As @ElJayBird alluded, some of us stuff our chewed gum into the gas nozzle before fill ups whilst demanding deference from the lowly 250 owners as @Supra Turbo demands (change your avatar back to archer btw) on the way to do cool $hit.
200-series Pinnacle of "Land Cruiser" in the States?
- Thread starter TeCKis300
- Start date
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Nothing wrong with the 150 series. Sure the 4.0 liter is a bit gutless, ok for two people and some camping gear. The To my mind it's a essentially a 4 runner with full time 4wd or AWD or whatever you call it. My 2011 was stone cold reliable for the ~50k miles I put on it while in Saudi on to of the 100k it had when I got it. A friend did have a 250 and it did get better mileage than the naturally aspirated 4.0 and had better range. I was definitely closer to E when we were fueling up after trips in the empty quarter. I did drive his 250 a little bit in camp, it's not a land cruiser.The J250 is what it is. Even our neighbors to the South know this and formal info from Toyota shows it is a 120/150 follow up. If they sold it here badged like this there would be clarity and in the US just a comparison
with the GX460, which it happens to lose hands down…
Anybody made stickers yet (It’s actually a PRADO!)…?
I agree, the 150 series has its place and seems in many ways more than its successor. Toyota clearly has changed its design philosophy and approach around reliability in which case there are many other vehicles on the market which can do the same if not better.
So what does it mean when a 200 snaps a CV? (Start around the 33 minute mark)
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That it was being pushed harder than climbing a steep hill.
The 200 CV is quite a bit larger than the 250. I think it’s about 20% larger IIRC
Is it now? I’m no expert on the matter but common sense would tell me going up a steep incline is going to cause one to push hard in its own right. You even been on a hike or peddled a bike uphill? Same thing applies to a car where it’s pushing hard against physics which are pushing back against you.
The 200 in this case didn’t have as steep of a hill but was carrying a trailer so maybe that levels the field a bit? I’m aware the 200 has beefier running gear but it still broke on something that appeared to be pretty routine by off roading standards.
I don’t have a dog in the fight but the point I was trying to make is a broken CV is something that can happen to anything with an IFS. Certainly a solid axle or front locker would have helped in either scenario.
Just a tiny bit harder. LOL. To be fair that hill was pretty steep for a crossover (which is almost what the 250 became - hold the rocks. I said almost).
Good points and all true. It would help to know how many miles that 200 had on its back. I bet more than the 30k or so miles his Prado has. Just seems too early for that kinda failure.
Have not looked at the videos on my phone, so maybe I am off on an angle here…
From what I understand about CV joints:
- Lifting will create a continuous increased angle on the CV joints and resulting wear, so do not lift (right…) or keep it within reason.
- Left or right steering input will add to the unfavorable angle and max load these CV joints can take, so when taking rocks, space allowing, keep the wheels straight(er)
- For any serious off-roading and rock crawling, be prepared to perform a field repair
- Seems ATRAC should reduce the shock load on the CV joints (since the brakes keep things loaded up) compared to locking and having the wheels slip/jump the rocks/road surface and creating high dynamic loads. Also see others think ATRAC increases the load…My challenge is that dynamic peak loads are the issue and ATRAC will smooth those out. Makes me think I need to suggest this as a topic for the Thinkerer…
- Thread starter
- #271
It means they modded it wrong. Australians are very regulated with tire size. They tend to make up for that with more suspension lift. Often, these suspensions can over-extend the front CVs, making them run at angles that severely limit their torque capacity. With overzealous pedal, trailer, and bad mods - that's all on the owner.
The LC250 above is on stock suspension save some really mild 32.6" tires so overextension and mods are not at play. Not carrying any extra load. Or unreasonable throttle really.
If you want to understand how bad the LC250 series is mechanically, take a look at this
Outside of that, All GX-series have my respect. They may not be 200-series or full fat land cruiser worth of beef, but they are the full duty Prado's that will do the dirty.
The LC250 is a barely tarted up 4R (not even worthy of Prado), selling on name for a price more than it delivers in substance.
I watched that video a couple of times back when it first released and just watched it again for a refresh. Not disputing anything in terms of beefiness of running gear. I think we can all agree Toyota has made some frustrating choices with regards to packaging in their latest lineup. For example, my Tacoma OR has the supposedly stronger CV’s but the smaller rear end since it’s the base engine, not the hybrid. That may lead one to think the larger rear end isn’t necessary with less torque but then they go and pair it with the hybrid setup on the 250 along with the other mechanical deficiencies he mentions. (Head scratcher for sure) Personally I'd rather hear from Toyota’s engineers on why the 250 was designed the way it is.
Even going back to the 150 gen (GX here in the states) I always looked at the Prado as being tarted up (or a next step up) from a 4Runner so nothing new there. I partially agree with you on the GX since the 550 hasn't exactly had a glowing reputation thus far between the V35A recall and losing a lot of the old school Lexus DNA. I also agree with you on the value hence why I'm currently in a Tacoma and not a 250 or 550.
Cape York track is the real deal. And that is a 15-18 year old LC. If she's on original CVs and been run hard all her life, things happen.
The J250 is what it is. Even our neighbors to the South know this and formal info from Toyota shows it is a 120/150 follow up. If they sold it here badged like this there would be clarity and in the US just a comparison
with the GX460, which it happens to lose hands down…
View attachment 4059090
Anybody made stickers yet (It’s actually a PRADO!)…?
I placed a couple orders of these to have some fun with
PRADO Sticker