A Mild Predicament

[Prestovie]

I recently received a call notifying me that I had been accepted for a job that I applied for as a camp counselor(which I'm ecstatic about, a few hundred people apply and only 8-12 get accepted!), but that obviously isn't the "mild predicament" for me.
Where the concern comes in is my realization today that this camp is 5hr away into Wisconsin, I don't mind the drive, but my ZHP is my only form of transportation. As you can imagine a summer camp isn't going to have freshly paved roads throughout, a fair amount is gravel and dirt when you're not on the main road, so it got me thinking: I'm going to need to prepare my car specifically for this summer job.
Not taking the job is out of the question, I just need to know some things that I'll need to do and buy in order to make sure I don't exit the summer with a car that looks like it has been sandblasted, so here's what I'm thinking:

-Need a clear bra, either the entire car or just the fenders and front of hood/grille. Cheaper alternative to this would be a black bra which I would be able to use again next summer, but that doesn't protect the entire car
-Skid plate? Like I said there's gonna be a lot of gravel, and I'll be up there for 7-9 weeks, so anyway that I can keep my undercarriage safe from the roads is going to be needed
-Raise it up/lift. Ok so this is where I'm confused, I currently have Koni Yellows but I'm almost positive they're not adjustable(unless they don't adjust like other coilovers using the ring) but I definitely need more ground clearance than I have right now. So I have no idea what I need to do about this part, whether that be to remove the coilovers entirely, or to attach a small lift kit? Any advice is appreciated
-Proper set of tires that won't get devoured by the gravel- I have two sets of tires at the moment, my winter Blizzaks and my Michelin PSS which are at about 40% tread on the front and 60% tread on the back. Is there a meatier tire that I should be buying for these environments, or will the Michelin fair?
-Additional lights, whether it be a light bar or a set of cage lights for the front. The stock ZHP headlights aren't fantastic, and the camp is in a wooded area, so the more visibility the better, right?

Sorry if this seems all over the place, I really appreciate any advice and insight anyone has to offer. In short I need to prepare my ZHP for a demanding summer, if there are any other things you would suggest fire away, I'm trying to get a list together.
Unfortunately I was looking forward to buying a project car this summer and maybe taking that up(like an e28 or e34) but it seems I may be putting more money into protecting the ZHP, which I don't have a problem with, it's the priority.
Again, anything is appreciated. Thanks guys!

[BCS_ZHP]

Fiscally prudent way, buy a $2-3K beater for the summer and do that, beat on it. Keeps miles off your ZHP, and at the end of the summer sell it for $1.5-2.5K. You're only out $500 depreciation plus the cost of registration & insurance for the other car, you'll never second guess yourself on how much you might have hurt your ZHP.

[brettbimmer]

Congrats on the new job! Hmmm...any chance you would buy an SUV for this use and sell it therafter? Thinking a 2000 era 4Runner, or older classic Jeep Cherokee or something? May be cheaper than the parts list for the ZHP.

Standard Koni yellows with separate springs are not height adjustable, short of changing the springs. Dampening can be adjusted on the fronts using a koni supplied knob. Rears usually have to be unbolted and twisted to adjust dampening. Anyone know if xi springs might work? Good luck with whatever you choose.

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[Prestovie]

Fiscally prudent way, buy a $2-3K beater for the summer and do that, beat on it. Keeps miles off your ZHP, and at the end of the summer sell it for $1.5-2.5K. You're only out $500 depreciation plus the cost of registration & insurance for the other car, you'll never second guess yourself on how much you might have hurt your ZHP.

That's a good point, I'd just have to make sure that it would be reliable for the entire summer, can't afford to be putting more money into another vehicle. I'd just have to accumulate the $2-3k by mid spring which shouldn't be terribly difficult. Then it just comes down to what to buy for a beater, already been looking at late 90s Jeep Cherokee's

[Prestovie]

Congrats on the new job! Hmmm...any chance you would buy an SUV for this use and sell it therafter? Thinking a 2000 era 4Runner, or older classic Jeep Cherokee or something? May be cheaper than the parts list for the ZHP.

Standard Koni yellows with separate springs are not height adjustable, short of changing the springs. Dampening can be adjusted on the fronts using a koni supplied knob. Rears usually have to be unbolted and twisted to adjust dampening. Anyone know if xi springs might work? Good luck with whatever you choose.

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

Thanks so much! And my thoughts exactly when it comes to the ideas for a beater, my uncle is actually keeping an eye out in his mudding club for people selling their old cherokees. And thanks for the information on the Koni, it was confusing to say the least the first time I took the wheels off and looked at them

[Prestovie]

Something like this for the summer:

[BCS_ZHP]

Please don't do that, opens up more potential problems. Big tires & lifted suspensions equals terrible angles of attack for drive shafts. Just get a standard 4x4 and deal with the sub-par driving experience for the couple of summer months. I do the exact opposite, buy a 4x4 beater for the winter so a BMW can hibernate. Stock is good enough for your summer, you don't need the baddest ride there at camp.

[Prestovie]

Please don't do that, opens up more potential problems. Big tires & lifted suspensions equals terrible angles of attack for drive shafts. Just get a standard 4x4 and deal with the sub-par driving experience for the couple of summer months. I do the exact opposite, buy a 4x4 beater for the winter so a BMW can hibernate. Stock is good enough for your summer, you don't need the baddest ride there at camp.

Haha I suppose so, forgot about the terrible ride of a lifted truck. I'll keep looking into it, but what would you think about getting something like the older bimmers I mentioned before? I'd end up keeping it for the winters(like you mentioned, wish I had one this winter) and it would be a project car

[BCS_ZHP]

If your u go back as far as an e28 or e34, count on every piece of rubber in that 25-30 year old car being dry rotted. Better idea, buy an early e46, you know how to work on it. Or an early e39 6 cylinder, same engine as a pre-facelift e46, you can work on that too.

Best bet, a 12-15 year old suburb awd sedan or wagon. They're dirt cheap, ugly, and will carry you for the summer, then sell after summer or retain for a winter beater.

[bandwagn]

Rental car? $200-$300/week and you dont have to worry about a thing.