Innehållsförteckning för December 2018 från NZ4WD

For the ninth consecutive year, Jeep’s Wrangler has been named “4x4/SUV of the Year” at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas, it was announced at the Las Vegas Convention Centre on Monday October 29. Incredibly the Wrangler remains the only vehicle to earn the trophy since the 2010 launch of the SEMA Awards, earning its customisation crown as the most accessory-friendly vehicle in its class, as voted on by SEMA Show exhibitors. “The Jeep Wrangler continues to lead the way in the customisation world following the Mopar brand’s introduction late last year of more than 200 Jeep Performance Parts and accessories,” said Steve Beahm, Head of Parts & Service (Mopar) and Passenger Car Brands, FCA – North America. “When it comes to personalisation, Jeep Wrangler is…

If you liked the look of US tuning giant Hennessey’s six wheel take on Ford’s twin-turbo V6 Raptor (the VelociRaptor) we showed you last month, chances are you will LOVE the company’s latest exercise in 6x6 ‘over-the-top-ness,’ the Hennessey Goliath 6x6. Based on the all-new 2019 Chevrolet Silverado truck, the Goliath 6x6 takes the already very capable Trail Boss Z71 model and elevates its off-road capabilities to another level. “We are very excited to offer our new Goliath 6x6 alongside our Velociraptor 6x6 truck,” company founder and CEO John Hennessey told NZ4WD. “These are very exclusive and unique vehicles that make a huge statement anywhere our clients go – whether its Rodeo Drive or the sand dunes of the Sahara Desert.” As well as adding the third axle line the…

Right. I know. All you really want to know about the new MY (short for Model Year btw) 19 Ford Ranger line-up is this, right? What’s the new twin-turbo two-litre engine (standard in the new Raptor but optional here for an extra $1K on the Wildtrak) really like? The answer is ‘really, really good’ and I honestly can’t fathom the ‘no substitute for cubic inches’ grizzling going on across the Tasman at the moment as Ford accepts the inevitable and looks to a future beyond the in-line five-cylinder 3.2 litre TD power plant which has proved so popular to date. With both Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz making much of their own large capacity V6 TD engines I can see why Ford itself might be concerned. I can also see the arrival…

Imagine a clear blue sky, the atmosphere perfectly still and the weather amazing. Mountain peaks upon mountain peaks covered with pristine white snow disappear into the distance. A gravel road runs across the plateau, strewn with melting snow; the road has been recently graded, the snow piled back into banks along the sides. If we could see 1200 kms to the south east we might view the Himalayans and Mt Everest. We are at nearly 3000 metres above sea level, where it’s possible to get altitude sickness if you’re there long enough. We are in the Pamir Mountains, the roof of the world, just four sixty-plus New Zealanders and our young Kyrgyz guide, Talent. There’s not another person or vehicle around. We park the Nissans which have been coughing in…

For carrying larger and/or longer loads and especially useful for modern double-cab ute decks load carrying specialist Airplex offers this Airplex Bed extender. It can also be rotated 180 degrees to secure internal loads and stop things sliding around the tray. The Bed Extender’s curved edges means it will not hit your Airplex lid or canopy when rotating and is easily removed in less than one minute when not required. The Auckland-based company has also just released the new weatherproof Swing Case which sits snug on the inside of your ute’s tray and swings 180 degrees for easy access. It is lockable and amongst its many potential uses will keep your tools and equipment dry, safe and secure. Check out these new Airplex products on the company’s website www.airplex.co.nz or by…

Suspension specialist, Autolign, has released the new Lift Junkie raised height suspension kit range for common late model 4WD utes. Using a number of premium brand components these suspension systems enhance the usability of light commercials with up to 50mm (two inches) of extra ride height. Whether you want to better avoid obstacles on the ground, carry heavier loads, enjoy greater handling control or simply improve driver sight lines, Lift Junkie is the ultimate combination of increased suspension functionality and affordability. No modification is required, just replace the original components with the uprated heavy duty shocks and springs. Contact Autolign for your nearest installer – www.autolign.co.nz…

So that’s it then, the 2018 season is all done; meaning five rounds of competitive challenges, and some great teams featuring all sorts of different combinations (fathers/sons, partners, friends and work colleagues, etc). Round Five, the final round of the 2018 Superwinch Mainland Challenge was held in in Dunedin in mid-October. We had 20 entries, 17 series entries and three non-series. It was cold and light snow actually fell on the Friday night, and a cold wind blew on Saturday. Though, as the locals helpfully pointed out, it wasn’t raining and the sun was out! Teams from all over the South Island started arriving on site mid arvo Friday with most dropping their trucks off and heading to Dunedin to sort accommodation. By 4.00pm most were back for their vehicle…

Still haven’t found what you are looking for? The most achievable motorsport series in the lower North Island has started again, with or without you. Supported by the Central Zone of the NZFWDA, the Club Truck Challenge (CTC) is a 4WD trials series for registered and warranted 4WD vehicles. It’s an excellent place to learn the mysterious ways of your vehicle and how to drive it through terrain. With this season’s first event being held in Taranaki where the streets have no name, I headed north, just one man in the name of love. Having blasted through Poi E country I had suggested we start the day with a Waiata but sometimes you can’t make it on your own, there was little aroha in the drivers' briefing on the day.…

Toyota Financial Services has signed a vehicle sponsorship agreement with Surf Life Saving New Zealand and Surf Life Saving Northern Region which will establish one of the largest not-for-profit vehicle fleets in New Zealand. In a three-year, 48-vehicle deal valued at more than $380,000 a year, Toyota Financial Services becomes the exclusive vehicle sponsor for Surf Life Saving New Zealand and sees the existing sponsorship relationship with Surf Life Saving Northern Region renewed. Each organisation will receive 15 sponsored vehicles to support regional lifesaving delivery and community education programmes, while the Grassroots Trust and Toyota Financial Services will also provide a further 16 4WD first-response vehicles to 13 northern region clubs and three Bay of Plenty clubs. In addition, clubs nationwide will be able to access preferential lease deals for…

How often can you say you’ve jumped on a plane, flown across the ditch, then been picked up in something that feels exactly like home? Well that’s exactly how we found ourselves feeling as a light brown chunk of metal glided into the Sydney airport pickup on a Friday. You see, it was the first time we’d laid eyes on the Land Rover that the team at the our new Australian distributor, Adventure Merchants had built for us. Of course that doesn’t mean it was the first time we’d actually seen it. Months of calls and messages had been exchanged, as we decided on the perfect shade of khaki, what wheel to use, what bolt-ons, what pretty much everything as a matter of fact. It was clear the Adventure Merchants…

The best way to create a vehicle that meets the demands placed on it day-in and day-out is by having a clear understanding of what its role will be: weekend warrior? Hardworking tradie’s mate? Long distance off-road tourer? It’s a question that has engaged the best brains in the industry for decades – and even manufacturers can’t deliver the perfect vehicle for a given role. But by spending time gently probing their customers on the subject and developing a clear picture of what the vehicle will carry and what it’s asked to do, the five person team at Goosey’s 4x4 Customs are producing exceptionally capable four-wheel-drives. That initial scoping conversation is critical, says owner Anthony Dunk. After all, with a parts inventory of 12,000 individual items available to them from…

ARB roof racks are built to support the full rated load capacity of a vehicle with the mounting system and structural integrity of the rack being designed to withstand the most demanding of conditions. The company’s racks are available in a variety of lengths and widths for vehicles with or without gutters, so you can choose the appropriate size to suit your requirements. Both steel and aluminium roof racks are available, and along with fitting a roof rack to your vehicle, you can also select from a number of optional extras to tailor it more specifically to your load carrying needs. A good example is the Touring range (pictured), specifically designed for the company’s rooftop tents. The Touring rack cage is manufactured to the same high quality as a standard…

Featuring a sleek, modern design, high quality components and the ability to create a fully customised system tailored to your requirements, the Outback Solutions range is the answer to all of your storage needs. As a complete modular system, the range can be individually selected and customised to your needs and vehicle, while reducing redundant areas and providing increased storage space. Sold exclusively by ARB and suitable for many vehicles including wagons, utes, buses and trailers, this system can be just as easily applied to non-vehicle applications such as down in the back shed. Three types of modules are available, and these modules (a roller drawer, a roller drawer with roller floor and a roller floor) come in a range of sizes which can be mixed and matched to individual…

Otago local Donald Preston hammered his big Porter Chev two-seater V8 race car to a well-earned victory in the Can Am 200, the endurance race that capped a huge weekend of racing at the Southern Dirt Fest on Slim Slee’s Kurow property over the September 15/16 weekend. It was the maiden win for the American-designed and built Porter car he imported more than a year ago, and signals the car is now sorted and well capable of winning in the big, fast endurance events that match conditions in its home market. Preston made heavy going of the first day’s ‘short course’ heats, his bigger car more suited to the high speed, open going of American desert races while the smaller cars he ran against were more agile on the demanding…

Sitting down to knock out a few words for this column and the realisation that it’s December, or very nearly, and it’s not long before the white bearded old man in the red suit is doing his annual rounds. I need to make up my list for him, but only after finishing this column as the editor is waiting. I have been busy sorting out issues with the Discovery over the last few weeks. It all started when I noticed one of the front tyres was wearing out on one shoulder indicating a wheel alignment issue. Sure enough a check underneath and the track rod is rather bent and must have been like that for a while. While you can straighten them carefully in a press, I quickly swapped it…

The launch of a new Discovery ‘Pioneer’ model designed for the New Zealand market will see one of the lowest price points – under $100,000 – ever offered on its most popular model, says Land Rover NZ general manager Steve Kenchington. “From the exterior, the Pioneer model will look very similar to the other models in the existing Discovery range. Under the hood it features a 3L V6 twin-turbo diesel engine which produces 190kW at 3750rpm and 600Nm torque between 2250 and 1750rpm. “A 3500kg towing capacity (trailer with brakes), puts it up there with any other Land Rover, and this model will also come equipped with a range of class leading safety features, including Autonomous Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Warning and Trailer Stability Assist,” he says. Kenchington believes the…

A unique Land Rover Defender Works V8 is now on permanent display in the new Designer Street Room at Selfridges’ flagship department store in London, having been inserted through a first-floor window and reassembled on the menswear floor. Created as a one-off vehicle, the Selfridges Edition is based on the 405PS Defender Works V8 – 70th Edition and features a number of bespoke elements, including Bronze Green paint, a branded hood in trademark Selfridges yellow, retro-style seats with custom stitching, and unique Selfridges badging. Having been craned into the store’s first floor as a kit of parts, a team of three specialist Land Rover Classic technicians constructed the Defender in full view of the shopping public in just over four days with five Classic workers. More than 930 hours of…

It seemed a little odd to head all the way to Perth for a bash around the bush in the already upgraded Nissan Navara, but this was a Limited Edition line (with AirPoints attached) so we went anyway. Our first day with the limited edition ‘Black’ Navaras and the regular ST-X models was spent mostly on the seal of the Maybegunnagethere highway, with some dust gathering on the B roads or as the Kiwis called ‘em, the ‘Aussie Expressways.’ The dual stage spring rears of the unladen Navaras worked spectacularly well on these dirty and dusty trails. Channelling their inner Crocodile Dundees, the Aussies were keen to ‘go bush…’ which was the equivalent of a day out in Auckland’s Woodhill Forest. Taking double cab utes along walking trails and through…

Ironman4x4 has a large range of accessories to make carrying that load in the back of your 4wd station wagon or utility easier and safer. Products include deck liners, ute boxes, rear sliding draws, canopies and a range of deck mounted tool boxes. Deck Liners Deck liners are available for late model double cabs including Hiluxes, Navaras, Ford Rangers, Mazda BT50s, Mitsubishi Tritons, Holden Colarados and Isuzu D-Maxes. The liners are produced from UV-stable three mm thick extruded polyethylene which gives high impact resistance, as well as protection from most common chemicals including oil, petrol, paint and battery acid. The liners are compatible with canopies and come standard with chrome tie down points and require no drilling to fit. Ute Boxes To offer a secure and watertight load carrying option,…

There’s a reason why so many people throughout the world load up the 4WD and disappear for a few weeks on the tracks – it’s great fun. However, over the years there have been a myriad of stories regarding keen 4WDers who’ve had a rough time because of poor suspension set ups. From adventurers who have been fined for exceeding their GVM to four wheelers who limp into workshops with sagging springs and aching spines, the biggest factor to consider with regard to 4WD suspension performance is load carrying ability. No easy task Everyone knows that 4WD suspension is complex. Old Man Emu. For instance, has four full time engineers who focus solely on developing fully integrated suspension systems that deliver the maximum benefit in ride quality, handling and load…

All this talk in the mag of late of cunning hacks or whatever got me thinking about some of my own over the years... or, as in the case of my column this month, my son; who has set up his Suzuki Vitara five-door for overnight stops. Comfortable sleeping for one person or two really good friends. Very cosy. I’ve enjoyed seeing him continue a family tradition and do it well. It’s a deck behind the rear seats that unfolds a bed forward to the driver’s seat. The driver’s seat-back needs to tilt forward a little to extend the bed fully, a short front section of which folds for travel. Both left side seats are unaltered. The bed extension may be stored at the rear if all seats are needed.…

Consistent speed, a strong team and the right race car took Carl Ruiterman to the 2018 ORANZ Off-road Racing National Championship title over two days of racing in Canterbury this year. “We made the trip down prepared to push to the limit. Dion [Edgecombe] would be doing the same and gunning for the U class title as well,” the former D1NZ pro drifter said. Ruiterman, who won the northern title in 2016 in a highly modified Yamaha UTV, switched to a stock ‘U’ class car for this year’s championship, and says the step helped hone his driving to outright championship level. “We spent the last two seasons in U class which was the best thing I could have done for my driving and for our development of the YXZ1000 at…

Sheesh, it’s been a fair few haircuts since I first raced. With a battered truck in the garage and a few sore bits to deal with, I’ve been looking back at some highlights. All those Taupo 1000s, all those Race to the Sky Hillclimbs, all those national championship rounds. Even with the current truck, we’ve been everywhere. And ever since we built the new truck to the ProLite chassis blueprints – in a suburban shed – we’ve been pushing boundaries, running the rear wheel drive truck in the 4WD Bits unlimited class where its four cylinder turbo engine and Jaguar gearbox consistently outrun the ‘big banger’ V8 and four-wheel-drive trucks. We’ve been everywhere, man! We have run at all but one of the world-famous Race to the Sky events staged…