Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2015 i Leisure Wheels

gert@leisurewheels.com Did you know that Bob Dylan was still making music? In fact, he released a new album a couple of months ago called Shadows in the Night. If the arrival of his latest offering passed you by, don’t feel too bad. The launch of a new Dylan album isn’t quite the cultural event it once was. He might have been the “voice of a generation” in the sixties, famous for revolutionary protest songs, but his music has changed over the years. It still has a folksiness about it, but it has become slow, mournful and filled with nostalgia. His singing voice has also undergone a metamorphosis. It has become deep and gravelly – a world away from the nasal tones that belted out Blowing in the Wind. Dylan sounds…

One look at the Infiniti QX80 and you will realise which global markets this luxury SUV is aimed at. With its shiny chrome finishes, hulking presence and burly engine, this is undoubtedly a vehicle designed for places such as the US, Middle East, China and Russia. Little wonder, then, that Nissan SA decided against importing the new Nissan Patrol – a vehicle that has a lot in common with the QX80 – when it was launched back in 2010. Both the latest Patrol and the Infiniti QX80 are more reminiscent of large vehicles such as the Lincoln Navigator and the Cadillac Escalade than the 4x4s South African buyers tend to opt for. The first thing that strikes you about the QX80 is its size. It is massive, with an overall…

Kia’s all-new Sorento has arrived in SA and we can only imagine the amount of fuss it’s going to create. At its core, this is a large luxury SUV, but a quick glance at the pricing reveals that it is set to compete within multiple SUV classes. The entry-level model, for example, offers a lot more car than anything else in the mid-size SUV segment, while the top specification models offer more standard equipment, space and power and the refinement you’d expect from a car with a German badge. The design is sleek, modest and sophisticated, which should serve the vehicle well, but we were more interested in the space that the exterior design allows for. The new Sorento is 95mm longer and 5mm wider, while the overall height has…

Picture the scene. It’s March 1488, and a Portuguese ship has ventured farther south along the African continent than any European vessel before it. But trouble is brewing. After months at sea, including four weeks without sight of land, the crew had had enough. They wanted out, and captain Bartolomeu Dias, staring mutiny in the eye, conceded defeat. Finding a sea route to India would have to wait. However, he insisted that a landing party go ashore and plant a wooden cross to mark the spot they had reached. It was erected at Kwaaihoek (angry corner) in what is today known as Boknesstrand. Ironically, Dias and his ill-tempered crew had unknowingly rounded the Cape, and discovered this two months later on the return journey to Portugal. Taking a more coastal…

Did we really hear that noise? We stop sipping our wine while relaxing on the wooden deck in front of our safari tent in the Mutale Falls Camp, eastern Limpopo province, and listen again. Was that a lion’s roar? In any event, we decide to go to bed, since we have to wake up early in the morning. From our beds, we stare through the tent window, watching the giant trees swaying in the light breeze. Only the window, nothing more than thin gauze, separates us from the sounds of the African bush. “Yes, we have lions here,” our guide, Thamba, confirms in the morning, throwing the leather strap of his rifle over his shoulder. “But it could also have been baboons,” he says with a chuckle. Suddenly serious and…

BUFFALO GORGE WILD CAMP Although the farm boasts several accommodation options, the owner of Buffalo Gorge, Ryk Diepraam, wanted to add a rustic bush experience especially for 4x4 owners. With this in mind, he included a R200 4x4 trail fee to the cost of camping at the Wild Camp. This ensures that only 4x4s can access the camp, and once you have paid your R200 fee, you can drive the farm’s remaining 4x4 routes and obstacles. The first thing you will notice when camping at Wild Camp is the incredible silence. There’s no noise to speak of – no road traffic or nearby settlements. The farm is hidden among crags and valleys. The campsite features three braai areas, and there’s more than enough space for up to 20 vehicles. And,…

COLD WEATHER A few years ago we went to Rhodes in the Eastern Cape on a 4x4 trip into the snowy areas around Tiffendell ski resort. The snow was so deep that the farmers had to open the mountain roads with picks and shovels. We were warmly dressed and slept in cosy guesthouses. And every evening we made sure that our vehicles were filled with antifreeze. During our first night at Rhodes, the temperature dropped sharply and a very chilly breeze started to blow. I parked my 4x4 in a narrow passage next to the guesthouse, where I thought it would be protected from the cold. Next morning, I switched the ignition on and off a few times to get the diesel engine’s glow plugs to do their work. The…

PRADO AND PAJERO When it comes to buying a solid second-hand SUV, the Toyota Prado and Mitsubishi Pajero are undoubtedly two of the best options out there. Generally speaking, not much goes wrong on these two models, even after they have accrued a lot of mileage. This is especially true of the V6 petrol models which, if well looked after, can easily last for more than 500 000km. Toyota Prado (2002-2009) Let’s start by looking at the Prado. Few cars embody Toyota’s reputation for reliability as successfully as the Prado. It truly is a phenomenally trusty SUV. As mentioned, you shouldn’t be scared off by high mileage when shopping around for a Prado. The petrol model can be expected to keep going for more than 500 000km, while the oilburner…

gerhard@leisurewheels.com There has been a lot of noise about the new visa regulations that came into effect about two months ago, but until recently, we had no idea just how much these new rules would cost the SA tourism industry. As it turns out, it’s a lot. A report by the Tourism Business Council suggests that SA will lose 100 000 tourists a year. That represents a loss to the GDP of R4,1 billion and further, 9300 jobs. That’s a big, bitter pill to swallow, and I’m not sure the bigwigs can continue to ignore the loss of income, even if it means they will look foolish by caving in and dropping the regulations. Tourists are turning away from our beautiful country because of the requirement that an unabridged birth…

As previously reported, we are in the process of making the Chery Tiggo as cool as the latest crop of compact crossovers. It’s not the easiest task, but we’re getting there! We are shopping around for the stuff we’ll need. There’s a fine line between being funky and just flat-out “zef”, so we have to do this carefully and be selective in the things we add. Yes, it’s a basic car with a few faults, but for many people the Tiggo represents the most amount of new car they can get for less than R230 000. Performance is perfectly adequate, and the car is a decent enough driving partner on a day-to-day basis. The 1,6-litre engine needs to loosen up at first, but once the first few kilometres are logged…

Traction. If there’s a word that best describes the subject of 4WDs, this is it. Traction not only sums up the fundamental difference between a 4x4 and a 4x2, but for many off-road enthusiasts it’s an obsessive pursuit. Whether it’s in the form of traction control, diff-locks or the fitment of an aftermarket suspension that promises improved wheel travel, the common denominator is traction. However, none of the “improvements” count for much without purpose-made off-road tyres and the correct management of tyre pressures. Reducing tyre pressures can, in some instances, double or even treble a tyre’s traction. But what goes down must ultimately come back up, and this is why, after investing in a suitable set of off-road tyres, an air compressor should be your next purchase. Unfortunately, the subject…

SNAKES IN THE DRC In my search for snakes at the mine I visited in the DRC, I concentrated on areas where there was good natural bush, and where most snake sightings had taken place. One morning, I was searching in an area with tall trees and long grass. By 09h00 the temperature was already in the high twenties and heading for the thirties. I listened for rustles in the bush and distress calls from birds, as these often indicate that snakes are close by. I focused on large anthills, since these are loved by snakes, especially if they are surrounded by grass. An anthill offers great holes for snakes to disappear into. While carefully searching along the base of an anthill, I got quite a fright when I discovered…

CARRYING FUEL In order to trace the history of the jerry can, we need to go back to the Second World War. While planning his blitzkrieg, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was acutely aware of the need to support vehicles with containers of fuel that could easily be carried and poured, so he ordered his engineers to design them. Soon the German army had thousands of jerry cans ready for use when hostilities commenced. Developed as a top-secret project, the jerry can was a brilliant design. The flat sides and rectangular shape make it easy to store, and thanks to its three handles, a person can carry two cans in one hand, and pass a can along to someone else. The welded construction was much like that of a vehicle fuel…

I recently found myself staring at the following CCTV footage. The time stamp states that it is around 03h00. The footage is of the inside of the petrol station’s convenience store. Behind the till sits the cashier. He is fast asleep. This is obviously not supposed to be the case, but with the air conditioner keeping the temperature at a comfortable 24ºC and absolutely nothing happening at the station, I suppose it is all too easy to nod off. The door to the store opens and a man strolls in. At this time of night the door is supposed to be locked, but the cashier has gone to sleep without thinking to lock the door. Even on the grainy CCTV footage it is clear that the man is severely inebriated.…

One of the highest road fatality rates in history was recorded over the 2015 Easter weekend. More people died over one long weekend on South African roads than during the entire year of 2014 in Sweden! If South African figures are accurate, more than 16 000 people were killed on our roads last year, compared with 264 in Sweden. True, Sweden has a population of ten million, but even if their figure is multiplied by five, the South African toll remains atrociously high by comparison, and puts the country among the highest in the world in terms of road fatalities. Losing 16 000 citizens in a year is like wiping out an entire town the size of Hopetown in the Northern Cape! Sadly, the cost of losing a loved one,…

Winter came as a bit of a surprise this year. One day we were walking around in our shorts and plakkies and 24 hours later we were sitting in the corner shivering as the cold winds blew in from the south. The scattered showers early in June didn’t help our frame of mind. So we did what any right thinking summer-loving individuals would do – we went to Durban. We happened to have the new Citroën C4 Cactus parked outside, so we loaded up this compact crossover and went in search of adventure in a warmer clime. The Cactus A lot has been written about the Cactus, and rightly so. At the rate it is winning awards, it will soon be the Meryl Streep of the automotive world. It was…

Like sand through the hourglass… these are the days at the Rhino Park 4x4 complex. Indeed, the sand pit at Rhino Park is unlike any other in Gauteng. Firstly, it is big… big enough for 4x4 enthusiasts to build up a decent turn of speed. There are no dunes, though. You would have to travel a bit farther to get some of that action. But the big sand pit is just one of Rhino Park’s attractions. The McCarthy 4x4 Club’s official training area consists of 10 obstacles, and it is situated next to the (very cool) clubhouse. The obstacles were designed with basic training in mind so if you are an experienced off-roader, driving serious 4x4 hardware, don’t expect your skills to be tested to the limits here. Rather, beginners…

INTO AFRICA The issue of photography in places such as the Kaokoland is actually a complicated one. Is it proper to exploit the Himba in such a blatant manner? Can we simply point cameras and invade their privacy? Reverse the situation. How would you feel if a tourist invaded your private space and started taking pictures of you? Many South Africans, especially those in vellies, rugby socks and two-tone shirts, probably look like a strange species to visitors from abroad. How would these individuals react if they were casually snapped by tourists who wanted to go back home and show their friends what the “locals” looked like? I am truly not sure. Many perhaps wouldn’t care. You are what you are, after all, and if people want to take pictures,…

FINAL DRIVE EXPLAINED The best off-road vehicles feature part-time or full-time four-wheel drive. This usually implies that an old-fashioned final drive/differential unit is fitted at both axles. This final drive has to angle the rotating prop shaft through 90 degrees. This is mostly done by means of helical gears forming a crown wheel and pinion gear-set, although “worm drive” has been used in the past. These days, the gear teeth have a special helical form, called hypoid, because the pinion enters the crown wheel below the centre line to avoid encroaching excessively on the available space. Both crown wheel and pinion have to be supported in helical roller bearings to absorb the end-thrust due to the helical shape of the teeth. The inner ends of the half-shafts are splined into…