New to me... 1999 Landcruiser low miles ( family owned) performance questions

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S

straycatboat

10 Year
Joined
Nov 19, 2014
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6
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38
I just purchased a lightly used ( 35000 miles ) family owner 1999 LC.
My previous ride was a 1974 fj40.
This vehicle is completely different in ride and power and would like to get the members suggestions on how to make some improvements.

First, the handling is clumsy and the vehicle rolls and yaws over bumps and in turns, seems like the suspension is super plush.
I would like to make it more precise with out sacrificing the comfort a lot like on long highway runs.

Second, the engine / transmission is sluggish , needs more ponies. How can I get the engine performance up.. chip, turbo, supercharger?
My other vehicle is a Titan 4 x4 Pickup and it handles and performs much better than the LC/
Help
 
1. Stiffer springs and shocks, maybe a lift...Up to you. www.sleeoffroad.com as a start for your research.
2. Supercharger, hard to find. A custom turbo setup would be sweet. I'm thinking twin scroll twin turbos with some kind of crossover scavenging intake through an intercooler. You could also do an LS1 swap or a 4/6BT swap, shouldn't be too hard.
 
Put a fart can on the tail pipe. Some 22's with limo tinted glass and a bazooka bass tube. nbd

200 hp nitrous shot. :steer: bfd
 
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It's a big, clumsy, slow vehicle. 2003+ have a little more HP. Put a loud exhaust on it so you don't get run over getting on the freeway :)
 
You should've purchased a 2003+ with more power and the 5-speed tranny instead of the sluggish 4-speed.

Aj
 
Ok, now I feel like an a$$. I apologize and here is a useful answer to your question...
JT headers. I don't have experience, but people say the headers are the biggest performance set-back on the 100 series and this is where you will get your biggest gain if you upgrade.

Aj
 
Okay, I will provide some ACTUAL advice:

1. Slee Medium Load / Lift kit should take care of some of the "boat" feeling - especially if you go with the OME Sport shocks.
2. Supercharger was available for a short time but VERY hard to find. Check ebay or Tundra Solutions forum. I heard that the Tundra and Sequoia versions of the SC can be adapted to work on the LC with a custom piggy back ECU.
3. Realistic performance upgrade that are available and WILL make a big difference in power: K&N Cold Air Intake, Doug Thorley Headers and Exhaust.
 
Just to share, that was something I was always wondering about my 2000 tlc, performance wise, I was like "damn, this thing is a pig".
 
fengler said:
Just to share, that was something I was always wondering about my 2000 tlc, performance wise, I was like "damn, this thing is a pig".
Click to expand...
5000 lbs., mild engine tune...just what I would expect. Otoh, engines last exceptionally long if you do your maintenance.

I'd debate the performance increase v. $$$ with a K&N filter, maybe even with the headers and exhaust.

The 5-speed does give you a definite seat-of-the-pants increase.

Steve
 
You definitely seem a little bit ambitious about power upgrades. If i were you I would go drive (at a use car dealer) a 2003+ with the higher horse power tune and the 5 speed transmission. If you hop in one of those and it drives like what you were expecting an LC should drive like you may want to consider sprucing up your 99, giving it a good polish and fix anything needing attention and selling it for hopefully a profit and picking up the later model year LC as getting more power out of these motors is not as simple as bolting on an exhaust or getting a chip from my research.
 
Or drive it with the ECT on all the time...

Steve
 
1. Some have written good things about TJM "bits and pieces", but the OMEs are probably better suited for a 100 series.
2. SC for the win. Headers would be next in line. Air filters won't yield performance gains.
 
IMHO, keeping it stock (engine-wise) just keeps it more reliable, although still slow!
 
Several people commented that a K&N air filter is not worth it. That is true if a K&N is your only modification.

Once you combine the K&N Air Intake with the DT Headers and Exhaust it is a much different story.

Unless you have $5000+ to spend on super / turbo chargers, the best way to increase power noticeably is intake / headers / exhaust. If I remember correctly, someone performed a dyno test on this setup and show a 30-40 HP increase.
 
artwerks said:
You should've purchased a 2003+ with more power and the 5-speed tranny instead of the sluggish 4-speed.

Aj
Click to expand...

Careful to not spread misinformation. The 2003+ barely got more power in the form of only 5 extra horsepower and zero torque. The big change didn't happen until 2006 which did so with the addition of VVTI. What 2003+ did get was more weight, which actually makes them slower. Here's some zero to 60 times and 1/4 mile speeds. Granted, none of these times are something to brag about, but clearly the earlier models were "faster" than the

1998 Toyota Land Cruiser 8.6 16.5

1999 Toyota Land Cruiser 9.3 16.6

2003 Toyota Land Cruiser 11.4 18.7

The 5 speed makes the power more user friendly, but it does not make the truck faster. The 1998 Land Cruiser is still the "fastest" one until 2006 when VVTI was added and dropped the 0-60 down to 7.9 seconds. With the 200 series in 2008, the LC became pretty quick to 60 at 6.5 seconds. The 1999 is a little slower with the additional weight and complexity of added rear AC, but the big weight penalty came in with additional electronics and airbags and safety stuff in later years.
 
What is the vvti that you talk about, it really seemed to help 0-60 times?
How about I swap out a 2008 motor/trans assembly and seel the ones I got?
 
straycatboat said:
What is the vvti that you talk about, it really seemed to help 0-60 times?
How about I swap out a 2008 motor/trans assembly and seel the ones I got?
Click to expand...
Might as well sell your 99 and get a newer LC...
 
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