Welcome to my Over the Hill upgrades guide! If you want to improve your vehicle for difficult trails, rough terrain, and long exploration trips, upgrading the right parts can make a big difference. Each vehicle has several upgrade paths, including engine performance, suspension, tires, protection, water resistance, winch range, and tool slots.
All upgrades are purchased from the Mechanic using pebbles. However, upgrades are tied to individual vehicles, so switching to another car means using that vehicle’s own upgrades. You can also remove and reinstall purchased upgrades for free, making it easier to change your setup whenever you need to.
In this guide, I’ll cover every upgrade, its cost, what it does, engine statistics for each vehicle class, suspension and air intake measurements, and how vehicle damage and repairs work.
Over the Hill Upgrades Guide – All Upgrades, Costs, and Stats
There are seven upgrade categories, containing 16 purchasable upgrade stages across the different paths. You buy them from the Mechanic using pebbles.
Here are the important things to know before spending your pebbles:
- Each vehicle has its own upgrades.
- Every vehicle can use every upgrade category.
- Upgrade stages must be purchased in order within the same category.
- Once purchased, upgrades can be removed and reinstalled for free.
- Fully upgrading one vehicle costs 675 pebbles.
- Fully upgrading all 21 vehicles costs 14,175 pebbles.
All Over the Hill Upgrades and Costs
1. Engine Upgrades
Engine upgrades improve torque, power, and top speed. The exact statistics depend on the vehicle’s class.
| Upgrade | Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Stock | Free | Base engine for the vehicle’s class |
| Engine Stage 2 | 25 pebbles | Increases torque, power, and top speed |
| Engine Stage 3 | 50 pebbles | Further increases torque, power, and top speed |
Total cost: 75 pebbles
Engine upgrades are particularly useful when you need more pulling power on steep hills or better speed across open terrain.
2. Protection Upgrades
Protection reduces the damage your vehicle receives from crashes.
| Upgrade | Cost | Impact Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Stock | Free | 100% |
| Protection Stage 2 | 25 pebbles | 85% of stock damage |
| Protection Stage 3 | 50 pebbles | 70% of stock damage |
Total cost: 75 pebbles
Stage 2 reduces impact damage by 15%, while Stage 3 reduces it by 30% compared with the stock vehicle. This is a useful upgrade if you frequently hit rocks, trees, or other obstacles.
3. Suspension Upgrades
Suspension upgrades increase the amount of suspension travel, helping your vehicle handle uneven terrain.
| Upgrade | Cost | Additional Suspension Travel |
|---|---|---|
| Stock | Free | Base travel |
| Suspension Level 2 | 25 pebbles | +0.08 m |
| Suspension Level 3 | 50 pebbles | +0.16 m |
Total cost: 75 pebbles
Level 2 adds 8 cm of travel, while Level 3 adds 16 cm compared with the stock suspension.
4. Tire Upgrades
Tire upgrades improve grip across every surface.
| Upgrade | Cost | Grip Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Stock | Free | Base grip |
| Tires Stage 2 | 25 pebbles | +0.08 grip |
| Tires Stage 3 | 50 pebbles | +0.16 grip |
Total cost: 75 pebbles
Better grip helps when driving across slippery or uneven surfaces. If you often struggle to maintain traction, tire upgrades are worth considering.
5. Tool Slot Upgrades
Tool slot upgrades allow you to carry more tools on a vehicle.
| Upgrade | Cost | Total Tool Slots |
|---|---|---|
| Stock | Free | 1 |
| Tool Slot 2 | 25 pebbles | 2 |
| Tool Slot 3 | 50 pebbles | 3 |
| Tool Slot 4 | 75 pebbles | 4 |
Total cost: 150 pebbles
These upgrades are especially helpful when exploring with teammates or when you want to carry several tools without repeatedly changing your loadout.
6. Water Resistance Upgrades
Water resistance upgrades raise the engine’s air intake, allowing the vehicle to remain underwater longer before flooding.
| Upgrade | Cost | Air Intake Position | Flooding Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock | Free | Lowest position | 8 seconds |
| Water Resistance 2 | 25 pebbles | Middle position | 10 seconds |
| Water Resistance 3 | 50 pebbles | Highest position | 12 seconds |
Total cost: 75 pebbles
This upgrade is useful when crossing rivers or driving through deep water. However, even at Stage 3, the vehicle can still flood if it remains submerged too long.
7. Winch Upgrades
Winch upgrades increase how far away you can attach your winch.
| Upgrade | Cost | Winch Reach |
|---|---|---|
| Stock | Free | 10 m |
| Winch Stage 2 | 25 pebbles | 11.5 m |
| Winch Stage 3 | 50 pebbles | 13 m |
| Winch Stage 4 | 75 pebbles | 15 m |
Total cost: 150 pebbles
The upgraded winch is useful when you get stuck or need to pull your vehicle through a difficult section. Stage 4 increases the range to 15 meters, which is 50% more than the stock winch.
Engine Upgrade Stats by Vehicle Class
Engine statistics are based on vehicle class, meaning vehicles in the same class share the same engine figures.
The table below lists torque in Nm, power in kW, and top speed in km/h.
| Vehicle Class | Stage | Torque (Nm) | Power (kW) | Top Speed (km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trail | Stock | 100 | 50 | 27 |
| Trail | Stage 2 | 106 | 55 | 31 |
| Trail | Stage 3 | 112 | 60 | 34 |
| Wagon | Stock | 125 | 62 | 29 |
| Wagon | Stage 2 | 138 | 68 | 32 |
| Wagon | Stage 3 | 151 | 74 | 36 |
| Workhorse | Stock | 175 | 60 | 22 |
| Workhorse | Stage 2 | 190 | 66 | 25 |
| Workhorse | Stage 3 | 207 | 72 | 29 |
| Expedition | Stock | 200 | 57 | 20 |
| Expedition | Stage 2 | 227 | 63 | 23 |
| Expedition | Stage 3 | 256 | 69 | 27 |
Top speed is the vehicle’s speed limiter. Engine Stage 3 provides the highest torque, power, and maximum speed within each class.
Suspension and Air Intake Stats for Every Vehicle
Suspension upgrades add the same amount of travel to every vehicle, but the stock suspension travel varies. Air intake heights also differ between vehicles, so water resistance can be more important for some vehicles than others.
The suspension values below are the stock measurements. Water resistance values show the air intake height for stock, Stage 2, and Stage 3.
| Vehicle | Stock Suspension Travel | Air Intake Stock (cm) | Stage 2 (cm) | Stage 3 (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Das Lynx | 35 cm | 85 | 121 | 170 |
| Das Mammoth | 70 cm | 108 | 178 | 230 |
| Das Rust Ox | 60 cm | 74 | 138 | 226 |
| Das Wombat | 55 cm | 88 | 130 | 186 |
| Roamer | 50 cm | 96 | 143 | 171 |
| The Blast Wagon | 45 cm | 100 | 152 | 193 |
| The Boar | 45 cm | 97 | 147 | 185 |
| The Brick | 55 cm | 85 | 129 | 180 |
| The Bull v1 | 55 cm | 86 | 130 | 187 |
| The Burro | 45 cm | 104 | 142 | 200 |
| The Cumbre | 50 cm | 111 | 157 | 185 |
| The Ding | 45 cm | 104 | 143 | 198 |
| The Grand Woodman | 50 cm | 83 | 125 | 168 |
| The Marshal | 70 cm | 110 | 173 | 227 |
| The Polyana | 40 cm | 79 | 122 | 161 |
| The Protector | 55 cm | 75 | 125 | 184 |
| The Timberbox | 45 cm | 76 | 162 | 206 |
| The Tinny | 55 cm | 75 | 125 | 178 |
| The Trail Burner | 50 cm | 99 | 143 | 181 |
| The Trailrat | 55 cm | 84 | 130 | 176 |
| The Woodman | 50 cm | 83 | 128 | 171 |
How Much Suspension Travel Do You Get?
- Stock: Depends on the vehicle.
- Suspension Level 2: Adds 8 cm over stock.
- Suspension Level 3: Adds 16 cm over stock.
For example, a vehicle with 50 cm of stock suspension travel reaches 58 cm at Level 2 and 66 cm at Level 3.
Vehicle Damage and Protection Explained
Vehicle damage in Over the Hill comes from crashes. Every vehicle starts with 100 health, and Protection upgrades reduce the damage caused by impacts.
Collisions at speeds of 5 m/s (18 km/h) or below do not cause damage. Faster impacts cause damage based on speed, up to 28.5 damage per hit at 30 m/s (108 km/h) and above.
After a damaging hit, additional damage is ignored for two seconds.
Crash Damage by Impact Speed
| Impact Speed (m/s) | Speed (km/h) | Stock Damage | Protection Stage 2 | Protection Stage 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 22 | 5.5 | 4.6 | 3.8 |
| 10 | 36 | 9.3 | 7.9 | 6.5 |
| 15 | 54 | 14.1 | 12.0 | 9.9 |
| 20 | 72 | 18.9 | 16.1 | 13.2 |
| 25 | 90 | 23.7 | 20.1 | 16.6 |
| 30 | 108 | 28.5 | 24.2 | 19.9 |
| 40 | 144 | 28.5 | 24.2 | 19.9 |
What Happens When Your Vehicle Is Heavily Damaged?
Your vehicle continues to drive normally until it reaches 70% damage. Beyond that point, performance gradually decreases.
At full damage:
- Top speed drops to 50% of its normal value.
- Engine torque and throttle are reduced to 80%.
- The vehicle remains drivable.
Protection upgrades are useful if you regularly crash into obstacles, but they do not make your vehicle indestructible.
How to Repair Your Vehicle
There are several ways to restore vehicle health in Over the Hill.
Visit the Mechanic
Reaching the Mechanic restores your vehicle to full health.
Drive Into a Cabin
Driving into any cabin repairs your vehicle completely.
Respawn at a Cabin
Respawning at a cabin also restores full health.
Use a Repair Kit
A repair kit restores full health and can also be used to repair a nearby teammate’s vehicle.
Return to Camp
The camp repairs part of the damage on every vehicle in the session.
Restart a Challenge Trail
Restarting a challenge trail resets your damage and tools to the state they were in when you started the trail.
How to Get Pebbles for Upgrades
Pebbles are the currency used to purchase vehicle upgrades.
The initial one-time rewards include:
- Map locations: 2,565 pebbles.
- First photos of each animal: 720 pebbles.
- Total initial rewards: 3,285 pebbles.
That is enough to fully upgrade approximately four vehicles, depending on how you spend your pebbles.
After collecting these one-time rewards, meteorites become the remaining source of pebble income. They continue to fall, allowing you to collect more pebbles over time.
Best Upgrades to Buy First
The best upgrade order depends on how you drive and what challenges you are facing. Here are some practical priorities.
For Difficult Terrain
Consider upgrading your tires and suspension first. Extra grip and suspension travel can help when crossing rough ground.
For Steep Hills
Prioritize engine upgrades if you need more torque and power. Stage 3 offers the strongest engine statistics for each vehicle class.
For Exploring Water
Water Resistance is worth considering if your routes involve deep water. Stage 3 raises the air intake to its highest position and extends the stated flooding time to 12 seconds.
For Carrying More Tools
Upgrade your Tool Slots if you often need different tools during an expedition. Stage 4 gives you four slots instead of one.
For Recovering From Difficult Situations
The Winch is a useful choice when you frequently get stuck. Stage 4 increases its reach to 15 meters, giving you more flexibility when attaching it.
For Reducing Crash Damage
Protection Stage 3 reduces impact damage by 30% compared with stock. It is a sensible investment if you regularly hit obstacles at speed.
