Bunyip SP, 11th Jan

BTW, I couldn't find a decent digital tyre pressure gauge anywhere.
Anyone got a suggestion?
If you can't find one at any of the auto shops for under $20 (anything over that would be a rip off) you might want to try e-bay.

As a matter of fact, I just found the exact same one that I have & was telling you about on there :ebiggrin:

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Digital...ar_Parts_Accessories&hash=item483be121ea#shId

Even with postage it's still under AU$20 (AU$18.96 to be exact)

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
Gidday NL & Mr T

Thanks for the links, fellas.

I have added them to my list ...

Mr T, the Staun deflators (identical ... ?) come preset for 18 psi. Are the ones you have bought also preset for this? Seems a bit of mucking around to set them correctly (not hard, just a bit of a PITA). Once set, perhaps engrave each one with our Dremel tool ... ?

After Bunyip SP, I realise that tyre stuff is more important than almost anything else.

I also have my eye on a trenching tool at SCA, but the military type ones are probably more suitable from the disposal stores. I will look into this.

Grovelling to the police may be unavoidable, but I object to grovelling under my car in the mud and rain if I can avoid it ... :iconwink:.

Does anyone know if the Blackberry Torch has 'real' GPS capability? It appears that my insurer is going to spring for one of these to replace my Palm PDA. The latter appears to be as dead as John Cleese's parrot ... :(.

NL:
I think that where the Yokohamas are probably FAR superior is that one would reasonably expect the sidewalls to be far tougher than (say) my Pirellis.

I note that the Bridgestone Dueller D683 are also designed for rougher use:
https://www.bridgestone.com.au/tyres/treads/d683.aspx

Anyone have any experience with these?
 
Gidday again NL

I'd love to have one of them...or a locker lol :biggrin:

How about the front LSD out of a WRX? Or are they the wrong DR ... (probably are, when I think about it - my head is still a bit 'off' after Wednesday ... )

I reckon they did pretty well on a very slick surface. Mind you as Phizinza said NOTHING was gonna grip on it, not even full muddies :eek:

Quite.

IMO digital gauge is the only way to go. I got my compressor from SCA, pretty cheap, reasonable airflow.

The one you've found looks good too. Why dont you do a thread on it in the "products" section?

Yep those speed humps certainly did the trick! :biggrin:

They sure did! Without them, I reckon we would all be sitting in a dirty little pile at the bottom of the "run".

I want an EJ25!!! :twisted:

I'm not familiar with all the model numbers. Which one is that?

I did feel a little responsible lol. We didnt want any more excitement than the track was providing in the way of an airlift! :lol:

No one was responsible except for DSE. They have a statutory responsibility to keep such tracks maintained to an acceptable level for 4 wheeled vehicles, or to close them. That track is patently dangerous for 4 wheeled vehicles, regardless of whether wet or dry. Those ruts at the bottom make it all but impassable.

yep that show the gradient very well...it really was that steep! :twisted:

When I looked at the piccies from my dSLRs, it didn't look anything like as bad as what I distinctly remembered it to be. This morning I remembered taking those shots with my mobile. They clearly show that your vehicle is at around 45°!!


Sold! :lol:

I also think it needs to have a deflator nub on it. Mine doesnt so I have a stick from "Robe" in my gauge case :lol:

Ratbag, another thing to look at is some tyre deflators. Here is what I've just bought:
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/220879431742?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

Same design as Staun. You adjust each one for a set pressure, ie, 15PSI, 20PSI, 25PSI, 30PSI. Then you just put on the desired deflator & it airs down to the set pressure. Repeat on all tyres & you're done! :biggrin:

I have put those on my little list, thanks.
I've got the odd spare stick lying around too. Do for the moment ... :iconwink:.

BTW, when I checked my tyre pressures today (didn't go out yesterday ... ), they were 45, 48, 90+ and 60 something. The gauge at that servo was sure as heck "slightly inaccurate"!!
What amazes me is that the tyre didn't blow at 90+ psi!
AND that my car still drove acceptably well on the way home!!
 
I note that the Bridgestone Dueller D683 are also designed for rougher use:
https://www.bridgestone.com.au/tyres/treads/d683.aspx

Anyone have any experience with these?
I haven't so I'm not sure mate :shrug:

Those Bridgestone D683's should handle better off the beaten, track compared to a normal street tyre as they are a H/T tyre :)

I'd be more inclined to go for a A/T tyre instead though. I think Nachaluva's Yoko's are A/T's but I could be wrong :cool:

I think it really comes down to how much & what type of offroading you intend on doing (easy, med or hard) :ebiggrin:

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
G'day again Mr T

I haven't so I'm not sure mate :shrug:

Those Bridgestone D683's should handle better off the beaten, track compared to a normal street tyre as they are a H/T tyre :)

I'd be more inclined to go for a A/T tyre instead though. I think Nachaluva's Yoko's are A/T's but I could be wrong :cool:

I think it really comes down to how much & what type of offroading you intend on doing (easy, med or hard) :ebiggrin:

Regards
Mr Turbo

Well now ...
I suspect that if we could handle what we did with me running Pirelli P7s, almost anything I put on it would be at least as good ... probably much better ...

Pirellis have never been exactly renowned for the strength of their sidewalls ...

Maybe I just stick with the idea of one of the low rolling resistance tyres like the Bridgestone Ecopia.

Probably well over 95% of my mileage is going to be on tarmac, and all but a minute percentage of the balance on reasonably decent roads/tracks. The latter being defined as less than half as bad as Phasmid Track ... :raz:.

BTW, there is another category of off-roading: "bloody ridiculous"! I think that Phasmid track falls into this category. Hopefully, I will never drive on such a thing again.
 
Gidday SJM

Snow chains can be quite useful on wet clay. I've probably used mine just as much on slippery mud as I have on snow.

Thanks for that info mate.
How easy/hard are they to fit on the fly?

And are they any use in sand?

Flaming sight more sand here than mud, usually ... :ebiggrin:.

What do they cost, and where from?
 
Mr T, the Staun deflators (identical ... ?) come preset for 18 psi. Are the ones you have bought also preset for this? Seems a bit of mucking around to set them correctly (not hard, just a bit of a PITA). Once set, perhaps engrave each one with our Dremel tool ... ?

The idea is to preset then lock each deflator (set of 4) at common pressures. Unfortunately most only go up to 30PSI. Then you just use the required deflator on each tyre. You could engrave the pressure or use your own colour coding....

NL:
I think that where the Yokohamas are probably FAR superior is that one would reasonably expect the sidewalls to be far tougher than (say) my Pirellis.

I note that the Bridgestone Dueller D683 are also designed for rougher use:
https://www.bridgestone.com.au/tyres/treads/d683.aspx

Oh dont get me started on Bridgestones lol :puke:

BTW, when I checked my tyre pressures today (didn't go out yesterday ... ), they were 45, 48, 90+ and 60 something. The gauge at that servo was sure as heck "slightly inaccurate"!!
What amazes me is that the tyre didn't blow at 90+ psi!
AND that my car still drove acceptably well on the way home!!

That servo gauge was shocking! 90PSI!!! Crikey :eek:

I'd be more inclined to go for a A/T tyre instead though. I think Nachaluva's Yoko's are A/T's but I could be wrong :cool:

I think it really comes down to how much & what type of offroading you intend on doing (easy, med or hard) :ebiggrin:

Yep they're Yoki Geolander AT-s (the "s" is for Silicon).

I reckon the HT would still be pretty good but IMO the AT-s is a brilliant compromise between good roadholding on wet roads & offroad ability plus sidewall toughness (has a factory puncture warranty).

I agree with Mr.T, it depends on what you want it for...
 
G'day again mate

I wanted to find a 4WDin' spot I could go by myself...I think I'll keep looking lol :rolleyessarcastic:

LOL! Me too ...

Yep I was the only one on AT tyres...I'm sure it helped heaps as I had by far the least experience.

At the very least, I think I qualify as equal in that regard mate.
I have done precious little "recreational" off-roading. Specially not in vehicles that can be "damaged", LOL.

Most of my experience has been deadly serious, so no "adventures" looked for, or had; by and large. Also in things like Landcruisers, WWII Jeeps, big trucks and tractors - Oh, and I forgot my 1964 Mini ... :lildevil:. That was the last time I got seriously bogged, IIRC. At Mt Morgan mine ...

I also recall doing the Moura-Nipan road (Queensland) in the Mini after the dirt road had been closed to all but big trucks for about a week. Black soil country. That was fun (we were too young to realise that it was also extremely dangerous ... ). The wipers could not budge the mud. I couldn't see through the windscreen at all, so my mate was hanging out the passenger door with a spotlight (did I mention that it was night time ... ) with one leg wrapped around the seat which we had tied down with the seat belt. He gave verbal directions like "correct 90 degrees left" etc, as we hurtled down mud hills into the water-filled bottoms, which we aquaplaned across ... Only about 26 miles.

The sort of thing that only bloody stupid and "immortal" teenagers could engage in ...

I think that the Gods who look after village idiots and 17 y.olds must have taken pity on us!!
 
Yep they're Yoki Geolander AT-s (the "s" is for Silicon).

I reckon the HT would still be pretty good but IMO the AT-s is a brilliant compromise between good roadholding on wet roads & offroad ability plus sidewall toughness (has a factory puncture warranty).

I agree with Mr.T, it depends on what you want it for...

Yep, unreal in anything except muddy clay...

Thanks for the trip report, I have heard Bunyip is where its at in terms of 4wd close to Melbourne (Have also read there are some doozy tracks there, non-foz capable). I think if you went back on a semingly dry day you would all eat it up easily, by comparing it to say this trips brown pants moments. Have some relos close by, next time im in the area will visit Bunyip for sure.

Its all about having a go, Im revisting a double black diamond I attempted last year (Edit - with a recovery vehicle) in a couple of weeks, Bemm River Victoria. Almost 50 degree leaf litter run with a rock hop at the end. I only made it up half way last time, coming down in reverse was far worse than going up, thats if you discount the scratches on my arm and burst eardrum from taking the missus (Never, ever again, "We are all going to die!!!!")
 
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Most of my experience has been deadly serious, so no "adventures" looked for, or had; by and large. Also in things like Landcruisers, WWII Jeeps, big trucks and tractors - Oh, and I forgot my 1964 Mini ... :lildevil:. That was the last time I got seriously bogged, IIRC. At Mt Morgan mine ...

Cool :cool:
If I was ever to get a non Subie 4WD it would either be a jeep or Suzuki...

I also recall doing the Moura-Nipan road (Queensland) in the Mini after the dirt road had been closed to all but big trucks for about a week. Black soil country. That was fun (we were too young to realise that it was also extremely dangerous ... ). The wipers could not budge the mud. I couldn't see through the windscreen at all, so my mate was hanging out the passenger door with a spotlight (did I mention that it was night time ... ) with one leg wrapped around the seat which we had tied down with the seat belt. He gave verbal directions like "correct 90 degrees left" etc, as we hurtled down mud hills into the water-filled bottoms, which we aquaplaned across ... Only about 26 miles.

The sort of thing that only bloody stupid and "immortal" teenagers could engage in ...

I think that the Gods who look after village idiots and 17 y.olds must have taken pity on us!!

Ah the things we do when we're young & silly :monkeydance:

Yep, unreal in anything except muddy clay...

Thanks for the trip report, I have heard Bunyip is where its at in terms of 4wd close to Melbourne (Have also read there are some doozy tracks there, non-foz capable). I think if you went back on a semingly dry day you would all eat it up easily, by comparing it to say this trips brown pants moments. Have some relos close by, next time im in the area will visit Bunyip for sure.

When you do put up a thread & we'll try getting a trip together :biggrin:
 
Gidday NL

I want an EJ25!!! :twisted:

Ah. Worked it out. It's the engine designation.

Seems that the one in mine is apparently an EJ-254.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaru_EJ_engine#EJ25

Also seems that some of the earlier 2.5L engines sometimes had problems with leaky head gaskets.

And yes, it is responsive and torquey as all getout. Seems to be an almost perfect marriage with the gearing and diffs in my model; something I would not ever have said about my 1993 Impreza ...
 
Great trip report guys. Sorry, I didnt see the PM Nachaluva until today. My Brother came down from Sydney to visit for the week, and I was still at work, in the rain, wind, and hail. Did I mention I work outdoors?

Looks like you had 'fun'. One track that a few of us from ORSv1.0 did a number of years ago in Bunyip SP no longer exists, as it was deemed too dangerous. Yet we did it Subies, go figure. Lots of tracks in Bunyip SP are fine in the dry, but horrendous in the wet (speaking from experience).

Beigewagon.
 
Terrific trip report lads, thanks for sharing :)

It certainly seems like that will be one of the most memorable trips you'll ever complete. Even the best of us can unintentionally find ourselves in sticky situations like that, testing both car and driver. Just glad you got out of it relatively unscathed.

Just looking at that clay road makes me shudder to think that some of you were driving it on standard highway tyres. A good set of all terrains and a proper sump guard is an excellent investment.


Love the front wheel directions in the 3rd & 4th shots ... :rotfl:.

No relationship whatsoever to the direction of my vehicle ... :exclaim:.
Hahahaha, too true, too true...:lol:
 
Gidday Shiv

Terrific trip report lads, thanks for sharing :)

It certainly seems like that will be one of the most memorable trips you'll ever complete. Even the best of us can unintentionally find ourselves in sticky situations like that, testing both car and driver. Just glad you got out of it relatively unscathed.

Just looking at that clay road makes me shudder to think that some of you were driving it on standard highway tyres. A good set of all terrains and a proper sump guard is an excellent investment.

Quite right, on all counts.

BTW, the discussion on sump guards has moved to here:
https://offroadsubarus.com/showthread.php?p=35010#post35010
 
AWESOME! Pity i missed this one. Looks similar to the track i got my car stuck down at Walhalla. Rain turns tracks from a yawn to a nightmare very, very quickly. As i found out at Mt Cole when i was doing a solo recce. I've never been out solo ever since without a hand winch in the car.
 
Walhalla was just as steep I think, had much deeper ruts, trees & loose gravel but it had gravel, ie reasonable grip. The Phasmid Track just had no grip at all. Both very difficult, but under these conditions I'd rate the Phasmid track as much harder. Going down was scary, I was sure we would all slide out of control & suffer significant damage. Going up just wasn't an option.

I'm not sure bout wanting to do that long steep Walhalla track again. Lift & tyres help but it was very difficult too
 
Wow guys that looks like great fun!

I've experienced your slick clay before in a corolla on "dry weather only" roads - they really mean it!

You can't beat the rush of adrenalin when your to far in to go back, yet you know to go on is lunacy.

Glad you all made it back with out major damage.
 
Gidday Venom

AWESOME! Pity i missed this one.

I'd be thankful you did ... :iconwink:.
It would have been just that much more dangerous for another vehicle. The "track" was just a slippery slide after the three of us ...

Looks similar to the track i got my car stuck down at Walhalla. Rain turns tracks from a yawn to a nightmare very, very quickly. As i found out at Mt Cole when i was doing a solo recce.

Yeah. There had been quite a bit of rain overnight, I think. The rain and hail on the day didn't help much!

I've never been out solo ever since without a hand winch in the car.

If one is sensible, that lesson only needs to be had once.

I learned a bit about recovery along the way through life, and how to use a small winch to recover a lone vehicle when there are no trees or solid ground around. Don't know if that sort of thing has already been covered here, probably has been. If not, I will try to put some thoughts down about the process.
 
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