A Guide to Making Your Fortuner More Off-Road Capable

Toyota’s 2nd generation Fortuner is a proper example of how to combine a sensible 7-seater with a rugged 4×4 frame. It’s the perfect SUV for owners who need the practical seating of a wagon but love the surefootedness of a ute.

The Fortuner gets its mettle honestly, though. It’s built on the Hilux platform and designed by Toyota’s Technical Center in Australia, so it has equal measures of metropolitan style and off road capability in its DNA. Whether you’re driving through downtown Sydney or down the Oodnadatta track, Fortuner’s are up to the job.

If you’re considering using your Fortuner to hit some of the harder trails though, it wouldn’t hurt to beef it up a bit. A lot of the upgrades and accessories that are designed for the Hilux will also work on the Fortuner, and they can help make these largely Australian SUVs even more capable than they already are.

The Accessories You Need to Take Your Toyota Fortuner Anywhere 

Let’s be honest: if the Fortuner weren’t already an Australian success story, you’d only have to install some of the best Toyota Fortuner accessories Australia has to offer to make it one. And this is especially true if you’re considering racking up the kind of recreational kilometers that you would on a ute.

With its heavy-duty Hilux framework, there’s no disguising the fact that Fortuners are capable of going places that few SUVs would dare to follow. There are a handful of accessories that are worth installing before you head off to the bush with a trailer in tow, though. Not only will they let you to get the most out of those excursions, they’ll also help keep your Fortuner in better shape than ever.

Bash Plates Let You Go Off-Road With Confidence

Roots, rocks, and ruts are only some of the terrain features that you have to expect when you start venturing onto unsealed paths. It only takes one errant protrusion to cause debilitating damage to the underside of your vehicle, which is why steel bash plates are one of the Toyota Fortuner accessories that you don’t want to go off road without.

Sturdy 1-, 2-, and 3-piece bash plates are crucial for covering and protecting exposed components like radiators, intercoolers, and engine and transmission sumps, and their design features include:

·   4mm thick, impact resistant construction;

·   Pre-drilled drainage holes to allow water and mud to escape; and,

·   Corrosion resistant black or red power coating.

Depending on the type of bash plate you want, you can select from either full-frontal, or full-length protection. Even if you’ve had your suspension lifted, you can still have total protection for your drivetrain, undercarriage, and even fuel tank.  They’re the kind of Toyota Fortuner 4×4 accessories that you need to take your SUV off road, and feel confident that you’ll be able to get back on the road.

Stay ADR Compliant by Using the Correct Towing Mirrors 

If you’re thinking about hitting the highway with a trailer, a boat, or a caravan behind you, towing mirrors are one of the Toyota Fortuner parts and accessories that you must have. Australian Design Rule (ADR) 14/02 not only requires you to have towing mirrors that extend beyond the width of your trailer, but that they’re capable of providing you with a clear view of the trailer’s sides and a distance of 20 metres behind it. It’s a tough set of prerequisites, but the aftermarket has you covered on all counts.

There’s a wide range of direct replacement Fortuner mirrors to choose from that are ADR-compliant and designed specifically for towing, and they’re available with:

·   Either smoke black, or chrome housings;

·   Solid extension slides; and,

·   Optional turn signal integration.

Ideally, these high quality Fortuner towing mirrors can be extend when you need them, and pushed back in when you don’t. They also give you large upper and lower viewing areas that help to eliminate blind spots that the Fortuner’s OE mirrors would ordinarily have when they’re in their static positions.

Fuel Filtering is a Must if You’re Going Off-Roading 

The Fortuner’s durable 2.8l turbo diesel powerplant is a newly developed unit that’s current seeing duty in an array of Toyota vehicles, including light trucks and minibuses. It’s a strong, reliable performer, but like all diesel engines, caution has to be exercised with regard to fuel quality.

Fuel contamination is a diesel engine’s worst enemy, and there’s an inherent risk of water and particulate problems with off roading. That’s why a diesel pre-filtering kit needs to be among the Toyota Fortuner aftermarket accessories that you invest in before before going off road.

With a standard Fortuner pre-filtering kit installed between the fuel tank and the OE fuel filter, you have up to 95% water and particulate separate from an easy to install setup that consists of:

·   A filter assembly (including water bowl);

·   A laser cut stainless steel bracket;

·   Forged alloy fuel fittings;

·   Fuel hose; and,

·   All necessary fasteners.

No matter how or where you drive your Fortuner, pre-filtering your fuel is the best way to prevent costly injector damage. And as these standard systems don’t contain any built-in filter bypasses, you can be sure that no contaminated fuel will ever get sent to your engine.

Taking Fuel Filtering To the Next Level With Fuel Management

While standard filtering is sufficient for most situations, you’re going to need more specialized fuel system protection if you’re contemplating spending a lot of time off road or in extreme weather locations: you need qualified fuel monitoring. And make no mistake: it’s going to be especially beneficial if you anticipate spending longer periods at low temperatures and the changes of condensation in your fuel tank are significantly higher. 

That’s why the most advanced Toyota Fortuner accessories for sale for pre-filtering also include multi-stage sensor alarm kits that can alert you when there’s water in the system. These 12V filtering systems take engine protection to the next level, with a measure of efficiency that includes:

·   Up to 100% water separation efficiency (based on 300um droplet size);

·   Up to 98% particulate pre-separation (based on 30 micro particle size); and,

·   150L flow rate per hour.

Multi-staged pre-filtering is the premier solution for protecting your Fortuner’s fuel system from the destructive affects of corrosion and abrasion. And for extra peace of mind when you’re traveling long distance, always make sure to have a spare diesel filter element with you.

The Final Word

At the end of the day, there’s no shortage of aftermarket parts that you can fit to your Fortuner. And while that’s due in no small part to the Fortuner’s closeness to the Hilux, it takes Australian suppliers to know which accessories that are going to best at handling the rigors of driving in Australia.  

When you’re ready to put your Fortuner through its paces, you want to be sure to install only the best Toyota Fortuner accessories Australia has to offer. You’ll recognize the quality firsthand, and you’re going to appreciate the fact that they were designed to handle anything that Australia can throw at them.