Completely customizing a defender from top to bottom is an experience, but putting the best exterior accessories on your defender is everyone’s favorite part. There are a handful of accessories that we don’t think anyone with a custom defender should live without. Here is E.C.D.’s list of 20 exterior accessories that everybody with a custom defender should have to make it sound better, look better, and increase performance.
Custom Defender Performance Options:
- LS3 Motor
Putting a high-performance motor in any vehicle is a serious upgrade. However, replacing the regular defender motor with an LS3 motor, that is one of the best upgrades you can do with your custom defender. It is the standard engine in the newest Chevrolet Camaro SS, and the Corvette as a deep breathing, high-revving motor, adding it to the significant body of a defender can make you feel like you’re in a race car with the ability to go off-road. - Suspension
With an off-road vehicle, you need a good ride inside the cabin, with a good ride comes a couple of things, but a suspension is significant for a smoother ride in the off-road and an urban environment. _ ECD has installed a Fox suspension system on a recent vehicle, and it creates such a smooth ride but allows for a same ride in the off-road. A good suspension is a key to a custom defender. - Exhaust
Most people who want any performance vehicle want a loud one. The louder the vehicle, the more noticeable you get, adding a custom exhaust on your defender adds just the right amount of sound _ to your beautiful custom truck. Putting a Borla muffler with the Borla exhaust tips or stainless-steel exhaust tips can add the sound and the look to your defender. - Lifts
Adding a lift to any big vehicle can make it look stunning but adding a lift to a defender transforms it from the classic defender look to a tall aggressive stance. With the lift and suspension combination, you can transform your seeming urban defender into an off-road monster, aggressive in an urban environment, and a great off-road vehicle.
The exterior accessories which make the defender look better for each owner, be more useful, and be more fun for everyone with a defender are the best part of the experience!
Custom Defender Exterior Accessories:
- Roll Cages
Adding a roll cage to your defender not only is expected, but it is key to the safety of you, and your vehicle. Roll cages add so much value to the entire defender itself, with safety and look. They can be utilized to help store things on the roof with the roof rack attachment to go on the top of the vehicle. However, if your defender rolls over, the steel roll cage will keep your defender intact.
- LED Lights
Having lights on your defender can be very versatile and help in many situations. E.C.D. offers many different light styles for our defenders, including _; Baja Design short LED Light bar on the front, Baja Design full-length LED light bar on the front, Hella spotlights all on the front and work lights on the back of the defender. The full-length light bar can be dual light amber and white making it a very versatile accessory to have on your custom defender. - Roof Rack
A roof rack is one of the more versatile accessories on your defender that should be attached. With the different kinds of roof racks for the different model defenders, each one does the same but can be treated differently. The Flat roof rack, the G4 Expedition roof rack, and regular roof rack are all shaped differently, give different looks to the defender itself, and can accomplish a lot. Depending on what you are doing with your defender will depend on the type of roof rack you need.
- Snorkel
Besides giving your defender more of an aggressive, modern look, a snorkel has more utility uses than look uses. A snorkel helps improve airflow into the engine, allows cleaner air flow into the engine, and raises the air-intake above water level. - Wheels
Wheels on a defender can make or break it. They are one of the more prominent parts of any vehicle. Sporting a custom defender can be a spectacle, but a focal point is the wheels and tires. E.C.D. offers 16 custom wheel-sets for any look for your defender. E.C.D. also offers custom 20” E.C.D. wheels which offer a modern, yet aggressive look to your defender. - Paint
Paint is one of the most significant customizations that an owner makes to any vehicle they get. E.C.D. offers many different types of paint to put on defenders. Different types include monochromatic, two-tone, full gloss, eggshell, and autobiography style exterior paint. The number of colors and color combinations that can be put on the exterior of a defender are infinite; if you can think of it, it will be done. - Winch
ECD offers Warn winches to go on the front bumper of our defenders. Warn winches can be very useful for different situations especially off-roading in your defender. Warn offers different models of winches but a handy one is the Warn Platinum wireless winch which can be put on your defender. It allows for up to a 50’ radius in which you can be away from the winch with your remote. A warn winch can be useful in a lot of different situations. - Side Steps
Side steps are important to get into a big defender with ease. However, putting a set of side steps on your defender that make it functional along with stylish is key. Using E.C.D. side steps you can get a classic look to your defender. If you’re doing a more modern look, there are the Full-length checker or SVX side steps, as pictured. - Steering Guard
The steering guard can help protect the investment that you put into your defender. They will go toward the bottom of your front bumper and wrap down to under the vehicle to help protect the underside from any unforeseen obstacles which could damage the front. It has holes in it for proper water drainage and proper cooling. - Bumpers
ECD offers many different kinds of bumpers, some more for the look and some more for utility. Whether it is tubular, square, or a winch bumper, or a nudge bar. ECD can offer the right bumper to fit your defender. _ The Aircon winch bumper, which comes with the warn winch on it with running lights and rubber end caps can give your defender more utility than look on the front but put an A-Bar Nudge Bar with rubber end caps, and you get utility and an aggressive look on the front. - Grilles
Looking from the front of the defender towards it, one of the most noticeable features is the grille. Like the side steps, bumper, and wheels, the grille can give your defender a classic look, or the modern look. Going with an E.C.D. grille with more of a heritage look, the traditional classic look, or a mesh grille will make all that much of a difference regarding look.
- Tires
Tires are a big determiner of what the defender can be capable of, whether it is off-road, all-terrain, or just road tires. Without limiting yourself to just off-road driving or having the off-road tires with a bumpy ride, it’s easier to have the all-terrain tires on to have a smooth ride and off-road capability. An all-terrain tire is suitable for any situation it is put in, one E.C.D. would recommend would be the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A tires.
- Sunroof
A sunroof can be categorized as an interior and exterior feature, but right now we will consider it an exterior. They are more of a luxury feature, but they can be useful for urban environments to feel the air coming through when driving or help ventilate your defender when it gets a bit warm out. - Tow Hitch
The Defender being so versatile with off-road or in an urban environment the more accessories that you can add to it to make it more utilized in any way. Adding a tow hitch to the back of your defender can help tow a trailer, boat, or have an extra storage space on the back can up the utility that your defender brings to you. - Door Handles
With the ultimate customization that comes with an ECD defender, you get small choices to make like your exterior door handles. The door handles can make a small but big difference on the exterior of your defender. They can be painted the accent color of your exterior, give a modern, classic, or aggressive look. They can also be a metal color with the metal handle. Making the handle long lasting and good looking can be a small difference, but make your defender look that much more stunning.
- Wing Tops
Wing tops on your defender are a very small low-profile piece from the front, but from the top, they can make the aesthetic of your defender look very aggressive.