Monster Offroad Wheels doesn’t cut corners on engineering the best looking, legally load-rated four wheel drive wheels available in Australia. So what better way to test them then over an epic Melbourne to Perth return journey on mud, sand and bitumen.
The convoy would be made up of the Monster Dodge Ram, spotted at various 4WD shows around the country in 2022, a Bob Jane T-Marts MQ Triton that has also been used on another popular 4WD youtube channel at Moreton Island, the Hema Maps mapping 79 Series and two identical Isuzu LSU pickups.
The convoy would be running on the latest Goodyear Wrangler rubber throughout on the trip to Perth, the Duratrac, Silenttrac and All Terrain Adventure tyres were chosen as the preferred tyre patterns for the trip.
On the Dodge Ram the rubber is mounted on 1500kg load rated, flow forged Monster Ammo wheels, which are now available in Australia for Dodge Ram, Chevrolet Silverado in 18 inch and 20 inch fitment, and coming soon next gen Raptor Ranger.
The 1500kg load rating is important as this means the wheels are legal for most GVM upgrades in Australia, which not only keeps your rig road legal, but makes sure you can take on the hard Aussie off-road tracks with confidence and safety. Flow forging is the latest manufacturing technology for wheels resulting in a lighter, than traditional casting, and stronger wheel. The weight improvement results in a reduction in rolling mass and overall vehicle GVM measure when trying to meet weight limits on GVM upgrades.
To keep in contact with home, no matter how far we were from mobile phone reception, a personal locator beacon was on hand from Zoleo. A handy little device that would be highly recommended when travelling out of mobile phone range for extended periods of time.
The Bob Jane T-Marts crew set off from Port Melbourne and headed west towards Adelaide hills for their first scheduled stop. We would spend the first 2 days on the bitumen tracking through Port Augusta and Ceduna before we turned the vehicles onto their first off-road track that put a smile on everyone’s faces as we finally turned off the bitumen.
Someone with a keen eye would notice the four jerry cans of fuel on the back of the Ram. With very little knowledge of the consumption to expect from the 5.7l Hemi V8, and no long range fuel tank upgrade, it was thought the safe option would be to carry just a little bit extra in case the Ram would not make it from bowsers to bowser along the Nullarbor. We can report that there were a few moments where the safe option was taken and the jerries were called upon, testing the reserve tank capacity of the Ram was not on the plan for this trip.
The Ram towed the Bluewaters Camper Trailer from Adelaide through to Koonalda Homestead, averaging a fuel consumption of around 24l/100km at a speed of about 100km/h. It is important to note though that the headwinds were exceptionally strong along the long stretches of road, which would have had some effect on the consumption. Once the camper trailer was removed from the back of the Ram, the consumption improved to about 17l/100km. Adding some weight to the powerful V8, seemed to make her a little thirsty.
Located off the Eyre Highway in the Nullarbor National Park, it has a drop toilet, plenty of shelter inside the abandoned buildings and old wrecks from the days the highway ran past, just to the north of the homestead. From Konalda we headed towards Eyre Bird Observatory with the plan to do beach driving and camp out at Twighlight Cove for the night.
To make sure there was enough water and fresh food along the trip, where camping was scheduled to be the primary means of accommodation on the way to Perth, MyCoolman supported the trip with some of their latest gear in various fridges. BMPRO assisted with a 12V system update in the form of a lithium battery and DC-DC charger in the back of the Triton. The weight advantage of lithium to AGM is extraordinary and a no brainer when considering a secondary battery install in a 4WD.
When the crew left the beach it was time to head back towards the blacktop. The weather continued to batter the convoy with strong headwinds and rain, but we pushed on, we had a date at the Perth 4WD and Adventure Show at McCallum Park. After another decent refuel in Norseman, the fuel budget on the Ram was starting to add up, but it was time to hit the Norseman to Hyden road. The red dirt an unconventional choice of finish for the 4WD’s that would be on display among the clean 4WD’s at the 4WD show.
Once we arrived in Perth the Isuzu drivers provide a roundup on the Goodyear tyres they compared on the trip. The fuel bills were added up and we can confirm the fuel consumption to Perth for the Ram was almost $2000, whereas the Isuzu’s used roughly $900 of fuel and the Triton $1000. All up we can confidently say that if you’re planning an overland adventure in a Dodge Ram it is spacious and an extremely comfortable drive in all terrains, however you should not be concerned about the fuel bill if you’re going to attempt a long distance trip.
If you have any questions on the wheels and tyres used along this trip, reach out to any of authorised distributor stores, Bob Jane T-Marts, for the best advice for the correct wheel fitment for your vehicle.
