What's better offroad, 80 series, or 100 series?

[arbetrader]

Sorry, I wasn't sure which section to post this question in, so as a previous 80 series owner, I thought I'd put it here. Also, I did try numerous searches, but couldn't find it. Feel free to redirect this to a different thread if it has the relevant information pertaining to my question.

I'm thinking about buying another 80 or 100 series, I liked my old 80 (locked of course) but am also considering a 100 series. On road ride quality isn't the most important thing to me as they both are quite good (100 I know a little better). What's more important is the off-road prowess of them. I do a lot of backcountry weekenders sometimes 100's of miles away from pavement.

Stock for stock, or equally lightly modified, ie. 33" tires, 2-3" lift, etc... Also, let's suppose the 100 has the factory rr diff lock, and the 80 series has both lockers, but is just using the rear.

What's more capable? Also, will the 80 really out-do the 100 on the front locker issue alone?

Your comments or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[lx450landcruiser]

here we go

 

[Lka1988]

Think about what section you're posting in...






















































80.

 

[d0ubledown]

80 for sure. locked solid front vs open ifs front. no contest dolla for dolla. that said, ive done lots with my front IFS (when it was open) that have had my solid axle buddies going

off topic: arbetrader name rings a bell....were you selling oem michelins a while back? i expressed some interest in them...but found a bigger alternative immediately after. sorry for leavin' ya hangin'...

back on topic: why do you want another 80? leave some for us wannabe 80 owners!

btw, did you happen to see that 98 locked 100 in buysell.com for 5800? i called and it was a wrong number...

 

[BooKilla]

the dream died in the US in 1997 with the last straight axle landcruiser....

....the difference is awesome between a 4 locked 80 and a rear locked 100. The locker in the front and the straight axle make a huge difference (if you are crawling).

 

[-Spike-]

More capable? Solid axle, hands down. You've never heard of someone swapping their solid axle for IFS. Whether you need the capability offered by the solid axle is another question.
Also, in my opinion, IFS is too complicated. The more complicated something is, the more likely something will go wrong. That's purely speculation on my part, I don't have any data to back it up in this particular case. I apply that theory to the 100 series in general (and the 80 vs. older vehicles, the compromise between comfort and complication is something you have to set), there's just too much computer control in that platform for me to be confident that I won't be stranded somewhere when something breaks that I can't fix or bypass.

Again, that's just my opinion, you'll hear exactly the opposite from someone else.

-Spike

 

[OGBeno]

Again, that's just my opinion, you'll hear exactly the opposite from someone else.

I think "you know who" is going to be in this thread like flies to s***.

 

[Lka1988]

I think "you know who" is going to be in this thread like flys to s***.

Shhh, don't attract him.....

 

[LandCruisers4Life]

All that said, the 100 series has ATRAC, and if you have ever seen ATRAC in action, you know it kicks ass and will compete and even win over a double locked 80 in certain situations. Too bad the 80's don't have ATRAC... wonder if it could be added?

 

[OGBeno]

All that said, the 100 series has ATRAC, and if you have ever seen ATRAC in action, you know it kicks ass and will compete and even win over a double locked 80 in certain situations. Too bad the 80's don't have ATRAC... wonder if it could be added?

I have yet to see this be the case in real life applications.

 

[FirstToy]

ATRAC/VSC would be a great addition, however you have to realize the 80 is fundamentally different than any post-1997 Toyota SUV.

There are also different levels of ATRAC. The first generation was very limiting.
ATRAC II is more aggressive and actually works very well. I think the FJCruiser has the latest version, which seems more aggressive than ATRAC II.

I think 1998-99 100 series don't have ATRAC, but a RR Locker instead. 00+ have ATRAC but no locker.

-However, ATRAC is not a locker. The reason it works so well w/ the FJC is because it is an IFS rig and needs it.

-Contact with the ground trumps technology. One could argue by the time an 80 needed ATRAC, it would not be effective and you would need to skip to the locker.
however, ATRAC would be great to have on an 80 (just another tool in the toolshed). It's a great design, essentially using the ABS brake system for other purposes than emergency braking- but I don't think it's possible or worth the effort.

-IFS is a compromise that favors on-road or high speed. Independent corners, low unsprung weight pays huge dividends in handling, comfort and speed
-SFA is a compromise that favors offroad and durability. Simplicity pays huge dividends in articulation, ironclad durability and offroad focused mods & repair

 

[Blue Phoenix]

Go with the beautiful simplicity of the 80...

 

[ginericLC]

I think a more reasonable comparison would be to go rear locked 80 versus rear locked 100. I've had both. And I even had a triple locked 80. All with 35s and OME lifts. I also wheeled both of my 80s in without front and rear lockers. Suspension travel can take you a long ways.

There are three places where a 100 will win over an 80: 1. Sand 2. Mud 3. High Speed Cross Country 2 track or improved road (and this gets real significant on a later model 100 with the ATRAC and VSC).

Even Mr. Shott's said, "While the 80-series SUV's seem to fit handily in most off-road situations, there is no doubt however it's size can be a limiting factor versus a smaller rig. " And looking at size, the 100 just gets bigger and has more drawbacks on a tight trail as the suspension does not flex much in the front making the 100 seem even bigger than the 80.

My 100 experience is not as great as my 80 experience in terms of miles driven, but already I know that the 100 is never going to crawl rocks like an 80. Where it will excel is in overland type expedition wheeling. The extra space becomes a real plus and the V8 power is awesome.

I'm getting 15 mpg uncorrected with my 99 100 with the 315s. And I have on all but the last tank which was heavy sand driving. My 80s never did that well except when in stock form.

On the highway, the 100 is a vast improvement. And unless you want to spend a lot of money don't drive the latest 100s they are superior to the early models in every way. I drove an 05 and a 99 back to back and the 99 was quite disappointing after driving the 05.

Really Terrain is what determines what is a better wheeler. Moab really is too easy as both excel in most of those types of terrain. I cannot imagine driving my 100 through Pritchett Canyon or Rusty Nail but I did both without much worry of damage in my 80. Rubicon, it is doable in a 100, but it won't be a relaxing ride. Personally I couldn't do it in my 100 at all, but in my 80 I was pretty relaxed. If your trails are wide open or you are doing a lot of high speed cross country travel the 100 is probably the rig for you. But if you want to play in the rocks, it probably is not the Cruiser you want.

I'll never get a chance to drive one but I'm very curious as to how the 200 series handles. I think the front suspension is a better design than the 100. Really I think the FJ Cruiser/Taco/4Runner front suspension is a better design over the 100 too. I've thought about a solid axle swap for the 100 but it is very expensive. What I wonder now is how reasonable it would be to put coils or a coilover suspension on the 100 and stay IFS.

A perfect world would net a 100 for the long range travels that would morph into a 40 series sized rock crawler when you got to technical rock sections and back again for the ride home.

 

[arbetrader]

80 for sure. locked solid front vs open ifs front. no contest dolla for dolla. that said, ive done lots with my front IFS (when it was open) that have had my solid axle buddies going

off topic: arbetrader name rings a bell....were you selling oem michelins a while back? i expressed some interest in them...but found a bigger alternative immediately after. sorry for leavin' ya hangin'...

back on topic: why do you want another 80? leave some for us wannabe 80 owners!

btw, did you happen to see that 98 locked 100 in buysell.com for 5800? i called and it was a wrong number...

Yup, that was me, I sold them to a really nice guy, can't remember if he was on this board or not.

Anyways, thanks for all the info guys, that's what I thought, I had my 80 through some pretty tight rocky terrain, and I couldn't believe what it ate up, in pretty much stock form, just 285's and triple locked.

My only quibble, and it's a big one, is that a good friend of mine has a 96 80 series, and was doing some gravel road driving off the coquihalla last spring, hit some light washboard around and corner, lost control, and it sent him sailing down a 40 foot ravine (he was fully loaded at the time, coming back from a fishing trip, I met him up there, but he was alone)...

He climbed out, crawled up the ravine, and flagged down a hunter in a 40 series, and he winched him out. NO damage at all to his 80 (lots of snow down the ravine).

Very scary, I attribute it to him not being used to solid axle suspension front and back. He just got his cruiser as well. I truly believe that if this had been irs and ifs, or at least just ifs, the outcome would have been different.

 

[jditom]

I have both but soon to sell the 100 and always keep my 80 for the trails. The 100 is better as a DD if that is what your are going to do 95% of the time. So as a DD I got a GX (pink panties for sure) and selling the 100.

 

[landtank]

My only quibble, and it's a big one, is that a good friend of mine has a 96 80 series, and was doing some gravel road driving off the coquihalla last spring, hit some light washboard around and corner, lost control, and it sent him sailing down a 40 foot ravine (he was fully loaded at the time, coming back from a fishing trip, I met him up there, but he was alone)...

A lot goes into diagnosing something like this. Was the truck lifted and was it done correctly? How about worn suspension pieces? Was speed a factor in that the best of vehicles would have ended up the same way. Was he tired or distracted by something?

In any event he was driving beyond his ability or the truck's ability to stay on the road. This same thing can happen in any vehicle.

 

[FJ809496TLC]

This is a hard question.

 

[arbetrader]

A lot goes into diagnosing something like this. Was the truck lifted and was it done correctly? How about worn suspension pieces? Was speed a factor in that the best of vehicles would have ended up the same way. Was he tired or distracted by something?

In any event he was driving beyond his ability or the truck's ability to stay on the road. This same thing can happen in any vehicle.

That's definately true; but in any case, he's had over 20 years backroad driving experience, and he said he was going at a good clip, but he never had that experience in any of his previous trucks (last one was a 96 dodge cummins dually)

Also, I'm not sure of the condition of the suspension on his truck, it did have 150k miles on it, however it is the mintest, nicest cruiser I have ever seen, plus completely stock, only with 285's on it. Very well maintained, and never used offroad until he bought it.

 

[Beowulf]

What's more capable? Also, will the 80 really out-do the 100 on the front locker issue alone? Your comments or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Good points made above. Adding some new points that give the nod to the 80 over the 100.

Yes, the 80 would out-do the 100 on the front locker issue alone.

As of today, there is much better after-market support for the 80-Series; gears, bumpers, sliders, expedition gear, and other off-roading accessories.

You can lift an 80-Series easily. 3", 4", up to 6" lifts off-the-shelf with all the suspension gear to do it right (DC shafts, adj arms, brackets, brake lines, etc.)

You can fit 35" tyres on an 80 relatively easily. 37's for something more agressive and a few are going larger. I might be wrong but it seems that 33" tyres is about the limit on the 100-Series.

Gearing to 5.29 if you want it. Beginning to see early stages of crawler boxes and similar add-ons for the 80-Series.

The 100-Series is wider, longer, and heavier than an 80.

I hope this doesn't cause a big argument but the members in the 80-Section here on 'Mud have done a lot better job documenting mods, performance upgrades (turbos & superchargers) along with dozens ( hundreds ?) of other modifications and custom builds. We have a way to go to achieve the creativity of the 40-Series section but it will take 5 or 10 years for the 100-Section to catch up with the quality of posts and the FAQ in the 80-Section. (Sorry eric)

Now if you are looking for something for the wife to drive to the mall then the 100 is perfect. I will have one some day and probably love it.

-B-

 

[GXO]

I am selling my 100 soon and getting a car. The Cado stays forever.