Defender Max Limited - Accessories, mods, tips? All input welcome!

[Clinton]

Hey guys, 

Well my 21 max limited that I ordered in August just finally now showed up in January of 22. In the summer months we like to do a lot of camping and fishing in the mountains (rocky trails). I am thinking I should add some rock sliders - does anyone have any recommendations other than OEM? 

Bigger tires? Lift? Any input on doing one versus the other to gain a little ground clearance? 

Stereo - I would be interested in any tips any users wouldn't mind sharing on cost effective systems they added to their units. 

Tracks - I am thinking I would like tracks for the winter months, I have Camso tracks on my outlanders - I was thinking I would stick with Camso but has anyone tried both camso and 360? did you have better luck with one over the other? 

Thanks for any input or tips at all, 
Clint

 
 

 

[Mark in Colorado]

1.) GTMOTO LED light bulbs to replace those dim stock headlights.  Size H11.  Amazon.com.  Nice machine!

 

[Steelslinger]

2019 Max XT Cab model is what I have.

LED lights in stock housing, I have the Beamtech H11 Fanless in mine ($30 a pair, two pair needed for Hi's and Lows)

S3 Springs, don't sag as much as OEM, a bit better handling and you can get around an 1.5" or so more ground clearance.

I went to 30x10x14 tires, Quadboss QBT 846. Tough tire, decent in most conditions. DOT compliant 8 ply ATV radial tire that is inexpensive.

Also, OEM tubular rock sliders/nerf bars, not the aluminum form fit ones. I got mine through my dealer. They have saved my doors and cab corners countless times. Worth every penny.

Fender flares are nice for cutting some of the mud/snow/water flinging up off the tires.

Kilmat/Dynamat type insulation on the inside backwall to cut dust, heat and noise from the engine. Would recommend that even with the carpeted panel that comes in the Limiteds (I have both and it definitely cuts heat and noise in the cab, can talk to the people/kids in the back seat without shouting).

For a stereo, I went simple, Infinity PRV-250 stereo head unit (AM/FM, Bluetooth, USB) and a matched set of four Infinity 6.5" Marine Speakers, used rear speaker supports from C-Werks (Jamie Connelly, can find him here or FB Defender groups). All in about $650 including speaker wire and hidden antenna. Its decent audio for trail riding and plowing.

No experience with tracks. I can't justify the cost of them enough for my uses.

 

[Clinton]

Thanks for the info guys, Steelslinger that is a lot of info thank you very much!

 

[Andystoy19]

Check out the defender builds in the garage section, lots of detailed info from soup to nuts. Enjoy the new defender.

 

[Bad Daddy]

Rigid 10”

Rigid Dually Diffused put back 

chainsaw mount 

fire extinguisher mount

shovel/axe mount

front hitch

remote for winch useful when plowing mounted to gear selector

plow and mount 

bed net tiedown

heated seats

front racks

rear rack in box with cooler and one below box 

led headlights

tracks 360LT   wanted backcountry but haven’t got stuck yet, lol

belt and removal kit  

next up is insulation.

Hence the name, DeFunder 

 

[Mikep123456]

Rigid 10”

Rigid Dually Diffused put back 

chainsaw mount 

fire extinguisher mount

shovel/axe mount

front hitch

remote for winch useful when plowing mounted to gear selector

plow and mount 

bed net tiedown

heated seats

front racks

rear rack in box with cooler and one below box 

led headlights

tracks 360LT   wanted backcountry but haven’t got stuck yet, lol

belt and removal kit  

next up is insulation.

Hence the name, DeFunder 

View attachment 2094

Nice rig, do you have any additional pictures of your chainsaw mount, shovel etc... Thanks 

 

[RossO]

I'm running an Xmr, so a lot of stuff I added yours already came with haha, but:

I went with a 50in single row LED light bar above the windshield and a little 6in LED light bar in the back of the cab for a work light.  Both lights work very well and I have yet to wish for more light.

I installed the spring spacers in mine.  Gave it a 3in lift, allows more travel in the stock shocks and it doesn't allow the geometry of the a-arms and axles to travel past OEM dimensions since you are still using the stock shock and not adding length to either end of the shock.

I installed a rugged radios 60 watt VHF radio that might be a little over kill.  I've tested the distance of communication to about 19 miles in the woods, but that was me talking to the cabin that has a bigger fiberglass antenna.  Haven't tested the distance from machine to machine yet, but I have not had an issue communicating with other machines a few miles away.

I installed Koplin gun holders under the middle seat.  They work way better than the foam mounts that just get seat belted in.  I think they are Seizmik brand...  a friend has that in his ranger premium and they are a nuisance to use and store.

I installed the Corbin turn signal kit witch was a breeze.  Everything was plug and play just as they advertised.

For tires I'm running 31x10x14 with zero issues.

As far as tracks go, I've only had Camso tracks and have had zero issues with them.  I've heard from friends with the 360 tracks that hey also have had zero issues. 

And for fun I installed cheapo LED color changing rock lights from amazon.  I went with 6 lights and put 1 in each fender and 2 in the cab so the lights match when the doors are open, and its kind of nice have a little light in the cab while driving without having to turn on the dome light.

 

[K.RO]

Super happy with Elka Suspension upgrade I did to my 2021 Defender Limited (not Max). After buying the machine I upgraded the springs to S3 to handle a Western V plow which is a pretty hefty 400lbs. While the ride with the S3 springs is "ok" they are too stiff to go hard over rough terrain. Decided to get a set of piggyback shocks for summertime trail riding and landed on the Elka Stage 3 shocks. I've had them on for a couple of weeks now and they are fantastic. Soaking up some really rough terrain now. 

 

[Andystoy19]

Super happy with Elka Suspension upgrade I did to my 2021 Defender Limited (not Max). After buying the machine I upgraded the springs to S3 to handle a Western V plow which is a pretty hefty 400lbs. While the ride with the S3 springs is "ok" they are too stiff to go hard over rough terrain. Decided to get a set of piggyback shocks for summertime trail riding and landed on the Elka Stage 3 shocks. I've had them on for a couple of weeks now and they are fantastic. Soaking up some really rough terrain now. 

View attachment 2235

View attachment 2236

I had Elkas on my Outlander, they worked well.

 

[Bad Daddy]

You’ll get more range out of that VHF antenna, if it’s used when vertical.

 

[boarderman23]

Super happy with Elka Suspension upgrade I did to my 2021 Defender Limited (not Max). After buying the machine I upgraded the springs to S3 to handle a Western V plow which is a pretty hefty 400lbs. While the ride with the S3 springs is "ok" they are too stiff to go hard over rough terrain. Decided to get a set of piggyback shocks for summertime trail riding and landed on the Elka Stage 3 shocks. I've had them on for a couple of weeks now and they are fantastic. Soaking up some really rough terrain now. 

View attachment 2235

View attachment 2236

Did you put in a special request to get dual rate springs on those or did they just come that way? And was that for the front or back (it looks like you got single and dual rates)?

I’m trying to order the Stage 5’s for my 2022 Limited and want to get dual rates all around if it’s an option. The Elka part numbers that I’m looking for are 30629 and 30634.

If anyone else has had experience with Elka’s on their Defender, I would appreciate any input, reviews, etc. I’ve found some information out there, but it’s quite limited. Thanks.

 

[Ryan Clark]

I just put Elka stage 3 on my 2021 XT HD10 yesterday. Just driving around the yard I can tell a difference. The only thing is that the back seems to be lower than the front now. I might have to crank up the pre load on the back a little to level it. Did you notice that with yours? 

 

[boarderman23]

I ordered the stage 5’s a little over a month ago, but haven’t received them yet. From what I’ve heard, I may need to crank up the preload from their settings if I don’t want to lose ground clearance.

I’ll have to do some testing to see if 1-2” lower noticeably improves the ride. If not, I’ll take the ground clearance (likely where I’ll end up).

 

[Paul Rivero]

We also got the max limited, 2022, I think mine was the last one before the new doors.

I went with the smaller fender flares.  They catch most of the dirt but not all.

Installed the overpriced bed wall that is sold by Can Am, it's heavy, I'm loving the functionality.

I did not go with bigger tires as one of our drivers is height challenged, but I did replace all 4 tires with better ones.

Bought a spare wheel and put one of the old 27x9 tires on there for a spare, it's now fixed to the bed wall.

Noticed thingiverse.com has some Linq pieces a person can 3d print.   That was nice.

Had to raise rear shocks with the bed being much heavier after the bed wall and headache rack.  But I really like it.

A reverse cam is a nice mod, it's easy to find a cheap screen nowadays.  We got one that can handle 2 cameras.  One camera on the roof facing backward, and another one by the tow hitch.

I usually like to have some kind of floor covering.  We cut up some thick rubber mats.  They fit nicely and don't slide around.

Tinted windows including windshield.

Next I'm thinking a roof rack would be nice.