Should I upgrade or not??

Firstly which motor and what year is the Patrol.

Had a 3.0 and upgraded to a 2005 TD cruiser and we are really happy we did.

More quiet, more comfort, easier towing.


Doubtless I will get howled down but have found fuel consumption not all that worse 17l per 100 on average with 2850kg behind.

Depends how much hard core off roading are going to do I guess.

Mine has a Safari chip and 3"exhaust and goes really well, at least 1 gear better

than the Patrol all the way.

However I tow in 4th ALL the time

Cheers

Pete and tracey

All depends whether you want to Cruise Along or just patrol behind the pack LOL

Regards

Oldpop

Do you really need a van that weighs 3 tonne ?

P&T

I am guessing its a diesel.

Gas injection will lift power, torque and economy. Gov. subsidy makes it affordable.

33" tyres don't suck power, they change the gearing.

Talk to the gas people about what you can expect from your vehicle. With gas you'll blow any Tojo into the weeds (unless it has gas too).

It never pays Pete , you don't say what the car is but please do a few calculations on the cost of running a standard petrol patrol like my 4800 manual.

It out performs the 100 series diesels and petrols and retains the live axles and long wheel base and has bigger brakes than your patrol , and is much quieter, all in a package that is standard and can be serviced anywhere.

This only leaves the extra fuel consumption as a consideration and by my estimates 20k would take in excess of 10 years to recover , so again do a few calcs on your situation and see what adds up.

Another member on this forum (truckster) put his 4.2 Patrol on the dyno after some engine mods.

On 31" tyres it made about 130kW at the wheels.

On 33" tyres it made about 110kW at the wheels.

He has some dyno graphs which show the difference quite clearly. May be worth borrowing/swapping some tyres for your next trip.

Hi ptnuske
Bite the bullet and get yourself a diesel Landcruiser.
The 100 series and 70 series are used extensively by the large iron ore miner’s in WA.
I’ve got a mate who works for Rio Tinto and their last fleet of 100 series Toyotas are being replaced with about 600ks on the clock. Their policy is you pay more up front but you save in long run when you consider repairs, down time and resale values.
Regards Dennis
By the way he owns and loves his Patrol - so he doesn't have an axe to grind about the vehicles make.

I'm no expert on this, but I think the 100 series diesel is a 4.2 as well anyway isn't it? To my way of thinking, there would be similarities between the two as far as engine output goes and I seriously doubt whether you would see 20K difference in them.
The big difference would be comfort I would think, the Toyota build quality and ride comfort is streets ahead of most everything else, but there is a sacrifice in achieving that. (we don't need to discuss that, do we.... everyone should already know, and I refuse to be drawn into it.) For outright toughness, the Patrol is the answer, and it may be better to spend some money on the turbo/intercooler options.... is your turbo standard?, is your exhaust pipe standard? does it have a snorkel? It's no secret that Nissan didn't fully explore the capabilities of the TD42 is it?

Another consideration if simply more power is wanted, is to consider Robin Miller's reply in regards to the 4800. He has a fair bit of experience with his 4800, and certainly knows what he's talking about. A friend in our club here has one, and it is a joy both on and off road.

Good luck!

Cheers

Brian

Brian,

No problems. Thanks for the reply.

The turbo is standard and it does have a snorkel, so everything is in place. The water to air intercooler interests me as I believe the air to air is next to useless and induces heat soak.

Cheers.

I would seriously consider re-gearing the Patrol. The 3.9 final drive makes the 4.2 patrol very slow. If you keep your current tyres and change the ratio to 4.3s you will definitely find it much easier to drive, will also be far easier on your clutch - something more power will only make worse. Look at more power after re-gearing it - or go back to 265/70R16 tyres.
We had a 4.2 TDi and found it very slow and I was about to re-gear it before I decided to trade it in. Keep it and spend a little more money on it and you'll be very happy with a vehicle that'll last almost forever...

Hi Pete & Tracey,

You responded to a question I had some months ago about the Nissan towing a Kedron (KOG forum) and I have followed your blog to date.
It is a shame that the Nissan hasn't met your expectations. In what areas was it only "Alright"? was it just on hills or overall towing? I ask this because if it is only in certain areas then other vehicles such as the LC may also struggle in these areas albeit more or less.

I have spoken with others that have towed Kedrons with Patrols and Navara's and thought they went OK, may have been lighter vans though but still probably at thier capacity because even the light Kedrons are still heavy once fully loaded.

When you do the lap will you be in a hurry? will you actually need more power/speed? Will you be towing from point A to point B and then staying a while and exploring? if so it may not be worth the 20K given the capabaility of the Patrol when not towing.

Godd luck with your decision

Regards
Ev

Best way to compare is take your van for a run over a suitably undulating road.

Hook up a 100 series and go over the same road You will soon know.


Thats what I did when the minister of finance was resistant to upgrading.

Winkled the $$$$$ out really quickly.

ROFL

As Greg S said go to the Patrol Forum and you will find interesting stories there.....some of the competition trucks (Patrols used in winch comps etc) are getting over 200 KWs at the rear wheels, which relates to around 250 KWs at the fly wheel, a 100 series Toyo stock is 151 KWs atrw

Do what I did Take van to dealers that has one u like Say u want to try it towing van.

Hook up and dont come back Woops no not really.

If you are in Albany region you can try mine.

All set up with Chip and 3" exhaust

Must be one in a yard somewhere.