Pajero to soft and low slung for real rocky terrain

[EngelbrechtP]

Hi all PAJERO fans,
I had a very bad experience in Namibia, during November with my 2016 LWB Exceed.
It was heavily loaded (but not overloaded) with a roof rack, rooftop tent and other camping gear, racking system, 100ℓ of extra diesel fuel, 70ℓ of water, food for 6 weeks, two fridges, extra D/C battery and two people. To create space and to reduce weight, I took out all the rear seats and created level platforms on the floor to secure all the cargo.
The result was that with all the weight, it reduced the riding height to such an extent that I just could not keep up with the Toyotas of my travel companions. Apparently the road was not half as bad as the notorious Van Zyl's Pass, but I scraped the car's belly and running boards more than what I would have liked. I don't even know if there are aftermarket lifting kits available for the Pajero, and if these are compatible with the standard motor plan and guarantees.

May I add that sharp rocks and the soft standard 265X60R18 tyres created further problems for me because I could only carry one spare wheel. Having a cut sidewall and then continuing without a second spare is a harrowing and humbling experience, because I also had a second tyre failure. Luckily I found replacements at Palmwag and Xhorichas.

That was not the end of my problems.
I had to carry fuel for 1000kms but due to the heavy going in 4X4Llc, my fuel consumption was nearly 20ℓ/100km, reducing my safe distance to less than 900kms with 180ℓ.
And then to put the cherry on the cake, when negotiating rocky terrain, the engine revolutions is so low that the alternator doesn't charge the batteries.

So there you have it: when you aim to negotiate really rough and rocky roads far from civilization, remember the following:
Increase the fully laden ride height to at least 230mm, with proper rock slider running boards and sump/gearbox protection;
Carry a second spare wheel (I assume the only place this can go is on the roof rack). If possible, go back to 265X65R17 tyres with good off-road capabilities (better sidewall strength and the same size as the other vehicles);
Install an auxiliary fuel tank to carry less fuel in Jerry cans and don't under-estimate your fuel consumption;
Is there a way to coax the alternator to work at low revs? (I don't know).

I hope this will help future adventurers!

[allandell]

Have a look at the pajero Australia Facebook page. We just don't try hard enough here in SA to make these beautiful cars more and more capable than they already are.

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[KurtG]

I can guess that any standard SUV of any make would suffer under all that load.

There is no way a vehicle with standard suspension would cope, so don’t feel too bad about the Paj suffering.

With a little space lift and Firestone air helper bags in the rear coils you would be fine. And those side steps are made of plastic so remove them first.

Then, bashplates under the belly will protect the undercarriage.

Do a little bit of research and you too can enjoy your Paj anywhere the “Toyota’s” can go.

[KurtG]

PS - after reading your post again I am pretty sure you were close to or over the recommended GVM so you were actually “abusing” your vehicle with all that load. Did you weigh everything before installing? My guess is you were carrying around 800kg including the two passengers

[allandell]

What was the load and set up on the Toyota you were riding with? Compare apples to apples before thinking the pajero is not as capable

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[kobus louw]

Hi all
I am quite amazed to read what owners of vehicles expect their "standard equipped" vehicles to achieve.
Before I did my first dune trip in Namibia, I knew that I will have clearance problems and opted to fit Old Man Emu suspension which lifted my vehicle with ±50mm(maybe a little less?)
After 4 Dune trips in Namibia, every time carrying 210L fuel, 120L water plus firewood, tent, Camping fridge, Roofrack, with spare spare on top, etc etc, I know that I made the right decision. I have also covered a large part of Kaokoland , the Central and the Southern part of Namibia
With all my respect(not a fan at all!!) for the Toyotas, I have seen very few of them, if any?, in their standard "Clothing", all of them were "dressed up for the occasion"
I do agree with Kurt that you have most likely overloaded your vehicle.
Why do you carry food for 6 weeks if you travel in Namibia??
Now your tyres
Learn from the mistakes of Landrover (Discovery)!! Never go off-road, no stop, "OFF-TAR" with 18 inch "60" profile Tyres!!
Even the gravel roads of Namibia, with those nasty "dips", pose a serious threat for those "Low Profiles". I found 3 of them with sidewall blow-outs, all Discovery's with 60 profile tyres
Even the standard 65 profile is borderline, but it has worked for me. 265/65 x 17 Replacement is easy to find, even if it is a chinese one, it will bring you home.
Mr Engelbrech, you have a super vehicle, just equip your vehicle for what you want to do.
Take off those fancy "Running Boards" and you will have more ground clearance already(I do not like Rock sliders)
You can have a lot of fun with your vehicle, looking very much "Standard" without having to overdress like the Aussie Steroid invested thing, as you most likely also use your vehicle for your day to day commuting.
The charging(alternator) matter is a strange phenomenon and I cannot comment as I have never experienced that.
"Old Faithful"(11years, 270K km) has never let me down. Yes, I also lost 2 tires over time
You must just know your vehicle (Ground Clearance, Approach and departure angles etc), know your vehicles limitations as well as your own limitations(more important).
As said by others, your have to do your homework (maybe this was a little limited before your trip).
Happy 4 x 4-ing.

[allandell]

I fully agree with you on your last comment. Equip the vehicle for what you want it to do. My picture earlier is just to show that you can do so much to these vehicles and will then even scare off the so called famous land cruiser etc etc.
I am on my second pajero now and have a lift on both, first was with 75mm or 3 inch lift and now a 50mm or 2 inch lift. Take you cat to a 4x4 park and learn it's limits in a safe and friendly place.

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[EngelbrechtP]

Thanks for all the comments and super positive feedback!
Just some notes:
The one Toyota in our group was a Fortuner with an extra fuel tank and raised suspension. The owner also had an Imagine Trailvan in tow with 2 spare wheels (6hole, 17inch) and he made it. Towing the trailer of course reduced the weight on the SUV's suspension, but did put extra strain on the drive train.

The Toyota Landcruiser bakkie was also heavily loaded with all the required gear for a six-week trip, including canopy, food, fridges, fire wood, drinking water and rooftop tent. Apart from a second fuel tank and 2 spare wheels (5 hole, 16inch), it was standard with respect to ground clearance.

Note that each vehicle had different wheels and it was not possible to swap!

The comment about carrying food for six weeks: where we were going (Marienfluss and Hartmansvallei in the north western corner of Namibia), there is nothing to buy, so we had to take everything to survive for at least a month. The last decent place where we could buy something was in Tsumeb and then you can't take it through the Etosha. At Ruakana we loaded fully on diesel, but food-wise there was nothing decent to be bought.

I will definitely consider raising the suspension and stiffening it to carry the required load. I took about 3 months to prepare the vehicle, but the last thing that crossed my mind was to raise the suspension. Small mistake!

I have been warned not to take off the running boards because then the back wheel arches and rear doors gets sandblasted on gravel roads. Any comment about this?

Happy 4X4-ing.

[KurtG]

The sand blasting is a minor issue and you can fix that with a quick respray of the wheel arch trims.

Stofpad4x4 do a proper steel rockslider that is the same shape as the original steps, something to consider.

[RoelfleRoux]

I'm really sorry you didn't enjoy the trip and the Pajero as much as you could have. It isn't nice after so much planning and expense.

Many Pajero owners recommend airbags in the rear coils. I had a set in my last Pajero. They are relatively cheap and is a non-invasive installation.

The 18" rims, with 60% profile tyres, on the newer vehicles are simply not suited for hard off-road work. I have investigated and found that I can replace the 18"s on my car (which isn't a Pajero anymore) with 16"s. Here is the joke: the 16" tyres with 70% profile, plus new rims from TWT, is cheaper than a set of new 18" tyres. We toured the Kalahari in October with our Echo Chobe in tow, and although the 18"s didn't let me down, I said to the wife that I will not tour with them again.

The low-revs, low-charge issue is new to me. May I ask: were you in low-range with the gearbox in manual mode and 1st gear? Or did you leave the box in auto? If in "auto", I can assure you it was running 3rd gear.

Another question: when you engage low-range, do you come to a stop, place the gearbox selector in N and only then select low-range? Do you wait for the "wheel lights" to stop flashing to confirm that low-range is selected before driving off?

Please don't worry about your Pajero, they remain capable, reliable and enjoyable vehicles. Once you have carefully sifted through the advice and comments on this thread, you will realise that you are a few small steps away from the perfect touring vehicle.

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