002

OPINION: NICK KOTTER
Nick
OPINION: NICK KOTTER
kotter
Mall crawlers...
If you read my column in
issue 001 of this magazine, you’ll
recall that I touched on one of
my pet peeves, the ‘mall crawler’.
Five years ago, the mall crawler
didn’t exist in the four-wheel-drive
world. However, the explosion
of interest in 4X4s has seen this
vehicle type become the platform
of choice for a new generation
of custom car modifiers, and
somewhere in there, the mall
crawler was - unfortunately -
born. For those of you that don’t
know, a mall crawler is a custom
4X4 that is more at home in the
local shopping centre carpark,
than in any genuine off-road
situation. Mall crawlers are
given away by their extreme
suspension lifts, large diameter
tyres, and often but not always -
as the ‘clean’ look is popular - all
of the crap that is bolted to their
roof and bar work. They can
resemble extreme expedition
vehicles, yet rarely see a dirt road,
let alone a tough track. Bright and
shiny, you’ll struggle to find a spot
of dirt on their paintwork, and
forget about bush pinstripes, you
have to go bush to get those! A
dead giveaway that you’re looking
at a mall crawler is a shiny new
set of remote reservoir shocks,
with the reservoirs mounted
where they can most easily be
seen, rather than tucked away out
of harm’s way.
Besides the fact that they are
fakes, like those ‘surfers’ who
used to bolt their surfboards to
the roof of their Sandman, let
me tell you why I have no time
for them. When you modify any
vehicle’s suspension or add
weight to the vehicle, there are
some fundamental basics to
take into consideration, including
suspension travel, handling
dynamics and centre of mass or
the point at which the vehicle can
roll over. All three are crucial to
how your 4WD operates in varying
terrains and ultimately, how safe
it is.
The vast majority of 4WDs
being sold and ‘malled’ are
of the IFS (Independent Front
Suspension) and leaf-sprung rear
solid axle variety, as found under
most of the dual-cab utes. These
vehicles have a limited range
of suspension travel with front
suspension travel being governed
by the upper and lower control
arms and their bump stops in
addition to the safe operating