Monthly newsletter of the Mitsubishi 4WD O wner ’s Club of Western Australia Inc. 1985 November 2014 Issue 335
Trip Notes: Big Valley Weekend Words on Wheels
Proudly sponsored by
Mitsubishi 4WD Owners Club of Western Australia Inc. PO Box 655 South Perth WA 6951
Meetings: 1st Wed of each month except January Manning Senior Citizens Centre 3 Downey Drive Manning www.mitsubishi4wd.org.au email: secretary@mitsubishi4wd.org.au Publication issues:editor@mitsubishi4wd.org.au President: Peter Cole Vice President: Craig Perry Secretary: John King Treasurer: Bridget McPherson Editor: Martin Archer IT Officer: Rob Nankiville Environment: Stephen Kalynuik WebMaster: Michael Gilbert Trip Coordinator: Pat O’Dowd Training Officer: Richard King Membership Officer: Peter Fry Insurance/Propoerty: Glen Bignell WA 4WD Assoc.Delegate: Linda Bickerdike Social Chairperson: Vacant
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Wandoo Woodlands
Trip Leader's Name
BOB GIGENGACK
Trip Title
WANDOO WOODLANDS
Terrain being driven
Forrest
Trip Grade
Level 2
Start date
14/12/14
Trip duration
1-day Overnight
End Date
14/12/14
Maximum number of vehicles
15
2 or 3 nights Extended Participants
Members Only Visitors Welcome
Meeting time
Special Requirements RSVP by: Trip Leader e-mail Contact phone Other comments
8.45
Meeting Location
VITTORIA RESTAURANT CAR PARK , BROOKTON HWAY KELMSCOTT 1.5KMS EAST OF JUNCTION ALBANY & BROOKTON HWAYS
Tyre deflators, compressor, shovel, recovery boards 12/12/14 bobandteresa@westnet.com.au 0419 606 346 Max no = 10 members & 5 visitors With Co-trip Leader , maintain ratio of 2 members: 1 visitor
Day trip
Type of Trip:
Environment being navigated: Beach driving Destination:
WHITEHILLS & PRESTON BEACH
Dates:
14/12/14
TO (if required)
Maximum No of Vehicles:
15
Members/Visitors:
Visitors Welcome
Meeting time: Meeting location:
MIAMI BAKEHOUSE HALLS HEAD MANDURAH
Overall distance for fuel considerations: 200 Trip rating:
Grade 3
Vehicle Requirements:
(Level 4 and 5 rated trips may require specific vehicle modifications to ensure safe travel)
Special Equipment/Supplies/requirements:
In addition to mandatory club equipment ( Built-in UHF radio; Recovery equipment; First Aid kit; Fire extinguisher)
TYRE DEFLATORS, COMPRESSOR, SHOVEL, RECOVERY TRACKS
RSVP by: Trip Leader:
Brett Anderson
Contact Phone Number:
0409 117 346
Contact email address:
bretton.anderson@pta.wa.gov.au
Mitsubishi 4WD Owner’s Club Christmas Dinner 7:00pm Saturday December 13, 2014 Charlottes Bar and Gril
Mt Henry Tavern
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27 MANNING RD COMO, WA RSVP before Wednesday December 3 (Club Meeting) to Karen Archer karenarcher@tpg.com.au or Ph: 9495 2782 or Mb 0427 016 030 Limited complimentary drink will be supplied
Cost: Meals and drinks wil be purchased from the regular dinner menu at the bar. No BYO Everyone is asked to bring a wrapped present to the value of approx $5:00 to be placed into a random draw. (Purchase a gift suitable for your own gender)
Big Valley Weekend Big Valley Weekend Margaret River November 14 to 17, 2014 Trip Leaders Martin and Karen Archer Roger and Jan Freegard This was our 10th anniversary for attending Big Valley. Each year the numbers increase with this year having 43 Adults and 10 Children. These members were distributed through 25 vehicles, most of which now tow large caravans. There are very few true off-road adventurers left that maintain the only way to travel is with the freedom of a camper or tent. The Big Valley caravan park is a working sheep farm. Every year there are improvements to the facilities provided to campers. The owners, Shelley and Kevin Silverthorne, go out of their way to ensure we have an enjoyable stay. Although we provide a sizeable group to fill the group camping area, there are still a few vacant positions in our area. The adjacent camping area for individual campers is regularly very busy. The trip leaders arrived at Big Valley a few days prior in order to pre-trip, set up and organise various things before the majority of the members arrive on Friday. This year we took advantage of the days to blind run the car navigation rally planned for Saturday. The Freegards, Kingstons and Vasiles tested the directions and questions to see if there were any miss-directions. The Vasiles pulled out early in order to return to camp to organise the lamb-on-a-spit. But I think they were happy not to complete the second half of the rally because of the ‘scratchy’ bits.
Roger also set up the Terrified Sheep Golf Course before people arrived. This involves placing 9 strategically placed flag poles and ‘T-off’ markers throughout the valley paddocks. During the course of the weekend the competitors are expected to complete 9 holes. A hole is regarded as getting the ball within one club length of the flag pole. The terrified sheep generally keep clear of the humans but there’s always those straying golf ball, especially when I’m playing. The weekend is kicked off with a Friday night meal fit for an episode of Game of Thrones. As our numbers had grown from previous years, this year we had 2 lambs. One on a spit and the other baked in an oven before being potted in gravy. Along with chicken and sausages the meal was complimented with everyone contributing salads and desserts. The lambs were prepared and began cooking early afternoon.Our resident butcher, Rick Ellis was accompanied by Roger and Sam in the butcher shed to prepare the meat for serving. Others like Bob McPherson helped out in the sausage cooking department while Karen and Jan set about
organising the other food. With the exception of Cristian and Carmelia Zota everyone had arrived by 7.00pm. Somehow the Zotas managed to finish a day’s work, organising two kids, pack a car, drive over 300 kilometres and arrive at Big Valley half way through the meal with a smile on their faces. The meal was once again a big success with everyone being overfed from the abundance of good food.
With the Bickerdikes first off the starting block, and eager to go, the car rally got under way just before 9:00am Saturday. Each contestant was provided with a set of directions to follow, during which they had to search for hidden treasures, look out for specific items and answer a series of questions along the way. The rally took a leisurely 5 hours to complete which gave the organisers a good quiet break at the camp. Everyone completed the rally (more or less) without a need to open the emergency envelopes. Scores were awarded for the answers and discoveries, and deducted from those not following specific instructions. The overall winner of the rally was Craig Perry driving with Trevor and Elaine Best as navigators. However, this was not without a cost with Craig finding the wrong end of a branch hitting the side of his new Patrol and causing a small dent. Noticeable achievements went to Bob and Teresa Gigengack who scored the most questions correctly.
Trevor, Craig and Elaine. Winners
George and Linda. 1st Cab off the rank
During the evening everyone was asked to nominate a time schedule from which to depart on the car navigation rally in the morning. With the possibility of 23 cars participating the departure times needed to be 3 minutes apart to allow plenty of time to complete the rally.
Everyone mad it back without getting lost, or for the need to open the emergency envelope. However there were some that strayed from the directions and ended up on the wrong roads. Some participants were simply exhausted by the last section and bypassed it completely. All in all, I believe everyone had an enjoyable day.
Pizza was organised for Saturday evening to precede a quiz night. Salento Catering provide a transportable wood fired pizza oven and set up alongside our camp kitchen. Everyone enjoyed the convenience of not having to cook themselves after a busy day on the road. Ivan and Anna of Salento were kept busy making a variety of tasty traditional Italian pizzas for our group of more than
50. People from the adjacent camp site also came across to buy pizzas. Later in the evening, we held a quiz night. Some questions were based on the information learned during the car rally. But apparently, from the feedback, we were straining their brains a little too much after a busy day. Sunday was a day to relax before heading to the Woody Nook Winery again for lunch. Once again Anne from Woody Nook ensured our group was looked after in reserving the outdoor section for our large group. With many of the members heading back to Perth, the lunch is a good wind-up opportunity for the weekend. Roger presented the winner of the Terrified Sheep Golf Competition to Trevor Best and the women’s prize to Nancy Ellis. Some remained at Big Valley for one more night, heading home on relatively less busy roads on Monday. Martin
Car Navigation Rally Contestants In no particular order
Glenn and Michael
Peter and Lyn
Rick and Nancy
Dave and Sue
Bob and Teresa
Lyn and John
Bob and Bridget
Neil and Raylene
David and Tracy
John, Ann, Stuart and Marjorie
WHEEL WORDS Martin the Editor
This is not a personal recommendation on tyre brands. Tyres are like cars when it comes to what people prefer. Generally once you own them, in your opinion they’re the best. No; this is just a few points for you to consider when you next go hunting for tyres. You may have noticed that I recently c h a n g e d the wheels and tyres on my 2008 NS VRX Pajero. Although I was in desperate need for new tyres, changing the wheel rims was something that became necessary (in my opinion) because of the price of 18” tyres compared to common sized tyres. When I purchased the Pajero new in 2008 I had no option but to persist with the limited range of tyres. But in recent years, alternatives for tyres and other brands of wheel rim have increased. The NS Pajero came standard 18” wheels on the VRX and Exceed Models. When released, there were not many, if any, off-road tyres available in the 18” range for the Pajero. This was mainly due to the 18” tyres bordering on being regarded as low profile, leaving little room in the tyre depth for chunky off-road patterns.
New 17” Rims : CSA Raptor
I imagine the manufacturers thinking was you are not likely to take the more expensive models off-road, so lets go for style over practicality. Also in the early years of this model, the only alternative rims available for the Pajero were the manufacturer ’s steel rims. These were in excess of $400 each. The Pajero has a deep offset for the wheel hub which prevents putting other brands of rims on the car. Some rims will fit the stud pattern, but their smaller offset will cause them to stick out more from the body work, making them illegal without fitting wider wheel arch moulds. Doing this also has implications for the steering and suspension. The increased size of the brake discs on this model also created a problem fitting aftermarket steel rims. One tyre dealer suggested using an angle grinder to cut off some of the metal protrusions from the callipers so that the steel rims would not rub against them. You don’t need an engineering degree to understand the potential danger in doing that. Common sense prevailed over that advice. In recent years, the range of off-road tyres and rims for the Pajero has increased. Other
Original 18” Factory Rims
manufacturers have introduced larger rim sizes in recreational vehicles which has allowed tyre manufacturers to introduce a wider range of tyre sizes, particularly in the all-terrain range. However, if you have ever compared the price of an 18” off-road tyre to that of the same tyre in 17”, you will have realised the huge price difference. For example, while writing this article I googled the price for a 17” BFGoodrich AT (LT) $311 and the same tyre in 18” was $577. That’s more than $250 per tyre. The tyres I have just fitted to my Pajero (Toyo Open Country MT) in 17” are $396 compared to the same tyre in 18” $813. That’s over $400 per tyre difference. As you can see, by replacing the 18” factory alloy rims with 17” aftermarket mag wheels (which in my opinion look a lot more attractive) I am saving a considerable amount when I need to replace tyres. Considering the new rims were $199 each, I still saved money.
The main reason manufacturers put low profile tyres on recreational vehicles is for the aesthetics not for preformance (It looks cool). Possibly the biggest disadvantage of low profile tyres is the high susceptibility to tyre and rim damage, since these tyres have a smaller air cushion to work with to absorb harsh impacts from pothole-ridden roads. The ride of your car can become much stiffer. Whereas, larger profile off-road tyres allow for softer ride on rough terrain, provide protection of the rim from rocks and can be deflated for soft surface driving. Car makers reportedly allow for a maximum increase of three percent of the original tyre size. Disadvantages of fitting tyres beyond this allowance include an increased rolling diameter putting the speedometer reading out and greater stresses on the gears and differentials. The Engine, drive train, differentials, anti-lock braking and traction control electronics are all dependant on sensors connected to moving parts including the wheels. Changing the specifications of the wheels will cause discrepancies in these electronic systems.
The new 17” tyres need a larger profile to account for the rolling diameter of the wheel, this also provides a bigger range of off-road tyres to choose from including mud terrains. Generally if mud terrain tyres are available in 18” they have such a small comparable tread depth their not worth calling MTs.
Considerations when choosing new rims:
PROFILES
Tyre Profile (Overall wheel rolling diameter)
The profile of a tyre is the depth of the sidewall, or the height of the side of the tyre, which is expressed as a percentage of the tyre’s width. On my Pajero for example the 265/60/R18 tyre the profile or aspect ratio of the tyre is 60, which means the tyre’s sidewall depth is 60 percent of the 265-millimetre width. Aspect ratios of low profile tyres usually begin from 60, moving downwards as the sidewall gets narrower.
Many years of technical design and engineering goes into manufacturing a vehicle to perform at its best. So changing the specifications of major components such as the overall wheel size should be considered carefully. If the size of the rim is changed, then an adjustment in tyre profile needs to be made to obtain the correct ‘rolling diameter’ (alternatively called the outer diameter).
Low profile tyres offer greatly improved levels of handling and grip, especially in the dry. Low profile tyres will benefit your car’s cornering characteristics by being able to handle greater cornering forces, and steering performance sees a marked improvement as well.
The 18” Pajero wheel with a 265/60/R18 tyre has an outer diameter of 775.2mm (265 x 60% x 2 + 457.2) Ie; The height of the tyre is calculated by multiplying the width (265mm) by 60%. Then multiplying that by 2 (the wheel diameter includes 2 tyre heights). Then adding the rim size (18” = 457.2mm)
This is all very good if you’re talking about road performance vehicles. But seriously, when you’re driving a 4X4 on the road, you shouldn’t be doing ‘break neck’ cornering or placing heavy demand on steering. After all, you’re driving what amounts to a run-away brick building.
The following calculation can be used to determine the profile of a tyre for a 17” rim replacing an 18” rim but maintaining the outer diameter.
The original outer-diameter minus the rim size (17”). Divided by tyre width x 2 Ie; (775.2 – 431.8)/(265 x 2) = 343.4 / 530 = profile percentage = .65 Therefore, the correct tyre size using a 17” rim is 265/65/R17 Wheel Offset The wheel offset is the distance from the centre of the wheel width to the mounting surface of the hub. Most vehicles have a positive offset, meaning the hub is positioned closer to the outer side of the wheel. This provides better steering and less stress on the suspension. Although many rims have the same stud pattern, it is essential the correct offset is maintained so that the wheel doesn’t protrude outside the body limits or alternatively inhibit steering by being too close to the wheel suspension components. Hub Register When a wheel is mounted on a hub, it is supported by the centre of the hub called the hub register. This is what supports the wheel in taking the vertical forces during driving. The diameter of the hub register varies between makes of cars. For this reason, if you are not using original rims the new rim’s central bore diameter must match the vehicle’s hub register diameter. Good quality rim manufacturers will provide Central Bore Locator (CBL) rings that allow the rims to fit specific vehicles. Be aware that there are some dealers with the opinion that as long as the stud pattern fits, the wheel will be suitable. This is a dangerous practice because the stud bolts should only be securing the wheels horizontally and not
subjected to the vertical forces on the wheel.
Other Considerations Road Noise Mud terrain tyres are designed predominantly for off-road driving. Although they are safe and perform reliably when driving on the roads they will generate road noise due to the size of the tread pattern. The Toyo Open Country M/T fitted to my car do make a noticeable noice. Most noise is generated when the vehicle is travelling at about 60kmh on a smooth bitumen surface. As speed increases, or the bitumen has a rougher surface, the noise reduces considerably. Spare Carrier
Wheel
The CSA rims are slightly wider than the original factory rims, and the bold tread pattern of the MT tyre extends onto the side walls. This collectively makes an increase in overall width of the wheel preventing the wheel carrier from closing. This dilemma has been rectified by adjusting the hinge positions on the wheel carrier cover. The wheel carrier cover now sits about 10mm further out from the rear door. Hopefully this has provided someone with food for thought when considering your next tyre replacement. Martin
Mitsubishi 4WD Owner’s Club of Western Australia
Honour Board Inc. 1986
President 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2010 2011 2012 2013
Ian Lockhart Award Ian Lockhart Ray Edwards Ray Edwards Stuart Baldock Robin Silver Geoff McKeown Lindsay Hill Terry Kitchen Terry Kitchen John Bromberger Reg Hill Mervyn Ward Mervyn Ward Peter Baker John King John King John King Rick Ellis Rick Ellis Paul Ryan Paul Ryan Paul Ryan Paul Ryan Martin Archer Martin Archer Peter Cole
Arthur Pearce / Keith Fleming Ray Edwards/Pam Fleming? Ray Edwards ?Reg Hill/Pam Fleming Judith McKeown Dorothy Hill Terry Kitchen/Mervyn Ward? Bill Harvey/David Whitaker David Whitaker Gregg Wilcox Tony Weldon Maxine Gosney Peter Baker Lester Cousins John McKay Terry Keesing Lester Cousins Wes Sutton Paul Ryan Martin & Karen Archer Tony Weldon Neil Hewer Trevor Theunissen John King Michael Gilbert Rob Nankiville
Club Member of the Year Award
Paul Ryan Tony Weldon Guy Lehmann Judith Brinkley
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7 Hayden Ct, Myaree