Glen's 95 series Prado getting broken in

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

You run 91/E10 pretty often?
We only use 98 in ours, sometimes 95. It costs a little bit more but can definitely feel the difference in power. Probably doesn't work out better for economy but surely it's better for the engine?

At the beginning I only ran 98, but since the dynotune I've been trailing a little bit of 91 ULP and 91 E10 via the sub tank and XEDE's dual fuel map. After the pinging incident I pumped some 98 in the same tank and the problem faded, and have decided to stick to 98 where possible when traveling/loaded. Later in the trip I had to fill up the sub tank a second time with 91 ULP from a remote station. There was some pinging from that fuel as well, but not as bad as the fuel from Coffs Woolworths/Caltex.

Yes, 98 is definitely better for the engine, and enables much more power with the 98 map Even my friend noticed the difference between the 91/98 maps as I left him behind quicker on acceleration tests! For the record, using 98 fuel with the 91 map showed little performance gain (if any), so tuning is the key.

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

Glen,

It sounds like you think the same as me, that the extra torque makes it easier off road, not too mention the safer (extra) performance when travelling.

Lee

TBH I wasn't expecting any advantage off road but was pleasantly surprised that it does have one - less need to drop to low range. 1st and 2nd high range can do so much more now. Toyota should have made the Prado's this way!!

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

Glen, nice work I am glad the supercharger went to a good home, The power figures are impressive, it will make it a different car off road
we will have to go for a drive again

Thanks again for the contact mate. It all went well and I couldn't be happier.

Another drive, for sure, let me know when you're heading out next time.

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

TBH I wasn't expecting any advantage off road but was pleasantly surprised that it does have one - less need to drop to low range. 1st and 2nd high range can do so much more now. Toyota should have made the Prado's this way!!

A mechanically driven supercharger can/will produce boost from idle, which increases the torque and suits 4wding.

It is surprising how much the torque is increased though, it is very usable just above idle.

Lee

[2wise Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close 2wise]

hi glen love what uv done to the prado,, i have a 90 series myself thats in the making.. so far i have lifted it 2'' and got 33" on it, i noticed u dropped ur diff. did that stop it from beaking cv's and where could i find them spacer from?

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

A mechanically driven supercharger can/will produce boost from idle, which increases the torque and suits 4wding.

It is surprising how much the torque is increased though, it is very usable just above idle.

Lee

Absolutely agree! BTW have you noticed any disadvantages whilst offroading? I wonder if the extra power causes more slipping in mud or on wet rocks.

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

hi glen love what uv done to the prado,, i have a 90 series myself thats in the making.. so far i have lifted it 2'' and got 33" on it, i noticed u dropped ur diff. did that stop it from beaking cv's and where could i find them spacer from?

33's - Nice! Which ones- 285's? Rubbing much?

hmmm the front diff drop should reduce the chance CV breakages and definitely help reduce boot wear & failure, but I would have to say my were breakages are more related to frequent use of a front locker and the brand of CV's being used. I've now stopped using cheap aftermarket ones, and trialing rebuilt ones instead. Time will tell.

There's a few options listed in the suspension guide thread with links. http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread.php?p=302461 I went with the Sonoran Steel brand as I was ordering a few other items from them. In addition to those sources already listed, you could try Fat Bob's Garage in Utah.

[ratsack Member Find all posts View Profile Close ratsack]

I thought a front locker was meant to reduce CV breakages, not make them worse?
I also thought you'd need more than a 2" lift to fit 33" tyres?

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

I thought a front locker was meant to reduce CV breakages, not make them worse?
I also thought you'd need more than a 2" lift to fit 33" tyres?

It's unusual to fit 33's with 2" because it's likely to rub inside the wheel arches. There are ways to work around this though, such as body modifications, bump stop extensions, or simply ignoring it!

The front locker is a double edged sword. Without lockers it's common for drivers to bounce their vehicle around using momentum/power to get passed obstacles. When tyres return to the ground after spinning in the air (or suddenly increase grip when moving from dirt to rock), a shock impact is created, which can cause a diff or CV failure. Lockers prevent wheel spin, thus allow the driver to do things slowly, and almost entirely remove the chance of shock-related failures.

The down side is the twisting forces created by the tyres moving at different speeds. This can occur by steering or by lack of traction.

STEERING - If the vehicle is on a large amount of solid rock and the steering is slightly turned, the tyres will not physically want to turn at the same rates. Lockers force our axles to turn at exactly the same rates, and since lockers are incredibly strong, something else must give. Either one tyre must lose grip (spin/slide on the rock) or the next weakest link will twist (the axle shaft or CV joint).

TRACTION - Perhaps the more common issue would be when a single tyre has maximum traction and the other has little. Without lockers the car stops whilst one spins freely - when it hits the ground and we may have an impact failure. With a locker they both spin at the same rate, the vehicle moves and there is no impact. But during this process all the forces to move your vehicle is sent via that single tyre/axle which has traction. In the case of a rear solid axle this isn't an issue, the axles are strong enough to handle most abuse. In the case of a front CV axle we have 2 joints at unusual angles, perhaps with some steering involved, and the result is some very unusual twisting, placing significant/uneven pressure on the CV joints.

And before anyone jumps in to say upgrade the CV's!! - consider where the twisting will go next once the CV's are stronger. When the entire front end is under heavy load and locked, I've seen the upper/lower arms and steering actually flex from the joints. Something must give - and I'd definitely rather change a CV than replace an entire hub/spindle or repair chassis mounts for the steering rack/UCA/LCA, etc. To get an idea of forces involved - try removing one tie rod end (imitating a failure), and perform a "track side" repair to the steering (using an alternative part and some creativity). You'll be amazed at the amount of tension going through a tie rod end under even normal driving conditions, let alone offroad, or even locked. For anyone running a front locker on IFS vehicles I highly suggest bringing a spare tie rod ends on all 4x4 trips. Vehicles can easily be towed or driven home with missing/broken CV's, but broken steering causes a complete halt to a recovery no matter how persistent you are.

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

Absolutely agree! BTW have you noticed any disadvantages whilst offroading? I wonder if the extra power causes more slipping in mud or on wet rocks.

Potentially yes if your heavy with the right foot but in my experience because of the extra power/torque I am usually approaching slower with a light foot because I know I can ease the throttle on and actually have the power there when I need it.

I don't do a lot of rock /mud work but that is how I have found it.
I do a lot of sand driving .. hey I live in Brisbane and Fraser Is & DI call all the time and I use a similar approach on the sand. Instead of having to attack dunes & tracks at speed I can take a more controlled approach rely on the low end grunt to keep the wheels turning, the advantage of a nice fat torque curve, dare I say it ... like an old school turbo diesel.

From reading your posts I think you will quickly adjust your driving style to suit the extra horses under your right foot.

Lee

[vxcruiser08 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close vxcruiser08]

Gee Glen, great build up mate. Awesome truck. Nothing will be stopping you now mate! Be good to meet up sometime on one of these trips you seem to organise often

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

Potentially yes if your heavy with the right foot but in my experience because of the extra power/torque I am usually approaching slower with a light foot because I know I can ease the throttle on and actually have the power there when I need it.

I don't do a lot of rock /mud work but that is how I have found it.
I do a lot of sand driving .. hey I live in Brisbane and Fraser Is & DI call all the time and I use a similar approach on the sand. Instead of having to attack dunes & tracks at speed I can take a more controlled approach rely on the low end grunt to keep the wheels turning, the advantage of a nice fat torque curve, dare I say it ... like an old school turbo diesel.

From reading your posts I think you will quickly adjust your driving style to suit the extra horses under your right foot.

Lee

I did a little bit of low range ruts/rock driving on the holiday and yes, like you say, just used less throttle, all good. Also drove a beach with a friend at full tyre pressures, the power enhancement was fantastic. It was just a short run so we stayed at highway pressures - my 33" skinnies at 40 PSI handled fine. Surprisingly my friends 4.8L Patrol with wide 35" claws at 37 PSI dug their way down during a take off and got him bogged. Perhaps that was related to the tread patterns - claws aren't known for sand handling and mine are heavily worn.

Gee Glen, great build up mate. Awesome truck. Nothing will be stopping you now mate! Be good to meet up sometime on one of these trips you seem to organise often

Thanks mate. Always happy to run trips and meet new people. I'm very keen to test the charger in some familiar territory out your way - such as Mt Walker or Newnes. This month is terribly busy though so keep an eye out next month (mid feb).

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

First 3 fuel usage stats since the supercharger:
- Suburban, 98 octane, unloaded, mixed driving styles = 15.7L / 100km
- Highway, 91 ULP/E10 blend, heavily loaded, easy cruising at 100km/h = 13.2L / 100km
- Mountain roads, 98 octane, heavily loaded, highly spirited driving on dirt ascents and tarmac ascents = 18.9L / 100km

[Steevo Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steevo]

Pretty impressive 13.2 Glen

[disco stu Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close disco stu]

Hey Glen, where did you get the tune done. Got the Trd installed about 4k ago, but just noticed it's started to ping again.