Posts by tag
touring
Port Mac to Sydney Through the Backroads
Surviving the Slithery: A 4X4 Adventurer’s Guide to Snake Bites
Beyond the Adventure: The Unsung Hero of Your 4X4’s Interior
Paradise not just by name, K’Gari is a must-see for every 4X4er
The Unwritten Rules Every 4×4 Driver Should Know
How to Build the Perfect Campfire: A Sizzling Guide
Top Tips for saving fuel
Big mods for the Big Lap
As we travel around this great country, we get the opportunity to meet other fellow travellers living on the road or doing the big lap. Almost all of them are doing it in a 4X4 of some sort, and many towing a camper trailer or large caravan. What amazes me is just how optioned up many of these 4X4s are. There’s the usual fare of bullbars, driving lights, suspension lifts, and rooftop tents. All great kit for a touring rig. But then there are those who fit every conceivable option and accessory available to them with barely a thought to whether or not they will actually use all this gear. What many fail to consider is that all this kit takes up valuable space and adds considerable weight to their 4X4s. So much so that they have barely enough room for the essentials and their vehicles are dangerously close to exceeding their weight limits. Doing the big lap around the country involves many hours of driving great distances in the heat and rough conditions of the outback. It places a great strain on both vehicles and occupants. To my way of thinking, if you want your vehicle to be reliable and safe, less is more. Here are 5 essential modifications that I believe you need to make to your 4WD…
What’s involved in a Mapping Expedition (and how I scored the gig)
Ever wondered what it’s like to get onto a mapping expedition with the team from HEMA? Ben Carceller got the chance to find out. Hema Maps cover hundreds of thousands of kilometres of tracks all over Australia, and travellers rely on their maps to make real-time navigation decisions when they’re in the Outback or on their favourite local track, so having up to date track data is very important. The challenge for Hema maps is how to keep track data up to date, given the rate of tracks closures, changes of ownership, changes in track condition and difficulty, and the addition and removal of points of interest. One of the ways Hema does this is with regular Map Patrol trips, conducted by their full-time staff in one of the purpose-built vehicles they have for this sort of work. Another method more recently employed, is to engage a limited number of experienced contract operators to assist in the collection of some types of data. This is where we come into the mix. Since late 2020, when we were approached by Hema Maps, we’ve been working with them yet another set of eyes and wheels on the ground, collecting map data which makes its way into software updates for Hema devices and apps, as well as printed map products. Sometimes the two…
FIRST LOOK – BFGOODRICH TRAIL TERRAIN
Guide – Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems
TJM’s awesome new high-performance Twin Air Compressor.
Why Electric Vehicle (EV) 4X4s are and are not our future
The electric vehicle revolution is well and truly upon us…or is it? The statistics don’t lie. The electric vehicle share of the market in 2020 was around 0.78%, and in 2021, 1.57%. There are another 30 or so EVs being launched into our market, including specialist Polestar. Overseas, Norway is above 75% EV new-car sales, and Rivian has delivered the world’s first EV 4X4 to customers in the USA. So EVs are inevitable, right? Yes, and no. Today, EVs can easily replace the vast majority of road cars and SUVs, which are mostly used in our capital cities for short trips, or excursions into the country of maybe 150km or so. Yes, I know that’s not you, but you’re not the average Australian motorist. With a range of 400-500km, the average Aussie driving 14,000km a year – which is 38km per day – can easily have their car needs met by an EV, especially as both range and charging options are improving. My experience of running an EV is that you can drive around town all day, charge off a 10A plug overnight at 10km of range per hour, and be good to go at 100% the next day which is why EV owners rarely use public chargers in their home city. I towed a Tvan with a Tesla! Worked…