Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2018 i NZ4WD

Jeremy Clarkson, would – no doubt – be far from amused! To celebrate Land Rover’s 70th anniversary, 632 vehicles set a new Guinness World Record in Bad Kissingen, Bavaria, for the largest parade of Land Rovers. More than 1,500 customers and fans joined the record-breaking 7.4 km parade, led by two local actors film, Heino Ferch in his Land Rover Defender. and Kostja Ullmann in a Range Rover Evoque Convertible. The German parade beat the record of 516 Land Rovers set in Portugal in 2014. The Bad Kissingen parade featured a wide range of models including many classic ‘Series’ examples. Guinness World Records sent an official adjudicator from its London headquarters, who observed and controlled the strict criteria with two independent referees. To set the record, all Land Rover vehicles…

How easy was that? Inaugural winners of the two NZ4WD mag digital subscriptions up for grabs at each round of this year’s Superwinch Mainland Challenge winch series were these likely lads, Tony O’Donnell and Russell Loder from Nelson. They are first year competitors in the Superwinch Mainland Challenge Clubman Class and the photo was taken by Antonia O’Donnell. And what did they have to do to earn their booty? They got Antonia to take a picture of the NZ4WD mag sticker on their truck! Seriously, that’s all. If you would like a shot at a digital sub, take a shot of the NZ4WD sticker on your truck on the way to, at or on the way back from subsequent rounds and PM it to the Superwinch Mainland Challenge’s Facebook page.…

US heavy duty ute specialist RAM has upgraded its 2500 trucks for 2018 making them more comfortable, more convenient and more capable. The RAM 2500 features revised suspension settings for 2018 that have been developed in Australia for New Zealand road conditions. These provide a smoother, more comfortable ride quality without impacting on the remarkable towing ability of the RAM 2500 of up to 6.9 tonnes For 2018 all RAM trucks come with the latest uConnect 4 system that brings a new 8.4-inch touch screen with pinch to zoom operation, Apple CarPlay and Android compatibility and USB flip connection (which allows two phones to be plugged into the system simultaneously and, at the touch of the screen, the system will switch between the two phones without them being plugged in…

The Altiplano is a perfect place when it comes to high altitude driving. When you plan to make your own personal record or break the world one, look no further. The biggest obstacle is obviously low oxygen for engine combustion, therefore many drivers modify their vehicles in order to reach higher altitudes. However, you can easily reach the altitude around 5500 metres in a standard production car. You can then try your luck on two Bolivian volcanoes. Uturuncu is a stratovolcano near San Pablo de Lípez reaching to 6008 m. There was a sulphur mine near its peak which was accessed by the road until 1990s, but since the closure of the industry, the road is abandoned as well. The information about the road condition are vague, but with proper…

Four-wheeling and carbon neutral seem contradictory in the same sentence, but thanks to the ongoing efforts of the Land Rover Owners (Auckland) and Auckland 4WD Club, marrying the two together may be possible. Since starting to plant a then recently acquired regional park in 2010, on the Kaipara South Head, the two clubs have been instrumental in planting some 12,000 native plants within that park. Each year on an early winter day, about 30 or more families make the trip up the South Head peninsula almost to the top; load up trailers with trays of plants and then drive across the park’s farmland for over a kilometre to the planting location by a small lake. While other community groups also assist with planting projects within the park, the Council’s farm…

It was the championship round most suited to one of the big unlimited-class four-wheel-drive trucks equipped with some super-aggressive 35-inch mudders and a bellowing V8 engine. Yet the driver who arguably got the most out of the event was Tauranga’s Mark Goldstone driving of the smallest, a VW 1600-powered single-seater buggy. A coating of greasy mud 50-75mm thick topped the long straights and sculpted corners of the ATR club’s permanent race track at Makarau (north of Kaukapakapa Ed). Muddy water sheeted across the track and fast-moving rain clouds scudded across the sky. In other words a perfect environment for a big truck, a terraformed track with mud to throw at other competitors and the crowd. But where were the trucks? Nick Hall left the property before racing started, but also…

Poor mainlanders! If we aren’t careful, the raiders from the north will steal away all our regional trophies! John Morgan, Mike Fraser, Brendon Midgely have all committed to racing the southern region events, drawn by the enduro-heavy programme the championship features down here. It’s a powerful motivation if you like your races long and hard. Consider: every round up north has been a short course (sometimes changed to short course after a forest became unavailable). So while short course stuff is more intense, more wheel-against-wheel, you don’t end up getting a lot of seat time or a lot of kms. Go the South! If a driver chooses the south, they get one short course round (coming up down Otago way) and two decent-sized endurance races. Plus there’s this month’s NZ…

Keen to hit the South Island’s incomparable network of 4x4 trails but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, keen overlander (and now regular NZ4WD mag contributor) Richard Soult has created a new web resource – 4x4Explorer.co.nz – with you in mind. 4X4explorer.co.nz is a subscriber-based South Island 4x4 route resource unique in the quantity and quality of information that it provides to those wishing to get the most out of their 4X4 and this great country we call home. Think of it as a 4X4 guidebook of the South Island that you can access from anywhere – phone, tablet, computer – which is continually being updated and added to. 4X4 Tracks There are currently nearly 800 individual routes that can be easily linked together to form longer expeditions. A…

With the ‘car’ parks that encircle the Mystery Creek site packed full of them it only stood to reason that turbo-diesel double cab utes were very much the flavour of the 50th anniversary New Zealand Agricultural Fieldays event, which opened on Wednesday June 13 this year. With a fully audited 130,866 people coming through the gates this year (well exceeding the average across the last five years of 125,000 people) you can certainly understand why companies like Isuzu spend so much creating a dedicated, self-drive, compound to showcase their particular ute (The D-Max) and ute-based (MU-X) offerings. Not to mention why Ford used the event to reveal its new ‘hero’ TD/DC ute the Ranger Raptor. National Ute show Every importer with a TD/ DC ute to sell had a major…

July 28th–29th 2018  Offlimits 4WD Ice Buster; at Waiouru Army training grounds (dates confirmed). Ice Buster is a unique 4WD event. Unique because it’s held under the biggest North Island mountain in the middle of winter. It is a 4WD event that celebrates the diverse climate of the central plateau in true winter style. Saturday and Sunday are guided Safari days where we explore the features and some of the history of the 163,000 acres of the Waiouru Military Training area. This Safari is deliberately placed in midwinter to give you a chance to drive in real winter conditions. It is also placed at a time when there are few other events or distractions. (Important notice) This year’s event will be limited to 50 vehicles spread across the three groups…

In a ‘coals-to-Newcastle’ story sure to warm the heart of any Kiwi cricket fan old enough to remember the infamous ‘underarm bowling incident of 1981’ Holden has decided to release a production version of its Colorado Xtreme ute here before it does so at home. Two years after the true-blue Aussie car maker unveiled a radical Colorado Xtreme concept ute ahead of the annual Fieldays event in Hamilton it returned this year with a production version – now on sale here but not yet across the Tasman. In fact, the new ‘factorycustom’ Xtreme was one of two radical new models the company shipped here to attract new interest to their cornerstone Fieldays’ stand, the other being the new US-built Arcadia seven-seat SUV. To be fair on the Arcadia, it was…

There are many off-road car manufacturers with hundreds of models on the market today. Yet, if you venture into the wasteland of southwest Bolivia, you will soon discover that the choice of those, who want to survive one of the toughest environment on this planet, is quite obvious. I have experienced very little off-road driving in my life, but when I did, it happened to be quite spectacular. Once, I sent a brand new Defender into a ditch and had to be winched out. Which is nothing I would be proud of, but it is just another proof of the fact, that if the driver is useless, so is the vehicle. I was not discouraged though. My wife Kristina and I went on a three month holiday in New Zealand…

Few products can transform the performance and ability of a 4WD like a vehicle specific suspension upgrade, and Australian specialist Old Man Emu (OME) has been at the forefront of suspension development and innovation for decades. Aftermarket 4WD suspension is extremely complex, and determining the right solution for your vehicle and your requirements demands special attention to many factors. For this reason OME offers a range of integrated suspension systems to ensure the right suspension is available to suit how the vehicle is outfitted and the conditions it will encounter. In order to do so the company employs a team of full time ride control engineers to carry out an exhaustive testing and development program on each component in an OME suspension system. A long list of sophisticated test equipment…

Ironman 4×4 offers a complete integrated range of suspension kits, based around designs which have evolved over 50 years of suspension experience. The company recognises that there is no single solution practical for the varying needs of all 4×4 owners and the different driving conditions they encounter, therefore Ironman 4×4 offers a wide selection of matched components, which – once fitted – will transform the vehicle around the driver’s needs. Ironman 4x4 also offers various optional components further enhancing suspension performance or geometry correction purposes, including greasable shackles and pins, steering dampers, caster correction kits, trim packers, and suspension arms. Coil springs Coils springs produced by Ironman 4x4 undergo class-leading manufacturing processes to ensure the highest possible quality. All are CNC cold coiled to ensure perfect consistency and accuracy meaning…

C’mon. He’s your best mate. You always went off to work with him before, and come the weekend, he was always first in line to get away for a weekend’s hunting or fishing, but… …it’s a new ute. You’ve just spent a truckload on it and you know it won’t stay shiny forever, but a weekend with your four-legged friend who should’ve had his claws clipped? Just think what he’s going to do to that paint. He won’t mean to of course, and just look at that face: “Whattaya mean you’re going without me?” You can’t say no to it, but what about your paint? Brother, we’ve got an answer for you: Numat. Numat is a national reach company with a wealth of expertise in surface protection, most notably in…

Last year was the first that the RFC Russia KMV (RFCRKMV) of Stravropol embraced the world renowned Rainforest Challenge (RFC) race format for the RFC West Russia (RFCWR) under the auspices of the RFC Global Series (RFCGS). And after the success of the first edition in 2017, this year the RFCRKMV organisers upgraded the complexity of the Special Stages (SS) and extended the racing days to five, to better reflect the format of the mother RFC event in Malaysia. Thus, from 27 April – 2 May 2018, 30 teams from Armenia, Georgia & Russia, in purpose-built 4x4s from prototypes to modified production models from local marques Lada Nivas and UAZs, to Japanese and European makes and models, went into battle. Prologue The first day was held at Pyatigorsk with the…

VW has taken the blow torch to its Amarok ute range, trimming down the four-cylinder TD line-up to just one model and expanding the V6 range to three models, starting with a new price-leader, the 165kW V6 TDI with an RRP of $69,990 + ORC. The four models are; • The Amarok Comfortline 132kW TDI four-cyl. RRP $58,990+orc •The Amarok V6 TDI RRP $69,990+orc • The Amarok V6 TDI Highline RRP $76,990+orc, and • The Amarok V6 TDI Aventura RRP $85,990+orc Kevin Richards, Head of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles New Zealand commented; “The introduction of the Amarok V6 TDI at a sub-$70k price point is really exciting news for our brand.” The Amarok V6 3.0L TDI 4Motion (full-time 4WD) model delivers a power output of 165kW including an over- boost function,…

New DC to DC solar battery charger Faster charging of 12-volt auxiliary batteries for recreational and boating use, as well as those used in cars and light commercials, is among the features of the new ‘Intelli-Charge’ IDC45 model from Projecta that has just been introduced to New Zealand. The new 45A 12V, 3-Stage IDC45 provides many of the same market-leading features of the original Projecta IDC25 charger, but with much larger output. The new IDC45 provides safe, reliable and faster charging and it also has the versatility to handle more demanding applications, charging 12V secondary/auxiliary deep cycle battery on the go. Like the IDC25 before it, the IDC45 can charge simultaneously from both solar and alternator inputs, and it can automatically shift between solar and alternator (9-32V) inputs without the…

From my experience, some of the best places to visit on the Bolivian Altiplano include: Titicaca – if you come so far north, this lake is indeed worth visiting, since it is both a sacred Inca place and highest navigable lake in the world (3812 m). Sajama National park – first national park in Bolivia is home to the highest mountain – Sajama (6542 m) and great landscape with almost no visitors and great hot pools. Salar de Uyuni – with more than 10,000sqkm the world’s largest salt flat is a must-see place. Isla del Pescado (Fish island) is a great place to watch the sunrise. “The Death Road” – while not exactly on Altiplano, this legendary road connecting the high altitude desert with the Bolivian lowland offers a great…

Factory fitted breathers often sit on top of the differentials, gearboxes and transfer cases. If that factory breather goes underwater or in mud, the debris can get sucked into you drive train. DON’T risk it! Eliminate this problem by fitting a HKB breather as the suction point is moved up high above the water line just like a snorkel. As a recreational off-roader there are bound to be tracks you come across with stream or river crossings and even more common mud or bog holes. For these occasions we fit snorkels to our vehicles to allow our engines to still get clean air even in the deepest holes or crossings. Many people forget that their differentials, gearboxes and transfer cases all have breathers as well and they can be as…

Traditionally similar folding covers are made of vinyl and although they are ‘lockable’, they are not very secure as they can easily be ripped or cut open. The Airplex Tri-Fold hard cover has a solid inner core of strong ABS mounted on a aluminium powder-coated subframe. The whole cover is then wrapped in a tough smooth vinyl outer shell for a sleek weatherproof finish. The hard cover is easily fitted in minutes and requires no special tools. The cover can be folded for easy access to the tray, and can be clipped in the fully folded position to enable driving while open. The cover can be fully removed or re-installed in minutes using the internal cam lock levers. Sealing on top of the tray rather than sitting inside the edge…

Careful planning of a one-day touring trip with my 4WD club meant that it fell on the one wet day in the three-day weekend. With half a dozen vehicles coming with me there was no opportunity to make any last-minute changes. Luckily the club has a “Rain or shine, hail or snow, we go” policy for most trips, so with no warning of major flooding or other problems the trip was on. We were meeting at Martinborough Square, and with people arriving early for a café stop before the trip started there was no excuse for not being at the meeting spot on time. A large tree in the square provided good shelter from the intermittent rain for the formal check-in and briefing before we headed out on our adventure.…

And so, the 2018 Superwinch Mainland Challenge Series has finally started. It’s been a big build-up to the season this year for a few competitors as there has been new builds or rebuilds, new teams and trucks and changes of Classes for some. It’s been exciting watching and reading about them all in the months leading up to Round 1. This was the second year that the opening round of our series was hosted by the Marlborough 4WD Club at Maruia. Competitors had to be on-site between 3.00 and 5.00pm on the Friday for the vehicle checks with most camping on site. Some were in caravans and campers while others slept in trailers, vehicles and, yes, some even braved it out in tents. Speaking of which I got reports that…

There are always those little maintenance jobs you never seem to get around to doing on your vehicle and with my fleet the list of 101 items meant I needed to spend a day in the workshop and get a few jobs ticked off the list. First up was the rear door card on the Range Rover. It seemed to be coming away from the door so time to investigate. It took a few minutes of puzzling before I worked out how it came off but once off it revealed the reason it wasn’t sitting right. Several of the ‘holders’ for the clips had come unglued from the door card itself. I couldn’t see a reason why apart from the minimal amount of glue they used in the original build…