Why are torsion bars so vilified? And were Land Cruisers ever designed for recreational off-roading

[Arktikos]

I thought the ring and pinion was strengthened after the first few years.

98-99 are the only ones with the relatively weaker setup, I believe.

 

[Ozark_Prowler]

I thought the ring and pinion was strengthened after the first few years.

It's not quite clear if they updated the ring and pinion in 2000. My understanding is that the spider gears were strengthened, but the R&P is still undersized for a such a heavy vehicle.

 

[Awkragt]

It's not quite clear if they updated the ring and pinion in 2000. My understanding is that the spider gears were strengthened, but the R&P is still undersized for a such a heavy vehicle.

See the Slee 100 Series Guide, in 2000 they switch to a 4 pinion front diff from 2 pinion. Honestly torsion bars are slick for finishing a rig. Being able raise or lower incrementally after a lift or changing load conditions is great, plus durable is inline with the rest of the vehicle. I wanted our 98' 100 to sit level even after hooking up the trailer for example, so after messing with rear springs I was able to bring down the front a bit to match.

We passed through Uyuni, Bolivia a month ago and it's full of tour operators doing hundreds of miles of horrible washboard daily, full load of tourists, plus 100L of fuel on the roof. The split on the operators is probably 60% 100 series, 30% 80 series, 5% 200, and 5% nissan patrols. They actually import used 100s from the US and the Middle East so seeing some hood ornament 100s was pretty funny.

 

[Ozark_Prowler]

See the Slee 100 Series Guide, in 2000 they switch to a 4 pinion front diff from 2 pinion. Honestly torsion bars are slick for finishing a rig. Being able raise or lower incrementally after a lift or changing load conditions is great, plus durable is inline with the rest of the vehicle. I wanted our 98' 100 to sit level even after hooking up the trailer for example, so after messing with rear springs I was able to bring down the front a bit to match.

We passed through Uyuni, Bolivia a month ago and it's full of tour operators doing hundreds of miles of horrible washboard daily, full load of tourists, plus 100L of fuel on the roof. The split on the operators is probably 60% 100 series, 30% 80 series, 5% 200, and 5% nissan patrols. They actually import used 100s from the US and the Middle East so seeing some hood ornament 100s was pretty funny.

I know they changed the spider gears, but it's not clear if the ring and pinion was changed.

But I think the torsion bar set up was pretty close in durability to the old solid axle when left in stock or near-stock form.

 

[Arktikos]

See the Slee 100 Series Guide, in 2000 they switch to a 4 pinion front diff from 2 pinion. Honestly torsion bars are slick for finishing a rig. Being able raise or lower incrementally after a lift or changing load conditions is great, plus durable is inline with the rest of the vehicle. I wanted our 98' 100 to sit level even after hooking up the trailer for example, so after messing with rear springs I was able to bring down the front a bit to match.

We passed through Uyuni, Bolivia a month ago and it's full of tour operators doing hundreds of miles of horrible washboard daily, full load of tourists, plus 100L of fuel on the roof. The split on the operators is probably 60% 100 series, 30% 80 series, 5% 200, and 5% nissan patrols. They actually import used 100s from the US and the Middle East so seeing some hood ornament 100s was pretty funny.

What, no 60 series? I would imagine that the availability and price of those vehicles could be a significant factor in their relative use.