So you bought a Pajero Sport – Now what!

February 19, 2022 freedomseka Leave a comment

Upgrades and general info that you should know. (My opinion from 2 years ownership)

Let’s get straight into it. These are not in any order.

I have had my Pajero Sport for 2 years now and I love it. I have set it up as a tourer and we use it to tow our boat.

Being a full time tourer means it is heavy all the time. Single draw system, 45 litre fridge, 20 litre water tank, gas cooker, induction cooktop, kitchen utensils, camp chairs, 200ahr dual battery, 1500w Inverter, 200watt solar panel, 2.5 x 3 metre awning and rola platform.

Our boat is a Bayliner 185 Bowrider weighing in at 1800kg.

Upgrades if you are going to tow a boat

First thing I did was to install Airbag man HD airbags in the rear. I found the factory suspension too soft and uncomfortable when towing. Airbags fixed that. Since installing the bullbar and winch I have now upgraded the suspension as well.

Scanguage

When towing you really need to know what the vehicle is doing while under load. The Scanguage can show you engine temperature and automatic transmission temperature. Engine temps will vary depending on the terrain. While towing, my PS will run anywhere between 85-117 deg C. The higher temps come after a major hill climb and quickly drop once on the other side. Auto temps, i have never seen over 85 deg C. I am about to install a larger radiator to combat the high coolant temps when towing.

Throttle Controller

After having the PS for 6 months I purchased an I-Drive (Now Unltimate 9) throttle controller and installed it. If you read the forums there is a lot of discussion on this. In my opinion it improves the PS especially when towing. Sharper throttle response compared to standard. No regrets with the purchase. The only negative I have found is that occasionally it will reset to zero for some unknown reason.

Catch Can

Once again very controversial if you read the forums. Some say that if they are needed then why aren’t they put on from factory. Others are worried that they will avoid warranty. I installed one after the first 1500km service. My mechanic recommended it.

Bash Plates

Replacing the factory bash plates are absolutely essential if you are going offroad. The factory ones don’t hold up to any bumps. I installed Custom Offroad bash plates. There are many other brands. Have a read of the forums for info.

4x4, holidays, Pajero Sport

Head for the hills – Snow is coming – June 10 2021

July 18, 2021 freedomseka Leave a comment

I am so glad that my job is flexible. After hearing that snow was forecast mid to end of the week (the forcast came out on Sunday), we decided to look for some accommodation in Oberon. None of the forcasts were 90-100% on whether snow would fall so we left booking accomodation until Tuesday afternoon when we could be more confident on the forcast.

Tuesday came and that night we took the plunge and booked 1 night accommodation (Thursday) in a cabin at the Jenolan caravan park in Oberon. We actually snagged the last budget cabin.

Thursday morning we packed the 4wd with the essentials and hit the road around 10am with a 2.5 hr journey ahead of us. Little did we realise it would eventually take us 5 hrs due to road closures.

As we hit the suburb of Lawson the snow began. I have never witnessed snow this far down the mountain. Lawson is between 500 and 750mtrs above sea level. It was a sight to see.

Travelling further on up the mountain the snow would turn to sleet and rain before hitting the high altitude of Katoomba and then Mt Victoria which would be our first stop for a stretch. Snow was falling here which just made the town look like a wonderland.

As we existed the car I noticed that the rain had turned to ice on the front grill.

The normal route to Oberon is via the Jenolan Caves road. After travelling 22klms we discovered that the road was closed due to a truck hitting ice on the road and rolling over. We ended up back tracking via the towns of Lake Lyle and Tarana then Oberon. This was a much more scenic way to go anyway.

After dropping some of our gear off at our cabin we jumped back in to the 4wd with a plan to first grab a pizza for lunch and then head on to Shooters Hill to find more snow and some isolation. Shooters hill is 1350mtrs above sea level. Plenty of snow and no one else to be seen.

After a big day of driving and site seeing we checked in at the local RSL Club for dinner then back to our cabin for a good sleep before hitting the road again and heading home.

Road Trip

Day out in Newcastle NSW

July 1, 2020 freedomseka Leave a comment

June 2020

With the weekend upon us we decided to head to Newcastle for a day out with friends, Adrian and Xanthe.

We left our home in Sydneys west around 9am arriving in Newcastle for lunch. Most of our trips revolve around food.

Lunch was at The Autumn Rooms on Darby St. Delicious food in a quaint cafe with a beer garden style covered area out the back.

After lunch we decided to work off the food we had consumed. There is a walk called the Newcastle Memorial walk. It is an overhead walking platform that follows the coastline. We walked towards Nobbys Beach taking in the views and beaches. It is a very popular walk for both locals and tourists.

All in all another great day out.

Newcastle Memorial Walk. Adrian, Allyson, Xanthe

View from the Memorial Walk looking back towards Barr Beach

Newcastle Beach looking towards the historic baths

Pajero Sport

Time for a vehicle upgrade. Patrol to Pajero

April 5, 2020 freedomseka Leave a comment

Well after 10 years of touring Australia in our 1992 Nissan Patrol it was time to upgrade to a newer vehicle.

Noticing that the ol girl was getting older and since the Patrol was also a petrol 4.2 litre and quite thirsty when towing (or with a headwind 🤣) we decided to look around and buy a diesel Mitsubishi Pajero Sport.

Twelve months prior to upgrading I had the chance to drive a friends Pajero Sport and couldn’t believe how good it felt. He raved about it every time I saw him and commented on how good it was on fuel, comfort and off-road ability.

Looking at the calendar and seeing what trips we had in the future I decided to call up the local Mitsubishi dealership and order a Pajero Sport. Knowing that it would take about a month before one was ready would give me some time to start planning the build before our first trip. Next up – upgrades 😀 and saying farewell to the Patrol 😢

Product Testing

My new pullout awning

September 14, 2013 freedomseka Leave a comment

Well I finally caved and purchased a pull out awning for my 4wd. I have previously used a silver tarp and tent poles which has worked well in the past but let’s face it, I do like my projects and this one was on the list.

I purchased this awning on eBay. It’s 2.5mtrs wide and pulls out to a length of 3 mtrs. My mates have the size underneath this (2.5 x 2) and they said that the 3 mtr one would be the way to go especially for a family of 4.

I am really happy with the build quality. As you can see in the pictures, the corners are reinforced and it has good size tie down ropes.

All up, a good buy for $239 delivered.

holidays, Uncategorized

Lake Macquarie 2013 – What a great holiday

January 28, 2012 freedomseka Leave a comment

Wow, the Turner family sure have had a great holiday this Christmas. We have managed to have 6 weeks off and had 3 weeks staying on the water.

Here is a picture of our rig ready to hit the road to Lake Macquarie NSW

The small town we have been staying at is Sunshine Lake Macquarie NSW. We have been staying at this house for the last 4 years. It’s a great location as we all love the water. It allows us to moor our boat at the jetty so we can go out and come back when we like. We also own 2 kayaks which is great for a morning paddle across the lake.

Freedomseka's 4wd Touring / Boating Blog