Five ways to make your truck or SUV flood-ready

Flooding in the Philippines has only gotten worse as of late, not only in terms of frequency but also in severity. If you’re a truck or SUV owner, you’re probably thinking that your car will be fine by virtue of it already being high off the ground and having decent water-wading capabilities from the factory. For most cases, yes, but as floods get deeper, a stock SUV or truck may not be able to cope.

To help your car take on floodwaters more easily, we curated five upgrades you can do to your car, ranging from the simplest to the most complex and invasive. If you’re living in a flood-prone area with hardly any choice but to take floods head-on, consider reading on.

The weather strips on your car’s doors prevent dust, water, and noise from entering the cabin. If your area experiences rain and flooding regularly, keeping an eye on this usually forgotten component is crucial. The reason is that these small rubber strips are the main barrier stopping water from coming into the cabin of your car. There are aftermarket options out there that can provide better protection from the elements, although quality can vary compared to the factory rubber strips in your car. If you spot some damage like holes and rips on your car’s weather strips, consider changing them sooner rather than later.

Another upgrade you can get for your car is a set of larger tires. Ground clearance plays an important role in keeping your car safe from flood waters, and one way to give it more clearance without changing any major components is by getting a set of larger tires. Most SUVs and crossovers can accommodate slightly larger tires before they start rubbing on the fenders and requiring adjustment. Usually, these tires would have a five to 10 percent larger aspect ratio than their stock tires. However, it’s worth noting that larger tires can affect your car’s speedometer accuracy, fuel efficiency, and handling, so these trade-offs should be considered before making the change.

If you want to double down on making your car taller, a set of larger wheels is the next step. Like the benefits of larger tires, getting bigger wheels paired with taller tires will give your truck or SUV more ride height than stock. However, you can also achieve the same results by getting bigger tires and a smaller diameter wheel from stock. While it may seem counterintuitive, downsizing your wheels will allow you to fit larger diameter tires and achieve the same results as upsizing both wheels and tires. 

Do note, however, that changing out your wheels and tires might require you to adjust the wheel wells and fenders of your truck or SUV to make them fit, so if you’re prepared to do a bit of cutting and major customization on your car, this is a route you can take. Keep in mind, though, that bigger wheels with low-profile tires won’t increase clearance at all, since the overall diameter stays the same.

Larger wheels and tires not enough? A lift kit is the next upgrade to consider. Depending on how radical you were planning on increasing the tire and wheel size, a lift kit could be placed earlier in the order of importance, as a lift kit will reduce most of the clearance issues that come with fitting larger wheels and tires in a stock truck or SUV. Raising your vehicle with a lift kit improves flood performance by increasing the vehicle’s ground clearance, reducing the risk of water entering the engine bay or cabin during high water conditions.

This last upgrade on the list is perhaps simpler compared to a lift kit, but it is also the most invasive. A snorkel reroutes the engine’s air intake from the stock location near the front of the vehicle to a higher point, often near the roof or fender, which prevents water from entering the engine during flood fording or driving through deep puddles. This upgrade significantly increases safe water-wading depth, protecting the engine from hydro-lock and reducing the risk of catastrophic damage. 

In addition, in drier conditions, the elevated intake can improve performance in dusty or muddy environments by providing cleaner air, making it a useful upgrade for off-road conditions as well. However, installing a snorkel is invasive, requiring cutting or modifying the fender or body panels, and will change the vehicle’s aesthetics (good or bad, depending on what you like). Despite all that, a snorkel is one of the most practical upgrades for trucks and SUVs in flood-prone areas, even without the benefits of larger wheels and tires or a lift kit. Simply raising the intake of your engine will protect your car from the worst a flood can give.

Looking to upgrade to a more flood-resistant vehicle? Explore SUVs and pickup trucks on AutoDeal.com.ph.