A new 4x4 Toy

At TravelTrucks we live and breath the Iveco Daily 4x4.

It is the only truck we sell, and both TravelTruck directors own one and use it regularly.

Jeep Rubicon named the 4x4 of the decade

Jeep has a serious reason to celebrate, as the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon was named the Best 4x4 Vehicle of the Decade, while the four-door Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon was named the Decade’s Most Significant 4x4 Vehicle. The awards were presented by Australia’s Four Wheeler Magazine.

The Off-Roader

The difference between an Open Differential and a Locked Differential

This week we take our quest further and look at how differentials operate and how they are different.

Bridgestone Club Challenge 2013 Round 5

Here is an episode of one of the event I participated in. Placing 3rd against some Jeeps was a real challenge.

Please leave us a comment, we love hearing your view on things :)

Some 4x4 Fun

 

Each week, a new 4x4 video will be uploaded for your enjoyment.

Welcome to our 1st installment of the Off-Road Segment. Each week we will touch on one aspect and explain how it all fits together.

We see them on the road and at time see them as mini monster trucks. Off-road vehicles comes is many type, forms and sizes. There are however some similarities from a technical standpoint. In this post we will focus more on axles since they are used and abused every day. Axles are regarded as one of the keys elements that makes off-roaders work as they take engine power and torque to make the wheels turn.

Axles comes in two forms, independent suspension axles and solid axles suspensions. These axles operate in very different way but still offer the driver the same outcome. Some off-roaders would swear by sold axles and other by independent axles. 

Independent Suspension Axles

Independent Suspension Axles basically connects the wheels to the axles via constant-velocity joints or more comely known as a CV joints. These shafts are more commonly found in vehicles where the engine drives the front wheels. These types of suspensions could be found in the front and rear axles. Most vehicles today that are All Wheel Drive (AWD) or 4 Wheel Drive would feature a independent suspension axle setup as this axle type offers its occupants a much smoother ride. 

Some off-road vehicles that uses an independent suspension would use this in the front, Independent Front Suspension (IFS) and use a leaf sprint suspension setup in the rear. These IFS setups would most likely use the McPherson strut due to its low manufacturing cost however sacrificing quality of the ride and handling characteristics. 

Solid Axles Suspensions

This type of axle’s setup is found in older models of off-road vehicles which provide those vehicles with the best off-road capabilities at the time. These setups featured either a spring (coil) or leaf spring for force dampening. These damping option differ in an off-road scenario where a coil spring would offer a much smoother ride where a leaf spring would offer better off-road performance at the cost of ride comport.

The new generation of off-roaders now feature a coil spring setup. This is now combined with newer technology traction control systems makes these very competitive. Over the next few weeks we will focus on transmission and traction controls and how it influences these vehicles in an off-road scenario.

A new Challene to the 4x4 fundi's

Bridgestone's 4x4 Club Challenge

Bridgestone 4x4 Club Challenge – a new game of tough!

Tougher than ever, with a good helping of mud, sweat and tears, topped off with some new twists and turns that will test man and machine like never before.

This is the Bridgestone 4x4 club Challenge which is set to February 2015. The Bridgestone 4x4 Club Challenge evolved from Bridgestone’s original 4x4 Fundi Challenge. South Africa’s top 4x4 clubs play an integral part in the competition.

The 2015 Bridgestone 4x4 Club Challenge starts off with four qualifying rounds, or boot camps, where 4x4 enthusiasts will compete in their own 4x4s. The qualifying rounds will all be hosted at the Bridgestone Leeuwenkloof 4x4 centre, near Hartbeespoort Dam.

The Top 65 teams from the boot camps (five crews from each club) will then advance to the “Eliminator rounds” at 4x4 tracks near Johannesburg and Pretoria. There will be at least two new tracks included in the 2015 line-up. In the Eliminator rounds the bottom-placed teams in each round will be eliminated from the competition, leaving only the Top 30 crews for the FINAL, which is set to take place in November 2015.

Points are accrued in the Eliminator rounds as per the results for each event, so steady performances in all six knock-out rounds should earn a crew a place in the final – and a shot at the title.In another new twist all the obstacles at all the 2015 events will be designed by one man: Sakkie Coetzee. Coetzee is a legend amongst the 4x4 fraternity, and his 4x4 obstacles have made grown men shed a tear in the past. Obstacles will be short but very tough and technical. The current scoring system for obstacles will be retained.

Also new is the introduction of a “Drive-off” element. In some of the Eliminator rounds, the crews who finish in the bottom fifth and six places will have to drive a 4x4 supplied by Bridgestone. The winners of this “all-or-nothing obstacle” stay in the competition, and the losers are out. So teams will drive their own 4x4s in the competition, including the final event, but there may be one obstacle per event that will have to be completed in a supplied 4x4.

The prizes for event and overall winners have also been streamlined. In the qualifying rounds the Top 10 teams will receive prizes, with a R10 000 tyre voucher from Bridgestone SA as the main carrot in these rounds. In the Eliminator rounds the Top 3 crews of the day will receive trophies and the best environmental performer will receive that R10 000 Bridgestone tyre voucher. A new, more comprehensive scoring system for the Environmental prize will also be introduced.

Overall prizes will again be comprehensive, and will include off-road gear as well as big cash prizes. So there’s certainly a lot more to play for than just bragging rights.

“As before, we’re focusing on standard or near-standard production 4x4s, instead of heavily modified off-road machines,” explains Bridgestone SA’s Guthrie Blaine. “The 2015 Bridgestone 4x4 Club Challenge format brings new challenges for the teams, and will definitely add a new dimension to the dynamic of the competition. The competition will be tougher than ever before, and the overall winner of this contest will really have to be at the top of his or her game, all the time.”

Welcome

Welcome to the blog where Motorsports fans from all walks of life can find news and information on their favourite Motorsport of choice. This will be an evolving blog and the content will grow base don user feedback and requests. We will endeavour to make this a one stop shop for all gear-heads to get their regular adrenaline fix.

Stay tuned for more!