Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2017 i NZ4WD

How did YOU get into 4WDing? Was it, for instance, through a friend, workmate or colleague? Or was it more a matter of you seeing your first tricked-up ‘Truck’ and thinking, ‘that looks like a bit of me!’ Each month as I put an issue of NZ4WD together I ponder this very point. For no better reason than we are such a diverse bunch. Some of you would have me fill the mag with awesome tales of daring-do and narrow escapes, either in an off-road race or on a ‘tuff truck’ tour of the local mud hole (think the mainstream Aussie mags). Others would be just as happy flicking through page after page of ‘no-expense-spared,’ ‘eat-your-lunch-off-it’ truck ‘build’ stories (cue a typical US title). If the stats for typical tabloid…

Toyota has given its family-favourite ‘ SUV the Highlander a make-over for 2017, with a sharper-drawn exterior heralding powertrain and safety upgrades across the range. A new trapezoidal grille with silver accents is flanked by updated halogen headlights and LED daytime running lights. There are fresh 18-inch alloy wheel designs on the GX and GXL (as well as a new power back door with glass hatch for the latter) and 19-inch alloys for the range-topping Limited model. All models also gain new LED tail lights. Under the bonnet, the Highlander is the first Toyota to adopt the new, more powerful 218kW/350Nm 2GR-FKS 3.5 litre V6 (petrol) engine and new direct shift eight-speed automatic transmission. The 2GR-FKS V6 is the first Toyota engine to combine both VVT-iW with D-4S technology, resulting…

Jeep and Mopar once again teamed up to show a range of concept models at the annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, between April 8-16. Now in its 51st year, the Easter Jeep Safari is attended by thousands of diehard off-road enthusiasts looking to enjoy a week of serious off-roading on some of the country’s most well-known and challenging trails. The 2017 Easter Jeep Safari concept vehicles included: Jeep Grand One A modernized spin on a classic 1993 ZJ, the 5.2 litre V8-engined Grand One concept features custom 18-inch lace-style wheels, high-clearance fender flares, extended wheelbase, trimmed fascias and a subtle wood grain treatment on the body. Jeep Safari This high-tech, Wrangler-based concept features a translucent hard-top roof panel, two-level aluminium cargo rack with incorporated drone, a raked windshield,…

Rod Millen’s Leadfoot Festival is not something you would normally associate with 4WD but for the 2017 there was a 4WD vehicle competing for the first time in the form of Glen and Samantha Raymond’s UK-built Tomcat, recently fully certified for road use. The Leadfoot Festival is Rod and Shelley Millen’s vision of featuring local and international motorsport legends, great competitors and iconic race cars. A South Pacific version of England’s Goodwood Festival of Speed it was first held on the Millens’ 48 hectare property at Hahei in 2011 to celebrate Rod’s 60th Birthday. The ‘track’ is the Millens’ 1.6 km driveway and to attend is by invite only and once Rod and Shelly Millen had received details of the Tomcat Racer an invitation was duly received. Broad appeal New…

“Be rude not to,” I quipped as Jeep NZ staffer Rebecca Anderson held up the keys to the 6.4 litre hemi V8-powered SRT Grand Cherokee outside the company’s HQ in Auckland’s industrial Mt Wellington. In theory, the country’s motoring writers had been invited to a day out driving the new addition to the GC (Grand Cherokee) line-up, the Trailhawk, at Kariotahi on the ‘super city’s south-western coast. But we had to get there – from Mt Wellie – first. And at that particular moment, I couldn’t think of a better way to cover the 60-or so kilometres than behind the wheel of the only real option if a Range Rover Sport is not your particular cup of tea (or shot of bourbon!) Sat there all squat and menacing on wide…

This year’s Rangitikei Station to Station 4WD Trek was a one-day event held on Saturday March 4 to raise funds for the Rangitikei Community Multi-Sport Turf project supporting Nga Tawa Diocesan School. My weekend started on Friday with a trip west to Vinegar Hill Domain and the DOC campsite on the banks of the Rangitikei River. It’s a great spot, and comes complete with large flood warning signs and electronic gear in place for the safety of all who use it. Next morning I woke to the birds calling and a tinge of red in the sky. As the old saying goes, ‘Red sky in the morning, shepherd’s warning,’ and sure enough, the grey clouds were gathering as I packed up camp and headed to the registration and start point…

When your vehicle’s caught in a torrential downpour on a steep bush track or stuck in knee deep mud the reliability, performance and durability of your recovery gear is paramount. ARB’s vehicle recovery accessories are engineered and manufactured to the highest standards, making them ideal for recreational use as well as competition. Recovery straps ARB’s recovery straps, for instance, are woven and fabricated to strict quality specifications and tested by a NATA approved laboratory to ensure optimum performance. A full range of high quality straps are available, each specifically designed to suit its purpose and give you peace of mind during your next recovery. Snatch strap Specifically designed to stretch under load for maximum performance, an ARB snatch strap is a very effective method of extracting a bogged or immobilised…

What do the Mum and Dad 4WD drivers need to know about the winch they are going to purchase for their 4WD? Let’s face it most people start off by saying” I don’t need a winch in my 4WD, I won’t get stuck, I only do the easy trips.” The fact of the matter is we all start off like that in any sport or recreational activity. But in no time we are donkey deep pushing our vehicle to its limits. So like any product you purchase for your 4WD you need to think longevity. Don’t buy a cheap hole filler, buy something that goes the distance and is well backed up in your market. With Kingone I believe we have one of the best, if not the best inline…

Whakatane off-road racer Malcolm Langley is making his mark in the unlimited truck class this year, racing an all-new Chev-powered 4WD ProLite race truck in the booming 4WD Bits unlimited race truck class. Langley is ‘Mr 93’ – carrying the race number through three classes from his sporting debut in class three for cars with 1.6 litre engines and racing under the 393 number. Langley crossed the ‘divide’ when the ProLite design started to gain popularity in New Zealand. Open source ProLite plans are available ‘open source’ on the internet and are a proven recipe for a strong, light race truck. The design majors on ease of access to components –both for cleaning and ease of maintenance. The suspension geometry has been sorted on the big fast whoops and jumps…

The bubbly mixed with the mud as Andrew and Amy Garner celebrated winning this year’s Suzuki Extreme 4x4 Challenge event. Second (and taking away the ‘Best in Show’ award) were brothers Scott and Jarred Biggs, third, Aaron Guest and Gary Preston. FMX star Levi Sherwood did well on his 4x4 Trials debut to finish sixth in a Cowper Trucks truck with Kayne Newman alongside. NZ4WD correspondent Gail Smith says that a great day was enjoyed by many, competitors and large group of enthusiastic spectators alike and she says prime mover and organizer Dan Cowper of Cowper Trucks and his team deserve praise for putting on such an exciting and well run event. We will have full – multi-page – coverage of all the action in the June issue of NZ4WD…

The most challenging endurance race in the southern hemisphere – an event that challenges drivers to complete the equivalent of a Bathurst enduro without once driving on tarmac – is on again. With a new organising team, the NZ1000 is on the move to an all-new course near Atiamuri on the central volcanic plateau south of Tokoroa. The NZ1000 race weekend has been set down for September 8-10 this year. Racers must complete 11 laps each day of a fast 46 km course in Atiamuri Forest, 28km south of Tokoroa and 34km northwest of Taupo. The race runs every second year and regularly attracts grids of 80 or more vehicles with entries coming from all parts of New Zealand and often from overseas. Tauranga’s Ben Thomasen won the most recent…

The fourth member of the Range Rover family, the Velar, has been officially launched in the northern hemisphere with first examples expected here early in the New Year. The new Velar plugs a gap in the range between the Range Rover Evoque and the Range Rover Sport delivering new levels of refinement, elegance and technology. Created from a clean sheet using Jaguar Land Rover’s Lightweight Aluminium Architecture, the Velar represents the next chapter of the Range Rover story. Built around a light, stiff, aluminium-intensive body, the all-wheel-drive Velar features double-wishbone front and Integral Link rear (air) suspension, ground clearance of 251mm (213mm with coil springs), a wading depth of 650mm (600mm with coil springs) and Land Rover’s Terrain Response 2 and All Terrain Progress Control traction systems. There are six…

The Wellington Cross Country Vehicle Club (CCVC) was formed in 1971 when a small group of 4WD enthusiasts gathered in Upper Hutt to discuss forming a four-wheel-drive club. From these small beginnings CCVC has grown to be one of the largest clubs of its type in New Zealand with around 250 members. The club now caters for all levels of off-road driving with four grades of trip. The Family 4x4 and Shiny 4x4 grades are the most popular as these are easier trips where damage is less likely, and are well suited to vehicles that are also everyday transport. The Club 4x4 and Hard Yaka grades provide a driving challenge for those with more robust and capable vehicles, who don’t mind some damage during the trip. Trips are typically full…

Yes, we all carry it, but the real questions about recovery gear should be, do we know how to use it (safely), and what will it actually do, when required? The list’s actually as long as one likes to make it regarding gear, but in the end it comes down to what you personally consider worth carrying for the actual trip you’re doing. Also whether you may be a trip leader or just a trip member. Myself, as both member and a trip leader, carry what I feel is appropriate for the trip I am about to do. The standard list of gear on board “The Whale” at any one time would be: • Two strops(snatch straps) plus a short extension. • Two winch extensions (one being Dyneema rope, for…

The event was run as a two-day affair, day one for the CTC and registered vehicles, and the day two as the Manawatu 4WD Club club champs open to unregistered club and specialist trials trucks. Camping was available at the site but I didn’t stay for Sunday so missed the debut of Hintzy’s Cowper truck and a few other trials machines. The Manawatu 4WD Club is home turf for the Watchorn brothers and Mark’s whole family usually come out as well, with Raewyn often seen with the score sheet in her hand. Also, Brendan still holds onto the belief that he is the only person to have entered every round of the CTC ever held, however I found some photos on good old Facebook of that first event in September…

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 The ideal submission…

The significant growth in SUV and Light truck sales, coupled with favourable exchange rates, has enabled Toyota New Zealand to introduce lower prices on Fortuner and Hilux models. “Our dollar has strengthened against the yen by about 7.6 percent already this year so we find ourselves in the fortunate position of being able to pass these gains on to our customers,” said Steve Prangnell, Toyota New Zealand’s General Manager of Sales. From April 1 all Hilux 4WD SR models have been reduced by $3,000 and the SR5 and SR5 Limited by $4,000. All four Fortuner models have been reduced by $10,000 with the model range now priced between $60,990 for the GX and up to $68,990 for the Limited.…

High profile cookbook author Annabel Langbein has joined forces with Jeep for the launch of her latest cookery book, ‘Essential’. The company is providing both a Jeep Wrangler Overland for Langbein to travel the country promoting ‘Essential’ at book signings in, and one for a purchaser of her new book to win as part of a promo competition. Langbein and the Jeep brand have long-standing ties, the Wanaka resident having owned a Jeep J20 pickup truck for over 20 years.…

Manufactures are continually blurring the lines between what were once seen as cast-iron market categories; you know, small cars, large cars, SUVs and utes. The latest example – and one particularly pertinent to our (4WD) world – is that between conventional ‘cars’ and ‘4WDs.’ Subaru is the pioneer here though the current craze involves SUVs – like the cute little Chevrolet Trax Activ you see here – rather than what the Americans call ‘cross-overs.’ Jeep has sewn the seed with trail-rated Trailhawk versions of its Cherokee and now Grand Cherokee models, but at the SEMA show in Las Vegas late last year the eye-catching prototypes came from Hyundai, Kia... and Chevrolet. Starting with a 2017 Trax AWD model, the concept suspension was lifted, the track was widened, and a set…

Events May 2017 Issue April 15-16th 2017 Off Road Racing South Island Championship; Round 1 Hosted by Nelson Off Road Club at Christchurch. Short Course and Enduro. www.oranz.co.nz April 22th 2017 Whangarei Four Wheel Drive Club Tag-a-long day; at Tangiteroria. meet at Meet at the Upper Wairoa War Memorial Park for Registration, leaving 9.00am. This is a tagalong across a farm under the Tangiteroria ranges. Suitable for all grades of 4WD. Bring your own lunch, drinks and sturdy footwear. No alcohol or dogs permitted. $50 per vehicle with all funds raised going to cancer research. Participants will need to complete the registration form prior to the event and sign an indemnity Form on the day. For registration form email Tangitrek@gmail.com for a copy. For further info phone Geoff 094346955 or…

The Nelson 4 Wheel Drive Club started 2017 with a very quiet January but come February we got pretty busy. Over the February 11-12 weekend we entered a few Club Trucks in the Nelson Motor Show and we must have had a pretty good display as we went home with the Top Club Display Trophy. Then the following weekend, February 18-19, seemed like a good date to head to Reefton and do a grade 3/5 trip as most of our shiny trucks were away doing a week-long Southern Safari around the Central Otago area. Reefton is a two-and-a-half hour run from Nelson and we set off on the Friday afternoon to make the most of a weekend away. The weather was perfect, sunny and very hot indeed. Saturday Scotty Newport…

Ironman 4x4 produces a range of state-of-the-art, outback tested recovery gear including electric winches, snatch straps, hand winches, high lift jacks, exhaust jacks and recovery kits. Winches Ironman 4x4 has totally redesigned and upgraded its range of Monster winches, including stronger motors, heavy duty casings, synthetic ropes, competition style solenoids and are the only winch on the market with a motor breather. With two in the range, a 9500lb and a 12000lb and with the option of steel or synthetic cable there is a winch to suit your needs. Each comes with a full wiring kit and instructions, four-way roller fairlead or alloy hawse fairlead, winch damper blanket and a full five-year warranty. Spare parts are carried in New Zealand and are readily available should they be required. Ironman Monster…

The SmartFlare LED Combo light is one of the most versatile, portable and attractive LED lights available in NZ. It’s an ultra-bright, 360 degree lighting device that works equally well as a flashlight, work light, lantern or flashing emergency light. Importer DLG International brings in two units suitable for emergency use should you get into trouble in your 4WD. One is the Combo light LED, the other is the smaller, pocket-sized SwivelPro LED. The SwivelPro LTD has seven ultra-bright LEDs on each side of the swivelling head and a magnetic base. It can be an LED flashlight, a work light, a lantern or an emergency flare. Keep one in your vehicle, and use another for outdoor adventures, boating, fishing, 4WDing, etc. The Combo Light is available as a single unit…

Kingseat (South Auckland) teen Jack Hellier in his tiny VW-powered single seater race car scored the maximum 72 points to lead his class and share the championship lead with Warren Adams in his somewhat larger Nissan Patrol V8. Racing against Fergus Crabb and Boston Morgan-Horan, Hellier drove a canny event, focusing on his own race lines and avoiding the worst of the mudholes. His car is a one-of-a-kind single-seater with a VW 1.2-litre engine and has been outright national champion in past years in dad Wal Hellier’s hands. Warren Adams, likewise, took maximum points with an unbroken string of class wins in his V8-engined Nissan Safari, racing against Tauranga’s Glen Raymond in a Bowler Tomcat V8. Both running in class six for ‘challenge’-class road registered four-wheel-drives, the pair made the…

Nick Leahy is a racer’s racer. He made his name in one of the smallest cars in the sport, and got the big boys talking at the Woodhill 100 when he punished his kidneys all the way to a podium, becoming one of the few to push a Challenger that high up the run order. Having done all he could do with the wee VW car, Nick was faced with the question: what next? Another single-seater? Work up through class five – no faster than a Challenger, but with more suspension under it? A mega-dollar class one car perhaps? The answer came with an offer from Kevin Hall – creator of the proposed NZ ProLite class rules – to drive his US-built, Kiwi-adapted Prolite V8. Hard charger Nick was hooked.…