recommend to be the MOST beneficial extra (aside from a bashplate which I'm almost certainly getting)? Better shocks? Feeling a little naive....Cheers.

 

[Ridgie]

Your vehicle does not need to be anywhere near as modded as mine was - I did a fair amount of high country travelling and that is more damaging than the desert. Upgraded shocks would be a good idea as they do work pretty hard. It is worth stopping every 90 - 120 minutes to let them cool down. My preference is Bilstein but they are at the more expensive end of the market.

 

[PeteV]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I'm kinda thinking a set of muddies (can't afford the best so am thinking 4 Federal Couragia M/T's and keep 2 stocks for spares) and perhaps replacing the stock shocks with Toughdogs. I'm not mechanically minded so a simple question: even if I have a mechanic replace the shocks, do I need to change anything else like brakelines etc? Or is it simply a one-for-one changeover? WIth the Toughdogs, does that allow for a slight lift at the front as well? I have a Nissan bulbar so was hoping it would improve the slight sag a bit and provide a better drive. Also, together with that, what are thoughts on a pair of shackles on the rear leafs to match it and improve the ride generally? There seem to be various schools of thought for and against. It's hard to decide who to listen to. Same goes for adjusting the torsion bars, there's a lot of Facebook warriors suggesting to tighten them to provide a slightly better ride and a bit of a lift. I think at the least if I have the new muddies and better shocks that would be the bare minimum for a Simpson crossing taken care of? Constructive criticism welcome guys and gals...

 

[Ridgie]

Hello Pete - you don't need muddies for the desert - infact AT's are better if you have the air pressures right. As for winding torsion bars and shackles - talk to your local suspension dealer. Extended shackles are illegal in some states. Winding up torsion bars will reduce the travel - which is something you want on the dunes. You won't need to replace brake lines unless going for a huge amount of lift.

 

[PeteV]

OK cheers, so I have Bridgestone Dueller A/T 693's with 7K on the clock and about 1/2 dozen 4wd trips on them. Would they be sufficient to cross the Simmo or should I still consider a new set of A/T's as I approach September?

 

[Ridgie]

They should be fine.

 

[PeteV]

Thanks champ. Appreciated.

 

[robbos40]

hey pete we done this trip solo last year in september and the last thing you want to do is to stop and let your shocks cool down when is is 45c out side and when you do get out the fkn flies want to carry you away (take fly hats) . we talked to a bloke with a stock standard d40 at mt dare that had crossed from east to west along the french line with stock tyres at 18psi and didn't have any problems. we went from west to east in a lc 200 with mud tyres at 18psi with no trouble at all done all the tracks the only regret of the whole trip was going via rig rd to the lone (lost) gum as it was fkn boring compared to playing on the dunes on waa or french line. we found that going up the dunes in 1st low had the best results with the scalloped dunes as going any faster resulted in every one getting thrown around to much. l highly recommend uhf and calling out onto on the top every 5th or so dune with your position
good luck hope it goes well
cheers robbo

 

[PeteV]

Thanks robbo for the info, appreciate it. It depends on who you talk to sometimes, one person says you need a lift, new tyres and everything under the sun and another does it in a stock car. I just wish to be able to do it on a reasonable budget without needing to do too many mods. It's a brand-newish STR with only 8K on the clock so I should be able to expect things to be in reasonable condition? I plan to use the stock tyres and will have 2 spares, one under the tray and one on the roofrack. I'll carry all the usual recommended stuff and the only extra thing I'll do to the car (apart from the 10K service which will be due before the trip in Sep) is likely putting in aftermarket shocks all round, that seems to be the minimum recommendation. I already have bashplates. So we'll see how we go I s'pose. Cheers.

 

[BJ Navara]

Thanks robbo for the info, appreciate it. It depends on who you talk to sometimes, one person says you need a lift, new tyres and everything under the sun and another does it in a stock car. I just wish to be able to do it on a reasonable budget without needing to do too many mods. It's a brand-newish STR with only 8K on the clock so I should be able to expect things to be in reasonable condition? I plan to use the stock tyres and will have 2 spares, one under the tray and one on the roofrack. I'll carry all the usual recommended stuff and the only extra thing I'll do to the car (apart from the 10K service which will be due before the trip in Sep) is likely putting in aftermarket shocks all round, that seems to be the minimum recommendation. I already have bashplates. So we'll see how we go I s'pose. Cheers.

PeteV- never saw an outcome- did you make it back?