Decisions

"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
05/25/2020 at 12:00 • Filed to: None

Going camping Wed-Saturday and I can’t decide which one to take. The place is 4+ hours away over hill and dale. Once we get there its going to be dirt roads ands trails. Both will happily handy the trails.

GX470

PROS:

Tows the trailer like champ

Quieter

More comfortable both on the road and trail

More stable and confident towing

CONS:

Not as cool

Needs things before the trip...which might be hard.

New tires (ones I have are in dry rot and cupped)

New battery...the one I bought to replace the old one leaked all over and stripped paint like crazy on the inside of the bay.

New driveshaft u-joints. Pretty sure the clicking I have is bad u-joints.

Nothing is attached. I would want to move over my awning and fridge which requires some effort.

Land Cruiser 80

PROS:

Its the family adventure machine

Its ready to go with awning, fridge, tools, gear etc.

Much cooler

Has a CB, which will allow me to contact a friend also going to the same place but not together.

CONS:

Hates towing the trailer. It gets on just fine but it’ s much less stable and works much harder. Where I would go 80 in the GX no problem (on 80 mph roads) I would go 75 in the cruiser.

Less comfortable on the trails and road. A little bouncier and a lot noisier.

Maybe more prone to breakdown? Its twice the miles of the Lexus, even though everything is pretty up to date.

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Gas mileage is about the same for both, with the caveat that the GX needs premium towing in the heat, where the cruiser don’t care.

Which would you take?

(Trailer is a 19 foot popup trailer that weighs about 3300 lbs fully laden. Both vehicles have electric brake controllers)

DISCUSSION (23)

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > HammerheadFistpunch
05/25/2020 at 12:04

Cruiser so there isn’t stress fixing the GX in one day.

HammerheadFistpunch > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
05/25/2020 at 12:06

Thats where Im at right now. If I can’t find the U-joints and get the tires in Im sure I can find a battery. I COULD run it right now as is, but I’d rather not.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > HammerheadFistpunch
05/25/2020 at 12:12

The tires don’t bother me as much as the U joints. One of those breaks and that’s not a good day.

interstate366, now In The Industry > HammerheadFistpunch
05/25/2020 at 12:23

Sounds like the 80 is a safer bet overall.

Captain of the Enterprise > HammerheadFistpunch
05/25/2020 at 12:35

I’d take the land cruiser since it’s good to go unless you can fix the Lexus by then. The discomfort and slower towing I think is better than the risk of breaking down. I heard about someone who got a flat with no spare and it took over 4 hours to get roadside assistance yesterday. Which could be a fluke but if I had a vehicle with less known problems I’d take that one.

Sovande > HammerheadFistpunch
05/25/2020 at 12:39

Slow down and take the Cruiser if the other truck isn’t ready to go. People who tow at 80 are bonkers. Aren’t trailer tires rated for 65mph?

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > HammerheadFistpunch
05/25/2020 at 12:39

Normally I would be inclined to get the maintenance work done and take the Lexus. However you said you’re going on Wednesday... that leaves you only 1.5 days to get EVERYTHING done. And if you run into something unexpected, Wednesday might arrive without it being ready.

So for this instance, I say take the Land Cruiser. For the next camping trip, get all the maintenance and repair work done 2 weeks in advance on the Lexus and then take that vehicle.

Also, did you install radial tires on your trailer to handle higher tow speeds?

If you have the typical el cheapo trailer tires, you shouldn’t be going any faster than 65.

Note that the faster you go when trailer towing, the less stable things get. You might feel like things are fine... but you won’t truly know that until you have to make an emergency maneuver.

HammerheadFistpunch > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
05/25/2020 at 12:47

Yes, I installed radials on the trailer and dumped the crappy bias ply. Never looked back. They say it’s less stable with radials but they are wrong. Its much better. I try not to tow at 80 but on I15 its hard not to.

HammerheadFistpunch > Sovande
05/25/2020 at 12:51

remembering that in the US trailers are built differently and can handle the speeds safely if properly setup. We have drawbar weights of 10-15% instead of the 5-7% of other places. This means a higher dynamic stability limit. My tires are rated for that speed and even though this trailer is balanced poorly, out on the open part of I15 towing at 80 mph is no big thing.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Sovande
05/25/2020 at 12:53

It's Utah, where drivers run you off the road for not going 85 everywhere

HammerheadFistpunch > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
05/25/2020 at 13:24

pretty much. In some places faster is certainly safer than slower.

Sovande > HammerheadFistpunch
05/25/2020 at 13:31

Yes, the US rates trailers differently than the others , I get that. I also understand you have L rated tires or something so your speeds fall insi de the safe speed, it’s just not how I would interpret the speed rating of a tire. The speed rating of a tire is not a suggested rate of travel , its a rating stating the tire can go that fast - it’s just a test. The trailer itself is what is likely rated at 65mph, I’m not saying the thing will blow apart and everyone will die, I’m just saying. They rate it as such for a reason.

What kind of mpg do you get towing with the Cruiser? Does going 65 vs going 80 make any appreciable difference in miles per gallon or at that point is it the difference like 1 or 2 mpg?

I have been thinking about a small trailer to tow behind my El Camino and I can’t imagine the mileage dropp ing to 10 mpgs will bother me since it only gets 11 by itself.

fintail > HammerheadFistpunch
05/25/2020 at 13:54

LC, cooler, more sorted, and you said it has a CB? Sold

HammerheadFistpunch > Sovande
05/25/2020 at 14:37

So these are M rated (81 mph) and load rated to 1710 per tire. I’m below both of those as I only have 1500 lbs per tire and never really exceed 80. Every time I stop I always check my pressures and tire sidewall temps. No issues so far and pressure growth is well within limits.

As far as mpg I usually get 11-12 in the cruiser towing and about 12-13 in the GX. Given that I get 12-13 average in the cruiser anyway, its not a big deal.

Sovande > HammerheadFistpunch
05/25/2020 at 15:22

My parents used to have a 1995 they bought new. I remember that 12-13 all too well.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > HammerheadFistpunch
05/25/2020 at 15:51

I don’t see how radials would ever make a trailer less stable. Sounds like some BS someone in the RV industry made up.

T he fact you have a pop-up camper helps the stability in that it has a lower center of gravity and will be less affected by cross winds compared to a fixed-roof trailer.

HammerheadFistpunch > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
05/25/2020 at 16:20

yeah even in bad wind its not bad. The main problem is that loaded down, the cruiser squats and makes the front end a little lighter which wasn’t exactly on rails to begin with given the steering gear is 20 years old and has 315,000 miles on it. One day a rebuild will be in order.

DirtyDodge > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
05/25/2020 at 18:27

The one time i was driving on an 80mph road in utah my wife asked if i had to go that fast, as a semi past us i replied if we want to live yes we do

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > HammerheadFistpunch
05/26/2020 at 11:45

I assume you saw Rory’s new wheels/tires/suspension setup?

HammerheadFistpunch > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
05/26/2020 at 11:55

I haven’t. I assume he went full instagram.

bronze 6 spokes, with 33 inch BFG’s on OME BP51 or ICON stage 4 kit?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > HammerheadFistpunch
05/26/2020 at 12:04

LOL

Bronze EIGHT spokes, 33" BFGs and yeah, maybe ICONs? Did the work in his driveway, so there’s that.

HammerheadFistpunch > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
05/26/2020 at 12:20

That offset...yikes. I put my cruiser tire on my gx for funsies to see how it looked and it was obvious right out of the gate that the. 4.5 inch offset was not going to work with the fenders without a stupid tall lift...which appears is whats happened. The trouble with that is that your CV angles are now in the danger zone and your rear pinion angle is going to be strained. he would have been better off, from a performance perspective, with smaller tires on a smaller lift with stock offsets.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > HammerheadFistpunch
05/26/2020 at 12:33

Yeah, not great - wonder what his plans are for it. I’m pretty sure I’m just going to upsize 1" and stay at or near OEM height for a while when I finally wear the original set out (I’m still height-restricted at work, too).

He mentioned that he’s got some rubbing, so he’ll be trimming some, probably.