Not enjoying my 80-Series; did I make the wrong choice?

[MikesVX80]

Clutch - thanks, but I can't stand the look of the Prado's I'm afraid! Always look too tall and narrow for me, like they'll fall over!!

calicamper - appreciate what you're saying, but mine is a standard car at the moment! Standard suspension, standard 1HD-T engine, standard 5-speed manual transmission. Only change from standard is the BFG A/T tyres, and they're not huge - 275 or 285/75/16 I think? As for ride comfort, the LC 80 has a 112" wheelbase, vs. the Range Rover Classic's 100" wheelbase, which was infinitely more comfortable...no excuse!!

BoxRocket - thanks, I might do the suspension bushes and uprated steering damper myself anyway, even before the lift - if nothing else it should show me what improvement this change alone makes, and cost significantly less than the lift kit too.

redthies - having spoken to a couple of guys in the UK, they suggest a 2" lift should not require any suspension geometry changes (e.g. castor, etc.), so fingers' crossed!

RMP&O - other than the suspension lift may needing castor correction, what other side-effects of changes have you come across in your build?

Annoyingly, there is an LC80 on eBay at the moment (UK) that is almost exactly the spec I want to build mine to (lift, snorkel, ARB bumper, etc.) for less than mine is probably worth! BUT it's higher mileage and has had 10 owners, so my standard, 1 owner, lower mileage car really is a better base vehicle...bugger!

 

[tclark]

From what I've seen in your posts I don't know that'd you'll ever be happy in an 80, it just doesn't seem to be your kind of vehicle. I've driven a handful of 80's and a couple of older RR's; imo the rovers were way too soft and cushy while in the 80's there is no question you're driving a heavy and heavy duty truck. I wouldn't say rough, but then again I wasn't expecting a cushy ride. The rovers just don't feel to be nearly as sturdily built to me, kinda like driving a S-10 vs a 2500HD.

It does sound like your suspension needs some tlc and the wandering and such should be fixable, but I doubt you'll ever get a ride comparable to the range rovers.

 

[redthies]

I am also super anal about my trucks and want them perfect.

I was trying to figure out how to say that without making you think I was taking a poke at you! I have much respect for your collection of Cruisers and Patrols. I wish I had the money to buy your 60 when you put it up for sale!

 

[Clutch]

Clutch - thanks, but I can't stand the look of the Prado's I'm afraid! Always look too tall and narrow for me, like they'll fall over!!

Looks and how they actually perform are two different things.

80's feels like a whale to me...stock or modified. The 120 Chassis, feels very sporty to me at least.

 

[redthies]

From what I've seen in your posts I don't know that'd you'll ever be happy in an 80, it just doesn't seem to be your kind of vehicle. I've driven a handful of 80's and a couple of older RR's; imo the rovers were way too soft and cushy while in the 80's there is no question you're driving a heavy and heavy duty truck. I wouldn't say rough, but then again I wasn't expecting a cushy ride. The rovers just don't feel to be nearly as sturdily built to me, kinda like driving a S-10 vs a 2500HD.

It does sound like your suspension needs some tlc and the wandering and such should be fixable, but I doubt you'll ever get a ride comparable to the range rovers.

I'm going to guess the 80s you have driven were stock? They CAN be as soft as a Rover, but most people choose to set them up for capacity vs cushiness. My 100 series with OME coils is far softer than my in-laws Disco 2.

 

[pmccumber]

I have a 100 and an 80. I think your observations are pretty spot on. I use the 100 for long road trips over to Utah and the southwestern part of Colorado. Going up and over and up and over and ... constantly in the 80, downshifting to 2nd and running it up to 4400 RPMs to get to 55+ on the passes, is irritating.

I've owned a 40 and a 60 too. But I'll tell you this much, I will sell the 100 before I sell the 80. As great as Land Cruisers are, the 80 was the best they made IMO and a lot of others. I look at pics and vids of what I do and I am reminded of how incredible it is. I take it for granted how it handles on dirt.

But as great as it is on dirt, the 100 is that much better on the highway. If you're not going to do any severe offroading, the 100 probably is a better rig.

 

[brentbba]

MikesVX80 - FYI - the OME 2-3" lift does come with castor correction bushings to press in, but that's it. No drive train geometry issues, etc.

 

[tclark]

I'm going to guess the 80s you have driven were stock? They CAN be as soft as a Rover, but most people choose to set them up for capacity vs cushiness. My 100 series with OME coils is far softer than my in-laws Disco 2.

You're correct, most were fairly stock other than a slight uptick in tire size. One did have an mild OME that felt roughly the same as the others. A little nicer but still very firm; I like that feel anyway so I'm probably biased against the soft cushy stuff(mostly speaking for anything that'll be going offroad). Thinking about it the rovers could have been worn out(they come like that don't they? :sombrero, they were soft enough that I grab the bumper and shake it all around. I didn't like the way they drove at all.

 

[RMP&O]

RMP&O - other than the suspension lift may needing castor correction, what other side-effects of changes have you come across in your build?

So far that was the big one. Also I don't have a stock motor so that can and has caused some issues. Lastly, being me, I can create the can of worms!

Sitting here right now, most of what I can think of in 1-2 minutes is not related to a stock 80. Such as air box and battery relocation, winch control box relocating, mounting a ProCar seat and fixing the paint on the truck. However, getting the rear suspension dialed in for unloaded and loaded is an undergoing issue. My truck also had bad stink bug when I got it, easy to fix though by simply raising the front end. That though brought castor farther out. I think you get the idea on what I mean by can of worms. If I go to 37" rubber, I will have to look into re-gearing, upgraded axle shafts and so forth.

Cheers

 

[MikesVX80]

OK, thanks for all the responses guys (and gals?)!

So, my plan is this: I am going to take it to a LC specialist here in the UK and get them to test drive it. As it already has a full (cat-back) stainless steel exhaust system, I think some adjustments to the fuel pump should make a massive difference to the driveability of the vehicle. If I can get this element sorted, I will have a lot more confidence that I can get the rest of the vehicle how I want.

I will also get them to inspect and replace all the suspension bushes as required; I am going to stock with Toyota bushes (or OE-equivalent if I can find them) rather than cheaper polybushes, as I want to maximise on ride comfort and polybushes will just sitffen everything up.

Lastly (for this trip to the specialist), I will get a heavy duty steering damper fitted; this is relatively inexpensive, but should hopefully help with the steering wobble when hitting bumps in the road (exacerbated by the larger and heavier A/T tyres).

Providing this sorts out the issues it should, I will persevere with the project, but right now I don't want to sink £1,000-£1,200 into all-new suspension and still not have a car I am 100% happy with! Let's see how I get on...

 

[redthies]

Sounds like you have a good plan. One other thing I'll mention is tires. I run the exact same size BFG AT on my 100 as my wife is driving it these days, and she has always liked them. They can cause some unpleasantness in the comfort department too. My set took 7-10 oz of weight per tire to "balance", while my 35" Toyo AT2s took 1.75-2 oz per tire. This lack of "roundness" in the BFGs can lead to wobbles, bounces and shakes if the particular set you got has worse than average build quality. It's too bad, because I still really like the tread pattern. Maybe the KO2s will prove to be better?

 

[Arktikos]

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...

You want to regularly travel at 70-80 on a long overland trip? Why so fast? LOL. I know different strokes for different folks, but if that's your comfort zone, it may be necessary to ditch the diesel 80. I'd second Clutch's advice and go with the 4Runner/Prado with a gas engine.

 

[theside00]

Hopefully this hasn't been brought up but you could run an upgraded Grunter turbo and get more boost and better performance. Probably would want to run an intercooler with it though. We have installed several from the basic upgraded trurbo all the way up to the extreme turbo. You do see a difference in performance.

Definitely stick with the OEM rubber bushings if you are looking for a better ride.

 

[JamesW]

Get a defender,drive it for a month without driving the LC,then start driving the LC,you'll think you're in a Bentley :sombrero:

An intercooler is a good addition for some accelerating power as is a pump tweak and a boost increase,but it will always feel a bit strangled cruising at motorway speeds,all pre 2000 diesel 4x4s feel like you're really torturing them above 60. Mine will barely break 100mph,and it will cruise at 75,but it doesn't feel happy doing it,much better sat at 55. Petrol engines are much better in that respect because they feel like they like to be revved,and don't sound like they're about to explode when held above 2500rpm. Autos tend to be better geared for cruising too,which helps,but it isn't exactly a huge difference all the same.

 

[doubleroses]

I've got a 2000 LC and love it. I went with the 100 series because of the newer qualities such as ride quality and creature comforts. I love it so far and am very pleased that I went with the 100 series.