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Landcruiser suspension for desert
Hi Y'all,
Thinking of buying a 80 series LC 1996 vintage but knowing very little about them, am not familiar with the suspension mods they need to survive in the desert as well as UK running around. Looking for a set up that will be as reliable and competent as my 110 - must have long travel and improved ground clearance over std. Any seggestions or advice will be greatly appreciated. And while we're on the subject of cruisers any tyre suggestions for desert/uk usage incl sizes / rims ?? Thanks for your assistance.... Andrew. |
Hi Andrew,
A TLC can handle the desert without problems in standard form although most people tend to go for a Old Man Emu 2.5" lift kit ensuring the springs and dampers are rated for the loads being carried. On the wheels front, the standard alloys should be fine but if you are concerned about damaging them go for steel wheels on the basis that if they get damaged you can just hammer them out again. A '96 80 comes with 275x70xR16s as standard which are OK for allround use. Some people go for a 285x70xR16 for a bit more clearance and better gearing on long road trips. If you want to find out more come along to meet at Salisbury Plain on the 20th November where we will have a stack of TLCs that have been to the desert and back. ------------------ Cheers, Julian Euro Landcruiser Owners Club http://www.landcruisers.info/lists/ |
I hate it when people say the "OME 2.5" lift kit"! http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif
The 2.5" lift is a consequence of fitting OME's heavy duty suspension setup: HD coil springs and Nitrocharger shocks. You might as well add an OME steering dampner as well, but if all you want is the lift, I am sure there are easier ways of achieving it. I fitted the above on my 4Runner (GVM: 2510kg) and have resently completed over 5,000km with it weighing in at a healthy 2,900kgs with no problems (re: butt sag etc) at all. For the first 800km (jo'burg to Bulawayo) we also had a fully loaded 1 tonne trailer hooked up on the back and still had no signs of shock fade etc. Bear in mind though that most of the roads between SA and Kenya are fairly good tar and the shocks really didn't undergoe a consistent and arduous thrashing until we reached Kenya. Unloaded though you may find the ride harsh and has even be known to cause chassis cracking here in Kenya due to the shock transferred. |
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For 80s they supply a standard upgrade kit to upgrade the stock suspension, but not provide lift. Then you can go for the 50mm/2.5" lift kit that comprises various combinations of spring and damper rates depending on the the additional weight you are carrying like winch bumpers, winches, long range tanks, etc. ARB provide the details in the form of a chart according to the weight being carried on the front or back of the vehicle which I have on another compuer, however the Slee Off Road site has a handy guide, but not that detailed - see http://www.sleeoffroad.com/products/...htReplacement. As Jeremy pointed out the OME steering damper kit is worth getting and also some would argue that the castor correction kit is worthwhile whilst driving along rough tracks. If you are going to spend the money on the suspension upgrade do invest in replacing the remaining suspension bushes with poly based ones - even with stock suspension tey can sharpen things up a bit. ------------------ Cheers, Julian Euro Landcruiser Owners Club http://www.landcruisers.info/lists/ |
Just done a lot of desert in my eighty series with ome springs and shocks with bf good rich at tyres and have no complaints in fact the car has been awesome on this setup. can give you exact product details when back in uk in mid november. just make sure you have a good compressor to adjust tyre pressures as and when...
jeremy ------------------ pigapitcha |
I have heard it argued that the dissadvantage with a poly set up is that if the bush fails its total, you have no bush wheras on a rubber bush it will fail over a period of time. poly is of course easier to change, so if you go down the poly route I would take some spares just in case.
Andy 101 Ambie TLC H60 moggy minor traveller! www.plymouth-dakar.com |
Hmm. WHere in Europe is the best place to buy good used 80's.
As I couldn't find one, I went for 95. However, 80 is still high on my wish list. BTW: steering wheel has to be on the "right" (left) side, am not from UK [This message has been edited by Noise Data (edited 11 December 2005).] |
I guess your best bet is to try somewhere like France or Germany, they are reasonably common in those countries.
------------------ Cheers, Julian Euro Landcruiser Owners Club http://www.landcruisers.info/lists/ |
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