RightDrive Parts & Service Center is now open and we are offering an oil change blowout that is too good to pass up. Read the rest of this entry »
Arriving soon: Sambar Dias Classic with rear crane
March 15th, 2010RightDrive has a very unique mini on route. It is a ‘94 Sambar Dias Classic (VW) badged model with a rear crane. There are not many Sambars with cranes running around, especially in Canada. The crane is capable of lifting up to 500lbs and is situated right behind the passengers seat. It is also running a CVT auto trans with the supercharged 660cc 4 cylinder.
Expected delivery date: April 2010
Posted by: RightDrive
Right Drive featured in Wheels
December 23rd, 2009
Photo courtesy of Wheels.ca
Our friends at Right Drive were featured in “Driving on the other side of the vehicle” in the Dec 17, 2009 edition of The Toronto Star’s Wheels section.
Mark Toljagic talks about how imported vehicles from Japan are filling the needs of some Canadians faced with limited domestic options. He also discusses some of the issues surrounding the temporary banning of RHD vehicles in Quebec.
Read the entire story at Wheels.ca.
Posted by: MiniTruckCanada
Winter Driving with a MiniTruck
December 5th, 2009The relative light weight of a 2WD MiniTruck with no load can make it difficult to get out of slippery situations on ice or thick snow. Therefore a 4×4 is recommended for true Canadian winter driving through snow, sleet and ice.
Hondas and Subarus tend to do better in the snow because the rear placement of their engines helps with weight distribution and traction of the rear wheels. Those with Suzukis and Mitsubishis may benefit from loading sand bags, patio stones, cement mix etc. in the bed over the rear axle.
If you’re driving with a load of lumber, firewood or a deer from a hunting excursion, there shouldn’t be any issue.
Please share with all of us what YOU do to help with heavy winter conditions.
Click here to share your tips.
Posted by: MiniTruckCanada
13″ Rims for Hijet
November 27th, 2009“Thought you might be interested in 13″wheels for the Hijets. I found out that certain earlier Mazda models used 4 on 110 bolt patterns. In particular the 1980 GLS and the 1981/82 626. There are also some of the RX2’s and RX3’s but I’m not sure of the years for those last two. I lucked out and got a set of 13X5″ multi fit rims (possibly the last in Canada and possibly North America).”
–Jerry
Thanks Jerry!
Posted by: MiniTruckCanada
Tips for Winterizing your MiniTruck
November 9th, 2009
You should always continue regular maintenance of all mechanical and electrical systems of your MiniTruck. But now is the time to check if you have any existing problems. If you do have any issues, it’s only going to get worse with cold weather.
Following is a list of items to check as you are winterizing your MiniTruck.
Posted by: MiniTruckCanada
Gas prices creeping back up
October 21st, 2009Toronto
| September 2009 | 93.7 |
| June 2009 | 99.3 |
| March 2009 | 84.5 |
| December 2008 | 73.2 |
| September 2008 | 122.5 |
| June 2008 | 131.8 |
| March 2008 | 106.3 |
Posted by: MiniTruckCanada
Jerry’s 4,200 Km trip in Honda Acty
October 19th, 2009Jerry wrote to us from Fort Assiniboine, Alberta.
A few weeks ago in the last week of September, Jerry, his wife, youngest son, and their dog drove their Honda Acty MiniVan half way across Canada to visit family in Ontario. The 4,200 km trip took them through Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. One can only imagine the beautiful fall scenery this time of year.
Through varying gas prices, the total cost of the trip was under $300.
Jerry writes, “That was an awful long drive in one of these little beasts but the economical factor made it worth while.”
As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also took his entire family (five plus the dog) on a thousand km tour through the Rockies (Banff and Jasper National Parks).
Jerry also owns a Daihatsu Hijet which has become his daily driver and hauler. As you can see from the photos, his vehicles take a lot of abuse.
Jerry notes "There's still spring left!"
The 350 Kg rating gets disregarded.
He says of his prior vehicles, “I wouldn’t want to have to go back to regular pick-ups.”
We wish him the best on his next trip!
Posted by: MiniTruckCanada
Wheel Offset
August 26th, 2009If you’re buying new rims for your MiniTruck, you will need to know it’s offset and how it affects your particular truck.
The offset of a vehicle’s wheel is the distance between the centerline of the wheel and the plane of the hub-mounting surface of the wheel. It is typically measured in millimeters. Wheels are usually stamped with their offset such as “ET45″ for a 45mm offset.
Offset has a significant effect on many elements of a vehicle’s suspension, including suspension geometry, clearance between the tire and suspension elements, the scrub radius of the steering system, and visually, the width of the wheel face relative to the car’s bodywork.
Learn how to calculate wheel offset
Posted by: MiniTruckCanada
Calculating Wheel Offset
August 24th, 2009- Determine the wheel backspace: Lay the wheel face down and put a straight edge across the inboard flange. Measure the distance from the rule to the hub mounting pad in inches. Your result is the wheel backspace.
- Measure the width of the rim: Measure from the outboard flange to the inboard flange. Write your answer in inches.
- Calculate the center line: Take the width of your rim and divide by two.
- Subtract the center line from the backspace: For ex. If the center line was two inches and the backspace was 1 inch the offset would be positive one inch.Conversely, if your center line is greater than your backspace you will have a negative offset.
After calculating your current wheel offset, use this neat tool from 1010tires to see if your new wheel will have fitting issues.
