Gaurav

Just now, desertdude said:

Thats pretty shitty of mutsubishi then. Then I guess Patrol springs are the best option.

That's also not possible now, as Patrol GQ springs lifting LWB pretty high (3-4 Inch) and SWB will shoot over the sky as per my latest digging.

As per habtoor OEM springs is only one type showing with my chassis number - MB932851

Priced at 784 for one (not pair) as a special order from Japan, available after 30 days.

As per online these springs are same for 3.0, 3.5, LWB, SWB, hard top, soft top etc.

Good source for Mitsubishi owners: https://mitsubishi.epc-data.com

While searching to find the OEM coil height and weight with part number, I stumbled on KYB catalog for shocks that has the detail for my adjustable shocks that I was searching locally with no luck, lol.

http://www.kybme.com/assets_web/pdf/KYB_SHOCK_ABSORBERS_2018.pdf

My concern is not to lift other than what I was using (barely 2 Inch) to not to disturb the geometer of IFS, that already cracking my front axle once every two years.

I was very happy with ride height and stiffness with 2 inch spacer + OEM spring + torsion twist. Stock adjustable shocks has enough travel to accommodate 2 inch lift happily without loosing any on road comfort. Looks like in today's little jump or landing either spacer failed and move spring and broke it or spring was just old to take any more load. So now opting for new coil spring with 2 inch lift is my best bet.

While researching now, it seems Patrol GQ spring fits perfectly with 2 inch lift in Pajero, but I can't get clarity of swb vs lwb Pajero, so if anyone has a GQ stock springs, I can try before I buy.

Of course I'll change both rear springs together. I want to go OEM but height is an issue and instead of adding 2 inch spacer as a temp fix, better to drop an oversize spring to gain 2 inch lift at back, while at it.

Remember in cruiser and range we have had oem option of standard springs or standard oversize heavy duty springs, that's what I'm torn in between. 

Yeah model year and type is a big pain for finding aftermarket parts. I have to research on height and type and then match with other available ones in market. 

Just now broke one of rear spring in desert, nothing unusual but just a little jump but nothing flying off, done that million times before. Seems like it was the age and due time for it to go.

Appreciate any suggestions for Pajero lift kit or heavy duty 2 inch lifted springs brand, type, suggestion or any other things to consider or avoid. Thanks in advance. 

What about car noises if something breakdown, ting tang ding dom boom clank clink, just spotted one few hours back in desert. Broke my rear spring of my beloved Pajero.

I read this post before that and I was about to reply same, but I rushing out for drive.

Welcome back

15 minutes ago, Sidshk said:

But Isn't 4X4 are made to for off road driving ? Then why we are hesitant to buy ? its just a question out of curiosity 

Good question, like everything has a life or rather "USABLE" life. Same for 4x4, and there usable life depletes faster than on road use.

Sri gave an example of 5 times the load / stress while offroad and I can confirm that he is spot on and may vary from 3-5 times depending on the driver.

So if 4x4 supposed to have 300K kms onroad life, it may have 100K kms offroad life. Again this is very variable, but I am just trying to put in numbers to make it easy to understand.

Very nice question asked @Keithryan, well done for putting this doubt in mind in writing.

Totally agree with @Frederic and @Srikumar

51 minutes ago, Frederic said:

I've had the chance to see one of the workshops in Ras Al Khor that prepares and cleans vehicles to be sold. They pull out the carpets, seats, and afterwards you won't find any traces behind that this car has been in the desert, so looking for traces of sand is in many cases not a fair reference.

These are called detailing shops and they are in abundance these days. Back in 2008 it use to be rare and every detailing shop used to charge 1000+ now you can get full car detailing inside out in 300-500 dhs depending on your negotiation skill and size of the car.

With such detailing you can only clean up the sand presence and not the offroad toll what Sri mentioned. Quick look around and under the car can still reveal its been regularly offroad or not.

1 hour ago, Keithryan said:

Does this mean we don't find our cars worthy (perceived or real) of having equal value against the same model which was not used offroad? 

1000000% YES

No offroad 4x4 or SUV will ever fetch same resale value as opposed to on road use car.

1 hour ago, Keithryan said:

Or have we already accepted this fate, that our offroaded cars once we do decide to sell will not get a fair shake when compared to cars used as city dwellers only?

Short Answer: YES

Long Answer: Depends on following criteria

• No: 1 point what Fred mention: Define your offroad - Camping vs dune bashing. 99% of buyer wouldn't mind camping vehicle, but definitely stay away from dune bashing vehicle. That's why Safari driven "White LC" has the lowest resale value.
   
• If buyer looking for offroad vehicle for dune bashing he/she will not buy previously offroad vehicle to have spare life for his next ownership. If buyer is buying 4x4 / SUV for road commute, then he may buy if you sweeten the deal little.
   
• You may find a dreamers on dubizzle advertising 100K wrangler with 50K mod as a 150K selling price, but they will never fetch anyway close to the unmoded vehicle price unless they wait for 3-6 month for a one in million right buyer. So heavily modded 4x4 do attract lot of buyers but minus the cost of all mods you have done, as no one pays a dime for aftermarket mods, unless buyer is a genuine enthusiast.
   
• Capable 4x4 looses very little value even with regular offroad use, if its well maintained - LC, Patrol, FJC, defender etc. as oppose to not very capable 4x4 or SUV when offroad use considered as an abuse.
   
• Lady driven is a curse these days, that people stay away from this overly used term that raises truck load of suspicion, unless lady answer the call and comes out during viewing.

5 hours ago, shadow79 said:

Power naps always ends up me twisted up feet on passenger seat waking up after 4 to 5 hours later...

Same here and that's why power nap is my super last option when everything else fails.

I rem taking a nap for 30 min with two alarm set on my both phone and must have snooze 100 times to actually wake up after 2 hours, but I reached home safely after that.

1 minute ago, Sidshk said:

Do different set of tires make any difference ? 

Not really in this vibration under braking scenario.

Have you changed them recently then maybe yes, depending on their life, tread, balancing etc.

If you are running two diff tires since long before this vibration episode, then its not related. If you got this vibration under braking after you changed two tire, then its 100% related and first thing to doubt.

OK, Im little lost now.

Is vibration solved with alignment...?

What I said is to check disc first, than alignment as you are not having vibration while accelerating.

1 minute ago, Sidshk said:

I m going for Wheel alignment now  

I don't think it will help because

56 minutes ago, Sidshk said:

No vibration while accelerating but a constant vibration while breaking 

41 minutes ago, Sidshk said:

Recently i have notice Vibration while breaking my car

Why do you need to break your car....?

Oh you mean brake, then looks like your brake disc are lower than required thickness. Get it checked or DIY if you can access from the wheel and measure it, they should be close to 5-6 mm (check Pajero spec, im not 100% sure).

Worn brake pads generally result in squeaking or screeching noise, but that can also be doubtful if you have replaced with aftermarket brake pad than the OEM ones.

34 minutes ago, Javier M said:

I don't think so, specially dragon mart bargains. 

All these marketing jargon and tech spec aside which maybe hard for layman to test/verify, after my first bad experience I went with the self testing technique.

I tested 10 different lights in various brand shops, that they were happy to hook up on small car battery and give me a demo.

Also priced at 65,000 dhs is quite competitive. Even for Indian market.

Heard lot of praise about Tata Harrier in India, just spotted a mailer and was really impressed with Tata approach of using LR reference in its marketing. Quite intelligent to leverage from sister concern.

I wouldn't be surprised if Tata, is even sharing the platform, as they look quite similar to discovery, atleast from the front.

2 hours ago, Shamil said:

Besides that, I loved the side cresting exercises as it gave me a good chance to work on those skills. 

Like I mentioned before, don't love side cresting as that's the most dangerous thing to do in offroading that can flip your car in no time. Instead learn how to not to side crest, by keeping the momentum to climb and "accept" fast if it won't go up, so that you can turn downward safely and make another attempt. Fighting with the gravity till last second when you don't have enough momentum cause side crest, which is very prone to flip while recovering.

People do understand that they need fire extinguisher in their car at some point and make a well research purchase, at least 70 out of 100 cars do have some type of fire extinguishers these days. What many people don't realize the importance of how to use it right. There are few basic limitation of using car fire extinguisher and many people don't even know them.

I remember doing the same mistake when I first saw the fire and ran to the extinguisher and emptied the whole can without even reducing the size of fire, let alone extinguishing it.

I have been regularly trained and certified Fire Warden with more than 10 years of annual training from Gulf Technical & Safety Training Centre, in Abu Dhabi. I also have a history of saving 4:1 cars, means I saved 4 cars and lost one to the fire (sadly).

In any event of fire, time is of an essence, so sooner and smarter you respond the better the outcome may come. You also need to remember that not all car fires are controllable and it's better to walk away in case fire spreads too quickly, rather than making an attempt to fight it. If fire is not spreading fast then you might have a good window of opportunity ONLY if you know how to correctly use the car fire extinguisher. Wrong use of car fire extinguisher will help spread the fire every second and also running out of your fire extinguisher.

COMMON MISTAKE OR IGNORANCE

• Every car fire extinguisher is timed for 5-10-20 seconds of use ONLY.
• Shooting fire extinguisher from far away is absolutely useless.
• Find and aim the source of the fire and not the flames.
• Test / Top up your car fire extinguisher every year.
• Place your car fire extinguisher within your reach.

RIGHT WAY TO USE CAR FIRE EXTINGUISHER

• Always try to aim and cut off 1 of 3 these things "SAFELY" if you can: Heat, Oxygen and Fuel. If the fire is inside the engine bay, switch off the car immediately as that will cut off the fuel if its fuel related fire. Do not open the hood and wait to see if smoke or fire subsided. If you are in offroad, let few people constantly throw sand on top of close hood (bonnet), that will help lowering down the temperature (removing HEAT) and in case sand seeps through hood louver it can also help in suffocating fire to cut off the oxygen or at least will let you buy few more seconds to fight it.
   
• Find the source of the fire is a key to extinguish with limited timed fire extinguisher in hand. Even if you see smoke or flames from the hood, but fire source is always down and may be accessible through wheel arc, front grill or even under the car from the sides. Once you spot the correct source, go as close and safe as possible to shoot the fire extinguisher on the base of the fire and sweep (if you can) for at least 5-6 seconds. Base of the fire is always lighter and brighter in color so don't shoot red color flames, instead look for bluish, yellowish, purplish source of the fire. After the first shot, if fire has been put off then wait for 30 minutes to open the hood, if its still on and accessible, shoot again from as close as you can and sweep it from left to right for 5-6 seconds. Once fire is successfully put off, wait for at least 30 mins to open the hood, as cooling off extinguish fire is equally important.
   
• Extinguishing car fire works best with a teamwork, instead everyone coming and emptying the fire extinguisher from various sides. So if you are in offroad and your car catches the fire and you see smoke or flames from the hood, as a first rule of thumb, switch off the car and get your shovel and extinguisher out. If someone is leading then you can support whatever he ask. If you are leading then be ready to get close to the base/source of the fire as soon as possible and advise everyone to keep throwing sand on top of hood and aim to hit the fire base or flame if they can with sand shower. Use every fire extinguisher wisely as its the only thing that can extinguish the fire base very quickly and efficiently.

Do not panic, as that will worsen the situation for you to burn your hands or face.

Do not get carried away and you should know when to stop fighting and run away with your critical belonging if fire spreads out quickly.

Disclaimer: All the above knowledge I intend to share with everyone to let them know how to use fire extinguisher safely rather than just wasting it. I do not intend them to become a hero and get burnt. Cars are replaceable but lives and limbs are not.

Example: He could have used 1/2 of the extinguisher if he would have reduced the distance from 6 feet to 3 feet.

MUST READ: 

• 7 Uncontrollable Car Fire Causes and Prevention
• Types of extinguishers that are out there to stop a fire in your car

What an amazing topic you picked for saving so many lives and cars. Thank you @Javier M.

After writing my last week article on 7 Uncontrollable Car Fire Causes and Prevention, I was about to write similar article in educating people to choose what "type of fire extinguisher they need in car" and "how to use it right".

I have just written "How to correctly use the Car Fire Extinguisher" and linked with this article.

2 minutes ago, Srikumar said:

I think I am one of the best qualified to answer this question as I have a big tendency to sleep while driving.

And for some other GLORIFIED experience.......!

WOW, What a brilliant topic shared with well research facts and remedies.

Here are my two cents from driving after every week night offroad drive. Off course nothing beats a power nap if you are super tired but these few little tricks help me every time.

• Spray water on your face. Keep Evian spray can or normal water spray gun for plants handy. 
• Chewing gum, mint, candy or soda, just something sweet or sour to kick up.
• Eating nuts, crisp, chocolate to prevent yawning and sleep.
• Calling and speaking to someone on phone, of course on hand free mode.
• High tempo music (dance numbers) to keep your body esp head and neck moving.

Thanks for this wonderful thread for comparison. I always see ekar and udrive cars around and especially knowing they are cheaper than taxi's make them an instant hit for quick commute or replacement car in your case.

Wondering to know what if you took one car to office and park and during lunch some one else took that away, then how will you come back? Is cars also available on call or request like a taxi service...? 

1 hour ago, Frederic said:

These are fakes, defo not the real ones...

I was thinking too, that what if it's a fanboi copy....!

How did you make out its fake....?