Pictures of 4x4 vehicles seen on the road today November 24, 2013

It is more fun with four wheels.

Here are the latest 4x4 off road vehicles that I saw on the road today; and I took their pictures.  They are that of CJ that is lifted, and TLC.  Both have leaf springs:

  A CJ

 Extreme TLC

 Whats that, snorkel exhaust;  dangerous for passengers;  its hot

Jeep (CJ) documentary

Jeeps, jeepneys are ubiquitous in the PHL society. Jeepneys are still the major means of  mass transportation in the PHL although they are polluting and cause many traffic problems. In some remote towns, Jeeps with heavy duty 4x4 or even 6x6 weapons carrier diffs are used.  They come with winch in case it rains.  I have seen these type of vehicles in logging and mining towns.

But for modern cities, I think jeepneys usefulness has ceased and must be replaced by more comfortable and fuel efficient, less polluting new vehicles, like the plan to have vans (with 18 pax capacity) as new means of commute.

  Elsewhere CJ, Jeeps are used for recreation




History of the Jeep

Jeep History


Another version of the jeep history

Local vehicles which are good 4x4

Angono, Rizal  PHL |  November 3, 2013

Fresh from factory vehicles, even with advanced engine and power train technology cant go straight to the mountains for a 4x4 expedition.  It has to be retrofitted and modified for extreme conditions.  Sometimes, the old vehicles are better.  Here are some of them that I saw and took photos of locally:

    I saw this parked at Holy Angels Memorial Park, probably a CJ3

 We bought this very much damaged for 300t, we must have spent  P500t retrofitting, repainting this, a Defender 110 with TDI engine

 A VX TLC series 80 complete with Hi Lift Jack, 33 inch tires, lift,  a Safari snorkel,  electric winch;  sources said this is owned by the priest and member of Taytay 4x4 club

This is a competition off road jeep that has lift from inverte leaf spring, agressive tire, short wheelbase, and only 5R Toyota Engine

Characteristics of a good 4x4 vehicle

 

If you do much city driving, do not buy a 4x4 pick up or SUV.  You waste the extra money for a front diff, the 4x4 tranny, and pay gas penalty for extra weight.  Your tires too have shorter life, especially if this all the time 4wd  (Subaru, RR, TLC would have this feature)

A good 4x4 must:

1.  Powerful engine -  not high hp but high torque;  That is why the turbo diesel LR are good.  I thought the gas engine with their high screaming rpm make good 4x4.  Those engines that can deliver high torque at low rpm allow you negotiate rocks and mud at crawling speed.  High wheel speed slips and you lose traction.

2.  Must be light -  as in any sports - biking, motorsports, light weight is the king.  Remove bullbars and other extra weight.  But you may need the roof rack for more provisions.

3.  High ground clearance.  I very low diff clearance can easily leave you hanging.  That is why there are lift accessories to raise vehicles from anywhere 6 to 12 inches.  Beware though of very tall 4x4 because you are prone to raise your center of gravity, and your on road handling suffers.  It is a no no to have mudguards and stepboards, or even tow hooks at the back because they merely bang up on the obstacles

4.  Must be short and narrow.  That is why the Suzuki Samurai and the TLC Series 40 are very popular and reliable.  The short wheelbase enable you to negotiate tight turns and roads off road. The narrow profile enable you to navigate tight spaces and there are many.  Humvees which are wide I think do not make for good extreme 4x4.  (Thus the CJ, even the CJ3 were vehicles of choice up to now)

5.  Good articulating suspension. The road stabilizer rods (the anti sway bars) restrict the articulation of the wheels to have them touch the ground for traction. However, you are unstable when cornering at high speed.  The RR I had had no anti sway bar, and I could not do more than a 100 on the road because it was unstable.  Which one is better, leaf spring or coil spring.  Leaf spring pushes the wheel hard on the uneven surface.  However, there is not much suspension travel.  Coil springs that have higher compressive strength would be better.  So you see many TLC Series 40 competitors converting to coil spring.

6.  High fording depth.  Your engine must not suck in water while doing water crossing.  Water in the engine causes lot of damage.  The water in the piston bends the connecting rod and even destroys the engine block.  So you must have waterproofed air snorkels. And you have to spray silicone in your engine, especially the electrical components.

7.  Tires.  Narrow or fat tires?  LR says narrow tires are better and are more economical.  I would like to agree with them.  But you must have good beads so that they do not disengage with the rim while on low tire pressure condition (you remove air and say run at 8 psi) to gain traction.  Better to have tire interiors if you under inflate often.  Of course, you must have light rims

8.  Diff locks  LR comes with diff locks.  You can have after market diff locks too.  You need to have both wheels turning on muddy or extreme conditions.  Otherwise, when you hang, you lose traction and mobility.  Try to have diff lock as a standard equipment in the vehicle because sometimes the aftermarket diff locks may be troublesome. One good after market diff lock is ARB.

9. Winch  If you are really going off road, have a vehicle with a winch, either as standard equipment or aftermarket.  Electric winches are good, if you do not have long winching duties.,  It can drain your battery, or wreck your alternator, if you use your electric winch for a long long duty cyle.  Loggers have PTO winches

10. Tow and snatch hooks.  You must not tow using the frame or the spring and suspension anchor points.  You must have two in front and two at the back securely attached to the frame

11. Diffs must be off center.  Only TLC and LR have this configuration.  The advantage?  As we drive on muddy roads, depressions are made on wheel path, and as the vehicle goes deeper into the rut, the diffs rub into now elevated road surface.  So if it is off center, the diffs, would more or less stay in the rut.  Even if your diffs have ground clearance of only 12 inch, you can survive, because the diffs do not run into the ground

Well this will lead us to accessories.  But that is for the next post

Defenders would be the best 4x4, experts say in 2007