Toyota FJ Cruiser

[Helevitia]

I bought one. Yay me! I sold my 2002 Dodge Ram which had 94000 miles on it. Probably more because of the lift and bigger tires. I loved that truck but the gas was killing me! I paid $600 for gas in May! WTF! That is just too crazy for me. So I sold it and bought my first non-american car. I've had other non-american cars but they were purchased for me. Anyway, I got the Black Cherry. It's really comfy and you can wheel like a mofo in it! Now i just need to get out and do some wheelin'. You can also go into 27.5 inches(70cm) of water without worrying about flooding the engine I'll take pics later and post 'em up. Here is a sample pic.

[GT98]

How much better is the the MPG in this vs the Ram?

[Dr Mordrid]

~16-24 mpg, depending on the setup. Dunno what Helevitia was getting on the RAM.

Watch out for warped disc rotors ~20-25 kmiles. I know several Toyota owners that have had that happen.

Dr. Mordrid

[Helevitia]

How much better is the the MPG in this vs the Ram?

Ram = 10-11mpg
FJ Cruiser = 17-21mpg

[Helevitia]

~16-24 mpg, depending on the setup. Dunno what Helevitia was getting on the RAM.

Watch out for warped disc rotors ~20-25 kmiles. I know several Toyota owners that have had that happen.

Dr. Mordrid

I had that problem with my Ram. I had to have them replaced twice.

[Dr Mordrid]

Rotor warping isn't usually a problem with the rotors but with the pads. I use good quality ceramic pads to prevent this. You might want to check & see if the Toyota came with them.

'Normal" pads, even metallics, retain tons of heat in heavy use (hard stops etc.) and pass it back/forth to the rotor. When you stop this continues where the pads are, but the rest of the rotor (which is exposed to air) cools relatively quickly, sometimes warping the rotor as a result of the uneven cooling.

Good ceramics don't retain enough heat for this to happen.

Ceramics aren't 100% ceramic but are a composite material; good ones also contain elevated amounts of copper fibers that help wick heat away from that portion of the rotor when stopped, further enhancing rotor cooling.

They also go a long ways toward eliminating brake fade and, unless you're a brake-rider, last longer.

Dr. Mordrid

[KvHagedorn]

Nice looking truck, Dave.

I have heard that sometimes rotors will warp if you wash the car immediately after driving awhile.. cold water hitting a hot plate.

[Dr Mordrid]

Sort of true because in that case the pad/caliper blocks part of the rotor from getting sprayed, again causing uneven cooling. In real life it's only a problem if the brakes are allowed to get very hot then sprayed. Otherwise every rotor would warp in the rain or in a car wash. Obviously they don't.

Dr. Mordrid

[Helevitia]

Thanks KvH

Doc, I agree it is the pads. I had the stock Dodge pads for 50,000 miles before I had to replace them. My local mechanic tried Bendix(sp?) and they warped the rotors after 4000 miles. We tried them again, same problem. We switched to Reybestos and didn't see any problems so far, but now I'll never know since I sold the truck

[Dr Mordrid]

Bendix auto doesn't exist as a manufacturer anymore.

Once it was a good brand, mainly when it was part of GM, but now it's just a sticker for whoever Honeywell bids out its brake OEM's to. As such it's usually crap. The only 'real Bendix products' today are Honeywell designed electronics, hydraulics/pneumatics and digital-embedded cockpits.

Raybestos is 95%

Dr. Mordrid

[Elie]

Congrats on your purchase, I really like the new FJ Cruisers!!

Regarding rotors, I also had warping issues with my acura, now I switched to Brembo cross drilled rotors with metal master break pads, hopefully that will provide more cooling to prevent warping.

The combination really kicks!

[ALBPM]

And for all your Toyota questions:

http://www.yotatech.com/

[Helevitia]

ARRRRR!

Thanks ALBPM. Heh, I always pronounce your name ALBUM! You still got your Yotas?

[ALBPM]

Still got ours. This is our second generation of Toyotas.

[GuchiGuh]

It looks like a mini Hummer!
I like it!

Please post some interiour shots as well !