frontera vs fourtrack

paz1 · Gate Opener Joined: 04 Dec 2010 Odometer: 17

hi guys and gals i've got a frotera 2.5tds lwb at the minute but fancy a change, might have the chance of a 2.8 fourtrack.
at the minute the frontera is my daily drive and family car so is used for towing the caravan and doing some laneing and offroading, i know nowt about fourtracks so any info/advice would be welcome thanks all

Alex90 · Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2011 6:42 pm Post subject:

Frontera is miles better than the fourtrak. Cheaper on parts, 5 doors, i know the 2.8 isuzu is a good engine and they have tons more room in them. Me buying a fourtrak was probably the biggest car related mistake ive made yet. others will say different but i hate mine with a passion. 3 litre hilux surf or a 3.1 trooper would be better choices.

KrisBDuck · Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2011 6:58 pm Post subject:

theres nothing wrong with either.
One of the lads that goes to tong has a frontera and we go in the fourtraks. where he went i went and vice versa.
There both just as easy to repair, i would say the fourtrak is slightly easier to repair

dxmedia · Mud Obsessed Joined: 10 Dec 2008 Odometer: 2185

Much of a much. Buy a rusty dog of a fourtrak and a frontera would be better. Buy a rusty frontera and visa versa. Oh fronteras don't rust as much, but they also don't have the looks of a fourtrak.

Redfourtrak ( neil ) · Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2011 7:12 pm Post subject:

not being funny alex but the surf has a very very odd 4 wheel drive system in some respects, it is also a nightmare if any of the electrical connections go wrong on it which operate it to work, done one recently....give me a fourtrak or defender from that point of view anyday, fourtrak/fronterra probably wont notice a difference between the two except space and power

paz1 · Gate Opener Joined: 04 Dec 2010 Odometer: 17

thanks for the info guys in the past i've had most types of 4x4's the frontera i've got is a good truck i guess i'm just getting bored with it.
i must be missing spending all my spare time fixing my old disco lol

TheHeretic · Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2011 8:26 pm Post subject:

I ran an Isuzu Amigo (Frontera Sport) in the states. Had a 3.5 inch lift, teralow gears, etc. Great little car on the trails.

Alex90 · Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2011 9:17 pm Post subject:

Yeah i agree with you neil the smurfs do have alot to go wrong on them. Maybe a terrano or maveric? The 3.1 trooper is still my first choice. Or the vauxhall monterey. Anything but a fourtrak Laughing

Redfourtrak ( neil ) · Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 6:28 am Post subject:

I doo like the surfs though and would own one.

paz1 · Gate Opener Joined: 04 Dec 2010 Odometer: 17

i used to have a surf they are pretty good trucks easy to modify and pretty capable offroaders to

dxmedia · Mud Obsessed Joined: 10 Dec 2008 Odometer: 2185

And so are Frontera's and Fourtraks.

I'd go as far as to say that Frontera's are the easiest to mod for off road due to basically being a trooper. Parts are common and torsion bar up front so cheap as well.

TheHeretic · Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 12:02 pm Post subject:

Later Fronteras were IFS.

paz1 · Gate Opener Joined: 04 Dec 2010 Odometer: 17

i would love to mod mine up and do some more offroading in it but i need it as a tow car for my caravan so at the minute it's standard and only used for mild greenlaneing

TheHeretic · Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 12:13 pm Post subject:

I think it is just me that is reading surf as smurf.

Joeyfourtrak · Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 4:12 pm Post subject:

Fourtrak all the way for me. I took my independant off roading for the first time with 235.75.15 all terrain tyres on and it went everywhere I asked it to and never struggled, never had to rev it. The only fault was it overheated on way home cos I didn't wash the rad off.

If you get a pile of **** then things will go wrong like alex has suggested.

Dave from bloodred offroad got a W reg frontera as a daily runner after having a trouble free sportrak for 2 years. 1 month after getting the frontera (mint condition) it cost him £300 In recovery and a big SPAM bill for a new gearbox. I don't know much about other 4x4s cos I haven't got or had them. I've had 3 fourtraks and loved them both. Our lass runs hers day in day out and it just asks for abit of fuel.

Any problems I've had I've been able to fix at the side of the road. It's your choice but from what I've seen the fourtrak is one of the most reliable trucks out there. If you want to mod it there is bloodred offroad or you can make your own if you are good or if you like the home made look, it's not for me personally so I just go to bloodredoffroad.com

dxmedia · Mud Obsessed Joined: 10 Dec 2008 Odometer: 2185

HardTopsUK · Guest

What ever you chose I would stick to a LWB. IMO they tow alot better than SWB vehicles and I prefer them off road to a SWB.

Out of the two the Frontera would be better. (Better the devil you know).
Someone also mentioned a Surf, but where is the Shogun/Pajero option? One of the most reliable, tow capable off roaders still made. And you will get more for your money.

TJ

Redfourtrak ( neil ) · Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 6:30 pm Post subject:

I very rarely see a mistubishi logo off roading to compare.

paz1 · Gate Opener Joined: 04 Dec 2010 Odometer: 17

i've had both pajero 2.5 and a shogun 2.8 i agree both realy good trucks but i got big reservations about the heads on them same as the surf, my 2.8 shogun blew the head the last time i had the van on it thats how i ended up with the frontera, after looking over the fourtrack today i realise a swb is not an option for me, so i'll have to stick with the frontera for a bit longer i think

Alex90 · Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 6:44 pm Post subject:

Cylinder heads, poor mpg and too many toys on the mitsubishis. Same as the smurfs really. But smurfs do look Cool

. Thats just my opinion though based on the research ive done as i was thinking of trading the trak in for a shogun/pajero. If you like the fourtraks then fair enough i would just hate someone else to suffer like i have with mine. Bearing in mind my fourtrak is one of the newest on here being a 99 plate and its probably one of the worst compaired to the others which are around the 96 plate region.

TarkMalbot · Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 6:47 pm Post subject:

My pal have a Nissan Mistral (non intercooled) and although a bit slower than my Fourtrak TDI it is great offroad considering it looks so standard!

Alex90 · Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 6:54 pm Post subject:

Aye that nissan menstral seems to do really well at P&P sites and green lanes. I think theres some videos of it on here that tark posted up.

TarkMalbot · Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 7:04 pm Post subject:

Just a couple:

Link

Link

Oh and just for fun here is a my favourite video of a Fourtrak compared to a vit and a surf:

Link

Joeyfourtrak · Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 5:51 am Post subject:

Love that video mark. I guess that puts to bed the fourtrak/snuff debate then doesn't it? Lol

dxmedia · Mud Obsessed Joined: 10 Dec 2008 Odometer: 2185

That smurf should have walked it up there, if it was in 4wd to begin with Rolling Eyes

Well that's what it looks like, whys the back end spinning out like that if both front wheels are in contact with the ground.

TarkMalbot · Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 8:52 am Post subject:

He was in 4 wheel drive the whole time although I have no idea how the 4WD system on the Surf works.

dxmedia · Mud Obsessed Joined: 10 Dec 2008 Odometer: 2185

Possibly in high box then with the center diff in an unlocked position? What ever he was doing there was unequal drive to the front and back which suggests that the center diff is either in an unlocked (don't think surfs have this?) or in 2wd.

If it was in 4H or 4L (or what ever a surfs locked position is) then one of the wheels on the front axle would have been spinning at the same speed as the back axle. Once the truck was put in a locked position then both the front and rear wheels were resting against rocks which basically became chocks. No amount of flooring the throttle would have got that truck over, it needed the back up and accelerate to carry momentum over. I would put that down to driver error rather than a sign of one truck being any better or worse than another. That vit did look like it had an unfortunate wheel base for the steps it was going up though.

TarkMalbot · Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 11:00 am Post subject:

does the centre diff of a Fourtrak lock in the way you are describing?

Alex90 · Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 11:39 am Post subject:

No there is no centre diff in the fourtrak. Im pretty sure smurfs have a vac operated tbox like some of the fourtraks do so it could be possible it wasnt working correctly, auto hubs not working or quite a few other reasons.

Redfourtrak ( neil ) · Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 12:08 pm Post subject:

surfs having something called ATD. now the transfer box is operated via a motor via a switch and the front axle is operared via a vaccum system, they are basically 3 wheel drive until put into 4 wd there good motors, watch the gold one on my old vids if it still works, got some kl71's on it and a heavy right foot and it blundered everywhere.