Even more power for beefy V*
Does a Land Cruiser need more power? A South African mechanic believes so. Their modification to the V8 diesel takes this Model 76 Station Wagon to an impressive 151 kW with unbelievable torque.
The three Land Cruiser 70 Series models – the 76 Station Wagon, the 79 Single Cab and the 79 Double Cab – all now run this powerplant that delivers an impressive 151 kW of power at 3400 rpm and 430 Nm of torque from as low as 1 200 rpm that is held all the way to 3 200 rpm.
Steves Auto Clinic in Gauteng have been at the forefront of power enhancing on Toyota products for years and it made perfect sense to tackle the new 4.5 litre V8 turbodiesel Land Cruiser 70 Series to see what could be gained.
To start the process the team at the dedicated R&D Centre at Steves Auto Clinic sent the Land Cruiser for before road testing and the data confirmed the V8 turbodiesel’s design specifications. But it also showed that the car’s weight takes its toll.
Once back at the R&D Centre, the Steves Auto Clinic team opted to fit their tried and tested UniChip U-Connect Plug and Play unit. This system comes as a stand-alone product, complete with a wiring harness that plugs directly into the Land Cruiser’s OEM ECU and can be plugged in or unplugged as the driver demands. The unit cost about R7000. Performance is improved by around 25%.
