2017 HILUX ARE YOU HAPPY WITH ENG POWER ?.

[Dangermouse]

Hi all, I have a new 2017 Lux with a couple of K on it, running 265/70/17s,alloy tray and ARB steel bar,Steinbeur Chip.very little if any weight in the tray.
I tow a Trailer approx 1.3 tonnes 5 days a week, first impressions 'around suburbia' pulls the load quite well. BUT....
Took it on a motorway and was dissapointed with lack of pull up a hill I was very surprised as around town it pulls the load quite well but put a hill in front of it and it seems to hit a wall.[?].
I had intended to add 140L fuel tank/2nd batt/under tray tool boxes +tools, and usually on a camp trip we would have extra water/trail bikes etc. so essentially quite a bit more weight.
Now i am worried that Ill be reaching for 3d gear on the motorway which I didnt expect from this ute.
Any feedback appreciated.Cheers DM.

[Gipsy]

Auto or manual? It is a diesel, they have gears for a reason. If you try to climb hills in 5th or 6th you are labouring the engine. Turbos do need some revs to get the maximum power out. Are you sure your trailer is 1.3tonne?

[Andyfive]

Hi all, I have a new 2017 Lux with a couple of K on it, running 265/70/17s,alloy tray and ARB steel bar,Steinbeur Chip.very little if any weight in the tray.
I tow a Trailer approx 1.3 tonnes 5 days a week, first impressions 'around suburbia' pulls the load quite well. BUT....
Took it on a motorway and was dissapointed with lack of pull up a hill I was very surprised as around town it pulls the load quite well but put a hill in front of it and it seems to hit a wall.[?].
I had intended to add 140L fuel tank/2nd batt/under tray tool boxes +tools, and usually on a camp trip we would have extra water/trail bikes etc. so essentially quite a bit more weight.
Now i am worried that Ill be reaching for 3d gear on the motorway which I didnt expect from this ute.
Any feedback appreciated.Cheers DM.

I think you need to reset your expectations. I guess you weigh about 100kg, put a 65kg backpack on and see how you can run up hills.

[Dangermouse]

Can I ask for serious replies please.

Yes manual 6sp.If I am licenced to drive HR trucks I am pretty confident on how to manage 6sp.[and yes if you read the post I am talking about 4th gear struggling to pull up up a motorway hill.

Yes confident of weights .

And I think 1.3- 1.5T of weight would be a reasonable amount for for this vehicle to cope with competantly.

My point of this post was the fact that the vehicle seems to really 'hit a wall' on inclines and I was hoping for some feedback from peolple with similar utes/loads.

If you read the post it says the Lux pulls loads quite well but inclines really pull it up.

[Gipsy]

OK I thought I was being serious... I also have HR license so I do know how to shift gears!

I agree with andyfive, reset your expectations or buy a bigger fourby.

Well I guess 2 posts says it all. Have you looked at the gear ratio in 4th? Somewhere around 1:1

[HK1837]

2.8L ain't much engine, especially in a 4cyl diesel. Join the queue of those crying out for a decent engine in this class of vehicle. So far they are all going backwards!

[Gipsy]

Hk1837 you would know the gear ratios?

I would also argue this makes the case for an auto if you want to tow, just like the newer trucks, auto because the torque converter is a multiplier and gives the ideal power delivery.

[HK1837]

Won't 4th be 1:1? But it will be made a few % taller than standard by the use of taller tyres.

[Gipsy]

So towing in manual 4th @ 1:1 is basically driving a truck uphill in top gear?

[Dangermouse]

Gipsy, are you serious '2 posts says it all'. Fair dinkum mate.you are still missing the point.

I have recently owned a 79 series which also has its pros/cons, I am simply asking for feedback from people with similar rigs to see how they're rigs are performing.

PS:also have had a late model Ranger and got rid of it because of major auto problems, and have driven a Late model auto Hilux and found the gear selection to be less than average.so decided on the manual.

Cheers.

[Gipsy]

OK got your point. Still looking for the perfect vehicle then?

[Plumb Perfect]

Hey mate,

Although it has 450nm of torque (or less for the manual not sure) which would definitely be sufficient for what your towing I dare say that it’s the power which is I think “only” 130kw. Yes I know torque is pulling power but still maybe it’s just not that quick/powerful to begin with.

I could be wrong but the reason I say is I have a TRD Hilux (the real one) which also has 453nm but with 225kw and It definitely feels that it could out accelerate any ute on a hill towing no problem if I wanted it to.

Just food for thought as a comparison. I have never driven the new hilux so I’m just going of your description of what you feel.

I know one of you boys have a supercharged v6 here and would probably agree with me. You’ve got a fair bit more power and torque too I think.
That’s my guess anyway

[NebulaLux5]

Sgarn Dangermouse! I have never towed anything above half a tonne in my you beaut Lux but I do have a mate at work who owns a petrol 150 series Landcruiser Prado (two different cars entirely I know) and he tows heavy loads most weekends. He's got an ARB bar, roof racks, awning and that's all. He goes out all over the place and says his car becomes super sluggish going up hills. On the motorway he has no issues in the world besides big wind gusts. It's more or less a manufacturing thing. Toyota says "yes you can tow this much but in exchange for heavy loads you will suffer slower speeds up hills" and keep in mind the HiLux is a 2.8L in line 4 turbo diesel motor. Ford, Mitsu, Nissan, Isuzu etc would all say the same thing when towing heavy loads up a hill even if it is an incline. Yes I've read every comment and yes I understand you have your HR license but you are increasing the load on the engine when trailers become heavier


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[HK1837]

Mine has about 250kw (flywheel) and climbing when it hits the rev limiter, and 600nm peak at the back wheels (over 500nm for the whole useable rev range). BUT towing 1500-2000kg at highway speeds (100-120kph) it always wants to use 3rd gear up hills if I want it to maintain the same speed (4th is 1:1 in the A750F 5spd auto).
Remember you are trying to pull around 3.5 tonnes up an incline with a tiny little 4cyl diesel. These little diesels might have seemingly impressive peak power and torque, in reality the actual curves will tell you they are not conducive to this sort of towing, especially in a manual version. They are usually far better suited for towing with multi speed auto transmissions.
In short i’d say what you have is capable of doing what you ask, but not ideal for it. Something like a 100 or 200 Series would do it far easier, or buy the same thing with a V6 in it and get a Supercharger fitted and it’ll do what you want with ease.

[Plumb Perfect]

Your right and I alsoI think that all the marketing and ads for all makes of mid size 4WD utes showing them towing excavators,bobcats and caravans flying through dirt roads with big “3500kg towing” text slapped all over the image is maybe a little deceiving. Towing large loads and going up inclines or travelling at speeds above 100km/h or even both is pretty serious stuff. It’s great that they even manage to do it.

In short, I think your ute is probably doing the job well enough maybe just not as easily as you were told and maybe we are just asking a bit a too much from them at times.

I’m pretty sure all the utes will feel pretty similar

[ktm300]

Gipsy, are you serious '2 posts says it all'. Fair dinkum mate.you are still missing the point.

I have recently owned a 79 series which also has its pros/cons, I am simply asking for feedback from people with similar rigs to see how they're rigs are performing.

PS:also have had a late model Ranger and got rid of it because of major auto problems, and have driven a Late model auto Hilux and found the gear selection to be less than average.so decided on the manual.

Cheers.

Sounds like you have to much money .

[Dangermouse]

Thanks all, all points taken.

Also I think the Steinbaeur limits power output under load [pulling trailer up long hill] IE:excessive temp etc so limiting power] perhaps this is a factor in the 'hitting a wall 'feeling that I have described.

No I didnt expect this little motor to pull like a 200 series but just thought it would pull a little better.

Thank again for feedback.

[Gipsy]

Yep if that's what the steinbauer is doing its saving your engine from a big explosion and your wallet from huge expense!

Have a look at the torque curves for your engine and try to meet the sweet spot (maximum torque) revs by selecting the appropriate gear. Somewhere around 3000rpm to 3700rpm is that sweet spot, and you do that by selecting the right gear to give you those revs. 5th and 6th are overdrive gears and used for on the flat, top speed and fuel economy. You won't do your engine any favours by slugging up hills at low revs. As others have said... Torque is pulling power, so you need to optimise the max torque via gear selection and revs.

By the way, I recently watched a Dodge RAM with 3.5 tonne caravan attached overtake me up the Mooney Mooney hills (is this the one you mean?) And he was downshifting and reving the tits off his 6.7 litre engine!

Dodge RAM With 1,084Nm Max Torque and 6,942KG Max Braked Towing, sounds the go! F250 not much better than the cruisers.

No hard feelings, hope we have helped you.

[nickoslux]

Dangermouse
I have a Steinbauer on mine (2016) but is auto. I was very disappointed with the power when standard. Also the auto sucks the life out of the engine it is dimwitted and seldom locks up which is why they tell you to tow in 4th cause it is constantly slipping and will overheat the auto. Next mod is an auto lock up kit.
Did you get the steinbauer dynoed cause they need to be tuned at 20-25% increase.
The only other difference with mine is a freer flow air filter.
Mine made 80 rwkw standard and 101 with the chip which is pretty lame
I tow a 5.2m boat which I think is around 1.4t and it pulls it pretty well we take it through some pretty hilly roads and can pull it at 110-120 all day. The chip will taper off under full acceleration after about 9 seconds to stop too much heat build up which may explain the power drop you are having
BTW there are one or two armchair eggspurts on here who like to comment on everything and anything


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[Andyfive]

Dangermouse
BTW there are one or two armchair eggspurts on here who like to comment on everything and anything
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That made me laugh. It's pretty obvious, it's a forum on the internet....