Pajero Basic Modifications (2007-2013)
Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2012 11:17 am
everyone knows me as a jeeper as i love my old cherokee XJ so much (despite all our technical issues here and there) ......
the marshals remember me when i joined the club as a Pajero Man ....... weve had several discussions on what to do and what not to do to your pajero ...... modifications which might just waste your time, effort and money .....
so here is an effort to simplify the necessary basics to help you enjoy the capabilities your pajero for more desert offroad fun .....
we will go from MOST IMPORTANT to LEAST IMPORTANT in reference to my own personal experience with driving my Pajero ....
there are basically 2 body types and 3 engine types which are common for the 2007-2012 pajero .....
chassis types are:
LWB (Long Wheel Base)
SWB (Short Wheel Base)
engine types are: (petrol powered)
3.0 V6
3.5 V6
3.8 V6
i can speak for the 3.5 V6 LWB as this is what i have as my previous offroad machine and as my daily driver here and around the emirates .....
FIRST MODIFICATION: Front and Rear Bumpers
8-10mm thick Front ALUMINIUM Bash Plate
why aluminium? the pajero as a vehicle is heavy as it is and has a stock 1mm thick steel bashplate which gets bent easily when you hit a hard crest, rocks or hard sand bump formation ...... less weight is more power ...... you can go for the 5mm-8mm thich steel bashplate however .... these things are really heavy and will definitely have a direct effect in power and handling
Remove the mud guards in the front wheels as you will eventually lose them in the desert if you dont (your choice)
as you can notice in the picture above ..... i have also trimmed the lower part of my front bumper as this will give you better approach clearance and it helps you preserve your stock bumper ...... if you repeatedly hit your front bumper on sand .... the risk of losing the lower fog lamps will be higher as well
REAR BUMPER: The rear bumper acts as sand scoop because of the stock design mitsubishi has made ....... there are 3 options you can go about this issue
1. Remove it completely by unbolting the screws with a 10-12mm socket wrench everytime you go offroad
2. Cut the scoop side of the bumper with a dremel or a hacksaw (THIS IS WHAT I DID TO MINE)
as you can see .... no more scoop to catch sand
3. Have a rear bash plate fabricated to conform to the shape and design of the rear bumper so you dont have issues of losing the plastic parts when driving offroad
ABS, Traction Control, ASC kill switch
My pajero is a 3.5V6 which means i will not have difflock ...... in the 3.8V6 models .... a difflock option is there which disables your ABS, traction control and ASC off ...... this does not give you the solution to drive without ABS and traction control on 4H though ...... the longer you drive in the desert ... you will find out that you cant drive with your difflock ON all the time .... so the solution is this
Have a capable electrician install you a direct switch whcih will enable you to turn off all these options once you hit sand .......
these are a couple of basic solutions to the common pajero man ...... however this is not the limit of what you can or you want to modify with your pajero ....
I hope this helps and we will keep this thread alive for everyone who needs assistance in making their pajeros MORE offroad ready
cheers
the marshals remember me when i joined the club as a Pajero Man ....... weve had several discussions on what to do and what not to do to your pajero ...... modifications which might just waste your time, effort and money .....
so here is an effort to simplify the necessary basics to help you enjoy the capabilities your pajero for more desert offroad fun .....
we will go from MOST IMPORTANT to LEAST IMPORTANT in reference to my own personal experience with driving my Pajero ....
there are basically 2 body types and 3 engine types which are common for the 2007-2012 pajero .....
chassis types are:
LWB (Long Wheel Base)
SWB (Short Wheel Base)
engine types are: (petrol powered)
3.0 V6
3.5 V6
3.8 V6
i can speak for the 3.5 V6 LWB as this is what i have as my previous offroad machine and as my daily driver here and around the emirates .....
FIRST MODIFICATION: Front and Rear Bumpers
8-10mm thick Front ALUMINIUM Bash Plate
why aluminium? the pajero as a vehicle is heavy as it is and has a stock 1mm thick steel bashplate which gets bent easily when you hit a hard crest, rocks or hard sand bump formation ...... less weight is more power ...... you can go for the 5mm-8mm thich steel bashplate however .... these things are really heavy and will definitely have a direct effect in power and handling
Remove the mud guards in the front wheels as you will eventually lose them in the desert if you dont (your choice)
as you can notice in the picture above ..... i have also trimmed the lower part of my front bumper as this will give you better approach clearance and it helps you preserve your stock bumper ...... if you repeatedly hit your front bumper on sand .... the risk of losing the lower fog lamps will be higher as well
REAR BUMPER: The rear bumper acts as sand scoop because of the stock design mitsubishi has made ....... there are 3 options you can go about this issue
1. Remove it completely by unbolting the screws with a 10-12mm socket wrench everytime you go offroad
2. Cut the scoop side of the bumper with a dremel or a hacksaw (THIS IS WHAT I DID TO MINE)
as you can see .... no more scoop to catch sand
3. Have a rear bash plate fabricated to conform to the shape and design of the rear bumper so you dont have issues of losing the plastic parts when driving offroad
ABS, Traction Control, ASC kill switch
My pajero is a 3.5V6 which means i will not have difflock ...... in the 3.8V6 models .... a difflock option is there which disables your ABS, traction control and ASC off ...... this does not give you the solution to drive without ABS and traction control on 4H though ...... the longer you drive in the desert ... you will find out that you cant drive with your difflock ON all the time .... so the solution is this
Have a capable electrician install you a direct switch whcih will enable you to turn off all these options once you hit sand .......
these are a couple of basic solutions to the common pajero man ...... however this is not the limit of what you can or you want to modify with your pajero ....
I hope this helps and we will keep this thread alive for everyone who needs assistance in making their pajeros MORE offroad ready
cheers