Ray Barker, our resident ‘Elderly Gentleman’, has just spent a month driving around England and Scotland. Or, LandRoverLand, as he prefers to call it.
Here are some of his observations:
Range Rovers, Discoverys and Defenders are everywhere. Thousands of Her Majesty’s favourite off-roaders can be sighted on just one lap of Britain.
1996-2006 TJ Wranglers are thin on ground, and only about twenty were spotted during the trip. This could be due to the 4.0 engine needing plenty of $2.60-a-litre petrol. Maybe owners only use them on the weekends?
You would think, with the option of the turbo-diesel motor, 2007-2008 JK Wranglers would be fairly popular. However, for some reason, they seem to be even scarcer than the TJ.
There appeared to be more XJ Cherokees; mostly with the oil-burning engine. But the Jeeps that really fly the flag for Chrysler in the UK are the diesel versions of the WJ and WH Grand Cherokees. It’s hard to drive any distance without seeing several of them.
Ray guesstimates that, in the ‘Prestige 4WD’ category – Range Rover, Discovery, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Grand Cherokee, Audi, Lexus, Porsche, Volvo etc – 80 per cent of the vehicles are black, and more than 75 per cent are diesels. Land Rover says that 97 per cent of their sales in the UK are for diesel-engine vehicles. In Aussie money, diesel is getting close to $3.00 a litre, but at least it goes into engines designed to provide greater economy.
There is a Congestion Tax payable for driving in central London. However, there are no tolls for using the beautifully-made, and often six-lane, motorways across the nation. For people driving to the cities every day, the lack of tolls almost makes up for the dearer fuel. And the 70mph speed limit seems to be for cars in the slow lane. For, with almost no police presence (or cameras) monitoring the traffic, the outer lanes are the domain of cars (and 4WDs) traveling at up to 100mph.
We have just received the first batch of heavy-duty, adjustable, front panhard rods for the JK Wrangler.
These quality-made rods allow you to centralize the front axle, if it has been raised. We are have fitted one to our JK – running 35” Coopers – and the difference is remarkable.
The panhard rods are $385 and we offer free delivery to anywhere in Australia.
If you have ever had to do a spot of heavy-duty winching, or recovery a vehicle from a precarious position, the chance of the cable breaking has probably crossed your mind. For, if you are standing at the end of the control lead - or even sitting behind the windscreen - you are well and truly in the ‘danger zone’.
To enhance safety, Ironman is marketing its 9500lb and 12000lb winches with wireless controllers as standard. This means you can operate the winch from a position well away from the ‘line of wire’. And, to provide even more protection, every Ironman winch comes with a safety blanket to help slow the cable if it should it break free.
We are selling the 9500 for $799 and the 12000 for $899. Plus, we offer free insured road freight to anywhere in Australia.
Need to give you JK some extra lift for tyre clearance, but don’t want to alter the standard suspension, or change the mods you have made already?
Our 1” body lift kit could be answer. Suitable for either the 2dr or 4dr versions, the quality US-made kit includes spacers and bolts designed for a perfect fit.
Going pig shooting in your JK? Need to show off your tanned body to pedestrians? Want to make your Wrangler stand out from the crowd? Rancho’s new RockGear tubular doors could be the answer.
The Ranchos fit to the original door mounts, have high-quality locking mechanisms, and are finished in durable black powder-coat. We guarantee them to be useless against wind, rain, dust, blazing sun, and blow flies.
Free delivery Australia-wide.
Ever wondered why the Hummer sports a grille similar to that fitted to most Jeeps?
Way back in the 20th Century, Jeeps were made by American Motors Corporation (AMC), which, in its latter days, was a ‘difficult’ subsidiary of Renault in France.
A separate AMC division, known as AM General, was responsible for the design and construction of heavy trucks and military vehicles. And it was this section of the corporation that came up with the HMMWV, or High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle, later nick-named ‘Hummer’. To help fend off the creditors, AMC sold AM General to a private consortium. But it wasn’t enough to stem the flow of red ink, and (in 1987) Chrysler scooped up the failing business – solely, so it could add the revered Jeep to its stable.
Eventually, the rights to make the HMMWV were purchased by General Motors, and with their manufacturing skills they came up with the smaller Hummer H2, and then the much-smaller H3. To retain the identity, GM chose to market the H2 and H3 with seven-slot grilles similar to the H1 (and many Jeeps). This didn’t please Chrysler, who spent millions in legal fees taking action against GM for trademark infringement. But their claim didn’t wash with the courts, who ruled that GM - by buying the rights to the original H1- could not be prevented from selling that vehicle’s descendents, fitted with similar grilles.
Now, Chrysler may have the last laugh. As fuel prices continue to soar, and sales of large SUVs and trucks plummet, GM is reviewing all of its operations. In particular, the Hummer brand is under threat, as sales have fallen by almost 40 per cent this year. Rick Wagoner, GM’s Chairman, said, “At this point we are considering all options for the Hummer brand, everything from a revamp of the product line, up to a complete sale of the brand.”
It's back! These remote controlled 4-door Wranglers are built in HUGE 1:10 scale, they are an officially licensed Jeep product and will provide hours of fun & entertainment.
When you watch the antics of some idiots, it’s easy to understand why 4WD owners get a bad rap from some sections of media. Watch one lunatic XJ Cherokee driver demonstrating how few cells he has between his ears. Judging by his actions, he doesn’t even comprehend how close he came to serious injury, or even death.
Established in 1976, 4WD1 is Australia's leading 4WD suspension specialist.
We stock what we advertise, and offer the best customer service. Most orders leave our warehouse the same day. Export orders are welcome. We have shipped products to every corner of the earth - including Saudi Arabia, Russia and Inner Mongolia.
