prado conversion from 4wd to 2wd coming soon

[corallen Member Find all posts View Profile Close corallen]

hey guys just wondering if anyone else knows of a set of hubs to change to 2wd???
l have spoken to the guys at marks adaptors in melbourne and a guy said there that they should have this fixed by late this year hopefully so we can now be with the 80 series and save fuel and wear with a 2wd convesion just thought l would share that.

thanks corallen

[samo Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close samo]

Re: prado conversion from 4wd to 2wd coming soon

really defeats the purpose buying a constant 4wd, i bet the conversion kit will be costly as well, the idea of constant 4wd is to provide grip, giving greater control in slippery conditions, the only benifit of a set of hubs on the front of the prado would be for reversivg a boat or caravan in low range up a driveway in a manual transmission, thats my 2 cents :?

[Hutch Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hutch]

Re: prado conversion from 4wd to 2wd coming soon

WHY?? what safety of all wheel drive, even wear across the tyres etc, not to mention the cost of the conversion, how many km's would you have to do to recoup??

[corallen Member Find all posts View Profile Close corallen]

Re: prado conversion from 4wd to 2wd coming soon

well sorry you are not interested in the conversion.
idea of it is that if ya car is a daily driver you ingauge 2wd to save on fuel consumption and also wear and tear on the front end and lock in when 4wd is needed.
my father inlaw has it fitted on his 80 series and it saves around 10 to 15% or more on fuel costs and not as heavy to drive. sorry samo was just a suggestion

[corallen Member Find all posts View Profile Close corallen]

Re: prado conversion from 4wd to 2wd coming soon

considering we spend thousands on toys that look good on our rigs nice to spend a bit on something to save money on fuel.
set up like the old hilux interchanging from 4 to 2 wd and back

[D4D Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close D4D]

Re: prado conversion from 4wd to 2wd coming soon

The only reason I can think of doing this is to fit an autolocker in the front otherwise why would you :roll:

[corallen Member Find all posts View Profile Close corallen]

Re: prado conversion from 4wd to 2wd coming soon

what is a autolocker???
it has a manual switch on the wheel

[Hutch Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hutch]

Re: prado conversion from 4wd to 2wd coming soon

well sorry you are not interested in the conversion.
idea of it is that if ya car is a daily driver you ingauge 2wd to save on fuel consumption and also wear and tear on the front end and lock in when 4wd is needed.
my father inlaw has it fitted on his 80 series and it saves around 10 to 15% or more on fuel costs and not as heavy to drive. sorry samo was just a suggestion

Mate not a matter of interest, just trying to understand the reasoning behind this as the AWD was one of the reasons I brought a prado, safety for my family. On this forum their is plenty of healthy debate, no one needs to be offended!!

[Prado BB Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Prado BB]

Re: prado conversion from 4wd to 2wd coming soon

I understand where corellan is coming from given this was a popular conversion on the 80 series Toyota, however nowdays I think you would most certainly have insurance wows if you did the conversion. That aside, corellan is probably correct in saying that it would save on wear and fuel. He is only making a suggestion so go easy.

[corallen Member Find all posts View Profile Close corallen]

Re: prado conversion from 4wd to 2wd coming soon

thanks pradoBB just was asking if anyone else had it done as yes with the old 4wd it was a great ad on as to save fuel and wear.
as l have been told by a few people that it kills ya front abs so was asking the question thats all l have amillion questons in my mind as l cant stop adding to my rig love it and it is the best 4wd for the family and play l have found.
and thats ok HUTCH l dont get offeneded just my mind gets twisted in what l was asking thanks all for ya opinions

[KAKADAZ Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close KAKADAZ]

Re: prado conversion from 4wd to 2wd coming soon

The only reason I would want this would be for donuts in the gravel pit and thats about it...

[8608 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close 8608]

Re: prado conversion from 4wd to 2wd coming soon

going to part time is not just a matter of hubs on the front wheels. a set of hubs is only a couple of hundred dollars. to make the prado a true 2wd, would cost in excess of a couple of grand which includes a gearbox/transfer out job. to be a true 2wd/part time kit, you need to be able to disengage the front driveshaft from spinning and also isolate drive to the front wheels. this means being able to turn the front driveshaft with your hand when its parked in your driveway.

the other reason why 80's went to a part time kit, was because its full time 4wd system wasn't as refined as that of the prado and had a lot of chatter and slack.

you can't even get reduction gear sets for the prado transfer as it is now, so why a part time kit? if they can make a part time kit, they can make reduction gear sets as well. might even be half the price of a part time kit. the locking centre diff in the prado is what people need to look at.

on the other hand, why not just develop an electronic switch system, where you can lock and unlock the centre diff as you please regardless of what position the transfer lever is in. some prado's already have the lock/unlock switch for the centre diff, but it will always automatically engage as soon as you go to low range. having this manual switch means leaving the centre diff open (preventing wind-up) even in low range for the ease of boat ramps, backing trailers etc. until you press it.

the kit should have a factory centre diff lock switch for the prado's that don't have the switch already and a plug and play module where you can intercept the factory loom and just plug it in inline. i think there is also a mechanical switch in the transfer, which needs to be disabled in place of the manual switch or removed all together.

in my opinion, having low range with the centre diff unlocked sounds heaps better and somewhat more practical as some people will appreciate the better control when at boat ramps or backing trailers. this will be no different to how your prado drives everyday, only slower (and more torque in theory)

oh yeah, your clutch will love you for it too.

[bolo125 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close bolo125]

Re: prado conversion from 4wd to 2wd coming soon

I spend $300 on fuel for my prado a month, lets say %15 saving on fuel due to this conversion gives me $45 a month or $540 a year. How much will this conversion cost??

If it'll take me 3+ years to pay this off there is no way i'd be looking at doing sort of conversion. You can save 10-15% by removing roof rack, having proper tyre pressure in your tyres and having road tyres instead of ATs...heck if you really wanted to save money get rid off your side mirrors!! Remove excessive weight (don't fill up your tank to the top...that's almost 180kgs in there), change to alloy wheels if you have steelies...my point is there are a million ways to go about this. All depends how serious you are about it and how much it will cost ya

[corallen Member Find all posts View Profile Close corallen]

Re: prado conversion from 4wd to 2wd coming soon

gee l have opened up a can of worms....

was only looking into it as l am an old school hi lux and 80 series man who has seen the light with the weapon the prado can be when fitted out properly so then if it is to expensive and complex it wont be getting done just thougth l wuld ask the question.
thanks 8608 for your advice might look into that centre diff lock thing closer

cheers guys

[joey Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close joey]

Re: prado conversion from 4wd to 2wd coming soon

gee l have opened up a can of worms....

was only looking into it as l am an old school hi lux and 80 series man who has seen the light with the weapon the prado can be when fitted out properly so then if it is to expensive and complex it wont be getting done just thougth l wuld ask the question.
thanks 8608 for your advice might look into that centre diff lock thing closer

cheers guys

Nothing wrong with asking questions and should be encouraged for the new forum members..its the way i developed my rig into the way it is..
As hutch said there is a lot of healthy debate on the forum , but in the end of the day each person will develope their rig to what specs suits their needs...


welcome to the forum and enjoy the ride...
cheers
Joey