The era of the 100 is here.
- Thread starter Pskhaat
- Start date
Cruiser99 said:
Cruiser99
what kind of "real world" gas mileage are you getting with these upgrades (tires, racks,...)? I test drove a 80 series this morning, and I loved it, but then I remember the 10 mpg I was getting with my 93 around San Francisco....
thanks
spressomon
Expedition Leader
With my heavily laden '99 100 (4.88's, 315 MT/R, Slee & TJM bumpers, AO drawers plus all the gear, fridge/freeze, etc.) I get 13.5 to 14mpg consistently in and around Reno (highway + city combined). Not bad IMO considering its a 6,500+lb rig that is about as aero as a brick and rolling on MT/R's adds a fair amount of resistence and at 4,500' and up. Pulling my Horizon trailer drops it to 12 to 12.5mpg unless big hills or big headwinds are involved...
Stock with stock Michelins, before all the additions, I would typically get 15-18mpg.
Hope that helps.
Stock with stock Michelins, before all the additions, I would typically get 15-18mpg.
Hope that helps.
charlieaarons
Explorer
12-13.5 mpg? That's not so great. My camping rig weighs 27,000 lb full of fuel, water and gear and is 11'3" tall and 7'8" wide and gets 9mpg @ 60 mph. In terms of mpg/ton thats about 2.7 times better.
I think some of you guys spend a lot of bucks on your Landcruisers. Those of you that plan on keeping them ought to think about diesel conversions, either 1HZ, 1HD-T, D4D or Cummins 4BT. Fuel isn't getting cheaper and 12.5 mpg@$3.50/gal = $28,000 over 100,000 miles. Cut that in half and you pay for a diesel professionally done with a lot of change.
Charlie
I think some of you guys spend a lot of bucks on your Landcruisers. Those of you that plan on keeping them ought to think about diesel conversions, either 1HZ, 1HD-T, D4D or Cummins 4BT. Fuel isn't getting cheaper and 12.5 mpg@$3.50/gal = $28,000 over 100,000 miles. Cut that in half and you pay for a diesel professionally done with a lot of change.
Charlie
Last edited:
spressomon
Expedition Leader
charlieaarons said:
But you can't take your camping rig where I can take my hundy...
A diesel conversion makes more sense IMO on a 60 or maybe an early 80 series. However with the more complex electronics on the 100's I would be concerned about finding someone to work on it if I needed to...assuming you could get it to pass smog where applicable.
charlieaarons
Explorer
spressomon said:But you can't take your camping rig where I can take my hundy...
I'm not sure you'd want to bet me on that. If I knew what a "hundy" was.
Charlie
spressomon
Expedition Leader
charlieaarons said:spressomon said:But you can't take your camping rig where I can take my hundy...
I'm not sure you'd want to bet me on that. If I knew what a "hundy" was.
Charlie
hundy = 100 Series Landcruiser
Over 7' wide and 11' tall...gotta be a long'n too...I'd imagine your set for milder terrain...but surprise me :safari-rig:
Dirty Harry
Adventurer
charlieaarons said:
Charlie your Unicat could probably crush everything in its path on Nevada trails, but it would not be pretty. As the pinstriping on spressomon's 100 Series can attest, many of the trails are overgrown with vegetation or are old mining roads that are barely wide enough for even a Jeep.
charlieaarons
Explorer
Yes yes of course I know size inhibits access to narrow places especially in forested terrain. But seriously (since this is an expedition truck forum) there is a concept in Third World driving called "most common truck". For example in Russia it would be a big Kamaz or Ural; in China a Dong Feng 2.5 or 5 tonner; etc. The ruts and obstacles on dirt roads never get quite bad enough to stop the MCT because if they do the road is fixed. But they can get quite bad when you're driving something the size of a Landcruiser, as competent as we all know they are. Since a Unimog falls in the larger size category, it gets through whatever the MCT does (though some of those Russian trucks are pretty humoungous I'll admit). So the answer is it depends: sometimes a little but competent 4WD gets through the best and sometimes the big one is better.
My problem up here is that there isn't exactly a big population of Unimogs to offroad with except the Germans visiting in the summer. I figure it would take about 4 good Landcruisers (good tires, lockers) to get me unstuck if I got good and bogged. So I've starting carrying 4X5' steel landing mats, a 4X4X4' 8 ton air bag, the 2 winches, 2 Pullpal anchors, etc.
But the desert is generally no problem for the Unimog; the biggest issue is bottomless mud like the "dry" lake I spent 3 days in, in Baja. And there's lots of swamps where I live. People build "tundra buggies" with stripped 1 ton chassis with lockers, 6.17s, plywood cabs and 44"s. I guess I should look into some 24R21s like the ones on tank transporters.
Charlie
My problem up here is that there isn't exactly a big population of Unimogs to offroad with except the Germans visiting in the summer. I figure it would take about 4 good Landcruisers (good tires, lockers) to get me unstuck if I got good and bogged. So I've starting carrying 4X5' steel landing mats, a 4X4X4' 8 ton air bag, the 2 winches, 2 Pullpal anchors, etc.
But the desert is generally no problem for the Unimog; the biggest issue is bottomless mud like the "dry" lake I spent 3 days in, in Baja. And there's lots of swamps where I live. People build "tundra buggies" with stripped 1 ton chassis with lockers, 6.17s, plywood cabs and 44"s. I guess I should look into some 24R21s like the ones on tank transporters.
Charlie
Dirty Harry
Adventurer
Time for a rollagon Charlie. :luxhello: