Firstly, hi all! My name's Mike (just in case my username didn't give it away), and a few months ago I bought a 1993 Landcruiser 80-Series, a 4.2 12-valve TD manual in VX trim.
However, I’m having second thoughts about my 80-Series LC purchase, and wondering if I should have bought a 100-Series from the outset. I bought it because everyone on this (and other) forums raves about them, and the missus and I are planning a significant overland trip in a year or so’s time, so it seemed like the ideal vehicle: solid, spacious, (reasonably) basic and thus reliable, good spares support, etc. However, having owned it for a couple of months now, a few 80-Series flaws are starting to show though, and I either need to remedy them or change the vehicle if I am to be happy driving and living in it for many months at a time. Compared to the Range Rover Classics I have owner previously (of the same era), it is nothing like as refined to drive, and this irritates me.
One of my main complaints is with the ride and handling; it is completely standard bar a matching set of BF Goodrich A/T tyres. I have been looking at an Ironman 2” lift kit with foam cell shocks and an uprated steering damper, is this likely to drastically improve the handling characteristics and ride quality? Currently it crashes over fairly minor road imperfections and potholes, you get quite a lot of shake through the steering wheel when you do, and the ride quality is, IMO, pretty poor. The steering is also exceptionally light, and thus a little vague; I’m not expecting sports car handling or feedback, but I don’t like the current vague feel of the vehicle. Would an uprated steering damper make much difference to the excessive feedback I get from the bumps, and help dampen-out the extra unsprung mass of the bigger tyres? And does the Ironman 2” lift kit improve ride quality and body control, or just raise the centre of gravity (making handling worst) and make the ride even harsher?
Secondly, power; mine is a 4.2TD 12 valve manual, but 70-80mph seems to be a real struggle; it seems happiest at around 60-65mph, which feels painfully slow to me, particularly for a 4.2 litre engine. 70mph is around 2,500rpm I think - is that typical? Short of changing the gearing (sounds expensive) or adding an intercooler (is expensive), is there much I can do to improve this? The tyres are larger than standard (285/75/16/s I think?), so using a GPS 70mph on the clock is exactly 70mph GPS–verified. It’s not like it can’t do 70mph, it can, it just feels like you’re stretching the engine to do it, and I would much rather it was doing around 2,000rpm to achieve 70mph in 5th, a much more relaxed (and economical) cruise.
So, are these “common” complaints for an 80-Series, or am I just expecting too much from a 20+ year old vehicle? If the above points can’t be resolved at reasonable cost (or at all), I think I may need to sell up and get a newer, more refined 100-Series LC (or even an Discovery 3/LR3!) instead, although finding a decent manual diesel one of those is partly why I picked up this 80 when it became available – they are few and far between!
Thanks in advance!
However, I’m having second thoughts about my 80-Series LC purchase, and wondering if I should have bought a 100-Series from the outset. I bought it because everyone on this (and other) forums raves about them, and the missus and I are planning a significant overland trip in a year or so’s time, so it seemed like the ideal vehicle: solid, spacious, (reasonably) basic and thus reliable, good spares support, etc. However, having owned it for a couple of months now, a few 80-Series flaws are starting to show though, and I either need to remedy them or change the vehicle if I am to be happy driving and living in it for many months at a time. Compared to the Range Rover Classics I have owner previously (of the same era), it is nothing like as refined to drive, and this irritates me.
One of my main complaints is with the ride and handling; it is completely standard bar a matching set of BF Goodrich A/T tyres. I have been looking at an Ironman 2” lift kit with foam cell shocks and an uprated steering damper, is this likely to drastically improve the handling characteristics and ride quality? Currently it crashes over fairly minor road imperfections and potholes, you get quite a lot of shake through the steering wheel when you do, and the ride quality is, IMO, pretty poor. The steering is also exceptionally light, and thus a little vague; I’m not expecting sports car handling or feedback, but I don’t like the current vague feel of the vehicle. Would an uprated steering damper make much difference to the excessive feedback I get from the bumps, and help dampen-out the extra unsprung mass of the bigger tyres? And does the Ironman 2” lift kit improve ride quality and body control, or just raise the centre of gravity (making handling worst) and make the ride even harsher?
Secondly, power; mine is a 4.2TD 12 valve manual, but 70-80mph seems to be a real struggle; it seems happiest at around 60-65mph, which feels painfully slow to me, particularly for a 4.2 litre engine. 70mph is around 2,500rpm I think - is that typical? Short of changing the gearing (sounds expensive) or adding an intercooler (is expensive), is there much I can do to improve this? The tyres are larger than standard (285/75/16/s I think?), so using a GPS 70mph on the clock is exactly 70mph GPS–verified. It’s not like it can’t do 70mph, it can, it just feels like you’re stretching the engine to do it, and I would much rather it was doing around 2,000rpm to achieve 70mph in 5th, a much more relaxed (and economical) cruise.
So, are these “common” complaints for an 80-Series, or am I just expecting too much from a 20+ year old vehicle? If the above points can’t be resolved at reasonable cost (or at all), I think I may need to sell up and get a newer, more refined 100-Series LC (or even an Discovery 3/LR3!) instead, although finding a decent manual diesel one of those is partly why I picked up this 80 when it became available – they are few and far between!
Thanks in advance!