Interesting article on improving brakes on Land Cruisers

[StarCruiser]

That’s clearly where I’m going wrong as I had (it seems wrongly) assumed that the sprag clutch was for engine braking but clearly this isn’t so and is the reason for the difference. Until I saw the exploded picture I had always thought the TC worked the same on Power as on engine braking but seeing the sprag clutch I put 2 and 2 together and came up with 486.

Every day’s a school day.

 

[Chris]

Really good. I might take that and make it a sticky. So there really isn't much in there by way of wear parts and normally you should get pretty good mileage out of one. Personally I never got the lock up bit. But now I do!

 

[Gary820]

I drive mine like a manual on steep hills, up and down. Longer descents it will pick up speed more then a manual would, sounds great in L (even better in low range), click it into 2 and feels like just put it in N on a couple of hills!

I find the brakes on the 80 good tbh, running a totally stock set up with genuine discs and pads, normal rubber hoses and fluid change every year.

Faded them a couple of times but in the height of summer on minor roads in the Dales, the brakes get a fairly hard time so no surprise.

 

[flint]

I tend to drive mine like a manual quite a bit too (I live in Wales). The track down to us is about a 1 in 6 ish in places and low 2 will just about hold it. The 5 speed on the 120 seems to shift itself from D to 4 if the brakes are touched on a long, fairly quick downhill. The first time it did it I thought the brakes were grabbing but then I noticed the rev counter jump up a bit.

 

[StarCruiser]

If I set the cursed Smart car to auto it downshifts on hill descents.

 

[Chris]

Well this thread has taken a slightly different track hasn't it.


Just to add to the downhill bit in an auto - when off road, try knocking the drive into neutral. There is less engine braking in an auto for sure, but in a steep descent in low range the transmission is in drive and is trying to push the car downhill. You then use the brakes against the drive. Trust me on this - put it in neutral and suddenly the brakes work a whole lot better. I'm not talking about traffic, I'm talking about off road and steep descents. You get much finer control of the brakes and you'll often find that you can just stop and hang on the incline. Leave it in drive and the engine will be trying to push you to the bottom. You can pop it in and out of drive if you need to, but at the next Lincomb, just try it!

 

[fbnss]

@Chris Yes indeed, tried that after rosy went for a spin with you round lincomb and told me about it. A whole world of difference

 

[StarCruiser]

That all depends on the speed you are going. I’ve tried it and I know what you’re saying as long as it’s brakes only you want to be using and you want incremental control but a steep descent on its own that’s clear is no problem in L1 (L) when the engine is being driven on overrun.

 

[clivehorridge]

Coming briefly back to manuals, and I know mines not a real 80 cos it’s a manual 1HZ but the engine break is great, especially in low on steep decents.
I’m wondering if the higher compression ratio helps here, it’s 24:1 compared with the 17:1 or 18:1 on the 1HD. I’ve never driven an HDJ80 manual, so I wouldn’t know.

 

[moggy1968]

Coming briefly back to manuals, and I know mines not a real 80 cos it’s a manual 1HZ but the engine break is great, especially in low on steep decents.
I’m wondering if the higher compression ratio helps here, it’s 24:1 compared with the 17:1 or 18:1 on the 1HD. I’ve never driven an HDJ80 manual, so I wouldn’t know.

Diesels have inherently better engine braking than petrol because if their higher compression ratios. A higher compression ratio definitely aids engine braking. There are other factors as well such as torque characteristics but that’s a general rule.

 

[Gary820]

Well this thread has taken a slightly different track hasn't it.


Just to add to the downhill bit in an auto - when off road, try knocking the drive into neutral. There is less engine braking in an auto for sure, but in a steep descent in low range the transmission is in drive and is trying to push the car downhill. You then use the brakes against the drive. Trust me on this - put it in neutral and suddenly the brakes work a whole lot better. I'm not talking about traffic, I'm talking about off road and steep descents. You get much finer control of the brakes and you'll often find that you can just stop and hang on the incline. Leave it in drive and the engine will be trying to push you to the bottom. You can pop it in and out of drive if you need to, but at the next Lincomb, just try it!

But it doesn't pop and bang and rumble away in neutral lol.

You're right though Chris, it's what I do coming down bigger rocks as more control.

 

[Shayne]

A bigger freer flowing exhaust reduces engine braking on a diesel , a good thing on my manual 4.2 as it makes it so much smoother to drive .

 

[AdventureWagon]

I have to say after driving a manual for 10yrs jumping into my auto Prado was a suprise especially the first time we did a mountain climb/descent. Have never pushed the brake harder. Putting the auto into 2nd or low works a little but still nothing like a manual, plus low is really only good for slow operations unless you want to go down at 5000rpm!

I have done some research into my auto trans and it does not ever lock the torque converter in 2nd or low, only in 3rd and 4th.