Toyota LC w/ T4R engine-would you buy?

mnofpeace

Member
Last edited:
Register to hide this ad
With a 6spd manual, it'd be pretty decent. I'd prefer a diesel, but the 4.0 is a good engine. I'd consider it if I were thinking about trading in my 4Runner.
 
F**k no. The engine is one of the worst parts of the 4Runner. I can't imagine adding an extra 1000 pounds to it. It would never make it up a Mtn pass.
 
F**k no. The engine is one of the worst parts of the 4Runner. I can't imagine adding an extra 1000 pounds to it. It would never make it up a Mtn pass.
Gearing. That's all you need.

Not everything needs 400+ horsepower to be "acceptable".
 
it needs more torque
the engine as it is, is tuned like shit imo. a 4.0 should get way better numbers.
 
it needs more torque

the engine as it is, is tuned like shit imo. a 4.0 should get way better numbers.
I never had much trouble going offroad with a 140Hp (barely) V6/5spd in a 3400lb truck back in the early 90s. Towed trailers, got around offroad, plowed through water, did everything I wanted and some I didn't (but survived). A gear swap made a HUGE difference and made it a whole new truck... until someone plowed into me, making it a pile of junk.

The current 4.0L 4Runner would be a different animal entirely if Toyota offered 4.10-4.30:1 gears from the factory. Does the tune need refinement? Not really, but it would help and some would appreciate it...as would tuning of the shift programming. But then, Toyota plays the long game on durability with these, not the performance game.
 
Yeah … no. If i had the choice b/w 4runner TRD PRO vs. LC with 4runner engine, i rather get TRD PRO. :) I don’t consider my LC all that fast with the current curb weight (around 5800 lbs). I can’t imagine putting in the current 4runner engine. Forget that sh!t.
 
I'm assuming you live at sea level.



It's a totally different vehicle at altitude.
Currently? Yes. Always? No.

You seem to think my opinion isn't valid because I don't currently live where you live, however I've had vehicles from 60Hp to just under 1000Hp and lived all over the US, including Hawaii.


Again, gearing makes a huge difference.
 
Last edited:
I think the problem with a watered down 200 is NOT ANY ONE part. It is the WHOLE.

See, the V gen is very much a modern 80 series equivalent: it fulfils exactly the same purpose. I don't want to hear solid FA because the 80 had laughable front wheel travel anyway and IFS is way better outside very big rocks. I know some purists will be all in arms about this, but a V gen is the 80 series successor, functionally.

With a suspension upgrade, I already have a vehicle that I can use for everything I care: remote camping, moving faster in the desert than any daily driven vehicle but the rarely seen Raptor, and crawling up and down trails like Fins and Things or Elephant Hill with no drama at all. I don't need to drive Pritchett Canyon and deal with a dedicated rock crawler that happens to be kinda street legal. I don't have anything on the roof or aftermarket bumpers or a winch.

So what exactly would a stripped-down LC 200 accomplish that my 4R cannot? It may be built around a 25 year service life but there are plenty of 25 year old 4Runners around as well.

From all I know, the LC remains the KING in Australia. That's where you need diesel, enormous carrying capacity, and all the room you can possibly get. Here, people love to build expedition rigs because it is fun and they look great but the reality is that while you can use one, you don't need one to get anywhere in the lower 48. In OZ, you absolutely need one or a Patrol to go backcountry in many areas.
 
F**k no. The engine is one of the worst parts of the 4Runner. I can't imagine adding an extra 1000 pounds to it. It would never make it up a Mtn pass.
Really? A nearly indestructible engine is one of the worst parts of the 4Runner? I had a 1988 with a 22R-E that wouldn't break, either, and was waaaaayy slower. Also had a 2001 that was as durable and not fast, either. In each case, I would call the engine one of the BEST parts of each version. It doesn't need to be a Corvette going up mountain passes. It simply needs to get me there. If you need fast, buy fast. Toyota's forte in their trucks is durability.
 
Last edited:
Really? A nearly indestructible engine is one of the worst parts of the 4Runner? I had a 1988 with a 22R-E that wouldn't break, either, and was waaaaayy slower. Also had a 2001 that was as durable and not fast, either. In each case, I would call the engine one of the BEST parts of each version. It doesn't need to be a Corvette going up mountain passes. It simply needs to get me there. If you need fast, buy fast. Toyota's forte in their trucks is durability.

Yes, this. Toyota engines are legend
 
The engine is my least favorite part of my 4runner.

The LC has a ton of little upgrades. Bigger axles, lots more suspension travel, better belly clearance. Much beefier steering. I like the tailgate.

But the engine isn't enough in the 4runner. It'd be even worse in the LC. I guess I could always supercharger it. But why not just go with the 5.7?

Now a stripped down model with a 4.6? I could get on board with that.

FWIW the LC 200 GX starts around $43k with the 4.0l. supposedly the lc300 will get a base option 4.0 too, so the 1gr will carry on for another generation in the poverty pack models. For places where top speed is 45mph, the 4.0 will do just fine. It's just not good for American highway speeds.
 
It's not the durability of the engine, its the power delivery. They would need to get the torque curve of the 4.0 down to making good torque around 2000 rpm. As it is now, it reminds me of a peaky two stroke motorcycle engine. even the 4.6 in the gX is horrible. The old 4.7 was a much nicer driving experience. That can be helped some with gearing, but still needs to be addressed in the engine compartment. Turbo could help, but cause other problems.
 
No way I'd put the 4.0 in a LC. It would tie a VW bus for slowest vehicle ever made.

I am a committed 5th gen guy. But the power level is a major issue in daily driving.

I also have a 2019 Tundra. My wife hates the seats in it. However she prefers it for longer road trips because I can blip the throttle and pass people. With the 4runner it takes minutes to get around people.

So yeah...count me out on this idea.
 
FWIW - the specs on the GRJ200 with the 4.0:

0-62mph is 11 seconds, rated at 17mpg, base curb weigh is 5290lbs, roughly 500lbs more than the 4750 base weight of a 4Runner.

The GRJ300 - yes, still using the 4.0L into the next gen LC300 - has a curb weight of 5093lbs. Getting closer to the 4Runner weight. Size is very similar to the 4Runner. It comes with a 6AT, but I don't know which one. It'll still be slow AF.

But for roughly the same price as a TRD OR - you get much bigger heavier duty running gear and more suspension travel stock than a long travel aftermarket 4R setup. I don't think it even comes with any head unit. Like no radio installed at all. Just two speakers and pre-wired if you wanted to put one in.
 
Some of you don't know what slow is. My 1988 4Runner with the 22R-E did 0-60 in what, 15 seconds or something similar? Never broke, though, and would cruise all day at 90mph. 1982 Corolla, 1984 Celica and 1984 Supra, 1979 Corolla, 2002 Prizm (Corolla), 2001 4Runner, 1987 Tercel wagon, etc. An LC with the 4.0 would outrun all of those. But then, all of those were longevity vehicles, none of them was built for speed, save the Supra. And my 2019 TRDOR would best the Supra to 60 by 1.2 seconds today. Just my perspective. I don't need quick acceleration - my vehicles spend less than 1% of their lives accelerating. So I'm someone who can live with that.
 

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
278,317
Messages
3,554,129
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Trending content

Back
Top