Offroad-Express

HI,

My names David... from Wellyvagas

im very much a newbie. i have just brought a Pajero SWB 3.5L.

ARE they any good? i want to know others views.

they seem to be kitted out with some pretty cool stuff. In cab lift kits, suspension softness settings and Central diff lock.

i have only taken it round red rocks so far (not sure of any other public access places) and it seems to handle anything round there pretty well.

LET ME KNOW PLEASE!

Them Pajeros are very popular at the moment., easy to put 33's on. And seem to be plenty powerful.
You should look at going out with a local Wellington club eg. Wellington Family 4x4, plenty of pajero owners there to share knowledge

Thanks for that

Do you or anyboby know of any handy mud holes...short tracks that can i can use to test drive...other than red rocks.

Hey David.

The wee Pajeros do just fine and are among the best bang for your buck for that kind of vehicle. Like all vehicles they have the odd issue but like most of a certain age the faults (and the fixes for them) are pretty well known.

Getting access to places to go off-roading is an issue for all of us. A lot of places will only allow access to properly organized clubs who they've come to agreements with. The Wellington Cross Country Vehicle Club is the largest club in Wellington and they have 2 "family shiny" graded trips coming up in September; One on Saturday the 12th into the Akatarawas and one on Sunday the 27th into the Orongorongos. Here's a link to their club page - give them a bell; http://www.ccvc.org.nz/index.php/ccvc

There's also Odlins Road, aka Waiotauru Road, which runs off Akatarawa Road and is open to the public. Having said that though, it can be challenging at times (a few wagons have fallen off that track over the years) and it's a fair way of the beaten track so if you come to some sort of grief and you're on your own it can turn into a drama so you're best to tag along with someone else. There's some more info on Odlins Road on the ARAC (Akatarawa Recreational Access Committee) website ; http://arac.org.nz/index.php/ Try searching "Odlins Road" on Youtube, there's some good vids people have posted.

Every so often someone on this forum might post to see if anyone in Welly-Town's keen on a drive so keep an eye on the forum. Just make sure your wagons got a proper tow hook at each end.

Have fun.

Thanks for that Very helpful !

sketch wrote:Them Pajeros are very popular at the moment., easy to put 33's on. And seem to be plenty powerful.
You should look at going out with a local Wellington club eg. Wellington Family 4x4, plenty of pajero owners there to share knowledge

When you say "33" what sizing is that?...sorry...im green

33x12.5r15 - a much taller tyre than stock

3.5litre pajeros have a 2" factory bodylift which means 33s shouldn't scrub the guards etc.

31" are ever so slightly larger and easier to get than the stock 265/70r15s.
even on stock tyres pajeros have really quite good ground clearance for a stock machine. everything's nicely tucked away.
drivetrain is pretty bulletproof (strongest IFS from factory out of all the jap stuff) and they don't attract toyota/nissan tax.
good reliable vehicles when looked after! I owned one for about 5 years and put heaps of km on it and never had any real issues.
Wouldn't hesitate buying another!

There is a couple of different ways of specifying the tyre size.

265/70r15
265mm = tyre width
70 = side wall height as a % of the tyre width. in this case 70%
15 is the rim size in inches.

Overall diameter = (0.70*(265/25.4))*2+15 = 29.6 inches

as Cameron said slighly small than 31"

33x12.5r15
33 is the overall diameter in inches
12.5 is the tyre width in inches
15 is the rim size in inches.

I have wheeled with a friend with one of these and have been very impressed with it. Sounds good with her foot up it to.

Have fun.

Best advice when new to all this is never go alone. There's plenty of people near odlins who can help you go for a drive, or even the maungatuks area for some boghole plays.

I would definitely recommend joining a club - welly cc if you live in town or others out towards kapiti hills (Tararua or levin clubs are quite active). They will all help you get the right bits you must have (tow hooks, basic recovery and safety gear) and show you the safe way to use it.

Pajeros are great machines, tough front end and light compared to yotas and nissans etc. Just keep on top of servicing, like any offroader they need it more often than a road wagon to make sure small issues dont become big ones...especially in the middle of a trail...

Plenty of tough pajs out there. Zeds is tough, and many others I wheel with

Thanks guys

i have now put 33 x 10.5 x 15 all terrains. and even at full Tyre pressure i can get all the way round to cave bay no problem at all. so far loving it!

davman wrote:i have now put 33 x 10.5 x 15 all terrains. and even at full Tyre pressure i can get all the way round to cave bay no problem at all. so far loving it!

Good work.
Tides marks & beach changes with every major weather event! keep your wits about ya!

hey dude good on ya allways here if ya need a hand with it im a mitsubishi tech !

greg 0272012916

happy to help ya mod into a beast!

im Welly Based , and have a Pajero. u are more then welcome to come out with us some time if you like , and we can show you what they do. Bolo