4x4's and my suggestion [Archive]

Sniper

13th August 2005, 06:08

I was having this chat with a mate last night who also has a major grudge against 4x4 drivers. Now before I go on, Im not against all 4x4 drivers. If you regularly use it to go offroad or up rough terrain then I have no probs. But what really fucken irks me are these crotch stains on theunderpants of society that insist they need a 4x4 to drive down city streets and have the attitude that they own the road. Thats what pissed me off.

In CHCH alone I have had 4 close calls (3 by women but no judging) wit 4x4's blocking me or cutting in front or generally using the size of their vehicle to intimidate me. We wonder why they need to fix Aucklands roads? Looks at the fooking 4x4's driving up and down the street knowing full well that they will never go for their intented use?

I propose that if you own a 4x4 or want to own one, you go get a special endorsement or license to drive one. Now this doesnt apply to all 4x4's, just the ones that have high/lo ratio's as they full well have the capacty to go where no other vehicle can travel. Besides, some of those things weigh a fucken ton. The F150 is 7kgs shy of you needing a HT license to drive one. Frick, my mate had to take and LTSA course in 4 wheel driving before he worked at Marlborough lines (Electrical supplier for Marlborough.) Why shouldnt everyone take it? I have seen so many bumps and knocks from 4x4's driving or parking cause the people dont know the real size of their vehicle but cause they are in a 4x4 who cares they are tough, right? Bullshit!

With a new license we can get most these twats off the road that have a 4x4 because their cock is too small or in womens cases its aparently safer for them. Yea, for them, not for us.

They should instigate a system where you go on a course or something in a 4 wheel drive and if you pass, you can have a license to drive one. It'll make the roads (In my opinion) much safer.

If you dont agree what Ive said, read the top of my thread where I said its MY opinion and this doesnt apply to people who actually go offroad regularly. I have no probs with that although some do drive like wankers. :whistle:

Mr Skid

13th August 2005, 13:27

Oh wow! My SpankMe has added some new Smilies!

Let's see what's applicable here.. hmm.. :violin::yawn:

myvice

13th August 2005, 14:18

I concur (word for the week, drives my wife nuts)
4WD's should come under HT status and a flotation test...
If it cant float in 500 meters of water for a full hour you cant drive it on the road, each vehicle has to be tested individually fully loaded with bags of cement.

Flyingpony

13th August 2005, 14:32

:psst: ... 4wd with L pates in window ... :violin:

Wonder what that'll do to their kids attitudes when they progress onto their own set of wheels :sherlock:

scooterboynz

13th August 2005, 14:38

tl_tub

13th August 2005, 14:46

I have been driving a 4x4 while my bike goes through its 'rebirth'. While out and about I check so much for other cars/bikes that I get a sore neck! Before I change lanes I always stick my head out the window to make sure there isnt a small bike next to me.
Sure 4x4s can be used for going off road, but they are also used a lot just for towing - with some of these larger loads you need the extra weight and HP to keep that double axel trailer in check. What about people that like to load up the back and take them camping?
Are you going to introduce a seperate license for van drivers aswel? Have you see the way some of them drive?

I don't think another form of license is called for. Just watch the price of fuel go up and watch the number of 4x4s on the road drop.

myvice

13th August 2005, 14:47

i think you guys are a bit harsh , its not the vehical, its the drivers! i am a bike rider and have a 4x4 , , if we had proper driver training in this country the roads would be a better place! the best drivers on the roads in my opinion are bikers and truck drivers , we both read the road up head , allways scanning for probs!
Pity your in the minority!
Truck drivers are planing ahead as they don’t want to kill the lemmings in the metal boxes.
Bikers plan ahead as we don’t want to be killed BY the lemmings!

Motu

13th August 2005, 15:06

I do 1000km a week in my Pajero,just me,myself,and I,in 2 ton of smoky diesel,less than 1% of it's mileage it may go on some grass,or tow a trailer or have some shit in the back.I had to drive the wife's Diamante to work yesterday,oh boy,talk about dangerous - no visability,can't see past the car in front,piss arse mirrors.

I back up Jack - you ride a wanna be sports bike,what a fucken tosser,you want to put out the image that you can ride fast and handle it,sorry wanker - there is no place on the pulic roads for your type.I think these racing styled bikes just incite people to ride fast,but it's only image and 90% have the look,but not the ability to go with it.I think they should be banned,and only used on the race track where they belong.

Of course it's only my opinion that all sports bike riders are wanna be wankers,you don't have to take it personal like - cunt....

Mr Skid

13th August 2005, 15:13

Same should apply to fucking sports bikes.
Wankers that think the roads a race track.
Of course I don't hate all sports bikes,,,,,just the ones in NZ. :motu:
A few weekends ago I went out for a ride, and comming up to corners I twice found vehicles comming towards me on my side of the road.

They were both sprotsbikes with the riders desperately trying to get their knee down :rofl:

myvice

13th August 2005, 15:21

A few weekends ago I went out for a ride, and comming up to corners I twice found vehicles comming towards me on my side of the road.

They were both sprotsbikes with the riders desperately trying to get their knee down :rofl:
Iv PASSED people on corners trying to get their knee down!! And I can’t ride to save myself! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

stunz

13th August 2005, 15:38

i keep my 4wd reg and wof, but hardly use it on the road. used primarily for off-road excursions. sometimes, if the weather is real shit, i'll take it to the railway station. I dont believe extra licencing is required, just driver training. And that can be said for all drivers.

Admittedly, most people that buy these $40k behomths shudder at the concept of taking it into the mud. i mean, shite! it might get scratched!! but to use them on the road also requires extra skills. Just cos youre nice and safe in your two tonne 4wd truck, doesnt mean you should slack off in the concentration department.

i followed this 4wd home from the JOB the other day (at a distance, lots of black smoke, AND out of a later model number as well :scratch: ) when we approach a roundabout with a two lane entry. He cuts over both of them, cruises half way around the bout and chucks out the anchors. I chopped over to the left, went around him and flipped him off. I mean, c'mon!

the goon tailgates me for a few ks before i decide enough is enough and pull over. he pulls over in front of me, jumps out and yammers on at me about round about etiquette. "But hang on cuz? you fricken stopped in the midde of the roundabout! whaddya whinging at me for?" his reply? "you were following me...i ride a bike too you know..."

??? righto then. bike vs 4wd, and hes concerned??? i think this attitude could typically apply to all drivers, but in my experience, 4wdrivers definitely have an invincibility complex.

Ixion

13th August 2005, 15:41

An you ride a race replica.
Pot calling the kettle black aye.
Of course I don't have any problems with people that actualy do ride them on a race track,,,,,, :rofl:

Good one!. Sartor resartus.

OT:

There's a good joke about that, claimed to be true.

Seems many years ago, in the early days of motoring, the famous Dr Fred was doing a demo for a potential customer. Said customer was a knut of the first class, done up in the height of Edwardian finery (were they knuts then or mashers? anyway).

The Lanchester stalled , as they did often enough back then. So Dr Fred pulls out the starting handle, hands it to the knut, and says, "Sartor, restart us". :rofl:

I always thought that was sidesplittingly funny, m'self (ah, well, suit y'self, it's wasted on some people)

Never mind though, sooner or later they'll find themselves with Mr Motu's Pajero on one side, and my Pajero on the other. Sprotbike sandwich! :devil2:

Beemer

13th August 2005, 15:51

Damn good idea, Sniper! And can I add a proviso that any blonde women or Asian drivers of either sex be permanently banned from owning or operating a 4WD?

I get pissed off because many 4WD owners drive them like they are buses - in other words, if they want to pull out or turn in front of you, they will, simply because their vehicle is bigger than yours.

And as for getting stuck behind one of these pieces of crap belching smoke every time they accelerate, fuck that! I hope diesel becomes as expensive as petrol and they are forced to buy something economical and road-friendly!

Love the new smilies! :woohoo:

Flyingpony

13th August 2005, 16:17

Biggest problem with many 4wd drivers is that they don't know how big they are. Heard a dude recently did 13k damage to their 4wd after backing into a pole. Don't worry, the pole was unharmed.

I too own a 4wd but not the type most people are against.
It's a '69 109 flat deck Land Rover.

Currently it's sitting de-regd under a car port at my parents place on the coast. When it was road worthy, it only saw town couple times a year. Mostly for WOF, repairs or to cart something heavy back home. Saw a petrol station even less frequently than town because it was filled up virtually exclusively from 20l tins and sometimes in the true 'anytime, anywhere' sputter sputter purr silence style (fuel gauge & speedo cable broken). Spent most of it's life in 4wd with the majority in lo-gear around rivers, coal mines, farmer paddocks and forest tracks.

My parents run a 4wd and they need it. It's a real mission in my city 2wd going up their forest track to reach their house. Sometimes going backwards is the only way forward for a 400m section because then the engine weight is on the driving wheels and you actually have grip but engine does get hotter. Heard their neighbours driveway is exclusively 4wd access only.

parsley

13th August 2005, 17:24

i am a bike rider and have a 4x4 , , if we had proper driver training in this country the roads would be a better place! the best drivers on the roads in my opinion are bikers and truck drivers , we both read the road up head , allways scanning for probs!
I also have a 4WD. I nearly always use it in 2WD but the high ground clearance is a must for where I live. The car park outside my flat is a quagmire after all the rain and most cars get stuck just trying to turn round in it!
I saw some research a few years ago that tested cage and bike drivers in a driving simulator. They were shown a video going down a road from the driver's perspective and had to press a button every time they saw something that could be a problem - children running behind cars, people getting out parked cars, cars waiting to pull out of side roads... Bikers scored far higher than cage drivers. Wish I could remember where I'd seen it.

boomer

13th August 2005, 18:15

I'll keep an eye out for you when i'm not on the bike but in the hilux.

:violin:

Phurrball

13th August 2005, 18:28

An interesting piece of analysis on the issue is the book:

"High and Mighty: SUVs--The World's Most Dangerous Vehicles and How They Got That Way" by Keith Bradsher.

Written from the perspective of the American market and regulatory regime, but the safety aspects are applicable to NZ. The author is a motoring journalist and goes into detailed analysis of many aspects of the so-called 'SUVs'.

Motu inadvertently alludes to the 'arms race' on the road, where people in smaller vehicles can't see, and feel more vulnerable, and so change up to ever larger (often SUV) vehicles.

Trouble is that large 4WDs are heavy, and worst of all have bumpers [often bull-bars] and main vehicle mass above the door sill height of most cars. Super efficient at maximum intrusion into the passenger compartment and maximum occupant harm in a collision. This has only come to the fore in the minds of manufacturers in very recent times, and a few have taken steps to minimise this issue. The millions of 'SUVs' on the world's roads today will be there for some time posing this danger to other road users. The biggest problem in NZ seems to be that we are a dumping ground for Japan's unwanted 4WDs, which now fill our roads. [space constraints apparently ended the fad in Japan].

I appreciate that for some ground clearance and towing capacity are a necessity for some, but for most who just want 4WD grip 'when the going gets rough' [Read - ski field access road, minor snowfall, slightly dodgy gravel road] what's wrong with a 4WD CAR? All the grip of 4WD and none of the handling/safety disadvantages of a full sized ‘urban assault vehicle’. No need to have a vehicle with abilities that grossly exceed the tasks required of it is there? Shame the marketeers convinced us otherwise…

Motu

13th August 2005, 19:46

No need to have a vehicle with abilities that grossly exceed the tasks required of it is there? Shame the marketeers convinced us otherwise…

I agree - ban sports bikes!

Timber020

14th August 2005, 11:00

Should be licensing for 4wd owners.Mine is bigger than most on the road and it cant be driven by your average soccer mum or small cock muppet. (I havent completely worked out which I am yet.) I use low ratio about 3 times a week, yet I still debate whether having such an impractical and potentially dangerous vehicle is worth it.

Licensing and a bigger tax as they probably contribute more to peoples injuries in other cars in 2 vehicle collisions, after all bikes have to pay more acc

Sniper

14th August 2005, 11:51

I think from the veiw points Im getting either no one gets my drift or this can be a really sore issue for some. Because I ride a sports bike does not mean I attempt to set land speed records nor attempt to get my knee down on corners.

Ask anyone from the track day yesterday. Im not the best rider nor do I attest to being or want to be. My veiw point arrived from these tossers that wish to drive 4 wheel drives as an image or to prove a point. Read into my post and you can see on 2 occasions that I did not imply it to all 4x4's just that pricks that own the roads in them.

I take nor meant any offence to anyone over what they drive so I dont really care if its not in your interest to read the post that was MY opinion and is not going to mean Im going to approach parliment with a bill to HT 4 wheel drives nor run around with a petition to ban them either.

As for the sportsbikes comment, fuck it, I ride a 250 CBR. I hardly class it as a sports bike. I dont apologise to those of you who took this to heart, it is my opinin and mine only.

Sniper

14th August 2005, 11:53

I'll keep an eye out for you when i'm not on the bike but in the hilux.

:violin:

People like you Im concerned about :finger: :finger:

onearmedbandit

14th August 2005, 12:06

Ha, you would have loved what was parked in my driveway when you came around yesterday morning then Sniper!! And to top it off, it hardly ever goes off road and my Japanese wife uses it on weekends!! But come on, its only because they stand out so much that most people highlight them as being a problem. Sure you got cut off by a 4x4, so blame it on being a 4x4. You get cut off by a car, and you blame it on the driver. Same with asian drivers, for those that have never travelled internationally you will be quite suprised at the standard of driving in these countries. However, our different laws here and the slackness of our licensening laws means that these drivers can drive here without fully understanding our backwards laws. And another point to ponder, how many times have you been cut off or whatever by a European driver and screamed 'fucking German drivers'? Never. But I'm sure at some stage a european tourist or immigrant has done this, but you can't identify their enthenticity, unlike people of Asian descent.

Stu, this was in no way an attack on you, I realise it's your own opinion. But likewise I just wanted to get my opinion across.

Sniper

14th August 2005, 13:57

OAB, you make a good point. Its really on the drivers and not the type of vehicles is it?
Cheers mate

boomer

14th August 2005, 14:59

People like you Im concerned about :finger: :finger:

Thanks mum :baby:

Phurrball

14th August 2005, 18:19

I agree - ban sports bikes!

I'd a feeling you'd say that Motu! :sherlock:

Moot point being that sportbike riders are largely a danger to themselves; city drivers in 4 x 4s are a potential danger to anyone smaller than themselves. The same logic would legitimately extend to banning high-powered cars etc...

The debate draws ever closer to where the balance is between civil liberties and safety...Where is the line to be drawn?

Mr Skid

14th August 2005, 18:45

If we follow the logic that 4x4's should require an extra licence due to their unique handling properties and/or shouldn't be used for anything other than off road use, where does that leave dual sport bikes?

Should I have to get a special endorsement to run a 21" front wheel?

oscar the cat

14th August 2005, 18:47

yes i drive a 4x4 yes i needed a vechical that could tow caravans ( i had a rental bussiness on waiheke island ) yes i have been off roading even took a weekend off the island to do course down clevedon way

do i want to get rid of it just because i dont use the full potential every do

no way !!!!!!

same as i dont plan on using my bike every day

hope this dont make me a bad driver

raster

14th August 2005, 19:04

4x4's are not only a danger to others when driven badly, when they fall over if the roof doesn't cave in, all the crap floating around in the back will bite them in the bum/head, not to mention the crap that comes in the windows.
Also they don't have crumple zones the can cause severe injury to the occupents during impact.

Cousins of ours got badly hurt in a 4x4 rollover near Nelson.

Most 4x4 rollovers happen in the first 6 months of ownership.

I have a 4x4, not very good for offroad with less then 100MM ground clearance, a Dachshund would get further.

DEATH_INC.

14th August 2005, 19:17

I ride a sport bike and drive an UAV, so f****g watch out or I'll speed and kill the lot of you or I'll bust up your shit in the parking lot and on the streets.
GET BENT!

raster

14th August 2005, 19:54

I ride a sport bike and drive an UAV, so f****g watch out or I'll speed and kill the lot of you or I'll bust up your shit in the parking lot and on the streets.
GET BENT!

UAV? Don't know that one, do I need to be worried about these.

mstriumph

14th August 2005, 20:16

my main problem with 4 wheel drives is their size .... it seems to magnify any poor driving practices the driver has

agree they should require a different class of licence

phaedrus

14th August 2005, 21:20

UAV? Don't know that one, do I need to be worried about these.
Urban Assaualt Vehicle, another name for SUVs

parsley

14th August 2005, 21:35

Urban Assaualt Vehicle, another name for SUVs
I thought UAV was what Batman drives?

froggyfrenchman

14th August 2005, 21:42

i agree , 4x4 licence needed

Timber020

14th August 2005, 23:32

Best thing about 4wd's is that they are easy to get up on the side to wheels, you just have to swerve hard and give the brakes a dab. SWB cruisers are the best for it if your doing it on purpose in my experience. Unfortuantely you can only practice it on tarmac. (and if you do it make sure you dont have a bit toolbox in the back or you will learn what an outie dent is)

Really impressive and a gutbuster to watch, problem is that it also has a tendancy to happen while making evasive manouvers or overcooking on corners. A mate lost his wife and 3 kids on a straight piece of road in a Surf, they think she was trying to miss a dog or something.

Many people own them and justify them in a simular manner than NRA members justify having assault rifles and pistols, but as a whole we would be better off without them.