P.36 Get your 4WD adventure-ready with our suspension upgrade section
NZ4WD AUGUST 2022
t u o y a d d n a r G A ew
We drive Jeep’s all-n Grand Cherokee L seven-seater
Pl u s
FARI FULL HOUSE AT ARARIMU SA
ÄHELLCAT – RAM’S MIGHTY TRX ÄCRUISERFEST OUT WEST ÄLAND ROVER DISCOVERY SPORT
ÄMY4WD: PAJERO ‘SHORTY’ BUILD
RAISING THE NEXT GENERATION OF RACERS
OPENING SHOT
Travelling in central Mike Sheppard has been enjoying the north-south debate in recent issues of NZ4WD. Pretty much every reader – and everyone who checks in on our Facebook page or website – has an opinion. Armed with some amazing images from the backblocks, southern bloke Mike weighs in: “I have been watching the north versus south debate with interest and thought I’d add my two cents worth. In the central South Island, you get big spaces, with grand landscapes, a great play of shadow and light and there are always tussocks in the shot. For
me, photos alone cannot do justice to the way the tussocks move in the wind.” A recent trip he took with the Canterbury Recreational 4WD Club in the Lindis area yielded this stunning image complete with Mt Cook in the background. “The sun was setting as we descended off the high point and the light was fantastic.” There’s another image from the same trip on the Your 4s page later in this issue of the magazine.
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Features 24 My 4WD: ‘Shorty’ Pajero 34 Outdoor living – Off Road Caravans 44 Adventure NZ: Ararimu Safari
News 6
Ram TRX
10 Cat theft upspike 17 Tested: Jeep Grand Cherokee L
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28 Tested: Land Rover Discovery Sport R-Line
Regulars 4
Editorial
16 Events 52 4WD sport 56 Dirt Nation 58 Geoffzone 59 Vahryous thoughts 64 Torque Talk
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NZ4WD Volume 26 No 7. AUGUST 2022 EDITOR Mark Baker EMAIL: editor@nz4wd.co.nz
FROM THE
EDITOR
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Margaret Murray CONTRIBUTORS: Ashley Lucas, Richard Soult, Aaron Rich, David Coxon, Geoff Anders, Peter Vahry EVENTS MANAGER Ashley Lucas EMAIL: Ashley@nz4wd.co.nz GROUP SALES MANAGER Dan Prestige EMAIL: dan@nz4wd.co.nz NZ4WD ADVERTISING MANAGER Jacqueline Ngatai EMAIL: jacqueline@nz4wd.co.nz PUBLISHER Cathy Parker EMAIL: cathy@adrenalin.co.nz SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER & ENQUIRIES Annette Colbert EMAIL: subs@nz4wd.co.nz PROOFREADER George Ward Adrenalin Publishing Ltd 56 Kuru Place, Papamoa, 3118 PO Box 65092 Mairangi Bay, Auckland 0754 Phone: 09 478 4771 Facsimile: 09 478 4779 SUBSCRIPTIONS: NZ4WD magazine is an 11 issue magazine plus one Annual Subscription in NZ $89 (incl GST). Please call us for overseas rates. COPYRIGHT: NZ4WD is copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher. Neither editorial opinions expressed nor facts stated in advertisements are necessarily agreed to by the editor or publisher of NZ4WD and, whilst all efforts are made to ensure accuracy, no responsibility will be taken by the publishers for inaccurate information, or for any consequences of reliance on this information.
Journey to the light From the depressing depths of winter’s cold and wet days Written from a dark, dank place, but heading for the sun: we’ve already crawled our way past the coldest and shortest days of 2022. Plenty of us are still out there doing the back-country trips and having a ball; others might be spending evenings in the shed sorting out the wear and tear of the summer just gone. Others are well settled into the couch. We don’t judge, it’s all fine. A big theme of the past couple of years has been ‘are you okay?’ On that note, how are the 4WD fraternity faring with the price of fuel, parts availability, supply chain issues? How many of us have changed our driving behaviour as fuel prices spike to new record heights? Will we switch from diesel to petrol as the former reaches new and outrageous price levels? How easy is it to get the parts we need from dealers or third party outlets, or is there a constant response of ‘waiting for stock’? How many of us are champing at the bit, having decided to buy a new 4WD and are now facing frustrating delivery-time waits of ten or more months? How’s that ute tax affecting behaviour?
Bought an EV double-cab 4WD recently? We haven’t met many who have been deterred from their purchase of a traditional 4WD by having to add another $5-$8,000 to their shopping budget. In fact, tradies we’ve bumped into over recent weeks have made a couple of good points: first, it’s the same for everyone – or pretty much the same. The ute tax is now ‘baked in’ to new 4WD prices. Then our pet tradies are also quite philosophical about it. “We pay now, but we add the cost across the jobs we do,” was one comment. Another points out that the tax will stick fast to the vehicle, so it will then raise the used-vehicle value when it comes time to sell and upgrade. He trades up every three years. Finally, our pet chippie has just bought a lovely Hilux SR5 double-cab. He’s utterly Toyota-loyal and says simply: “What else will do what my ute does?” There’s not going to be an EV ute available here for a fair while. In the meantime, we all need – and want – our utes and SUVs. Don’t we? Time to keep calm and carry on. Sunny days are on their way.
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Mark Baker Editor, NZ4WD
On the cover this month: Jeep’s new Grand Cherokee L at Miranda; lower left, Steve Voschegang took his grandmother Ali out for a drive on the Ararimu Safari in his very original Suzuki LJ50; and Arrin Crabb drifts his Kiwitruck in racing at Manukau.
Ram’s ‘apex predators’ arrive Joel scored first, now Australia catches up Two months ago, Wainui off-roader Joel Giddy was good enough to give NZ4WD a good look around Ram’s finest: the first Hellcat-engined TRX down under. He used his Ram TRX to bring his race trucks down to Manukau from his home base north of Auckland.
The 523kW truck was parked in a line-up of Ram and Chevy Silverado haulers and a few more mundane offerings, making the latter look like puppies alongside the ‘big dog’. The TRX didn’t arrive through official channels, which made it all the more intriguing. Now, Aussie’s all excited about finally getting the Ram TRX. “The TRX sets new benchmarks for extreme performance trucks,” according to Neville Crichton, chairman of the Ateco
Group, owners of Ram Trucks Australia. Across the ditch, Ram has gone from zero to 13,000 in seven years. That’s 13,000 happy pick-up owners. Impressive. As noted in the article on Joel’s truck, the TRX is built around the 6.2-litre supercharged Hemi V8 making 523kW at 6,100rpm and 882Nm at 4,200rpm. That gives the big truck a 0-100km/ h time of 4.5 seconds. Strangely, Ram quotes a maximum speed of ‘just’ 190km/h. The transmission is an eight speed Torqueflite unit and the truck’s ‘active’ transfer case features upgraded internals for improved strength and durability. The TRX uses a 3.55 ratio Dana 60 solid rear axle with full-floating hubs. An electronic locking rear differential is standard for increased performance off-road Designed exclusively for TRX, new front and rear 2.6-inch Bilstein Black Hawk e2 adaptive performance shocks provide fast reaction time, unbeatable damping and improved heat dissipation for traversing harsh terrain at high speeds Five-link coil suspension is tuned to
deliver the best combination of ride, handling and comfort no matter the road surface. It rides on specially-developed Goodyear Wrangler Territory 325/65 R18 All-Terrain 35-inch tires. The truck’s safety spec includes a range of active and passive safety and security features including ParkView rear backup camera with dynamic grid lines, electronic stability control (ESC) with electronic roll mitigation and six airbags, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, ready alert braking and full-speed forward collision warning. Australia’s Ram pick-up truck range starts with the 1500 Express Crew and Warlock models in the original DS variant, followed by the 1500 Laramie and 1500 Limited in the recently launched DT model range, and the Heavy Duty 2500 Laramie and Heavy Duty 3500 Laramie. The TRX is the new range-topper and is priced from AUD$199,950 (NZD$219,900). It is loaded: the only option will be a full-length panoramic sunroof, at an additional $10,000. Australia is the only Ram-approved manufacturer of right-hand drive trucks.
Block hammers the Hellcat Parents, don’t let your children try this – it may well count as cruel and unusual punishment. NZ4WD recently profiled Joel Giddy’s awesome private-import Ram TRX ‘Hellcat’. It’s his ‘enjoy’ truck, 523kW of on-road fun, the first and most likely still the only such truck in this country. It has already been off-road, but only into the grassy paddock at the Counties Manukau
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Offroad Racing Club’s stadium track at Colin Dale Park. Ram has taken things a step further in the USA, announcing a special edition called Sandblast and letting rally/drift/ rallycross star Ken Block loose in it. American showman Block has posted a teaser video to his social media channels previewing a new Ram spec apparently built off the Ram TRX ‘Hellcat’. The brief
black-and-white video shows a nostrilgrilled Ram pickup carving donuts in the dirt with a giant plume of dust billowing into the air. The exhaust note, which is audible in the video, gives it away. It’s a classic ‘neither confirm nor deny’ for Ram. We can confirm no actual Hellcats were harmed in the making of the video. See for yourself at shorturl.at/ LNPU1.
2023 Silverado range Trail Boss retires, LTZ stays, new model joins the range
GMSV has revealed details of the 2023 Silverado model range updates and enhancements which will feature on the new Model Year 2023 Silverado 1500, including the addition of a new flagship Silverado model. The off-road-leaning LT Trail Boss model will be discontinued with a new model dropping in its place to complement the popular LTZ Premium. Chevrolet’s new flagship off-road truck, the Silverado 1500 ZR2 will maintain the breadth of the Australasian range. It is the next chapter in off-roading, and it’s coming to Australia and New Zealand GMSV says the ZR2 model delivers next-level off-road capability right from the factory and features front and rear e-lockers and Multimatic DSSV dampers. Adding to its off-road credibility are 33-inch mud-terrain tyres and a new high-approach steel cut front bumper designed for off-road strength, durability and clearance. In addition to its functional features, the Silverado 1500 ZR2 is distinguished by unique
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aesthetic cues, which includes a unique black chrome grille with Chevrolet emblem, a raised black hood bulge with ZR2 badging, exclusive ZR2 wheel flares, unique 18-inch gloss black wheels and exclusive jet black/graystone
leather-appointed interior with dark trim. The Silverado 1500 ZR2 and LTZ Premium will continue to feature the impressive 6.2-litre V8 paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. The LTZ Premium will
receive a range of smaller enhancements including a redesigned front-fascia with daytime running lights, interior and technology updates. The new interior will have an electronic transmission shifter relocated from the 2022 model’s column shift. The new version will have a 13.4-inch diagonal colour touchscreen complemented by a 12.3-inch configurable instrument cluster. Other LTZ premium highlights include new 20-inch Sterling silver wheels with all-terrain tyres, jet black leather interior, adaptive cruise control and a technology pack featuring a rear camera mirror, multi-colour 15-inch diagonal head-up display (HUD) and – as already on the current LTZ – a bed view camera. The certification process is underway for the new Silverado 1500 ZR2 and full model features and technical specifications, including weights, towing capability, dimensions and clearances, will be confirmed ahead of its arrival in mid-2023. Prospective buyers should expect price increases.
Sir John’s odyssey Auckland to Invercargill in aid of mental health There are many New Zealanders working in the health industry to improve the mental health of New Zealanders. Alongside the professionals, people like Sir John Kirwan are working just as hard to help Kiwis. In July, All Blacks legend Sir John partnered with Land Rover on a landmark drive across the country to raise awareness for mental health, aiming to raise funds for his charitable initiative Mitey, which targets more than 11,000 children in 40 schools. Sir John hosted community events from Auckland to Invercargill and drove his own Land Rover on the trip. Up to 75 per cent of New Zealanders believe this generation of children are at greater risk of mental health issues than generations before them.
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Hands off my cat Difficult days as thieves target valuable metals Cat thefts have hit the headlines in New Zealand. Not the furry night-marauders though, these are the expensive sort sitting under our vehicles. Private motorists who park their cars in places where they are accessible are waking up to find their exhaust systems chopped open, cat heat sensor wires stripped away and the catalytic converter itself gone. Worse, in some cases modern cars and 4WDs have two or even three cats. The motivation: cats are worth money at scrap dealers. Their rare metals – palladium, rhodium, and platinum – can be extracted and re-used. Replacement costs spiral upward of $2000 per cat very quickly. In Auckland in June, thieves were hitting second-hand car yards, taking ten or more cats at a time. Even though a second-hand cat fetches less, that theft represents a massive cost to the company, especially if their insurance refuses to cover the loss. So far in New Zealand this trend is city and town-based, but rural communities may well be next. It is a trend imported from overseas, and it is on the rise here. Thefts of catalytic converters continue to climb at an alarming rate, and the pandemic and its resulting economic issues pushed up the value of metals like cadmium by a huge amount. Catalytic converters are generally easy to access; it takes an average of three minutes for a thief to slide under a car (less for a 4WD because of the additional ride height) and simply cut it out with a hacksaw or Sawzall. It’s a pretty lucrative crime of convenience.
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1: A cat-thief’s tool kit and their haul of cats from a night out stealing. 2: A third-party anti theft shield kit. Easy DIY theft preventer. Police say a thief seeing a shield kit like this will usually opt to go elsewhere to harvest cats.
Hybrid vehicles are particularly vulnerable, because their cats use even more precious metals. So, what are the best ways to avoid becoming a cat theft statistic? Aside from typical anti-theft best practices like parking in well-lit areas and setting the car alarm to its most sensitive option, there are a few measures owners can take. Fitting a metal ‘cat shield’ under the vehicle can slow
down the theft or convince the thief to look for easier prey. Just remember a cat works by creating heat to activate the metal coatings that atomise pollutants. Insurance doesn’t really help – wait to get paid out, argue about value, convince the company a replacement used cat is not acceptable? No thanks. Not all insurance policies will even cover cat theft—and because it’s a model-specific emissions
device, cat replacement can cost thousands from a dealer. Fit an anti-theft device? There are not many on the market here yet. It’s one of those awkward modern issues. Nobody should have to take measures to protect parts of their car from this kind of attack, and yet it’s the owner that ends up with the inconvenience and expense when they are hit by cat theft.
Hoonigan builds a Warthog From the depths of cold and wet days Fans of the online game and movie Halo will instantly recognise the M12 Force Application Light Reconnaissance Vehicle, otherwise known as the Warthog. Ten years ago or more, Weta Workshops brought its version of the Halo Warthog to Manukau for an off-road event. Based on a Nissan Patrol chassis, it had the look of the version created online for the Halo game franchise. There was no chance of a drive though: it was only in Manukau for display purposes. A range of companies have since created Warthog tribute vehicles, but none as extreme as the 745kW (1000bhp) Hoonigan version shown to the world last year. The crew at Hoonigan partnered with Microsoft to create a working replica of the troop carrier to celebrate the launch of Halo Infinite. Microsoft wanted something that could exceed 100 miles an hour, that could jump over 100 feet, that could climb over any type of rocks or terrain and had the same
handling and driving characteristics as in the game. The real-life build began with a four-wheel-steer rolling rock crawler chassis and has live axles rather than the fully independent suspension design depicted in the video game. A turbocharged 7.2-litre Ford V8 provides power through an aftermarket Gearstar Supermatic80 transmission and an Atlas
transfer case. Those super-knobbly tyres are 43-inch Baja Pro XS Mickey Thompsons. The Hoonigan Halo Warthog made its official
debut at the premiere of the Ryan Reynolds movie Free Guy and Hoonigan is running a series on its YouTube channel detailing the whole build.
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Too many sixers? After midnight, it’s a Bronco! Everyone’s doing it: now there’s a six-wheeled Ford Bronco. At first glance it could almost be a clever Photoshop/ CGI image, but it’s real. From the file of ‘4WDs we cannot have’ comes this six-wheeled variant of Ford’s much-anticipated Bronco. The Bronco is based on the next-gen Ranger, as is this
coversion, but currently there are no plans for the Bronco to come down under, nor is there a prospect of these headturning aftermarket beasts coming. This one, offered in the USA, comes courtesy of conversion specialists Maxlider Brothers Customs. The ‘Midnight’ (sorry, ‘Midnite’) six-wheeler goes on sale late this year and will be priced from USD$399,000. That narrows down
the buyer pool a bit – the stock four wheeled version is for sale for just US$29,995. So buyers will pay roughly 13 times the price for just 50 per cent more wheels. According to Maxlider, the 6X6 will feature a lift kit, roof-mounted cage, and substantially stretched chassis. While official dimensions are yet to be released, it will comfortably exceed six metres from nose to tail.
It’s unclear if the vehicle’s 2.7-litre twin-turbo V6 powertrain – capable of producing 231kW/542Nm in standard guise – will be upgraded to cope with the additional weight. Trucks like this – based on the next-Gen Ranger – will without a doubt be starring at this year’s SEMA automotive show in November. Sadly, even though it is based on the Australasian-developed right-hand drive Ranger, the six-wheeler is unlikely to be built in RHD.
Sun meets earth Subaru launches full EV Solterra
The Subaru Solterra’s name is created by combining the Latin words for ‘sun’ and ‘earth’. It’s the Japanese company’s first big move into straight-out battery electric vehicles, and it signals Subaru’s drive toward a wider electrified model range.
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Built on the new, all-electric e-Subaru Global Platform, the Solterra SUV EV was launched to New Zealand media at an event on Waiheke Island in early July. Subaru says it carries across the latest versions of the company’s
All-Wheel Drive (AWD), active safety technology, adventure capabilities and durable, reliable engineering. The Solterra has the same capability in any conditions, and on the same terrain as all other Subarus courtesy of the
X-Mode AWD control system. The new Grip Control function enables the Solterra to run at a constant speed while stabilising the vehicle when the going gets tough. Bold styling both inside and out sets the Solterra apart from the XV, Forester and other recent designs. Subaru Corporation is committed to an electric future, aiming to apply electrification to all Subaru vehicles sold worldwide by around 2030. By 2050 the Subaru brand is targeting a reduction of its average C02 emissions by at least 90 per cent compared with 2010. Subaru Corporation’s ambition is to continually develop and deliver products that meet societal and environment needs.
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Toyota concept Cruiser shows its EV hand Generations of inspiration Hands up all those who remember – or desire – the original FJ and BJ40 Land Cruisers? Those 4WDs worked hard and helped open up New Zealand to modern farming practices – and of course to 4WD recreation. More recently the original ‘40’ was also the inspiration for the limited-run ‘tribute’ Toyota FJ. Now Toyota has revealed the Compact Cruiser concept, and it shows off every inch of a lineage that stretches back to the 1970s Cruisers. It will apparently lead to a productionised version with an electric drivetrain. Plenty of automakers including as Rivian with its new R1S SUV and R1T pickup truck, and GNMC with the Hummer are proving that electrics are very capable off-road, so there is little to suggest the Toyota will be any less capable.
Size-wise, the Compact Cruiser EV Concept might have more in common with Suzuki’s original Samurai or the more recent
Four ANCAP stars for Palisade Australasia’s independent voice on vehicle safety ANCAP Safety has announced a four-star ANCAP safety rating for the Hyundai Palisade. This rating applies to all diesel Palisade LX2 models sold in Australia and New Zealand from November 2020. The Hyundai Palisade arrived in the Australasian market in late 2020 and achieved scores of 79 per cent for adult occupant protection, 88 per cent for child occupant protection, 63 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 63 per cent in the area of safety assist. These scores limited its ability to reach five-stars. “The Hyundai Palisade fell short in two of the four key areas of assessment which unfortunately has seen it unable to meet the top level of safety that families and fleets have come to expect,” said ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg.
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As the only Top 10 selling model within the Large SUV (<$70,000) segment without an independent safety rating, the Hyundai Palisade was put through its paces against the current 2020-2022 test and rating criteria. All other models within the segment hold a five-star ANCAP safety rating. Ms Hoorweg said the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane keep assistance (LKA) systems fitted
to the LX2 Palisade lack the sophistication of systems fitted to peer vehicles assessed to the same criteria and limited its rating within the Safety Assist area of assessment. AEB Junction functionality – which helps avoid collisions in intersection turning-across-path scenarios – is not available. Multicollision braking and a speed limit information system is also not available. Emergency Lane Keeping (ELK)
functionality is limited. Looking at physical crash performance, a marginal score was achieved for the chest of the driver in the oblique pole test. The LX2 Palisade also does not offer a centre airbag which can assist with improving head protection for front seat occupants in side impact crashes. “A centre airbag could improve its AOP score. Protection from whiplash injury could also be improved for second and third row occupants. ANCAP says Hyundai will introduce a mid-cycle update to the Palisade in coming months, at which time safety- related changes introduced to the updated model will be assessed. “ANCAP’s role is to provide clear, reliable and independent consumer information for the broadest possible range of popular selling models,” she said.
subcompact Jimny SUV than the midsized FJ Cruiser. It doesn’t share the FJ Cruiser’s bodyon-frame chassis or anything else from that go-anywhere utility, other than some styling cues, a version of the original FJ40’s Sky Blue exterior paint, and the TOYOTA lettering on the similarly narrow grille. The FJ Cruiser was a massive hit when introduced in 2006, and was obviously inspirational to the new concept. This tiny SUV is more of a design study, but bear in mind that Toyota rarely goes this far without following through and producing something we can actually buy. It’s part of Toyota’s new “Battery EV” strategy, introduced online on December 14, 2021 that aims to prepare as many options as possible for customers around the world.
Let’s twist again and again 32 Deuce Coupe tribute UTV Anyone who has seen the classic 1973 movie American Graffiti will recognise the wee ‘32 Deuce Coupe hot road below. Truth is, the American-built tribute at right is not a hot rod. Nor does it have a (real) V8 under the hood, or anywhere else.
The ‘Rugged ’32’ takes inspiration from the silver screen. Though it looks like the ’32 Ford Coupe that starred in that movie, this one is all Polaris UTV offroader underneath. It’s been lengthened 300mm and given a six-point roll cage, fire suppression system, and
many other upgrades. Up front there is a fake small-block V8 that houses the fuel tank. The actual engine is still the Polaris one litre unit, with an aftermarket turbo conversion. It was built for Rugged Radios president Greg Cottrell. “I’ve always wanted to build something like this,” he said.
“We wanted something unique [and] it couldn’t have worked out better. Everything about this build just came together so well. It’s a beautiful machine that actually performs, I mean really performs!” Watch a Youtube video on how they built it: shorturl.at/kowxY
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Where to go, what to see and do – and when 14 AUGUST Kids go racing Young Guns raceday. Kiwitruck sprint races and half-hour ‘Super-enduro’. Free entry for racers thanks to Tim McKay at Truck Fix. Spectator admission by gold coin donation for the kids. Contact Gary Baker on 021 304 864, 28 AUGUST Off Road Racing National Championship Round 6 hosted by Waikato Offroad Racing Club at TECT Park. Short Course. www.oranz.co.nz 9-10 SEPTEMBER Mainland Winch Challenge Alexandra hosted by Shotover Club on Central Otago grounds. For an entry form, email: mainlandwinching@gmail.com 16-18 SEPTEMBER Battle in the Bay Ultra4 New Zealand race at Te Matai Motorsport TECT Park, Tauranga Bay of Plenty. The course this year is going to be a good time, technical with fast areas and some winching may be involved. There will be a winch challenge class. Entry form at www.ultra4newzealand.com/entry-form Queries and further information can be directed to the ultra4newzealand.com website website, Facebook page, phone 027 6834327 or email info@ultra4newzealand.com 8-9 OCTOBER Mainland Winch Challenge Dunedin. For entry form email mainlandwinching@gmail.com 15 OCTOBER Matariki Forestry Charity Run 2022. Hosted by the Whangamata 4X4 Club Inc. The event will be a one-day event with a shiny 4WD trip separate to tougher event (rego and WoF required) run elsewhere at same time. All funds raised will be donated to charity. Limited numbers. Further details in due course. Enquires please phone or email Bhavesh Ranchhod 027 418 7712 or whangamata4x4@gmail.com
22-23 OCTOBER Off Road Racing National Championship Final round hosted by Auckland Offroad Racing Club. Short course and enduro over two days. www.oranz.co.nz. 11-12 NOVEMBER Xtreem dual enduro New Zealand’s First Xtreem 4WD endurance race ‘where you have to go fast enough to win but slow enough to survive’. Dual enduro format with repair break in between. Carney’s Road, Alford Forest, 20km west of Methven, pits and scrutineering at the site. The course is approximately 7.5km long and comprises fast, flowing areas, some rough terrain, possible winch walls, valleys, rocks and mud with five bonus deviations to test teams. The event will use the “Mainland Winch Challenge” rule book. Limited to 30 vehicles. Spectators free. Email : info@4x4events.co.nz
19 NOVEMBER Mickey Thompson New Zealand Offroad Grand Prix Colin Dale Park, Manukau. Spectacular non-stop race action, whole track viewable from spectator locations, food and drink vendors on site.
2023 25 FEBRUARY 2023 Central Hawke’s Bay 4X4 Trek Hosted by the Waipukurau Rotary Club, a one day coastal hill country trek from Omakere to Porangahau Beach. Website and Facebook page to be set up for registration. Enquiries contact Dan von Dadelszen, co-ordinator, 027 891 7659 or email carovond1950@gmail.com 3-5 MARCH Hereworth 4WD Tutira Trek 2023 This biennial fundraiser is now gearing up for its eighth running in 2022 and will be based around Tutira, Northern Hawke’s Bay. Previously canceled last year due to pandemic. Bookings open later in year. Contact: hereworth4wd@gmail.com
If you, your club or anyone you know are planning any events, please get in contact with our Event Manager Ashley Lucas. We can assist in promotion of the event and may be able to offer some assistance in other areas. Email Ashley@nz4wd.co.nz
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TESTED
Images by Caitlin Baker
Magnificent seven: Jeep’s Grand Cherokee Raising the stakes with a long list of ‘firsts’
Jeep’s Grand Cherokee L is a grab-bag of ‘firsts’. It’s all new – the first all-new Grand Cherokee in 11 years, and it’s the first three-row ‘Grand’ ever. We drove it in late June/early July and came away wondering what to leave in/what to leave out of the article.
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This thing is slathered in safety and infotainment/ communications tech. The superlatives continue: it has the best (simplest, fastest) phone sync of any vehicle we have tested this year; it is the first to feature an embedded McIntosh premium stereo (with quite a few speakers and an enormously powerful amplifier); and as far as can be determined it is the first vehicle to be offered in New Zealand with a night-vision camera built in.
In fact, there are cameras hidden everywhere – under the side mirrors, in the shark-fin antenna, eyeballing the rear seat passengers and out the rear. Many of them have washer nozzles too – handy on cold mornings or after a long run on a muddy road. The drivetrains are identical: Pentastar V6 petrol engine, eight speed auto and full-time four-wheel drive. Say goodbye to a V8 ‘Grand’, we will not see its like again. Nor is there
(currently) a diesel version. Purists will like the fact that the Summit’s spec is based around QuadraTrac II which delivers an electronically activated low range. The Night Eagle and Limited get QuadraTrac I and do without low range. Jeep’s QuadraTrac has been around – in various forms – for almost 50 years, gaining greater sophistication and capability along the way. Also enhancing capability is the company’s Selec-Terrain
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system, which enables the driver to choose a transmission mode that suits the terrain they are encountering. The modes are selected by a ‘flipper’ control on the centre console and there are five settings: “Auto”, “Snow”, “Sport”, “Sand/Mud” and “Rock”. This system was first offered in the 2011 Grand Cherokee and is standard on all Jeep Grand Cherokees with a two-speed transfer case. Finally, the Summit’s air suspension offers driver-
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1: The top-of-the-line Summit shows off the upper limit of its air suspension. 2. Seating – and legroom – in the second row for three big adults. Lashings of leather and open-pored ash wood panelling. 3. Sumptuous: the front seats cosset driver and passenger with heating, cooling and massage functions. 4. The ‘Grand’ dwarfs our fisher mates’ 4WD ute.
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5. The first three-row Grand Cherokee – she’s big, but very well proportioned.
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selectable ride heights for on-road and off-road, with an extra low setting to ease passenger entry and exit. While Night Eagle and Limited versions have 20-inch wheels and tyres, the Summit has 21-inch wheels, which
appears to be the first use of ‘21s’ on a production vehicle. It has road-oriented 275/55x21 Continental tyres and a full-size (steel wheel) spare. Summit’s wading depth is a very respectable 610mm. We are not sure many owners will
boldly go that deep, but it’s nice to know that we could. Towing: the Night Eagle and Limited will safely draw along a braked load of 2,813kg; the Summit has a lower 2,270kg rating due to its use of the air suspension. Still plenty for the
boat, trailer or caravan. The Summit we tested gets Jeep’s optional Advanced Technology Group – a very good heads-up display (HUD), wireless charging pocket in the centre console, and most interesting of all, there’s a night Continued page 20Ä
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vision infra-red camera in the front grille. Anyone who has encountered a cow or sheep sleeping on a rural road at night will know how and why the cam is important. On urban roads, the cam will give early warning of pedestrians or animals close to the road. In both cases the heat ‘signature’ gives what can be life-saving advance notice of a potential hazard. The ATG package is an option at $6,000, but if buyers live rurally or drive a lot at night then it’s certainly worth considering. The Grand Cherokee range starts with the Night Eagle,
which sneaks in under $100,000 at $99,990; steps up to the Limited at $104,990 and tops out with the Summit we drove, which offers 5.2 metres of premium four wheeling for $134,990. All those prices exclude the usual exclusions and the Government’s ‘ute tax’. Across the range, as with the outgoing version, the ‘hero’ exterior colour of the nine available is the bright white scheme on our test vehicle, which is set off by a gloss black roof that deceptively hides a full-sized sunroof. We believe many will opt for this colour - or go for the diamond black,
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which creates a distinct on-road presence when applied on a vehicle this size and creates an almost monolithic look from either side thanks to the (quite dark) tints of the cabin’s acoustic glass. On the topic of acoustics, the Summit has a premium McIntosh sound system with 19 speakers. Not many new luxury vehicles can come close. Most have a few more speakers than cupholders – or USB outlets. But 19 speakers? Strewth. And a 760-Watt amplifier? Keep the teenager away from that thing. There’s even a cool main-
screen option that recreates the old ‘VU’ meters from the age of analogue. Pleasing to the Boomer’s eye. There are 12-way power memory seats with heating and lower back lumbar massage function for both front passengers, and for those who need it, know that this is a ‘proper’ seven-seater. The legroom – especially in the second row – is immense. Then when passengers are not in the mix but big loads are, simply fold down rows two and three and the stowage area becomes a space of almost 1400 litres.
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SPECIFICATIONS
2022-2023 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE SUMMIT RESERVE PRICE: $134,990 ENGINE: 3.6L V6, sequential multiport fuel injection,
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MAX POWER: 210kW at
But back to those front seats for a moment. That massage/ heat function deserves further comment: on a cold blustery day, having been out doing something suitably outdoorsy like cutting a load of firewood, it is blissful to tuck back into the ‘Grand’ and add warmth (three levels are available) to a very sophisticated lower back kneading. Frozen extremities? Turn on the heated steering wheel as well. The aircon is a four-zone independent climate control meaning the second-row passengers have their own microclimate to enjoy. In the dash there’s a 10.1” Uconnect 5 display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a 10.25” multi-view display cluster. With its sculpted interior panels, open-grain ash timber trim sections and accentstitched leather this is a very pleasant place to be while motoring. The 3604cc Pentastar engine delivers the six-cylinder refinement expected, cruising unobtrusively along at very low revs on the open road but providing a stirring snarly V6
soundtrack under acceleration. It produces 210kW at 6,350rpm with peak torque of 344Nm arriving at 4,300rpm. The engine is tied closely with the subframe for the front diff, enabling a lower mounting for improved handling. Couple it with an eightspeed automatic transmission with well chosen ratios and there’s almost no reason to use the paddle shifters. Likewise, there is a Sport mode, but little need to use it from day to day. It’s just cool to know it is there, and handy to select from time to time. For those who really don’t need seven seats there’s a standard-wheelbase five-seat version on the way in early 2023. Similarly, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) version arrives next year with a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, making a combined 280kW and offering an electric-only range of 40km. A Grand day out It’s always good to test these vehicles on roads owners would happily tackle, on missions they might like to undertake. For a bit of a change, we headed south-east
6,400rpm 1. Massive 21-inch Continental tyres coped well with shellbased sand tracks 2 and 3. Just two of the McIntosh sound system’s 19 speakers. 4. The Grand opens up like a Swiss Army knife. The rear passenger doors open up 65 degrees to give access to seat rows two and three.
MAX TORQUE: 344Nm at
4,000rpm TRANSMISSION: Eight speed automatic/all-wheel drive ECONOMY: 10.6l/100km* EMISSIONS: 271gm/km* SUSPENSION: multi-link independent front and rear; Quadra-Lift driver-adjustable air suspension WHEELBASE: 3,091mm TARE WEIGHT: 2,270kg TURNING CIRCLE 11.7 TOWING: 2268kg braked/750
to the Firth of Thames, through some very tight and twisty ‘B’-roads that enabled us to stay away from the motorway. We first dropped south then up past an old stomping ground from the dim dark past when rallying was huge. Pinnacle Hill Road, Koheroa Road, down around Maramarua Forest and then back up and out toward the Red Fox tavern and east to the coast. This is – or was – all farm country and rally roads. No mistake, this is a big piece of kit on narrow rural roads slimed with moss in midwinter. The multiple single lane bridges in that area required a bit of attention, especially
unbraked BRAKES: 354mm ventilated disc brakes front, 350mm ventilated discs rear WHEELS/TYRES: Aluminium
alloy 21x9”/275/45 R21 SAFETY: ANCAP five star *manufacturer figure
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when a local coming the other way ignores those terribly small ‘Give Way’ signs. Perhaps they assume the townie coming the other way will get the sweats at the thought of plowing a $134,000 SUV into their tractor or rumpty farm ute. Perhaps they are quite right. No ABS braking was required at any time during these ‘moments’, and it wasn’t long before we popped out at Miranda and onto the coast road. This whole area was once
1. The door carries seat memory controls in that stunning wood insert. 2. The second row of seats has tinted glass and this mesh privacy/bug screen. 3. Flowing the ‘Grand’ down the coast tracks at Miranda.
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an enormous salt marsh and the efforts of a couple of generations of farmers and councils have only partially succeeded in turning it into viable pasture. Many small streams drain the tide back out of the fields. The area, of course, is known as the seabird coast. A couple of decades ago, we hosted the editor of the ‘real’ Top Gear magazine, Kevin Blick, on a multi-day drive experience down through here to the Coromandel and on to Rotorua. He was accompanied by award-winning photographer Michael Baillie and they came at the invitation of Tourism New Zealand, delivering in return an inspiring 12-page feature in the mag. Over world-class fish and chips at Kaiaua, our travelogue narrative (in our best David
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Attenborough voices) went “and now we motor south past the world-famous Seabird Coast, home to millions and millions of… well… seabirds.” Giggle. Certainly, the gulls and oystercatchers were there in serious numbers, as were the fully-fledged birdwatcher types, hung with binoculars and thermos flasks. A short cruise along the road and there are multiple turning points that give access to waterside tracks and a large freedom camping area for motor homes and caravans. Choosing one, we turn along a shell-and-sand track to a decent photo point where we are distracted by a bloke and his son dragging sea kayaks up off the mudflats to their workhorse Colorado. A two-bloke limit in snapper and a single gurnard were the reward for their slog. Identities must remain anonymous, as must ‘spot X’. It’s the Code of the Fisherman. Any location that hands over that many ‘snaps’ in not much more than a half hour of fishing in a metre of water is worth protecting. Here we tried out the air suspension’s multiple settings, though not from any need to do so, simply to see how they worked. It would be well worth Jeep’s time to set up some practical sessions to show new owners just how good this kind of technology is. Motoring off, we took a quick
(slow) motor through the freedom camping area, home to dozens and dozens of caravans and enormous motor homes, with devoted birdy types fluttering around stowing away the day’s safari chairs and e-bikes and readying for their gin sundowners. Cyclists take note: there are well formed trails from the freedom camp all the way to Kaiaua – and maybe further. This bears further investigation when the weather warms up a little. Heading north again, the air suspension’s adjustability comes into its own on the rutted vehicle tracks here, and for future reference the best setting for such surfaces is number three, one up from regular road height. Higher settings are not necessary and tend to accentuate pitch and roll; lower would occasionally cause mudflaps to scrape the ground. From Kaiaua, we reluctantly return to Auckland through Mangatangi reach the Bombay hills, submitting to the boredom of motorway driving. Verdict: this new ‘Grand’ is a worthy replacement for its predecessor, the tech and spec really cries out for dealership forecourt briefings for buyers, and there is no reason to bewail the absence of the V8. It is every bit a credible rival for the many other seven-seaters out there.
HERITAGE
Cherokee heritage Sport with utility, rewriting automotive history. It began with a push to create a more spacious off-road vehicle, one that would attract a younger audience to the Jeep brand. The original Jeep Cherokee quickly spawned a bigger, more luxurious 4WD known as the Grand. The rest, as they say, is history. First generation (ZJ, 1993)
The original Grand Cherokee was launched in 1992 as a luxury SUV. The base model had full instrumentation, cloth interior, and a standard five-speed manual transmission. Other features included a driverside airbag and four-wheel anti-lock braking system (ABS). When it was first introduced the Grand Cherokee only had one powertrain choice: a 4.0-litre straight six engine that traced its lineage back to the similar engines in the Chrysler Valiants of the 1970s. A 5.2-litre V8 arrived soon afterward, and in 1998 a ‘5.9 Limited’ version brought more V8 power to the range.
performance figures. The straight six engine was also updated with a redesign of the intake manifold that added 7.5kW. Jeep’s Quadra-Drive transmission and a two-speed chain-driven transfer case arrived. In 4-Lo, the center diff could be permanently locked. The interior was also completely redesigned with larger rear doors and more space for rear passengers. Limited models included automatic dual-zone climate control. A 10-CD changer was also available with the Infinity Audio package. In addition to Jeep’s UniFrame construction, Daimler Chrysler partnered with Porsche to further strengthen the monocoque chassis. Third generation (WK, 2005) This version had the Quadra-Drive II and a 3.7-litre V6 replacing the straight six engine. Jeep replaced the XJ-era leadingarms live-axle front suspension with a simpler independent doublewishbone set-up. The Grand Cherokee received a minor face-lift for 2008 with revised headlights and High-Intensity
Discharge (HID) headlamps with auto-levelling. In 2009 an improved 5.7-litre variable valve timing Hemi V8 with 266kW and 527Nm of torque. Fourth generation (WK2, 2011) The fourth generation WK2 Grand Cherokee was launched in 2011. It features four-wheel independent suspension for the first time. Engine choices included the all-new 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 and 5.7-litre Hemi V8. The Hemi V8 retained the Multiple Displacement System (MDS) that shut down four cylinders in low-power driving situations. The V8 came with an automatic transmission that included Electronic Range Selection to manually limit the high gear operating range. Fifth generation (WL, 2021) The fifth generation (WL) Grand Cherokee brought to market the first three-row LWB version, the Grand Cherokee L. Three different 4WD systems are available: Quadra-Trac 1, Quadra-Trac II featuring low range, and QuadraDrive II with low range and “Quadra Lift” air suspension system. All engines are mated to a ZF eightspeed automatic transmission. The 2021 Grand Cherokee is the third Fiat Chrysler Automobiles product to offer the new UConnect 5 infotainment suite.
Second generation (WG, WJ, 1999) Launched in 1999, the redesigned Grand Cherokee shared little with the ZJ. Just 127 parts (mostly bolts and screws) were carried over from its predecessors. The big change was replacement of the two V8 engine options with Chrysler’s then-new PowerTech V8, which offered better fuel economy and on-road
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Overlanding unlimited Terry Austin’s off-road vision made real in red Terry Austin had been looking for something to replace his elderly and welltravelled 4WD ute. He was looking to switch out to petrol, and to have a vehicle he could use for adventure and overlanding. He was likewise was lucky enough to be able to dedicate a vehicle to the fun drives, and lucky enough to find a wee gem of a ‘shorty’ Pajero. Terry takes up the story: I had been looking around to replace my old diesel 4WD and spied a low mileage 2007 Mitsubishi Pajero NS petrol 3.0 litre. Some might wonder why I would go to petrol? Well having owned a couple of diesel 4WDs for 15 years, I was tired of the extra maintenance required so decided to hunt out a petrol 4WD that would not be my daily runner. The deal was done and I became the second owner of a tidy SWB Pajero with well under 100km on the clock. The previous elderly driver was unlikely to have done any off roading –
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well that was soon to change! First thing to arrange was the basics: a complete fluid change, diffs, transmission, radiator flush. I find it best practice to start from the fluids as you then have a base-line to go from with the maintenance history. Then a trip to Scobie Tyres to upgrade to Maxxis AT700s from the HT tyres, keeping to 16-inch rims. The standard battery was replaced with a new one with a bit more grunt. I then went through NZ4WD magazine looking
for Pajero upgrades and found an interesting article about Nigel Collings’ 2008 Pajero project that had been undertaken by the team at Opposite Lock New Zealand in Christchurch. A phone call to the guys followed, with an appointment where we formulated a plan for some modifications to be made to make the Pajero better suited for off road adventures. I also planned to keep any mods within factory specification to avoid having to certify anything that may became problematic down the track so to speak. Luckily Nigel’s Pajero was still in the shop with a few more modifications being made in between his 4WD trips. I got a first-hand view of the extensive mods that the team at Opposite Lock were still working on – well I might use just a few of
MY 4WD
them, there is a budget to consider for these things! First thing I did myself was to remove the right rear seat and seat belt to allow more storage space for my gear. I kept the left rear seat in just in case I would have a third passenger as this seat being smaller actually didn’t take up much room when folded upright. As the Pajero already came fitted with a removable towbar, I searched online and found a spare wheel relocation kit that would raise the spare wheel by about 50mm to allow better access when fitting a trailer over the tow ball under the spare tyre. Interesting thing was the kit which consisted of a steel plate with three higher positioned wheel bolts was
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designed in Australia and available from Mitsubishi NZ. It was cheaper to buy it from NZ at the time to avoid the shipping cost. I also removed the tin sump guards in preparation of fitting new improved ones. Once the Pajero was handed over to Opposite Lock, the real work began. The suspension was upgraded to Dobinson coils and heavy duty gas shocks all around giving me the standard 50mm lift. I did not want to fit a bull bar or winch which I knew would add more weight up front but did have some lower plastic panelling cut away and a steel bracket fitted inside the lower front guards to strengthen the
1: Enhanced for overlanding, Terry Austin’s ‘shorty’ Pajero is in its element. 2 and 4: The wheel and tyre package has evolved to suit its purpose. 3: An inner guard location keeps the breather filters out of the muck. 5: Cutting away the front bumper lip gives the new tyres space to operate. 6: A robust bash plate with air vents protects the engine. 7: Well chosen base vehicle copes well with the bash and crash of creek crossings.
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either side – not much space to work within so was glad I didn’t do this work myself. Later I did fit rated recovery points to the rear myself. It was important to ensure the bolts were rated too. For extra storage purposes I had a Rhino rack fitted which was customised to be fitted into the roof factory slots by rivets and could be
1: Terry and his Pajero, ready for more overlanding adventure. 2: The right rear seat was removed and the load space rejigged. 3 and 4: The first switch-out of tyres to all-terrains added some off-road capability but Terry later went for a more aggressive M/T tread.
repositioned as required by undoing some nuts to slide into place. Once the work was completed, I picked up the Pajero and back at home added the necessary accessories. An equipment box in the rear of the vehicle with associated strops, extra tool kit, extra bottle jack with a Ridge Ryder base plate and portable compressor. This included recovery board brackets for the Tred boards plus extra boards I added over time. Having used mine a few times now I have to say recovery boards are a fantastic piece of kit. A fixed awning bracket was installed but later upgraded to the new Ironman 4X4 NZ quick release bracket which proved invaluable: if my trip was to be through tight bush it was simple enough to leave the awning at home. I fitted aftermarket headlight covers to reduce the chance of damaging the lens pushing through scrub. I completed a number of 4WD trips through Canterbury and Marlborough high country and found the vehicle performed well including through a few river crossings. It was on one particular
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--plastic area. This has since worked well off road. A Safari-brand snorkel was added which was a very tidy fit into the engine bay and the right hand indicator relocated which still looked factory. Breather kits were fitted to the diffs including the transmission and tidily installed with filters accessible next to the engine bay firewall. A two-piece radiator and transmission steel sump guard 4.5mm thick was bolted into place. For recovery purposes for both myself and assisting other’s rated tow points were fitted onto the front chassis
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MY 4WD
trip that I got hung up on a nice rock that left the alloy side steps looking a bit munted. So back at home I dismantled both sides and threw them away! Again, a quick call to Opposite Lock and I had a pair of custom steel rock sliders installed which proved their worth. As time went on and further trips developed, I decided that another upgrade was in order so had Scobie Tyres replace my ATs with Maxxis MT tyres on steel rims. The extra weight on the road was noticeable and the associated tyre whine took some getting used to but when off-road they performed very well in some tricky situations. To keep things tidy for a WoF, I had fitted extended rubber wheel flares though the tyres appear compliant without them. I then considered fitting diff locks as my model Pajero did not have them from factory as some other models do and after some conversations with other knowledgeable 4WD experts settled on ordering in from Aussie an Eaton rear locker via Ironman NZ. No thanks to Covid 19, the Eaton locker eventually arrived some months later down the track and was eventually installed. Off-road the rear locker proved very good in conjunction
with the MT tyres in providing that extra traction as required. A front led light bar was soon added which I had installed from behind the front grill beneath the number plate – nicely tucked away but still able to throw good light and so far, withstanding a number of river crossings. Well, I think that will do for now in
respect to modifications. Obviously there is no real limit depending on your budget! At the start I made up my mind to keep the appearance of my Pajero as standard as possible and why not? Sure, I have a few small dents and matagouri scratches to show for it but life would be dull if it wasn’t a red colour!
FORGED FOR ADVENTURE. The Razr farmily brings together our long history of off-road and racing technology in a tyre range that takes you further than you thought possible – over and over again. Get away from it all with the tyre that gets away from everything. Just remember to tell it to stop before you go too far.
maxxistyres.co.nz |
0800 829 947
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This sporting life A Discovery for the new generation
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Land Rover’s Discovery started as a much-needed ‘bridge’ model between the prosaic pre-Defender ‘Landies’ and the ‘off road car’ we now know and love as the old-time classic Range Rover. The original was a blend of both design and engineering briefs. Still a vehicle capable of running hard in the mud bogs and forest tracks, yet also bringing some ride refinement to the world of 4WDing. Importantly, it used coil springs and Range Rover style suspension and drew
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on the drivetrain engineering of the ‘Rangie’ to create a vehicle owners could happily drive long distances in. Through further versions the Discovery grew bigger, added a diesel version, and even a semi-sophisticated active suspension set-up. Then the range expanded to include the Sport, which stands alongside the Big Daddy as a ‘streetable’ slightly smaller version. This is an urban and urbane 4WD, layered with technology and trimmed for luxury motoring. It is endowed with
all-wheel drive grip, a clever electronic transmission management system and off-road tech features inherited from the more expensive models in the British brand’s line-up. Land Rover describes the Sport as a ‘compact SUV’. For New Zealand drivers we’d say it’s actually a ‘right-sized’ SUV for road and dirt. A chance to try the current Discovery Sport was always going to be accepted. So how was it? A Land Rover isn’t a Land Rover without some legitimate
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1: Satin-gloss black 20” aluminium alloy wheels are wrapped in road-oriented Pirelli Scorpion tyres. 2: Sculpted vent panels on the front guards announce the name. 3: A ‘right-sized’ SUV for New Zealand use. 4: For the first time, we sat behind a three-nozzle windscreen washer. Nice in traffic, seriously good off road.
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off-road capability, and the Discovery Sport P250 R-Dynamic delivers. It’ll climb hills and ford rivers with greater confidence than high-priced rivals like BMW’s X3. At the upper end of the price spectrum we’d also suggest it would out-motor the Porsche Macan and Mercedes GLC. Not that we’ve driven the latter, but they are a tad ‘Remuera’ aren’t they? Could a Discovery called Sport even have dared to abandon the brand’s legendary prowess off the tarmac? Not on your nelly. We discovered tracks to challenge the Sport in south Auckland by visiting some of the big farms that are still growing food for Auckland and beyond. In the fertile volcanic clay soils of Pukekohe and Waiuku, grip is never guaranteed. June’s heavy rains turn the tracks and backroads into slimy reddish brown mudfests. The surface is most reminiscent of molygrease. Even sealed roads are treacherous, with tractors dragging slimy soils out onto the surface. Just the place to make the most of an intelligent all-wheel drive transmission.
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Riding on double-five-spoke black 20-inch alloys and Pirelli Scorpion tyres, the Sport might have been excused for parking itself in the nearest drainage ditch on a surface like this. Truth time: the tyres did become ‘slicks’ pretty quickly, but the vehicle’s forward momentum barely faltered. Happy days for us and for the baby potatoes we motored past. Under the bonnet, the Discovery Sport has a turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes 184kW (246bhp) and 365Nm of torque. It feeds a nine-speed automatic transmission and that all-wheel drive. There is no low range, nor a transfer case, but there is a host of electronic trail-rated tech equipment that helps the Sport glide over bumpy terrain, slimy spud tracks and paddock-side plough-clumps. It has a respectable 212mm of ground clearance and will wade through as much as 600mm (23.6 inches) of water. Inside, the Sport models come with a 10.0-inch infotainment touchscreen featuring Land Rover’s advanced Pivi Pro3 interface. The four foundation pillars of driver assists are the ‘Clearsight’ video
rear view mirror, which is similar to the one used by Nissan on the similarly priced Patrol; a very clear heads-up display, wireless device charging and in-dash navigation. There’s a six speaker 180W sound system and the whole package is Apple Car Play and Android Auto compatible. As anyone buying an SUV priced at almost $100,000 would expect, the leather seats are superb, the driver’s is 12-way adjustable and the fronts are heated. Even in an Auckland winter – hardly a winter at all, just a wet season – the latter feature is appreciated. Safety: as expected these days, the Discovery has a five-star ANCAP rating. It has dual front, side-chest and side head airbags and a driver’s knee airbag is standard. Electronic brake distribution (EBD), emergency brake assist (EBA) and a speed assist system are standard along with several other advanced safety features including autonomous emergency braking (AEB) – the latter is now essential if a 4WD is to get that five star safety rating. Advanced seat belt reminders are fitted to all seats.
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SPECIFICATIONS
2022 Land Rover Discovery Sport P250 R-Dynamic Price: $95,900 Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol (transverse) Max power: 184kW at 5,500rpm Max torque:
365Nm at 1,300-4,400rpm Transmission: ZF nine speed automatic/all-wheel drive Economy: 8.4l/100km* Emissions: 189gm/km* Suspension:
Independent McPherson strut/ multilink suspension
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Wheelbase: 2741mm Kerb weight: 1,907kg
1: No pretend seven seater here - Land Rover sensibly opted for decent leg-room for four adults and load space behind
Turning circle: 11.8 Towing:
2000kg braked/750 unbraked
2: Leather, quality design and a solid ‘beam’ style centre console. Nothing out of place here.
Brakes:
ventilated disc brakes front, solid discs rear
3: Decent load space, side stowage bin and a robust floor mat all evoke previous versions of the Discovery.
Wheels/Tyres:
Aluminium alloy 20”/Pirelli Scorpion, 235/50 R20
4: The Sport’s mirror is swtchable between high definition video and a proper mirror.
Safety: ANCAP five star *Manufacturer figure
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Cruiserfest out west Devoted fans ignore the weather Images by Hannah Wilmott and West Supply
It wasn’t the best weather, but passionate fans of the mighty Toyota Land Cruiser still turned out in their hundreds for the annual ‘Cruising West’ at Waimauku. They came from all points of the compass to see – and chat about – Land Cruisers dating right back into the early 1970s, including the restored FJ40 featured in NZ4WD back in May. Equally, more modern 70-series and full SUV
Land Cruisers were being closely examined. Many of the tougher trucks were local, prompting a thought that the west may well be home to the largest population of Land Cruisers in the country. Every Cruiser in the show paid a $5 donation to score a display spot with the money going toward the work of the Sustainable Coastlines charity. 2
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1. Diversity part one: 40s and shorties on show. 2. Diversity part two: original petrol-powered 1974 Cruiser. 3. More diversity: the Cruiser lane. 4. A huge crowd ignored some pretty ordinary weather to enjoy the show. 5. A ‘long 40’ Cruiser wagon in excellent condition. 6. Nice wee 70 that goes by the name of ‘WRKPIG’. How rude! 7 Custom stretched camper build owned by Russell Carter of Glen Eden.
Long wheelbase, short wheelbase, camper conversions, utes, tough trucks ready for a run on the beach or in the forest, and even a handful of very original oldies – most Land Cruiser models and modes were on show among the 200-plus vehicle display that spread across three car parks in ‘downtown’ Waimauku. The crowd eyeballing the assembled 4WDs were knowledgeable and passionate about everything Cruiser – walking past groups deep in conversation revealed almost all were Cruiser owners. Attendees were able to make ‘People’s Voice’ votes across six categories and all entries also went into a draw for a Dometic CFX-3 vehicle fridge.
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OUTDOOR LIVING
Off Road Caravans for Kiwi adventuring The name really does say it all Camping and exploring New Zealand’s great outdoors is a passion for many 4WDers. But what happens when the appeal of roof-top campers or tents has worn off or when the family has grown. Is a caravan the way to go? And how easy will it be to find one that really can go off-road? A caravan may have that outdoorsy tough-as-nails look but could it really go overlanding down south, or around the North Island’s
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central volcanic plateau? Will its suspension, chassis, bodywork and fit-out deal with the inevitable knocks and scrapes? Off road Caravans NZ has the answer, in the Canyon range of off-road-capable single and dual axle wheel caravans. Canyon’s ‘vans’ are fully designed and built in Australia and are based on a powder-coated 150mm chassis. This means Off Road Caravans can proudly offer a
high quality, strong and durable product that is genuinely suitable for Kiwi adventuring. Australian-born and now Bay of Plenty-based owners Matthew and Courtney Wilson have always had a love of the outdoors and have ‘gone bush’ here and in Australia for years. By the time they decided to establish Off Road Caravans NZ, the couple had amassed a wealth of knowledge in terms of what type of caravans work
OUTDOOR LIVING
best for singles, couples and families, what are the ‘musthaves’ and what are the ‘nice to have’ less important features of a caravan. Courtney takes up the story in her own words: “Matt and I are high school sweethearts. Like most people who are interested in exploring the great outdoors, we started camping with a couple of swags, upgraded to a tent and onward and upward as we grew older and started a family.” With three young children, they are now dedicated caravan travellers. The couple have rented many caravans both here in New Zealand and in Australia and they have a clear idea of what Kiwi 4WDers want and need. “When we started Off Road Caravans NZ we knew that a caravan developed for Australian conditions was definitely robust enough for New Zealand. From our own local overlanding we also had a clear idea of what we wanted to offer 4Wders here.” “Matthew did the research and we found an Aussie company that shared our strong focus on customer service. Canyon is a familybased operation like us and we share a strong focus on excellent customer service and providing superior quality caravans at an affordable price.” The couple say with the amount of free camping areas
in New Zealand there is a huge need for caravans that can actually reach a lot of the locations. It has been a busy couple of years, researching and finding the right company to partner with and then establishing Off Road Caravans NZ smackbang in the middle of Covid, and as it turns out, the timing – which could have been awful – was a positive. “We found there were a lot of people who had been stood down or lost their positions and were bouncing back during Covid – deciding to sell their homes, buy a decent caravan to live out of and go touring. “A lot of them were saying ‘if I can’t see the world, I’ll go see my own country and find the special places I have always wanted to see.” The Off Road Caravans NZ range runs from 18-foot to
22-foot, both single and dual axle, and the vans start with leaf-sprung models suitable for lighter off-road duties, running through to the top end: tough units with full independent suspension. All models have electrically actuated brakes. Many of the couple’s “awesome” customers in the past year have been completely new to caravan life. They have had plenty of questions “and that’s part of our customer approach, helping people get out there.” “More than half of all our customers are from the South
Island, and most people opt for the leaf-sprung models which are fine for most of the southern touring routes. There are a number, though, who opt for the greater capability of the top end vans. And North Island touring is vastly different.” The company also offers finance to their customers through a respected thirdparty Kiwi company, Stadium Finance. All caravan models are viewable in detail on the website: www.offroadcaravans.nz
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4WD SUSPENSION UPGRADES
Upgrades are unlimited Use the right gear for that truck Dollar for dollar a suspension upgrade can create the most impressive change in the performance of a 4WD. The choice is vast – replacement OEM-spec struts, coil springs, leaf springs and shock absorbers, suspension bushes, heavy duty aftermarket suspension arms – the only real limit is budget. Last month’s My 4WD feature on Sean Goddard’s mighty Surf (pictured) demonstrates how far any 4WD owner can take the suspension upgrade process. A word of caution: while extreme builds look great and enhance off-road capability, the vehicle is still subject to laws regarding such mods if it is to be driven on New Zealand roads. It pays to be working with one eye on those laws and rules and keep up
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to date with low volume vehicle rules as well. Welding or cutting key suspension parts will usually require inspection and approval through the Low Volume Vehicle Technical Association. The LVVTA’s Facebook page is chock full of some of the awful bodge-ups the certifiers are presented with on a daily or weekly basis. To paraphrase the message from the inspectors: ‘Don’t be THAT guy (or girl). New Zealand has reputable suppliers and workshops that can help with this. It’s also a good idea to jump on the web and do some research, particularly if the aim is to modify a 4WD not sold here in great numbers – like a Hummer or an F150. Watch out for old mate at the local who insists his 50mm spacers and
70mm suspension lift are easy-peasy. “Just sailed through the WoF, mate.” Kitting out a work double-cab ute? That big bullbar, that cool looking work box on the tray of your ’70 are great, but plan to upgrade suspension to improve handling and bump up the truck’s GVM. Do the sums on the weight being added to the vehicle and then go to a reputable workshop to discuss the plan. For recreational use it’s the same. Bullbar, winch, a fridge, tools for digging out of bogs, a custom cargo system, a roof rack and/or roof tent can all change handling for the worse. Springs that suited the original weight of the truck will of course no longer be suitable for the intended use. Do it once, do it right.
Lift Junkie raises the stakes Suspension lift kits for all purposes The popularity of utes in this country is news to no one but enhancing those vehicles by raising the height and improving the ride is becoming more popular as a means of increasing their ‘utility’ factor. Tradies, farmers and recreational 4WDers are looking for lift kits to give additional ground clearance to avoid hazards or carry greater loads. Now, mainstream owners are also upgrading to provide those same features, with the added benefits of greater handling and increased visibility. Leading steering and suspension specialist Autolign introduced the Lift Junkie range of suspension kits a few years ago to tap into this evolving trend and broaden the range of options and quality offered by these bolt-on packages. Each set includes heavy duty uprated coil and leaf springs from world-leading manufacturers, designed to reduce the body roll that can occur from a higher centre of gravity, as well as boosting the towing and load capacity. Leaf springs also include new SuperPro polyurethane bushes for long life, efficient operation. There is a wide choice of shock absorbers to choose from, including the popular value range from Ultima all the way to wide-bodied RAW 4x4 and Monroe Magnum shocks, and on to the unrivalled performance of Bilstein. With most kits providing up to 50mm of additional ride height without sacrificing handling and cornering ability, Lift Junkie is the ideal solution for increased weight carrying and reducing undercarriage fouling on obstacles such as rocks, logs and mounds. Lift Junkie also caters for the wider 4WD market, including popular Jeep, Patrol, Pajero and Land Cruiser models. Autolign offers a range of associated components to help reduce any angle or alignment issues such as camber/castor-restoring control arms, alignment correction bushes, tail shaft spacers and even handbrake extension brackets. With 12 nationwide branches Autolign offers expert advice to get the most out of that light commercial or 4WD.
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4WD SUSPENSION UPGRADES
Carry more, do more Terrain Tamer spring upgrade kits Terrain Tamer now offers Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) upgrade kits with parabolic leaf springs for the Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux (GUN/KUN 125/126) and Land Cruiser (VDJ78/79) models, adding to the already existing range of regular GVM upgrade kits already on offer. The GVM is a rating set by the original manufacturer, and refers to the legal maximum weight of the vehicle. This rating incorporates the wheels and the vehicle itself, as well as everything sitting atop. Built into the GVM is also the imparted tow ball mass when towing, and rated axle capacity, a limit set for how much load capacity should be distributed to each axle. Adding anywhere from 180kg to 480kg to the original GVM, depending on the vehicle, the Terrain Tamer Parabolic GVM upgrade kits include Terrain Tamer Parabolic Springs and all required suspension components, including Smart Coils, (where applicable) to provide a safe and comfortable upgrade solution, with more flex, less shock and exceptional load carrying ability for vehicles that are pushed to their GVM and axle loading limits when towing or heavily loaded. Terrain Tamer’s Parabolic Springs
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contain fewer leaves than regular leaf springs and get their name from their tapered ‘parabolic’ design, meaning the spring is thicker in the centre and thinner toward the ends, rather than the usual linear style. This design directly addresses some GVM issues by eliminating the weight of often heavy, thick, traditional leaf packs and dramatically reducing the unsprung weight of the vehicle, essentially freeing up the weight needed for practical use. This not only makes them both safer on the road, but also acts to create a more comfortable ride when the vehicle is unloaded, addressing the varying and ever-changing applications that the modern day 4WD is used for and ensuring it is comfortable whether empty or loaded. The parabolic design also helps the spring to flex while still providing the strength needed to bear the weight of heavy loads. Particularly useful in 4WD applications that carry excessive load on the driveline, or when challenged with difficult terrain, the flex afforded with a parabolic spring allows the spring to give a little when the driver hits a bump in the road, allowing the differential housing to
rotate with the springs and effectively providing a smoother ride, reducing the shock transferred to the crown wheel and pinion, stopping the wheel from spinning and maintaining safety and drive. The same force with a standard leaf pack would almost certainly cause more shock to the vehicle and driver. As well as these advantages, extensive research and development shows that the new shape provides better axle articulation and almost no interleaf friction, allowing the spring to compress or extend with ease without touching each other until there is a reasonable load on the vehicle. This means that the springs are not only quieter, but it also helps minimise any issues with rust build-up, which can be a major cause of failure in standard leaf springs. As with all GVM upgrade kits, Terrain Tamer’s Parabolic GVM kits have been thoroughly tested and analysed by Multidrive Technology to reach Secondary Stage Manufacturers’ approval and can be installed either prior to registration or on existing registered vehicles at approved workshops. For more information, visit terraintamer.com/suspension
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4WD SUSPENSION UPGRADES
Consult the suspension specialists Ironman has a half century of 4WD experience The team at Ironman 4X4 have earned the title of “suspension specialists” with more than 50 years of experience in building suspension components for the Australian market. They are well qualified to provide the best advice when choosing suspension components to upgrade a vehicle. Suspension Suspension is not something people often see when they first look at a vehicle. But when it’s needed, suspension is a critical upgrade, the single most important change made to a vehicle. Original Equipment suspension is set up to support vehicles for on-road conditions with a reasonable amount of weight. When owners start to add vehicle accessories, attach a trailer or caravan, and increase payload, the way the suspension handles the load changes. Couple that with uneven surfaces and off-road conditions and the OEM suspension can no longer take the additional strain. Springs When the load changes, so should the springs. Any heavy accessories or towing load added to a vehicle changes the handling and overall safety when driving. The vehicle’s springs must be matched to the load for optimum ride height and body control. Ironman 4X4 offers a range of springs to match the additional loads whether they are constant or temporary. When kitting out a vehicle, take into consideration the kerb weight and how much load being added. This will affect the level of strength needed. Shocks While springs hold the weight of the vehicle, shock absorbers must manage the load. The terrain travelled will determine what type of shock absorber is right. Forces generated by a loaded vehicle in
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rough terrain versus a lightly loaded vehicle in smooth terrain differ greatly and can be considerably higher. Creating safe and appropriate dynamic handling at higher than original weights requires careful consideration. The Ironman 4X4 range of shock absorbers are designed to cover all terrains and possess the correct amount of damping resistance to provide a safe and comfortable ride. Each and every Ironman shock absorber is force velocity tested before packaging to ensure all parts received are uniform and
within operating specifications. The line-up of shocks offers exceptional ride quality, stability, and handling both on and off-road. Being built around superior strength and durability at a great value, this saves you money to put into the fuel tank so you can get out and explore. Ironman 4x4 offers Foam Cell Pro, Foam Cell, and Nitro Gas shocks that include replacement bushings, seal kits, and tools. Upper Control Arms Ironman 4X4 Pro Forge Upper Control Arms allow installation of larger tyres and increases to ride height by providing corrected wheel alignment and greater operating clearance around the arm as is often the limitation when using the OEM upper control arms. They are a drop forged alloy construction providing high
strength and durability and are ADR compliant with a three year 60,000km warranty. GVM Upgrades The usable payload of many 4X4 vehicles today is minimal. Additional basic optional equipment along with two or three adult occupants will bring the vehicle close to its legal maximum weight (GVM) in many cases. Add long-range fuel tanks, bull bars, winches, side steps, roof racks, recovery gear, and a payload of camping equipment or an industrial type custom body and the vehicle will ultimately exceed the Original Equipment-allowable Gross Vehicle Mass. Original Equipment suspension is designed for comfort above all other considerations, thus load carrying and performance can be compromised. Whereas, Ironman 4X4 GVM upgraded suspension systems come with matched components for the ultimate in performance, load carrying, and handling. Ironman 4X4 products are extensively tested in real world conditions, both in-house and by independent automotive engineers to ensure conformity and operator comfort. Ironman regularly maintains and reviews its own internal processes and procedures as part of our ISO 9001 Quality Management System certification. Formal testing verifies product safety and performance through official certification issued by independent testing agencies and Government departments. It’s the little details that are the mark of the quality aftermarket supplier, and it’s those same details that are worth paying for out in the bush, on the work site, on holiday or where quality matters. For more information about any of the Ironman4x4 range, or assistance in selecting an upgraded suspension, go to www.ironman4x4.co.nz or call 0508 IRONMAN (476 6626)
4WD SUSPENSION UPGRADES
A deep dive under the 4WD Keep on top of those bushes and mounts Welcome to winter. Mucky roads, muddy adventures. Many 4WD owners understand the benefits of a thorough clean and refurbish before summer arrives and the warm weather drags us all away to remote places. Oil, filters, a good clean of the chassis and suspension – 4WDs are the last bastion of DIY vehicle maintenance. Plenty of owners just love doing the basics themselves. It’s a chance to retire to the man-cave (garage to mere humans) and potter about getting good honest filth under our fingernails. But while we’re zooming around the garage floor on that cool trolley we got for Christmas, poking here and looking there, how many of us pay attention to the many small items that protect components and occupants from impacts and vibration though? The Mount Shop’s Hemi Toia says rubber and urethane do have a finite life, and when they fail it’s not usually at a convenient time or place. “The obvious ones to watch are suspension joints and engine or transmission mounts. If you think about it, the engine bay is pure hell for rubber components. Heat, vibration, all sorts of
contaminants combine with dust or mud in there on a daily basis.” The result is a nasty mix that becomes a grinding paste and can cause a mount to perish or fail long before its intended ‘best before’ date arrives. ‘It’s not that hard to have a look at mounts when changing engine oil- or ask your mechanic to do so. Often a warrant of fitness will show up a mount that is reaching the end of its life.” Most modern engine mounts have a
sophisticated fluid damping insert that reduces vibration transmitted through to the vehicle body and thus to the occupants. The suspension is a more obvious area where a decline in component performance will show up. Having invested in a decent set of AT or MT tyres for that excursion, or just using the road-oriented tyres many 4WDs arrive with, a moment taken to look at suspension bushes will save money.
Featuring in the September issue of NZ4WD 4WD KIT OUT Accessories to improve the 4x4 and adventure.
PLUS... The all new
2022 FORD RANGER revealed.
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Suspended animation Off-road suspension principles applied What’s the best suspension for off-roading? For club trials? For competition? For trips to the supermarket? It turns out there are as many answers to the question as there are ways to enjoy a 4WD. Vehicle manufacturers have specified ‘generalist’ shock absorbers and springs for their 4WD offerings ever since there have been 4WDs. But keeping in mind we all use our 4WDs for different purposes, it makes sense to have some insight into making our vehicles ‘fit for purpose’. More specialised shock absorbers and even springs are an easy upgrade, though
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it is important to understand the system already in the vehicles and to take advice from suspension experts. The common factors are the brand names behind the ‘eye-candy’ components. Fox, Kings, Bilstein and more have become household names in all areas of 4WD use. • Mainstream media sat up and paid attention when Ford specified Fox shock absorbers for the Ranger Raptor. • Ram went with German brand Bilstein for the very clever electronically controlled suspension in the Hellcat-engined TRX. • One of the best tweaks for a new UTV is to change out
the standard shock absorbers for aftermarket. Again, Fox is popular. • Pedders, Monroe, Nitrocharger and many others have swap-out shock absorbers for a wide range of 4WDs used for work and play. Overlanding Whatever brand shock absorber is fitted to an overlander, it’s a soft, supple ride that is required. Adjustable shock absorbers are the ideal, though they are more expensive than ‘stockies’. Suspension (shock) settings are often made on a ‘clicker’ on the shock itself or
its remote reservoir and should be similar to those for desert/beach sand use. The set-up should be quite forgiving because average speeds are slower and the suspension can be run soft with no worry about ‘bottoming out’. The vehicle’s tyres should roll effortlessly over obstacles in the trail without upsetting the chassis – or the occupants. If the compression is too stiff it can cause the vehicle to bounce or even jump out of the tire groove, which can mean drama if the tyre then climbs the side of the track. Softer shock settings will allow the tires to distribute
TECH TALK the weight of the chassis evenly when climbing or descending on rough terrain. Example: From the extreme world of off-road racing in the red heart of Australia, check out one of the best suspension setups in action: Finke Desert race winner Toby Price during qualifying for the event. https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=Ksz5dNGtUJ8 2
UTVs First seen in New Zealand in prosaic roles like ‘littergitters’ and weed sprayers used by council parks departments, the UTV quickly gained a following among recreational users and then in motorsport. Arctic Cat, Polaris, Can Am, Yamaha and most recently Honda offer recreational and competition UTVs. The suspension systems of these agile 4WDs are adjustable every which way, though one of the most alarming traits of stocksuspension UTVs is a tendency to ‘buck’ over jumps, pitching the rear of the vehicle in the air and giving the driver’s adrenalin glands a full workout. To ‘beat the buck’, a combination of technique and tuning is required – and a change of shocks absorbers helps immensely. Most owners who experience a jump on standard suspension will switch out the stock shocks for Fox or similar specialised units. Example: Yamaha’s YXZ1000R has 16 inches of travel in front and 17 inches out back. Its long-travel FOX 2.5 Podium ‘piggyback reservoir’ shock absorbers feature coil-over springs. The best thing about UTVs is there are any number of off the shelf suspension tweaks available, and specialist tuners can quickly steer owners to the best
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1: Go for a compliant shock absorber and long travel for overlanding.
anything needed for a repair or upgrade is also available online. Most of the best gear comes from the USA.
2: Measuring shock pre-load. 3: Fox shock absorber damping dials make adjustment easy. 4: First mission with a UTV is to reduce ‘bucking’ over jumps.
options. Standard parts are readily available, and
Tech terms Ride height: refers to the distance from the ground to the bottom of the vehicle. Across most types of 4WD use, a starting point is 200-210mm. Lift kits don’t affect ride height, but wheel/
tyre packages do because they raise the distance between the ground and the vehicle’s shock/spring mounts or differential. Preload: the amount of pressure exerted on the shocks and springs before the vehicle is placed on the ground. Where the shock absorbers are of a ‘coil-over’ format, this setting is often adjustable by threaded collars on the shock body that locate the coil spring. By raising or lowering the preload collars it will change the ride height of the vehicle. Compression: the upward movement of the suspension towards the chassis, or the direction the suspension/ shock travels in relation to the impact of the bump or obstacle the vehicle has travelled over. Compression is a variable depending on vehicle speed and size of the object. Rebound: the downward direction the suspension travels after the compression stroke or the direction the suspension extends/ travels away from the chassis. Rebound is constant force determined by the stored energy of the suspension components at full compression/ bump. If the rebound is too fast it can push the vehicle up into the air – a trait commonly called ‘bucking’. Low Speed Compression: Is the compression force commonly associated with body roll and brake dive. Low speed impacts are smooth and gradual. High Speed Compression: Is the compression force commonly associate with hitting a sharp edge like a pothole, rain rut, rock or any other object that causes the suspension to compress quickly. High-speed impacts are sharp/fast compression impacts.
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Ararimu rambling Charity farm drive raises dollars for Ararimu community pool Kevin Isemonger was keen for some off-roading after being stuck in Auckland by Covid lockdowns that seemed endless. He jumped at the chance to go driving on tracks not usually open to the public in the Ararimu area and joined 90 other keen 4WDers on the 2022 Ararimu 4WD Safari.
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Adventure NZ An email pops up on my screen from the Manukau Four Wheel Drive Club (of which I was a member back pre-kid days) asking if I wanted to come and play in the wilds of Ararimu. In a postapocalyptic Covid detained Auckland I said: “Hell, yeah.” Giant leap to the keyboard – filled out the forms and bought a ticket for the ride and within a few seconds I was hooked and booked. I then set about helping the cause by posting on the ‘Land Rover Series 1 Enthusiasts’ Facebook page to see if any of the chaps wanted to come and play as well – but I needn’t have bothered – the whole trip was booked out in just over 24 hours. What does that tell you? I contacted the Land Rover Owners Club Auckland (LROCA) to see if anyone was quick enough to get in and three others were – so we had a ‘Quad-Squad’ – so to speak. You are either into these charity safaris or not. If you enjoy meeting up with like-minded folk for a guided scenic tour of farms and stations around the country you know not to procrastinate. Hit the ‘Buy-Now’ button as quick as you can, as these tours always sell out quick! Unfortunately, a couple of the chaps had to pull out last minute, but no
dramas. Due to an extensive ‘Wait-List’ they were refunded and another lucky 4WDer was in. Ararimu is a beautiful valley just over the eastern ridge from Ramarama on SH1 –50km south of Auckland CBD – or in my case 30 minutes over the hill from home. The last Ararimu Safari in 2016 was also hosted by the Manukau Four Wheel Drive Club and was a fund raiser for the Ararimu community swimming pool. This 2022 trip had been organised in conjunction with the Ararimu Residents and Ratepayers Association to raise more funding for the community pool. The previous event was centred in the valley and ridges just south of Ararimu School before heading north-west to traverse the high ridge line above Stevenson’s Quarry high above Drury and Ramarama overlooking SH1 and away north to the distant skyline of Auckland city. This year the event was based a little further south at a farm off Paparata Road traversing valleys and ridges in a series of loops before again heading north west after lunch in another loop of private farm tracks. I managed to drag my daughter’s partner Myles Naley away from his house painting for a day out, and
we met up with the shiny new Club President of the LROCA, Bruce Gibson and his son Leon in their Land Rover Discovery near the Bombay Hills at 7:45am on Saturday morning. We arrived a bit early and parked up – as convoys of ‘butty’ looking 4WDs roared past us - some tooting the horn as they recognised my vehicle. Last Ararimu 4WD Safari my youngest daughter drove my Discovery for her first foray off-road. Following the great run up the East Cape in March with the Land Rover Series 1 group (and sorting the on-going distributer issues) I decided to treat Myles with a trip in the 1955 Series 1 Land Rover with the canvas top rolled up and door tops off. The assembly point was on Paparata Road, which follows the ridge line of the southern defences for both pre and post European settlement for Auckland – commonly known as the ‘Bombay Hills’ and named after the ship ‘Bombay’, which landed in Auckland and brought settlers to the area, originally called Williamson’s Clearing, in 1863. The drive got under way after a welcome speech from Sam Williams, Chairman of the Ararimu Residents and Ratepayers Association and a safety briefing from Richard Eyres and Tony Burgess. A special ‘shout-out’ to
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Natasha Rivai from ‘The Property Group’ who ensured the trip complied with town planning and resource management requirements. The safari would not have been able to go ahead without her help. The assembly and exit process was well thought out with four marked out rows, thus preventing any queuing back onto Paparata Road. The two rows of vehicles on the northern side followed Richard Eyres in ‘Scratch-Rover’ north straight out across the paddocks, while the two southern rows followed Tony Burgess and exited west back up Paparata Road to complete the track we’d follow in the afternoon. We descended into the valley below, skirting a tempting swampy area and ascended the ridge to gain views over farmland and fenced blocks of pine and native trees. Following a most enjoyable short detour down the wrong ridge we were soon back on track to bounce off the top end of Stuart Road before descending then ascending Peach Hill (265m). Here we stopped for a windblown cup of coffee and to admire the views east over the Paparimu Valley and Auckland’s water catchment areas of the Hunua Ranges and Mangatawhiri Forest – the south blocked by the Paparata Ridge line towards the Firth of Thames.
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I have to say (with mixed feelings) we were lucky with the weather. The predicted rain did not materialise, so the steep descent off Peach Hill was handled with ease and grace – as opposed to the experienced screaming and yelling coming from all-terrain, or highway-tyred SUVs sedately slithering sideways off the tracks. With the door tops off and the canvas rolled up on the Series 1, it was definitely ‘drippy-nose’ weather as we headed north again, descending the valley before reconquering the ridge line to close our first loop. We continued along the ridge line at 250m to descend back into the valley and exit via Lynd Road back onto Paparata Road and back to base for lunch. During the lunch break spot-prizes of sponsor products were handed out. I was very fortunate to win a set of ‘TruckClaws’ which I had been researching for use on my Discovery. These are a ‘strapon’ aluminium extrusion that is held in place by a ratchet tie-down. They are not for driving, or road use, rather is a bolton single ‘grouser-plate’ just for getting out of the odd slimy geographically embarrassing moment. Thank you! After lunch we swapped routes and Tony led us back up the way we had
come – to cut across private property to pop out near Ararimu School. We then weaved our way through private land at the headwaters of the Mangawheau Stream before gaining height back up the ridges at around 240m. It was staggering how many houses dot this landscape now. Not that long ago this valley was a few large farms – but now the hillsides are dotted with new or relocated houses and kilometres of flash painted post and rail fencing. The night would be a tell-all, with the dark still of the Hunua valley replaced with hundreds of houses ablaze with LED illumination With the day moving on and the temperature dropping we headed back to base to relieve some mud tension by having a play in that ‘tempting swamp’ we passed earlier this morning. After a few large tyred ‘grunters’ required recovery, a 52hp Series 1 didn’t stand a chance, so we pumped up the tyres and said our goodbyes. The Safari raised over $9,500 for the Ararimu Community Pool from sales to 90 vehicles and raffle tickets. A HUGE thank you to the Manukau Four Wheel Drive Club for getting in behind the project and to Natasha Rivai from ‘The Property Group’ for sorting out the compliance bits.
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WEEKEND DRIVE
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Back to civilisation Southern adventure continues Story and photos by David Coxon For the third year in a row, David Coxon’s holiday drive continues to explore the tourism ‘jewels’ of the Mainland. So far on this trip, we have travelled from Picton down towards Christchurch and over Arthurs Pass to the West Coast, then all the way down to Jackson Bay before crossing back over Haast Pass and exploring the Wanaka area. Now, our travelling companions Ashley and Gillian needed to be back home at short notice and managed to book a ferry for three days’ time. It was at the Omarama Top 10 campground on our way back north that we finally managed to get adequate internet and discovered that the first sailing we could get was over a week later.
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Rather than worrying about the impact of this delay on our plans back home, we decided to embrace having an enforced extra week of holiday by ourselves and make it a very slow trip up to Picton. Leaving Omarama, Ashley and Gillian still wanted to do some sight-seeing, so instead of just going to Christchurch for the night, we took a slightly longer run to stay in Akaroa, initially, taking our time and enjoyed the beautiful weather and scenery around Lakes Pukaki and Tekapo. However, once we came down onto the plains the clouds rolled in and we just made a steady run for Akaroa, finally setting up our camp at the Akaroa Top 10 in murky and cool, but dry weather. The next morning we bid farewell to Ashley and Gillian, while we stayed on at the camp for another day. We took the
time to explore Akaroa, finding a number of shops selling off last winter’s stock at bargain prices. I got some very good deals. After lunch we went a little way back around the harbour then up to the scenic drive along the ridge line. The road up was unsealed, but to my surprise, the road around the top was all sealed – very different from my memories. We got some nice views through gaps in the clouds before we dropped down into Le Bons Bay. With better planning, I would have taken the unsealed route that we had driven past earlier into Le Bons Bay and come back up the more direct sealed road, but I was not that well organised. However, it was still a pleasant visit to the coast, and we ended up chatting to a guy in another Prado for a while before
WEEKEND DRIVE
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climbing back up to the ridge and looping back to Akaroa for our final night. There were still low clouds still hanging on the hills as we packed up the next morning so we did a final bit of retail therapy, hoping the clouds would lift, but no luck so we decided to forego the rest of the scenic tour of the ridge line and head for the big smoke of Christchurch for a few days. Having plenty of time, we stopped to visit a gallery at Little River and had lunch in the car at the rather windswept Birdlings Flat. Reaching Christchurch, it was a bit of a GPS
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tour around the streets to reach our accommodation at Amber Park in the Riccarton area, which I picked because it had good ratings and was in an area of Christchurch that I remembered from when I was at university there (although, there was very little that was as I remembered it). Amber Park offered both camping and motel accommodation, and while the motel side was quite full, there were only a few campers. This gave us almost free run of the kitchen and lounge, making for a very comfortable stay. Our time in Christchurch was
1: Lunch at Murfell’s Beach, on our way to Picton. 2: Looking across Lake Pukaki to Aoraki / Mount Cook. 3: There are still some beautiful old buildings in Christchurch. 4: Akaroa township. 5: Banks Peninsular from the scenic road around the ridge line.
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1: Colourful salt flats near Blenheim. 2: The Avon River in Christchurch. 3: Rather impressive crossing of the Waiau River near Hanmer Springs.
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purely tourism, visiting the areas I remembered and seeing how much they had changed, both with time and from the 2010 earthquake. It was all rather uneventful, except for another stormy night on our last night. This time the tent didn’t leak, but the wet pack-up wasn’t appreciated. It was a very leisurely drive to our next stop, back at Hanmer Springs so that we could take the inland road to Kaikoura. We tried to take a few backroad deviations on the way up, and there although there were very few alternate routes to follow, we did find one that gave us a nice lunch spot on the side of a very quiet road, and one that took us through some interesting country. At the Hanmer Springs Top 10 we took advantage of the clearing weather to get the tent dry again and had another relaxing evening. The next day we backtracked a bit to take the inland route to Kaikoura, a very scenic route that had obviously been upgraded as part of the recovery from the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake. Taking advantage of 4WD capability we dropped down a rough track into the bed of the Conway River for a scenic and undisturbed lunch before the final run back to the Top 10 at Kaikoura. We were now getting tired of the main road travel but needed one final day to get from Kaikoura to Picton, arriving on a glorious hot afternoon and pitching our tent in the shade of a large hedge for the last four nights of our holiday. After the long mainroad trip, we had plenty of back road trips planned for the rest of the holiday.
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RETURN OF THE
OFFROAD GRAND PRIX!
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4WD Sport
DIY focus on the kids
The ‘other’ grand prix is back Save this date: 19 November 2022
It’s a one-day off-road racing spectacular that will attract the fastest drivers in the sport, a defiant ‘salute’ to the Covid lockdowns that have held New Zealand in suspended animation for two years. The 2022 New Zealand Offroad Grand Prix evokes a series of similar events held on the old Grand Prix course at Te Atatu, over the hill from the long defunct Footrot Flats theme park. Organisers say the inspiration for the new event is drawn from the runaway success of the original 1990s version and also from the events organised last century in the USA by the originator of stadium short course racing, Mickey Thompson. It will be held on the edge of the biggest population centre in New Zealand at CountiesManukau club’s purposedesigned stadium track in Manukau. Manukau racer-turnedpromoter Tony McCall is working closely with the Counties club to deliver the event and says the track is the only venue that offers the combination of excellent
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viewing, top facilities and a challenging format for the drivers. “We are expecting some serious grids of racers from all over New Zealand. It’ll be a heck of a day.” The racing format will borrow from both off-road racing and Nascar, with two in-class heats of four laps enabling the classes to run against machinery of similar performance levels. These will be followed by in-class ‘semi-main’ or quarterfinal events over seven laps to decide class champions and 3-4 feature races over ten laps. The timing, he said, will be ‘fast and slick’. “We won’t be waiting around for people to get their hair done, we’re going racing!” McCall says the November event will also be the only time off-road racing appears on free to air TV in New Zealand, with the racing being edited for a post-event programme. “The TV audience for coverage we have scored there for past events has topped 250,000. But of course, there’s nothing quite like being
Off-road racers know the future of the sport rests with the next generation. That is true of every sport. A decade ago, Auckland racer Richard Crabb and a group of helpers got together to set up a youth category. Starting with tiny Chinesesourced ‘fun buggies’ – pull-start engines, simple transmissions – the hard core of this group got a ‘pathfinder’ group of children up and running to demonstrate the viability of the new class. Previously, the sport had languished with a handful of new racers coming in as teenagers. The new class ran at main events – but on a separately plotted ‘gentle’ course. Once parents saw the fun the young racers were having a steady stream were on board and the next step was to introduce the first of the current crop of Kiwitrucks – still paced for the younger set. Rules opened up the Kiwitruck ‘J’ and ‘M’ classes to racers as young as six years and a top age limit of 15 was set in the
rules. The sport’s governing body played its part, enshrining the Kiwitruck class into national championship race weekend formats. The growing fields were also able to race at stand-alone events on Richard Crabb’s farmlet near Silverdale. Grids at these events mushroomed to 20 or more across the two classes. Now, Bay of Plenty racers are organising a standalone race event at the TECT Park near Tauranga. They say they have noted strong interest from families, partly because the kid racers get to compete on a fully developed ‘grown-up’ track and partly in response to the specific focus of the event on the kids. The inaugural race day is set for 14 August; more information is available from Gary Baker on 021 304 864. He says the event is a ‘toe in the water’ to gauge actual interest and racer turnout will decide whether the event becomes a regular occurrence.
4WD Sport
Off-road racing trucks are going off
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Who is doing what as the sport recovers from Covid The unlimited class for 4WD and RWD trucks in Kiwi offroad racing is changing fast. New American trucks are now beginning to dominate the grids, others are being sold and traded, and the roll-out of NZ-built ProLite and other designs continues at pace. Craig Carlyle transformed an American-built ProLite singleseater truck with a meticulous build capped by a “MoT” colour scheme and this year has passed the driving duties of the truck to son Ash. It now runs in a ‘stars and stripes’ colour scheme. Whakatane’s Mal Langley has sold his mighty ‘Big Yellow’ class 8 and it has done its first enduro at Woodhill in the (probably slightly nervous) hands of Arlene Frost. A
superbly finished 4WD truck that made its debut in 2017, it runs imported Nissan ‘Frontier to Titan’ fibreglass body panels. Martin van der Wal has re-invigorated his homedesigned and built truck, a blend of American and local design principles and was third in class at Woodhill. Van der Wal built from the popular American ProLite plans which are available free online. He selected a Gen 4 Chevrolet LS engine driving through a Turbo 400 auto transmission to a Nissan Patrol differential. Paul Hackett is making a welcome return to the sport with a new truck imported from America, though it suffered mechanical issues at Woodhill. He is also
developing one of New Zealand’s faster Jimco class one cars with a view to racing in Australia. National Championship sponsor Joel Giddy has imported ‘Big Dog’ – the
fastest Pro4 race truck in New Zealand – for short course use, reverting to his agile and 1: Leigh Bishop is flying higher, going further. 2: Ricky Mays’ new American truck. 2
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4WD Sport
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fast Yamaha UTV for enduro racing. Also switching from the UTVs to his new truck Leigh Bishop. He has been progressively developing his Chev-bodied V8 truck and going faster through the past nine months with input from some of the sport’s most experienced racers. Andrew Hawkeswood has become a mainstay of the unlimited truck class, wheeling out his imported V8 unit for the Stadium events at Colin Dale Park in Manukau. He is a likely contender for the 2022 Mickey Thompson New Zealand Off-road Racing Grand Prix in November.
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Hawke’s Bay racer Shayne Huxtable held up the flag for Kiwi-built trucks by winning the class at the Woodhill 100. National champion Nick Hall remains a force to be reckoned with in both short course and endurance racing with his Vertex-backed Toyota Chev ProLite. In the south, NZ4WD contributor Bryan Chang is in the final stages of rebuilding his Giti Tyres Chev ProLite after smashing the gearbox during Covid lockdowns. He aims to be at several events before year’s end, including the 2022 Mickey Thompson New Zealand Offroad Grand Prix.
An all-new local build is likely to show itself at the end of the year, veteran racer Hans Gurau readying his new ProLite build for the Offroad Grand Prix in November. Missing in action are racers like Dale Buckley (turbocharged his ProLite four cylinder), and Jono Climo (Trophy-truck style Toyota
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Hilux). Likewise, multiple Woodhill 100 champion Raana Horan has been racing in Australia, meaning his mighty 4WD Nissan Titan remains in the shed. Though these racers are ready, many say there are more waiting to see what the coming season offers before wheeling out their trucks.
1. Shayne Huxtable is constantly evolving his home-engineered truck. 2. Paul Hackett’s new American truck. 3. Arlene Frost’s first national championship enduro race in the ex-Langley truck. 4. Class champion Nick Hall has seen his share of chequered flags. 5. The ever-spectacular Andrew Hawkeswood.
4WD Sport
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E for Extreme
Emma’s back in action with McLaren Dunedin racer Emma Gilmour is back in Europe and back in action, contesting the second full season of the Extreme E offroad vehicle race series. She jumped on a plane immediately after the New Zealand Rally Championship’s Rally Whangarei to head north for her high profile off-road racing drive.
Along the way she has been busy with PR engagements for the team, including running the Extreme E offroader and an original Gulf-liveried McLaren F1 race car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and driving McLaren Artura supercars at the Formula 1 British Grand Prix. It’s a tough life for a race driver.
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COLUMN DIRT NATION WITH BRYAN CHANG
It’s all about the relationship “Gidday, I’m Lance Leadfoot. You may know me from my Youtube videos ‘I fought the tree and the tree won’ and ‘Smokin’ – the story of an elderly dak-dak and its number one fan’. I’m here to offer you the chance to bestow several thousand dollars on my racing
So we’re coming out of Covid and sponsors are no longer battering down the door looking for racers to throw dosh at. How does someone get a sponsor, and how would that sponsor want to proceed? The key to getting a sponsor is knowing your USP
promotion. Talk to the sponsor, invite them to come watch you race, ask them how you can help put their business or product out there with impact. That doesn’t mean driving into a tree, but hey, that also works if there’s a photographer present. Note that the relationship
Not everyone has sponsors walk into their workshop and ask to get on board. Multiple champion Tony McCall does.
obsession.” That’s how it starts. Then there’s the “as an added bonus, if you give me money I’ll go away.” There aren’t many in the sport who have proper sponsors. Even fewer who actually look after their racer-sponsor relationship.
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– what makes you different from old mate Lance? How will you provide value to the sponsor? That offer – give me money and I’ll go away – may have worked back in the day, but now? Nope. Two requisites most sponsors except: communication and
may be in or around your place of work. For example, in the past Castrol has provided product and other help through their reps and channelled support through local workshops. So if a race driver owned or had a good relationship with a local workshop it was a good way
to open a dialogue with a premium brand. Giti (and GT Radial Tyres) have been backing my own racing career since ages ago, through two unlimited-class trucks and various rebuilds that probably add up to four trucks. Even better, they’ve been on board as we took out class wins and titles and once – with Chang Junior Owen driving – the national championship outright title. Covid has been hugely challenging but Giti have hung in there and we’re well on the way to getting busy again. All going well, we’ll be at the 2022 New Zealand Offroad Grand Prix. We may well get on TV. A long relationship is a good relationship – true in racing as it is in life. Even better is when you race hard and have a massive profile and a sponsor walks up to you in the pits to ask if they can help. It does happen if you’re good. Example: Tony McCall had FPP ownerRoger McGarry literally seek him out to offer backing from FPP and ENZED as McCall’s current single-seater was being readied for its debut.. Fast teen Holly Russell had a similar experience with Rolf from Lucas Oil. So what are you waiting for? Get a proposal together for the 2023 season and get out there! No, not you Lance Leadfoot, stand down.
“I have raced on other brands of tyres but haven’t found anything else that can offer as much traction as the GT Radial Komodo. Whether racing, going off-road or simply from A to B give them a go, you won’t be disappointed.” Bryan Chang
GT Savero Komodo Extreme
GT Savero Komodo MT
GT Adventuro AT3
.gtradial.co.nz
www Photo taken by Mark Baker
Giti AT70
COLUMN GEOFFZONE BY GEOFF ANDERS
Charging into winter, mindfully using that winch We all know the importance of our vehicle battery. Run it down when camping and it won’t start the engine, use a winch too long, same result... oops! There’s lots of info about batteries, winches, fridges, capacity etc. It can be very confusing for a non-electrician. Vehicle batteries have five ratings: • Voltage: Usually 12Volts, the nominal rating of the vehicle’s electrical system. This is the pressure to move the electrical energy. When the engine is running this should rise to the charging voltage of about 14V. Below 12V is bad for the battery. • Ah: Ampere hours. Amps multiplied by time, i.e. 50Ah = 50 amps for an hour or 1 amp for 50hrs, after which it will be ‘flat’ and may not start an engine. the amount of useable energy it can store. It’s electrical energy capacity. Original vehicle batteries will be rated around 50Ah. Many vehicles cannot be hand or tow started, so need a charged battery. An electric winch may pull up over 500A under load so a 50Ah battery will be flat in just a few minutes of hard work. • CCA: Cold Cranking Amps. Starter motors need hundreds of amps when cranking, especially during winter. Diesel engines, being higher compression, usually need more amps than petrol engines hence their batteries are larger, with higher CCAs. The rating is for a short duration of very hard work. • Physical size: Will it fit? Is it a bit heavy? • Type: Usually Lead Acid, but AGM or other in some modern vehicles. • Amps: the current (amount) of electricity flowing. More amps require thicker wires. Consider Winches may drain your standard battery very quickly, hence the need for a dedicated winch battery. A charge controller will allow the alternator to charge both batteries while driving, maintaining the vehicle one as the most important. Alternator: creates the battery-charging electricity. It is driven by the engine and should produce between 50 and 100A, not enough to run a winch under load but will assist. Older winches had 2HP motors to pull 5000lbs. 6HP and over 10,000 lb winches are now available. One HP= 750Watts (3/4 of a kW) so 6HP=4.5kW. Getting that output from a 12V system is a quite a feat and requires fat cables and a battery with lots of CCAs. Many buyers of new 4WDs think ‘60k for the truck, what’s another grand?’ So they get a 10,000lb winch. 10K of pull will lift two 4WDs vertically! It will also put immense strain on chassis and winch mounts, never mind what you want to tow with it. Specific questions and considerations about winching How many new 4WDs get used seriously off-road? Few people
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wish to risk their investment. If that is the case, maybe direct the accessory spend elsewhere? Any winch needs something to pull against. How many trees or fence posts will stand five tons of side-load? Use a tree protection strap or blanket. A mate of mine has owned a Warn 5000lb winch for about 40 years. He’s a serious, skilled, active 4WDer. I’ve seen his winch used multiple times hauling out 4WDs or logs and it has never failed to do the job, sometimes using a snatch block. The factory PTO winch on my Land Cruiser would haul as hard as the Warn, yet was only rated at one ton (2240lb) ‘safe working load’ (it didn’t need a battery so would do that all day with the motor idling)! Winch pull decreases as the rope drum gets fatter and will drop to about a quarter of the rating when on the outer rope layer. Full rating is only available on the inner-most layer. Getting rope off the drum is essential, and also much easier on its motor and power source. A snatch block will assist with that. Do you really need 100ft (30m) of rope? Steel wire is heavy, get synthetic rope and toss an extension length under a seat? Keep synthetic out of sun and heat.
COLUMN VAHRYOUS THOUGHTS BY PETER VAHRY
A call to action Apart from being allowed to drive on a few Department of Conservation roads and to use the general roading network that includes unformed legal roads, which is not a unique opportunity, but one extended to the wider public, no funding is allocated to 4WD recreation.” Winter is showing its colours and the ground in most places is as sodden as usual for the time of year. That doesn’t seem to be any deterrent to a proportion of the four-wheeling community as they wheel spin, slip and slide through mud wherever they can find the stuff. It is hard to tell if the high fuel prices have reduced the distances travelled by many to find mud, although it is evident that among members of ‘organised’ 4WD clubs, there is certainly consideration being given to the distances being travelled for recreation. This potential slowing of the growth of our recreation could perhaps be used to our advantage by using the slightly reduced pressure on venues to work on getting a better appreciation of the existing low levels of provision of legal venues for four-wheeling. One thing that it would be great to know is the percentage of people that do enjoy going ‘off-road’ in their 4WDs. We could possibly look at sales of 4x4-capable vehicles over recent years, but we know that many have been bought with no great intention of going off-road. If somebody knows a reasonably definitive data source, it would be great to hear from you. Statistics around our recreation are extremely poor, despite the availability of at least one tool that could provide count data of vehicles using a route. Having several such counters identifying traffic levels on tracks around the country and capable of being relocated after set recording timeframes, could allow a ‘picture’ of the pressures that we know many 4WD routes are under. Once we have an idea of the demand for 4WD recreation venues we will need to work on altering the public perception of the stereotypical four-wheeler. The public don’t really understand our recreation and media are quick to accentuate any negative impacts of our recreation. What we do know is that if some of those 4WD owners are not provided a managed venue, then they will recreate in unauthorised areas in an unstructured manner. There are huge potential benefits to managed 4WD recreation, especially around environmental impacts. Where there is a management structure for a 4WD route, the mitigation planning can address matters like erosion and associated silt, something that is otherwise just the perfect excuse for a route to be closed down by authorities. To a large extent many such impacts should not be blamed entirely on the 4WD community, but also on local and central government for not meeting our recreational needs.
Unfortunately, ‘timing is everything’ in making positive changes and with New Zealand lurching from one fiscal, health or social change to the next, it will be tough identifying a suitable time to apply pressure. Money of course is another vital component since volunteers can only achieve so much. Establishing a structure that would provide an ‘oversight’ capability on what could be a huge number of 4x4 routes around the country and perhaps even mimicking the type of work that the Walking Access Commission is doing to encourage and support the provision of walking routes. The mountain bike community also seem to have their ‘act together’ in dealing with authorities to create practical routes for their recreation. Where might that money come from? Sales of 4WD-capable vehicles have been considerable over recent years but have now eased as government fiddles with taxes to shift emphasis away from fossil fuels. However, those producing and selling 4WDs have been almost invisible in any effort to help towards mitigating the effects of those vehicles. In fact, some advertising has depicted their products being used in a manner that encourages disrespect for the environment. Perhaps it is time that those organisations contributed towards offsetting the effects of their marketing? Local authorities and government provide funding to a wide variety of sports and recreation facilities but there is no specific funding to acknowledge our recreation. We should aim to change that. We can only get change if there is an awareness of the need for it. I’m sure that most local authorities have an area that they think is being misused by individual four-wheelers. Somehow, we need to find a way to get it recognised that there can be ways to manage our recreation in the same way as other recreations are supported. A swampy rugby field on a park will inevitably get better drainage to reduce the mud and the players won’t get blamed, but for us any mud is our fault. What is our fault though, is that we’ve managed to get a reputation as irresponsible and environmentally damaging resource users. The timing may not be right to openly argue for public funding but we do have to start doing something to change perceptions, otherwise four-wheeling will be seen as increasingly anti-social with even less opportunities recreationally. There needs to be some cohesive planning within the various groups that make up our recreation and that will include those participants of internet groups who suggest that they belong there to avoid the politics of clubs. Without a unified front by four-wheeling we have no real future and what’s the fun in that?
Tussock and bush
N I W
A SET OF KUMHO 4X4 TYRES Your Mike Sheppard caught this diverse group of 4WDs out in the hills of Central Otago. The views in the Lindis area are always stunning, and the clubs that tour the region take great care to leave the tracks as they find them. Public lands and leased pastures stretch from Cromwell all the way to Omarama. The Lindis Pass itself is surrounded on all sides by snow tussocks grassland. The area is known for its flora and fauna including the New Zealand falcon (karearea) and beech forests in the lower areas are home to rifleman, grey warbler and rifleman.
4s
Our monthly feature showcases 4WDs doing just about anything except rolling over or burning! We will award a grand prize of a set of four Kumho 4x4 tyres in the NZ4WD Annual issue. This contest is open to all readers who are not professional photographers.
IMPORTANT: Photographs must have been taken by the person entering them, or have the photographer’s written permission. Email your digital images and a detailed caption to: editor@NZ4WD.co.nz Send your prints and detailed captions to: Your4s with Kumho, PO Box 65-092, Mairangi Bay, Auckland 0754. Be sure to include your postal address!
Submitting photos The basics: as with any photo, there’s no substitute for an image that’s sharp – in focus and free of camera shake. It should be well-exposed.
Size and type Pure Pureroa: Astrid Howarth and friends went out exploring the dank foggy depths of Pureora using established logging access roads, finding the occasional waterlogged section of trail. The Pureora is a massive 760 square km tract of pristine native rainforest that includes trees up to 1,000 years old. It was established as a Forest Park in 1978. NZ Government felling of native timber had been under way in the forest before that date and was halted by protest action in the mid-late 1970s – but pockets of pine and good old blackberry are dotted around the forest area as well. Astrid is our Kumho Your 4s winner for August.
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The mimimum requriement is: A 300dpi jpeg or PNG file of 5Mb or more.
Two DON’TS 1. Do not send us photos embedded in Word documents. We will not use them. 2. Do not send prints from digital images made on cheap inkjet printers on ordinary paper. The quality is just not good enough.
OUR FAVOURITE THINGS
Our Favourite Things column this month extends an invitation to our loyal columnists to show us their favourites. First up, Geoffzone writer Geoff Anders talks torches and wheelstands.
A trick I learnt at MI6 “This little CREE LED torch is always in my pocket along with a multitool. I use it so often. It runs on one AA battery with a continuous runtime of a couple of hours. In reality that lasts about a month as it’s usually only on for a few seconds. I work with a lot of small items – tiny screws, electronic and mechanical bits, vehicle parts. Drop something, can’t see it? Lay torch on floor and look for shadows! Can’t see into that dark corner? The lens moves for beam change, it’ll do a spot beam for a couple of hundred metres or light half the back garden. It is surprisingly bright for its size. I’ve bought a few out of Asia, they last at least a year, usually the switch dies from lots of use. They get dusty from living in my pocket so I pull them apart for a clean, get another year. This model is now obsolete I think but there’s a huge range of similar torches available in NZ (buy local!) or off the web.”
Never throw anything away ever
Geoff has a bit of an attachment to this one, and it proves you should never throw anything away. He says: “My first decent car was a Mini. After I bought it, it was off to Ruapuna for an event. “The scrutineer took one look at it and said, ‘You can’t run with those wheels!’ Dismayed, I pointed out they were bog standard originals! Turned out that early mini wheels failed ‘cos the steel was too thin! A set of locally made alloys did the job thereafter (and enabled wider tyres, whoopee!). “The four failures hung around for a while until I welded them into pairs. They have been, and remain very, very, useful. Jack a car up, use them for stands under the wheels or chassis, very stable, even with wood block risers on top. Use them as steps when leaning into 4WD engine rooms, extend car ramps. As vehicle stands: used upside down, well-side up, a tyre drops in to lock solid. I can balance a motor or gearbox on them as a work stand. There’s a centre hole to drop a projection into.”
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4x4 Summer Escape Trips Tour the iconic South Island of New Zealand
Take a guided 10 day 4x4 tour covering off-road tracks from South Canterbury down to Manapouri and back up via the central South Island, finishing at Tekapo. Numbers are limited to keep groups small for our tours. Your vehicles must be low range and setup to cope with back country tracks, river and stream crossings etc. Snorkels are recommended. Trips are during January, February, March and October annually. March and October trips are accommodated in holiday parks and 3 star motels. The January and February trips are self-camping / self-catering accommodation in DOC camps or similar. More details in our information pack.
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For more details and an information pack email Stewart or Graeme: summerescape4x4@gmail.com Or phone Stewart 0275 992633 or Graeme 029 2001700
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COLUMN TORQUETALK BY ASHLEY LUCAS
Care and feeding of the winch It sits out in the open, usually unprotected from the elements, rarely given a second thought until we really need to use it to get out of a spot of bother, and it doesn’t work. I am of course referring to the electric winch usually mounted on the front of your 4WD, and wonder when was the last time, if ever, you gave it a little attention and maintenance. Depending on the brand of winch you’ve got, your manual may say anything from ‘perform winch maintenance every month’ to ‘the winch is completely sealed and never needs to be maintained’. Of course only one of these is correct. Even the most trusted and most expensive winches in the world absolutely suggest
you perform maintenance on them at least after each use or 90 days. I am not just meaning winding the rope on under tension, although you should be doing that anyway to avoid a good chance of pulling the outer layer of rope down through the lower looser layers and binding up your rope, and possibly damaging it. Even brand new winches need the rope layered on under tension as the rope is only wound on at the factory to look neat and tidy and not under tension. Best done with an assistant, I get She Who Must Be Obeyed to sit in the vehicle and steer with slight pressure on the brakes to load up the winch just enough to layer the rope. The winch is an electromechanical device that for a lot of folks just sits bolted to the front in the rain, drowned in creeks and rivers and filled with muddy
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water from that bog hole you drove into. Moisture gets inside, no matter how well it is supposedly sealed (condensation) and after each trip and at least every 60-90 days you should power up the winch and spool it out and back in again. This will heat up the motors and dry off any moisture inside. Basically the above procedure of tensioning the rope on the drum will dry out the winch. It also pays to check all wiring and connections to ensure there is no chafing or cutting of wires and the connections are tight and corrosion free, including the battery terminals. To stop dust and dirt getting into the electrical connections in the winch control box and solenoids I use a product called Soft Seal from CRC. It provides a dry transparent waxy film that
will not wash off even in severe conditions. It doesn’t attack plastic, rubber or paint and is good on electrical circuits and doesn’t crack. It protects for up to two years in harsh environments and can be cleaned off with Brakleen or mineral spirits. I have even used my winch completely submerged under water without a problem. You need to thoroughly check the rope for fraying, kinks and damage, and I do this each time I properly tension the rope onto the drum. Damaged rope should be replaced immediately otherwise you will forget and it will become a bigger problem next time you really need that winch to get you out of trouble. Also, checking the
hook and tree protector for damage and other items such as the pulley block and shackles, especially the ‘soft shackles’ used these days. Manufacturers will also tell you to periodically to check that the bolts mounting your winch (and/or winch plate) are tight and correctly torqued. Keep the winch, rope and winch controller free from dirt, dust and other contaminants. Use a clean rag or towel to remove any dirt and debris and store the controller away safely inside the vehicle. Don’t wind the lead up too tightly as that could break the wires inside the lead. When plugging in the controller, I like to run the lead up and loosely around the top of the bull bar then back under the wiper arm before going in through the window so that it can’t fall off or get caught by a branch or under the wheels. Of course, if you hard wire the winch controls inside the vehicle you won’t have this problem, however I recommend you still carry the controller in case something happens to that wiring or switch. Winches are rated for intermittent duty. When the motor approaches stall speed, very rapid heat build-up occurs which may cause damage to the motor. Doubleline rigging with a pulley block will reduce the amperage draw, and reduce heat build-up and potential damage to the motor. By following these few basic checks and procedures hopefully next time you need that winch in anger to get you out it will do just that with long term reliability. I bought my Warn winch brand new in 1987 and it’s been on three vehicles, the current one for 28 years and it is still fitted with the original control box and solenoids.
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A Gra nd day out
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TERRAIN TAMER PULLS OUT ALL THE STOPS
Ever won a 4WD racing competition using Terrain Tamer Brake Pads? MadMatt has. “We won the 2021 Cliffhanger 4WD event in the touring class. A week long, 1000km outback race across rocks, hills, creeks and desert. Racing like this is as much about going fast as it is about stopping. The Terrain Tamer Brake System did a superb job.” Designed for brake systems under significant pressure, our Fortified Brake Pads benefits are most apparent after extreme events such as long downhill durations. With reduced dust, and improved wear resistance and braking capacity, beyond industry standard, the pads will hold their braking integrity in the most challenging conditions. For information visit terraintamer.com or call (09) 263 6021
