ZD30 upgrade options

[Brock200]

I know this has probably been covered a lot. Recently i purchased a custom plate boat that has left me wanting more power from my navara especially when towing. Towing it from townsville to cardwell i was getting about 14.5L/100km when i normally average about 10.5-11L. It struggles in 4th gear to accelerate and on the steep incline on the cardwell range im having to rev hard in 3rd to get up. I considered selling the navara and looking into the STX550 but the debt from the boat turned me off looking at a 40-50k car just for more power, plus i like how ive got the car setup now with solar etc.

Currently i have:
2 3/4" beudesert exhaust
modified airbox to fit K&N filter
Safari Snorkel
EGR/swirl mod

ive looked into chips but after reading rumpigs remap thread im seriously considering that option as my old supervisor is handy with soldering (he does up pinball machines). Ive also looked at some of the forefront industries gear which might be worth spending money on - anyone got these fitted? Just wondering what other people have done, or what they can recommend to get a bit more power and possibly make fuel economy increase when towing my boat.

forefront turbo upgrade - $800
forefront intercooler (big version) - $850
Rumpig chip - $300?

What other options are there? Ive got about 150,000km on it at the moment and im mechanically minded so i do all my own work, which should bring down costs. I think its still got a bit of life left in it so maybe spending around 2k on it might yeild some good results. Welcome to all suggestions or even just some words of advice from your experience.

 

[tweak'e]

the towing sounds about right.

i would get the intercooler. its a must have. not just for airflow but egt reduction so the engine can survive.
then chip it. fuel is what gives power.

however your not going to get even remotely close to 550. thats a different ball park.

or trade it in for a 4.2 turbo patrol and fit one of the many turbo,IC,IP kits and you can get up to 550nm easy enough. the price ????

 

[Brock200]

Thanks for the reply tweake, yea the intercooler is up there as my next purchase for the vehicle. The forefront kit seems to be the most advertised, i cant seem to find many others but the reviews i have read in regards to that kit have been positive. At that price its almost a no brainer.

Yea im not expecting the get anywhere near the power of the 550, but if i can at the least increase the power so that i have a bit to play with when towing that would be ideal. At 150,000km i thought it might be about time to replace the turbo out of precaution so maybe ill do that one down the track, however the power increases from both turbo and intercooler seem like they will be negligible? but i spose if i go and chip it than they are essential modifications to get the most of the chip/remap.

to add to this topic what have people done when replacing the clutch? I think mines getting to a point where it needs replacing. Putting extra power into it might cause it to slip. Id give it a go myself but i think if i owned a hoist it might make the job a lot easier. Any suggestions on that side of modifications? what type, how much it cost, did you do it yourself? etc

 

[Rumpig]

Have you tested the neutral position switch, could be that to.

 

[Rumpig]

I paid someone else to do my clutch, $1800 supplied I think. 8 hrs they reckon and that's in a workshop with a hoist. Wouldn't want to do it in the driveway without one.

 

[tweak'e]

however the power increases from both turbo and intercooler seem like they will be negligible?

not a lot of gain power wise with the IC. tho many reports on better drive-ability.
however you really need it to ensure the infamous grenade engine can survive the extra fuel from chipping it.

turbo, i wouldn't change it. bigger one is more suited to those trying to push bigger power but comes at the expense of low down and lag. last thing you want when towing.
i would rather fit a VNT turbo to get more low down response.

the other is air intake. landcruiser box mod is good but IC pipes will get in the way.
i think the stock one is on the small side for the amount of air flow especially the way the inlet is.

 

[dilmah]

You can alway do water/meth injection to bring the EGT's down. I suggest the coolingmist kit

 

[Brock200]

wow $1800 for the clutch! Might have to hold off on that till i have my boat paid off.

yea not expecting much from IC upgrade or from the turbo (forefront) but those two combined with the chip or remap should at least iron out the weakness of the "grenade engine" as well as give me a power increase at the same time. After having decided not to upgrade to a newer navvy im going to drop a few dollars into mine to try and milk another 100k out of it at least.

Rumpig i got NPS unplugged, that was giving me grief a while back when i moved the gearstick around. What type/brand of clutch did you go?

 

[Rumpig]

Exceedy heavy duty from memory. Clutch was $800 I think, $1000 to fit it. We get ripped off in Darwin, might be cheaper elsewhere.

 

[Brock200]

territory tax hey. Hope you stocked up on your fireworks today rumpig!

 

[Robbo9]

I replaced my clutch last year, from memory it is a 4terrain? heavy duty. I got it from repco for about $800, and fitted it myself in my driveway. I did it on a set of wheel ramps. It was a bit of a P.I.T.A. but definately doable. The gearbox is nicely balanced and sat on my trolley jack pretty well even though my driveway is on a slight incline.

You need to remove the torsion bars to drop the box out, so if you're toying with the idea of a lift kit you should chuck it in at the same time.

 

[Jased22]

Have a look on ebay. Can get all the major brands hd clutches cheaper

 

[nuggetx1]

Get a tow ball for the 200.....?

Did you end up going for HD clutch or FF inter cooler kit? Make much difference? Considering same for mine.