G'day from Australia. Motoz MN GLX R: Evolution of a Warrior

[motoz]

Roof top storage...

I've been wanting a tray for on top of the roof racks for a while though was waiting for the right priced one to come up. I was going to get a Rola Vortex though the bloke I was getting it from ended up selling it with the vehicle. I got talking to a bloke at a mates birthday and he told me he works in the roof rack game so after a few cans did a deal with him and scored a Rhino HD alloy roof tray with fitting kit for under $400.

It was probably a little more than I really wanted to pay for a tray though the benifits of the alloy over a powdercoated steel tray won me over. There are a lot of accessories available that make mounting a spare tyre and fuel cans a lot easier as well as light mounts etc. Some though are pretty expensive though :shock:

There is some minor assembly involved though all in all was fairly pain free and took about an hour to fit.
The box comes flat packed just like IKEA... :lol:

The ABS plastic mounts have intergrated recesses for the extruded runners. These then have coated steel plates that secure them to the roof rack bars.
You remove the rubber strip that goes into the top chanel of the rail then fit these plastic locking cams in between the tray runners. These stop the tray from vibrating and make it more rigid...

The whole thing mounts with four eyebolts that can be used to secure items in the tray. All up it weighs 13kg which isn't too bad for the size 1500mm x 1010mm.

I think the size fits the roof perfectly and with the RTT mounted the whole setup is the same height. It will be great for being able to through up a bit of wood etc while on the move rather than trying to find space in the tub.

 

[motoz]

New Boots...

I managed to score a great deal on some new hoops for the Triton. My local Beaurepaiers were offering 20% off and a further 20% being the last day of the month on some family and friends deal.

The end result was 4 x Goodyear Duratrac's fitted, balanced and aligned for $1100. There a fairly aggresive looking AT tyre with side biters and a cool rim protector. They seem to be a popular choice for a lot of mining companies for use on there fleet vehicles so I thought I'd give them a go.

I decided to go back to a 32" so am running them in a 265/75x16. Although the 285's (33") look a lot better there just a hastle and really not worth the headaches on the Triton.

I gave them a real workout on the recent HC trip and was very impressed with their performance on the drive over, in the mud, rocks and gravel roads. I was running them at 38psi on the blacktop and at 24psi off road. After the 3000km trip there was no cuts or chipping. They handled all the greasy climbs and rocks well.

 

[motoz]

ECU and Accelerator interception and enhancement...

I jumped onto the Chipit group buy a while back. I was tossing up between either a chip or ECU retune for a long time. I read every post, review and comment about both. Both have there positives and negatives though for my application the Chip was the easiest option.

I not after huge power I just want to get back what I've lost through the extra weight, drag and larger rolling stock. I took advantage of the discount and bought the full kit with EGT, fuel limiter, OBD2 scan tool and Sdrive throttle controler.

The chip is a full 'plug n play' system. The harness is prefabed with all the matching plugs to allow for a 15min install. I took the time to ensure the loom was routed smoothly without any kinks. While everything was loose I gave all the plastic plugs a dose of silicon spray on the outside of the plasic connectors to keep them from going brittle.

The kit came with a billet blank for the fuel rail though I wasn't keen to use that on my setup so I exchanged it for the Hi Spec unit. This was one part of the instal that I wasn't too keen on to be honest. I'd had a couple looks at the location of the limiter and all the stuff in front and around that I put it in the too hard basket.

Tune 5 ran a dream and I was very happy with the result. I had a play and loaded Tune 6 then 7 though it seemed to have less power with a noticable flat spot around 3000rpm. I assumed that maybe the standard limiter may have been the cause. Armed with a fist full of tools I dove in and swaped over to the Hi Spec unit.

It was a easy job though there is a lot to remove and reinstall to make it happen. In a nutshell you have to remove the battery and tray, move the dipstick, disconnect the loom, remove the throttle body, remove the EGR pipe, remove loom support brackets then you've got enough room to get to the banjo bolt on the end of the limiter.

Once you've fot that off the line needs to be gently moved out of the way to enable the fitting of a 19mm spanner onto the limiter...

These things are dam tight though came loose with no spilled claret... :lol: The upgraded unit fitted, done up tight enough to pop a grape out ya date then reinstall everything in reverse order. I took the time to clean the throttle body as there was a mist of oil residue. Re sealed the EGR and torqued all bolts back up to spec.

I went for a test run and Tune 6 went a lot better than had done previous. With no fuel leaks or issues I'll put this one down as a win.

 

[motoz]

Anyone who's driven an Auto MN will know that the throttle responce is virtually non existant. I had heared raved reports about the Sprint Booster though just couldn't justify the asking price. The Sdrive unit seemed like a great option considering the amount of modes it has and the price point.

The unit comes in three parts. The visual display, the control unit and the loom. The looms are vehicle specific though there the same part for the MN / ML.

Installation is only a five minute job though there are a few things to look out for. You have to make sure the car has been turned off for at least 10 min before you dis connect the loom plug on top of the accelerator pedal. Once plugged into the accelerator and power plugged into the OBD2 port you have to calibrate the unit.

This involves recording the voltage values at both 0 and 100% accelerator application. Once set your good to go. There's three Economy modes, nine sports modes or an off position to choose from. In simple terms I'm a convert. They make the vehicle a lot more responsive.

With the Chip and on the lower sport settings ie Sp4 ive virtually eliminated the lag problem when taking off from a standing start. The higher settings Sp 8 and 9 are too aggressive epecially with the auto. It loads the TC up too much for my liking so i find the lower settings better.

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

What is the general opinion on the Duratracs down under? I like mine, but I also pay very close attention to what you folks use... Obviously they can't be that bad, you have a set!

New Boots...

I managed to score a great deal on some new hoops for the Triton. My local Beaurepaiers were offering 20% off and a further 20% being the last day of the month on some family and friends deal.

The end result was 4 x Goodyear Duratrac's fitted, balanced and aligned for $1100. There a fairly aggresive looking AT tyre with side biters and a cool rim protector. They seem to be a popular choice for a lot of mining companies for use on there fleet vehicles so I thought I'd give them a go.

I decided to go back to a 32" so am running them in a 265/75x16. Although the 285's (33") look a lot better there just a hastle and really not worth the headaches on the Triton.

I gave them a real workout on the recent HC trip and was very impressed with their performance on the drive over, in the mud, rocks and gravel roads. I was running them at 38psi on the blacktop and at 24psi off road. After the 3000km trip there was no cuts or chipping. They handled all the greasy climbs and rocks well.

 

[motoz]

Mate I think there fantastic. A few guys are running them over here and rave about them also.

There actually a little difficult to get as a lot of mining companies are fitting them to their fleet vehicles in the rugged north west of Australia.

It seems strange as there considered a cold climate tyre though they seem to be working very well and lasting in our hot and harsh conditions.

I've done 10,000kms so far with no problems at all. There wearing a lot better and are a lot quieter than the previous MT ATZ's I had fitted.

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

They're gaining a positive reputation here too.

I've not seen many using the Mickey Thompson ATZ, but notice in all of the 4wd Australia mags that the MTZ version is very common in Australia. You guys use and abuse the piss out of your tires (or maybe the terrain does!) so I tend to look at and favor Australian opinions as you guys have the overlanding type travel nailed down!

Thanks

 

[motoz]

Oz magazines are renowned for spinning reviews and articles in favor of advertising dollars so you sometimes have to sift through the hype.

The strongest brand here would be Cooper. I've never tried them myself mostly due to the cost. The new Cooper ST MAXX in a 265 / 75 x 16 retail for almost $360 each !!!

I tend to follow reviews and recommendations from friends and forum members here in Oz.

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

Thats how it is here in the US. What I was referring to are the vehicles particularly in trip reports in magazines and the net, I observe what tires they're using and an overwhelming majority of the time its the Mickey Thompson MTZ or a Cooper tire! I think I've seen only one vehicle with the BF Goodrich KM2... and they were on a Pajero. I've driven and toured with trucks who sport them... I've not been impressed with the KM2 at all, both with durability and performance.

Duratracs are well rounded, I like them a lot!

Love your truck, too, by the way.

Oz magazines are renowned for spinning reviews and articles in favor of advertising dollars so you sometimes have to sift through the hype.

The strongest brand here would be Cooper. I've never tried them myself mostly due to the cost. The new Cooper ST MAXX in a 265 / 75 x 16 retail for almost $360 each !!!

I tend to follow reviews and recommendations from friends and forum members here in Oz.

 

[gls_triton]

I thought I recognized this silver bus!

Fancy seeing you here....

ps, the truck is looking great!!!

 

[motoz]

I thought I recognized this silver bus!

Fancy seeing you here....

ps, the truck is looking great!!!

Classic. I don't think there's too many Tritons over this part of the world. We just might have the run of the place... lol

 

[motoz]

The big slow down...

As this is the first auto 4wd I have ever own the High Country trip was a steep learning curve. The auto excells in the sand, mud, rocks though hill decents are an isssue. I got caught out a few times on long steep decents with the Tri running away due to the lack of engine breaking.

The MN also has the habit of automatically changing up a gear mid decent once the revs reach around 3000 RPM. These two traits had me white nuckled on more than one occasion. I researched the issue and found that the torque converter is responsible for the over run issue and the computer controling the shift points the other.

I learnt about a 'lock up' kit that electronically locks the torque converter allowing a solid link between the motor and transmission. After following a few threads and searching through the net I came across the Wholesale Automatics run on the reduction gears and trans uprades.

There was a run of 20 sets of 3.15 ratio gears. 10 sets to suit manual and the other 10 to suit autos. These were made by Marks Adapters.

I booked in to have them fitted as well as the lock up kit, Nomad valve body, VDO temp gauge etc.

In comparison the standard gearset is a 1.9 ratio. These are a 3.15 ratio.

Tested at 3000 RPM standard gear ratio.
1st gear = 15 kmp/h
2nd gear = 29 kmp/h
3rd gear = 41 kmp/h
4th gear = 58 kmp/h

The MN won't let you select overdrive 5th gear while in Lloc.

3000 RPM reduction ratio.

1st gear = 5kmp/h
2nd gear = 17 kmp/h
3rd gear = 25 kmp/h
4th gear = 36 kmp/h

We found the steepest hill at Wombat and crawled it down with the lock up switched on in 1st Lloc. It just tickled along full control. I was amazed at the traction !!! On the climb there was no wheel spin so the ASC / TC wasn't cutting in at all. It really has transformed the vehicle.

 

[off-roader]

Yup, the 3.15:1 xcase gears are great. I recently installed them into mine. You can see a lot of the install process in my post (http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/78030-Gen-2-3-15-1-transfer-case-gear-swap?highlight=)

 

[motoz]

Great stuff mate. Good to see you installing them yourself.

 

[motoz]

Further, faster for longer...

Since fitting the chip I've been loving the increase in power and torque. I've kept pretty low in the tunes folder and have found a good balance between power and economy.

The EGT's have climbed a little so freeing up the exhaust was an avenue I wanted to pursue. I looked into getting a 2 3/4" system custom made though the cost was going to be around $1500. The Scott's Rods 3" system GB came up so for the price it was a good buy.

The package came in the post neatly wrapped with a couple stickers and a hat... :lol:

There's a fair bit of difference in the dump pipe area and the cat...

The rest of the system...

Installation was pretty straight forward. Out with the old, on with the new... Or so I thought. Things were going smoothly when disaster struck !!!

While removing the factory dump pipe I managed to snap one of the studs on the back of the snail...

After a couple handfuls of coins donated to the swear jar and some reassuring advise from the Missus I decided to phone a friend and get some helpful advise.

Suffice to say a bit of miracle in a can, along with a stud remover, 4 tins of ale and a prayer we found ourselves with a great result...