Is Turbo safe and kids in HZJ 78?

[bfgjohno]

Sorry to write in English!

We are a family to two children under 10 years old and two adults. We wish to buy a vehicle that will act boith as daily transport, occassionally drive long distances in Europe but also be able to be equipped to visit Africa for longer trips. We hope to fit roof tents etc.

We know that Toyotas are reliable but are trying to descide between an HZJ 78 or a Hilux double cab.

Does anyone have experience of touring with kids on a second row of seats in the 78?

If we descide on the HZJ78 , is it worth adding a turbo? Does this effect the reliability and life of the engine?

(I know this question has been covered in German but I got lost with all the discussion about boost pressures!)

Thankyou!

John

[PeterM]

Turbocharging increases the thermal load - a slightly raised output is ok, but you have to answer the question if it's woth the money.

The second row seats with sealt belt anchors were available ex-works, you can re-fit them, it's just a matter of cost.

Regards,
Peter

[RobertL]

Hi John - dont forget that the HZJ78 only has three doors (could become tedious with the children in daily life) and swallows a lot of diesel. So the Hilux Doublecab offers probably the better value for your money with more comfort. Did you consider a Hiace 4WD? I'm owning one and that's why I'm asking. Unmatched space in this car - but weak diesel engine. Cheap in recurring costs.

[04frank022]

Hello John,

please send your question on this adress...i will be sure, that he can help you:


http://www.toms-fahrzeugtechnik.de/


don´t buy a car for one time holiday in the year. it can be possible, that you say after your trip:

"Never again with two children in a HZJ 78 in africa"

and think more about air condition , then turbo charging

Frank

[terraunlimited]

Hi John,

I found myself facing the same questions. I really wanted to get a HZJ 78 for daily use and also for long distance travel. We have two kids by know. Almost 3 and almost one year old. Once somebody in the forum mentioned the seats of the younger (past 2002) Renault Espace seats in this context. The biggest advantage with these seats is the independent 3 point seat belt. So you can mount these seats anywhere in the car and don't worry about the seat belts. I got two of them and they work great. You can still fit anything in the car and also walk from the back to the front and even climb to the drivers seat. Our 3 year old one really likes it. While she is chasing around all over the inside of the car, we have the time to fix the little one to the front passenger seat and then take care her to get her fixed to the seat. We like the way it works. About the turbo... Sure it would be nice to have one. But after one year, I am totally happy with it like it is. I even towed a Porsche 914 on the back on a trailer form Rotterdam to Braunschweig (520km) Even going up hills on the highway was ok. I wouldn't want to tow a Camper for six weeks through Switzerland but I would by the 78 again.

Well, thats my opinion, I hope I could help you to make up your mind a little bit. If you need pictures on the was these seats are installed, please let me know.

Keep it up and hopefully welcome to the family soon!

Christoph

[RobertL]

Christoph - the Renault Espace seats may be a good idea. But are you sure that the mounting points on the floor are strong enough to hold the seats in case of a crash? I wouldn't be so. The mounts in the Espace are definitely dimensioned to stand this load.

[terraunlimited]

Hi Robert,

it took me a long time to find a solution for a sure and safe way to install the seats. I "designed" mounting plates to fix the seats on the floor panel. I did install 90° metal half tubes underneath the floor panel. This way the force is spread out into the floor panel all the way across the car. I am very sure that the force which will be generated in case of a crash wouldn't be strong enough to rip the floor panel out. It rather may deform the floor panel, but this would be a good thing in some way...

Thank you for pointing this out, it's very important to think about safety in this particular case!!

Best regards.

Christoph