Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2021 i NZ4WD

As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the CCVC Central (aka Wellington) division earlier this year NZ4WD magazine offered the organising committee five free subscriptions to the mag as an incentive for members to dig out their old photo albums and submit photos of club activities across all five decades the club has now been in operation. Here are the winners of those mag subs.…

You can be forgiven for that too, as the Cherokee languished in the Adrenalin Publishing warehouse for several months, only coming out for its six-monthly WoF and covering six kms within that time. The reason was an occasional noise coming from the front end initially off-road, only to become a whine and slight vibration on road. The diff seal was weeping so it was overdue for some workshop time. Refresher course To refresh your memories, Project 12K is a 1995 Jeep Cherokee originally purchased in 2007 for $2,500 as the basis of a budget project to set it up for off road use, originally for $8,000 including purchase price. Proving successful, we liked the capability of the lightweight Cherokee off-road, and five or six years later – seeking another project…

If you’ve never heard of Monster 4WD, let us tell you who we are. Monster 4WD is a newly established 4WD expertise shop situated on Auckland’s North Shore that has been running for the past two years. All of our staff are passionate about Jeeps and everything off-roading. We offer a variety of services from your basic servicing to major full overhaul, custom builds, 4WD accessories for both Jeeps and a multitude of other brands, and a full online shopping experience. Monster 4WD are proudly the New Zealand dealers for major off-road brands very well known in the USA and Jeep community across the world -– brands like Smittybilt, JKS Manufacturing, Factor 55, Metalcloak, Procomp, Rockslide Engineering, Prodigy Performance, Yukon Gear, Axle and much more. All this can now be…

Wow, I’ve just sneaked this column in rather late for this edition as I managed ten days in the upper South Island touring with my wife in my Jeep JLU Rubicon. Did I get it dirty? Well, not really, as the first route I’d planned to tackle was the Maungatapu Track; as recommended by Ray Stone in his book Stories from our Backroads, The South Island and by Richard Soult on his 4x4 Explorer website. It was not to be, however, as upon turning onto the route from the Pelorus Bridge, there on a Council sign was a recent addition advising that the route was closed by slips and only walkers and cyclists could use it. Ah well, there would be other opportunities. A de rigueur trip up to Cape…

The second half of the season kicked off near Feilding in mid-March with the Manawatu 4WD Club hosting the hardest and most challenging round this season yet! The course was spread out down within a valley, providing easy viewing of most of the courses from above. Scott Biggs and Sam Thomsen took out top honours on the day with their D-Class Nitro Custom buggy, after surviving a brutal roll during the morning. Jarred Biggs and Fleche Crawford followed up their strong form this season finishing second in their Nitro buggy and leading the title chase, ahead of locals Stuart Earle and Liam Earle in third with their Cowper Truck. C-CLASS CLOSE In C-Class Nathan Fogden and Mike Gibbons came 1st and 11th overall, taking a two-point lead in the hunt…

Tyres are an amazing and very important item as they are the only things connecting you to the road, (or mud, sand…) and they need to be cared for; yet we seem to neglect them. They need to be looked after so they can do the best job for as long as possible, bearing in mind the cost of a good set of tyres in the first place. When we think of tyres, we tend to only think of pressures and tread depth, but there’s more to them than that; other factors to consider are; their age (i.e., when were they made?), rotation, protection and storage, along with wheel alignment and suspension. Starting off with the easy ones like tread depth, which for NZ is 1.5mm, but to keep good…

Well, what a difference a year, or two as it turned out, makes!’ The last time we ‘went to market’ as it were, for our yearly ‘state of the nation’ look-see at the ‘ute’ sector (which officially is called Light Commercial and broken down into 2 and 4WD subsections), it was the end of April 2019 and myself and my regular co-conspirators, Sean Wilmot and Mark Baker, spent a long (albeit revealing) day on the Coromandel Peninsula comparing and contrasting Mitsubishi’s then boldly restyled Triton VRX auto (the price leader at $49,990 + ORC) with a contemporary Toyota Hilux SR5 Cruiser (auto) with a no-more-to-pay price of $56,990 and a $57,290 RRP six-speed manual transmission Nissan Navara ST 4x4. Since then the three of us have also driven and compared…

If ever there has been a case of ‘you get what you pay for’ in my time editing this mag, then this is it. If, for instance, all you ask of your ute is to look good and rarely venture off tar seal then I – like Sean – cannot recommend GWM’s new Cannon L highly enough Really, it is more SUV-with a-tray. Up the ante a on or off the road, and it is quick to lose its composure – what damping force there was in the factory shock absorbers totally inadequate for the work the potholes, ridges ad G-Outs which pock-marked the track were making them do. Had I been out on my own I might have slowed down a bit and put the ‘two rabbits-in-a-sack’ bouncing down…

Yakima’s story is more of a journey, because they’ve never been good at sitting still. After all, they don’t have wild sides; they have wild souls. For over four decades, their trusted solutions have transformed the way people travel. They’re leaders in their category, packing heritage, safety, design sensibility, and street smarts into every product. Originally founded in the Pacific Northwest, USA and now with a home base also in Australia, they’ve got the great outdoors at their doorstep. From creeks to peaks, beaches to bush, the grounds they roam makes them feel at home. Together with their network of respected retailers and distributors around the globe, they give everyone the freedom to wander, the right to be unruly, and the confidence to go more rogue. Yakima has a history…

Load management leader Boss has updated the digital gauge that comes with their Digital In Cab kits. The gauge still has the same dual 200ps digital read outs, giving you an accurate pressure reading for the left and right airbags, but now has updated pressure sensors that are smaller and come with a five-meter plug in wiring loom. Previously you needed to run two wires from each sender to the gauge meaning it was often difficult to do a neat and compact install. With the new gauges, you effectively only need to run one wire from each sensor to the gauge, plus power, earth, and light at the gauge end. The five-metre length should be ample for any installation. Digital In Cab kits are easier to install than Boss’ standard…

The old saying that ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same’ suits NZ’s booming utility market sector at the months. While we have lost some key players in the past 18 months – Mercedes Benz and Holden – the demand for your typical turbo-diesel-powered, double-cab ‘ute’ has never been greater. This demand, in turn, is driving existing manufacturers like Ford, Toyota, Isuzu and Mitsubishi to invest in improving their current offerings and newcomers like Tesla dazzle punters with concept models likely to go on sale here in the next two to three years. CHEVROLET SILVERADO Competition for RAM’s Texas–size trucks comes via Aussie-based General Motors Special Vehicles, which is importing two petrol–fuelled versions of US parent company’s Silverado then RHD-converting them in Melbourne. Sheer size plus up…

Land Rover’s all-new Defender has been named 2021 World Car Design of the Year at the annual World Car Awards. It’s the third time Land Rover has claimed the coveted prize following previous wins for Range Rover Velar (2018) and Range Rover Evoque (2012). New Defender is available in a choice of body designs and can be personalised with a choice of four different Accessory Packs. The World Car Design of the Year prize recognises the most outstanding new car of the last 12 months and rewards vehicles demonstrating the highest standards of technical innovation and design and that push established boundaries. Prof. Gerry McGovern OBE, Chief Creative Officer, Jaguar Land Rover, said: “New Defender is influenced by its past but is not constrained by it and we are delighted…

Another photo comp NZ4WD supported over the summer just passed was the Motu Safari one. This time our job was simple – or so we thought – pick a single winning shot from the 30 or so submitted. The first problem came, however, with what I suppose you could call, ‘eligibility criteria.’ Like others who signed up for this year’s Motu, regular NZ4WD mag contributor Kevin Isemonger paid his entry fee plus the cost of getting to and from the event base so should have been eligible to enter the photo comp. So good were his pics, however that we felt that – as a regular contributor to NZ4WD magazine – it would be ‘sending the wrong message’ if we simply picked one of his three shots and called it…

Being based in Christchurch and desperately hunting for a house, along with a million other people, I thought that I would take the day “off” and head out to Kirwee for the South Island Field Days show. I went to the event in 2019, just before we headed off to Europe and it’s a great day out. It’s obviously primarily agricultural, about which I know very little, but some of the kit on display was phenomenal! If you’re a big or small kid, you would love seeing the agricultural machinery on display. Huge tractors which are GPS controlled and driven with a small joystick. Drones big enough to carry pesticide for crop spraying. The list goes on... Christchurch Helicopters were there as well, but I didn’t see Ritchie. I guess…

In late April, having finished the final week’s guiding for www.4x4exploreradvetures.co.nz, I headed to Queenstown and a well earnt night in a motel. I caught up with Jono from Lost Sheep Adventures, who is a good friend and who produced all the promotional videos for 4x4Explorer and the guiding business. We’ve done several trips away and you can check out his videos on YouTube. The next day, I had arranged to meet up with another friend and contributor to the magazine, Aaron Rich. Aaron and his family were in the area for the school holidays and we met up in Frankton to drive to Shepherds Creek hut, up Eyre Creek, in nearby Northern Southland. The weather over the previous week had been dry and I was confident that we were…

For the first time, striking LED light pipe technology has been used to create an innovative position light integrated with a powerful high beam light bar. Hella’s range of award-winning LED light bars provide additional light and are fully road legal with ECE approval. The sleek low-profile housings are expertly designed, and precision manufactured using ultra-durable materials to ensure long life and value for money. MultivoltTM circuitry means the dual function lamp can be used on 12V or 24V DC, whilst only consuming 36W on high beam. Any input between 9 to 33 volts offers optimum brightness. The adjustable mounting system ensures for easy installation and flexibility for any orientation. (Must be mounted according to local installation regulations for high beam and position lamps.) Exceptional Hella durability and long-term reliability…

I’ve driven old Series Land- Rovers (and many other things) from sea to sky, heaven to hell, boulder to bullshit, east to west and north to south around NZ but nowhere offshore. In saying that I have been to nowhere here in one (that’s if you spell the word backwards like early colonial novelist Samuel Butler did and end up with Erewhon which is up the Rangitata). But I digress. Earlier this year, you see, I had the option of driving a nearly 70-year-old Series 1 Land Rover that’s been around the world and is now on its second lap! We had a convoy of mostly old Landys on a loop from Christchurch through Lees Valley. The main object was to get this particular Landy to Oxford, inland Canterbury. The…

As with the last rally in the Manawatu, the Bay of Plenty site consisted of a plateau which dropped down into the hazards below, giving spectators a big view of all the different courses spread out across the valley. Despite the rain making the ground wet and slippery as one might expect, the dirt exposed after a couple of trucks was dry enough to give good traction. As the day progressed, many of the hazards became either more or less challenging, resulting in a “luck of the draw” day. D Class and Overall winners Scott Biggs and Sam Thomsen Scott Biggs and Sam Thomsen took out honours for the day, closely followed by Greg and Chris McDell. The McDell brothers were leading in the morning with a low score of…

If the name – Kevin Isemonger – rings a bell it is because he has been a regular contributor to ‘the mag’ for years. In theory that should render pics like these ineligible for a ‘reader competition’ like Your4s. In practice though? It was easy to make an executive decision – and with it an exception this month – because 1) by close-off date no one else had entered the June comp, and 2) Kevin was not covering the event for me when he took them. YOU ARE NOW ENTERED TO WIN A GRAND PRIZE OF FOUR KUMHO 4X4 TYRES TO BE ANNOUNCED IN THE NZ4WD ANNUAL ISSUE.…

Soon, very soon, I’ll be doing more than passing on my professional opinion on a ute or rather utes like these three. You see a new-build project on a patch of dirt down Horopito way will require four-paw transport and a decent towing rating. So, before the end of the year it will be my Mondeo and my money on the line. So, it was with genuine interest that I put the current ‘sample’ under the Baker microscope. GWM Cannon L 4WD With a veritable suite of 2021 electronics, some decent ergonomics, and a grab-bag of current-day safety systems, the new-from-the-ground-up Cannon is manufacturer Great Wall’s most ambitious offering yet. With 120kW and more importantly 400 Nm from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, the truck makes the most of its eight-speed…

Hankook’s Dynapro brand of 4X4 tyres have been favourites in the New Zealand market for well over two decades, providing superior value for money in the premium 4x4 and SUV segment. The impressive following for Hankook Dynapro has been built by word of mouth. Simply put, Hankook Dynapro tyres are a better match for the average New Zealander – just ask someone who’s got some. Hankook Dynapro offers benefits in harsh driving environments yet maintain a level of comfort on-road that other brands find hard to match. In the pictures above you can tell Dean from Napier is stoked to have his hunting Jimny fully kitted with 30x9.50R15 LT Hankook Dynapro MT2 (RT05) mud tyres. He’d been searching for tyres with enough traction to get up the hills for his…

With the heaviest duty hardlid available on the NZ market, Hamilton company Mac Ute Accessories’ MAC300 300kg load-rated lid stands out as a clear favourite for a lot of Kiwi ute owners. With its patent pending design, flexibility for use to suit everyone from tradespeople to the family ute user, the MAC300 is a clear winner when it comes to its sleek design, robust 4 mm alloy chequer plate hardlid, stainless steel mounting system and black powder coat finish. Having charged their way into the ute accessory market in less than five years of trading, MAC Ute Accessories has established preferred supply agreements with most major vehicle manufacturers, giving buyers that additional reassurance about the quality of the product they are purchasing. MAC Ute Accessories have also been first to…

Nothing beats heading off the beaten track for a weekend away. And if you want to transform your ute into a comfortable place to sleep, a Roof Top Tent is the best way to do it. Often, however, fitting the tent is a challenge due to the size and weight of the unit. Look no further than Utemaster. The Load-Lid™ and Centurion Canopy™ make the perfect base platform for a Roof Top Tent. Together the combination is tough, durable, and comfortable, and it allows you to use your ute for work during the week, and adventure on the weekend! Here are a few key benefits that make overlanding with Utemaster’s Roof Top set-up a no brainer: Roof Top Tent mounting kit Utemaster’s Load-Lid™ supports roof rack cross bars which most…

The new Mercedes-Benz G 400 joins the Mercedes-AMG G 63 as the second member of the distinctive ‘G-Wagen’ family in New Zealand. Packing the most power of any diesel in the history of the Mercedes-Benz passenger car range – the six-cylinder 243 kW/700 Nm 3.0-litre OM 656 – the G 400 d is underpinned by a ladder-type frame made of steel up to 3.4 mm thick and comes complete with a low range transfer case, three diff locks for the all-wheel drive system plus a nine-speed automatic gearbox. Suspension with adaptive damping is standard on New Zealand-delivered vehicles, as is a 15-speaker Burmester surround-sound system, electronically adjustable and heated leather front seats, three-zone climate control, an off-road information centre including altitude, compass, body angle, wheel angle and inclination, a parking…

Recently I was invited by Mike Sheppard, Chairman of the Canterbury Combined 4WD Clubs, to attend the Basil Phelps skills competition day where I was introduced to ‘Oxford’ arguably the most famous ‘Series’ Land Rover in the world. I must admit that I wasn’t even aware of Oxford until that day, but after having seen it and researched it, I felt that its story needed to be told. That story started back in 1955, well before I was born. Six undergraduates from Oxford and Cambridge universities in the UK, were recruited for a scientific expedition in which they would drive from London to Singapore, overland. This had been attempted before but up until this point, none of these attempts had been successful. OLD SKOOL TIES Land Rover sponsored the trip…

We spoke with the guys from Tough Dog Suspension to see exactly what goes into the making of their award-winning 41mm Foam Cell shock absorbers- FOAM CELL SHOCK ABSORBER 101 All shock absorbers have both oil and gas within. When the shock works hard, the oil heats up and expands, and the gas contracts to allow this to happen. In traditional nitro gas shocks, the gas is placed in the shock on top of the oil, with no separation. This is called an ‘emulsion shock.’ While the shock is working, the oil and gas can be mixed together by the action of the pisaton. When the gas bubbles pass through the valve assemblies in the shock absorber, the lesser viscosity causes the shock to fade, and fail to perform. A…

This was an easy two-hour drive away, so with no other plans for the day we were able to have a relaxing breakfast while the tents dried out in the morning sun before packing up and heading for Reefton. Like Westport, the Reefton campsite had no specific sites for unpowered tenting, rather we were told to just grab some space round the edge of the field. With some advice on the sun’s movement from the guy mowing the grass, we ended up with a site getting almost all-day sun and with a large tree next to us offering some welcome cool shade – it was much hotter in Reefton than it had been in Westport. Despite it being a Sunday, we decided to walk back along the main shopping street…

Among the Europeans, the Polish off-roaders have the longest and most continuous presence in the Rainforest Challenge (RFC) since 2001. Despite the long distance of 12,000 kms from Malaysia, the RFC remains the most popular and legendary 4x4 extreme event outside Poland and the dream of many Polish off-roaders is to attend at least once in their lifetime. Fast forward to 2021, that dream becomes even closer to home with the establishment of RFC Poland organized by Jakub Urbankiewicz, the authorized representative from RFC International. “Being a sports-oriented event bringing participants together, this is a great way of promoting tourism to the host venue not only from Polish fans but also from neighbouring nations. We are also very honoured to have Witold Wróblewski, the Mayor of Elbląg as the Honorary…

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 p . IMPORTANT O AN : Photographs must havemust been taken by the person entering them, or , have the photographer’s written permission.. Email your digital images and a detailedaption caption to: editor@NZ4WD.co.nz r prints and Send your prints and detailed captions K to: Your4s with Kumho, PO Box 65-092, Mairangi Bay, Auckland 0754 e your . postal address! Be sure to include your postal address! Submitting photos Submi e basics tting : as with photos a s no The basics: as with any photo,…

The Ford Ranger Wildtrak X is back in Ford dealerships this year offering a range of stylish design, value features, and interior upgrades over the standard Ranger Wildtrak. “Since we first launched the Ranger Wildtrak X in the second half of 2020, it has proven popular with customers because it built on those core thoroughbred Ranger qualities, while offering more personalisation for family weekends away,” said Simon Rutherford, Managing Director, Ford New Zealand. “With the arrival of the more aggressively designed 2021 Ford Ranger Wildtrak X, we aim to ensure it remains front-of-mind for customers.” Customers were clearly attracted to the previous Ranger Wildtrak X, which is now sold out, but Ford New Zealand has secured an extra limited run of Ranger Wildtrak models with an RRP of $75,490 For…

Impressions of the utes? OK, for a start, I was looking For(war)d to trialling the FX4 Max; my first ride in a Ranger for quite some time. And does this beast look the business! The FX4 Max looks good from all angles but is most impressive from the front with that Raptor grille ready to imprint slow moving traffic with the politest four-letter word in auto speak! And those super aggro alloys with the BF Goodrich rubber tells everyone looking that this ute means business, regardless of terrain. If there was any doubt in your mind, look closer to find the Fox shocks tucked into the underpinnings.  The FX4Max’s two-litre bi-turbo and 10-speed box is well equipped to cope however, since the smaller engine and extra cogs give greater flexibility…

You may have heard murmurs about a new player in the automotive accessories market. Well, we can confirm that the rumours were true! Maxim launched with a hiss and roar at the South Island Field Days event in March and has been well received in the market by dealers and tradies alike. Seemingly a new arrival in the industry, Maxim Automotive is in fact owned by the directors of Towbar Express, makers of the industry leading LOCKON aftermarket brand of Towbar. The company, owned by Al Smith, Clyde McCready, and John Maskill, has been at the forefront of towbar manufacture since its inception in 2002. “Maxim is an exciting new venture for us,” says co-owner John Maskill. “We’re delighted to be bringing a new line of high-quality, New Zealand-made automotive…

Bendix has released the latest Ultimate 4WD Brake Booster kit using dual-diaphragm technology to improve safety for 4WD’s towing or carrying heavy loads. Designed as a direct ‘bolt-in’ replacement for the original equipment single-diaphragm brake boosters fitted to the vehicle, the new booster is designed to improve brake pedal pressure and braking effectiveness resulting in improved stopping distances. The Bendix Ultimate Brake Booster Upgrade provides more effective, safer braking performance for vehicles carrying added mass such as tradesmen’s heavy equipment, loaded camping gear, towing heavy trailers, caravans, boats, etc.,s and also those fitted with larger diameter tyres. Specifically engineered for popular 4X4 wagons and dual cab utes that are commonly modified with suspension lift and larger wheels and tyres such as Land Cruiser, Patrol, HiLux, Ranger, Navara, Triton, etc. The…

Ali Arc Industries is very proud to be a New Zealand-owned and operated family business that has been protecting New Zealanders and their vehicles since 1988. Based in Whanganui for over 33 years, Ali Arc Industries continues to manufacture an extensive range of aluminium vehicle accessories to meet the needs of the light commercial vehicle and truck markets. Over this time Ali Arc has earnt the well-deserved reputation of designing functional, easy to install and robust vehicle accessories. Of course, because their accessories are fabricated from aluminium – they never rust! Like most New Zealand family businesses, Ali Arc places a lot of emphasis on looking after its people and contributing to its community. Ali Arc Industries currently has over 30 employees and has a myriad of family-friendly work practices…