Offroad-Express

Hello to all. I bought a 1996 RZN185 Hilux Surf, with the 3RZ 2.7litre petrol motor. I wanted a strong reliable truck, easy to service. I chose the 185 series, as it had the extra safety of ABS and airbags.(I do a bit of main highway travelling).
Prior to driving it home to Palmy from Auckland,I gave it an oil change, new filter, new air filter, more coolant,new thermostat, new water pump, new belts. I had the auto trans cooler disconnected from the radiator, and installed an aftermarket trans cooler. I have a hilux lsd centre in the shed, so intend to have that fitted to the rear. I should have that shimmed up tighter,ay?
Is it ok to have Mud Terrains on the rear, and leave All Terrains on the front?
On the drive home, it consumed 11 litres per 100km, or did 9.1 km per litre(approx 26mpg to mature gents). I may have been able to squeeze 10km per litre if i had stuck to main highways ,paid more attention to tire pressure, and been more disciplined at maintaining an economical speed. But that's about as good as it can be i think.
The "ute with a roof" weighed 1750kg empty, or 1820kg with a full tank of petrol(70 litres).
If anyone has some pertinent advice or suggestions for me and the truck , please feel free.

There a good truck and Personally I think you went for the best engine, may use more gas but Its probably still cheaper to run than a 1KZ Surf. Muds on the rear is fine, are you replacing the rear tyres with muds then doing the front later? If your fitting an LSD why not just fit a mechanical locker instead? They have good onroad manners nowdays and alot more beneficial offroad.
My 2c

welcome to the 185 club

last time i had muds on the back and AT on the front i had a fun time trying to turn in slippery conditions. rears worked fine in the light mud but the fronts just ploughed forwards.

for onroad driving you really want the best tires on the back. the AT probably grip better on tarseal so i would stick them on the back.

Thanks TWEAKE. I suspect having the mudders on the front may be best offroad too, after reading the results of a "front locker only V. rear locker only " capability test.
JUZ, i'm interested how you say the rear mechanical locker(i assume you mean Aussie lokka/lockrite etc)have improved on road driving habits, as most reviews suggest you have to drive them differently(slow into corners, then throttle out of corner).
Have they changed the design somehow from years gone by?
Has anyone got experience as to how big a tire you can run on a 185 series surf, without requiring a lift kit or body/suspension modifications. The factory 265/70R16 tires have a diameter of 30.6"(so say 31"?)

i woudn't say good onroad manners. auto lockers are ok on open road provided you drive them correctly. but pay the price for tight stuff around town.
great for country road driving tho.

lunchbox style lockers are cheap and work well.
there is the new style of lunch box (ie powertrax) that is meant to be smoother (afaik its basically got a syncro added to it) but they don't make any for your diff.
theres also carrier replacement auto lockers which is a little bit different again.

the other option is i understand you can get a torsen lsd diff for these diffs which is far better than the stock toyota clutch type. would be very good for light 4x4'ing.

I've never seen a torsen for a hilux. I've owned a torsen in a sports car,and found that the torsen won't drive if one wheel is off the ground, sadly.A great diff otherwise, very smooth with its power delivery.
Sometimes i see reference to a 7.5" diff, but mostly 8". I thought the hiluxs would all be the same. What's the story here?

i'm told supra torsen will fit hilux diff. not sure about details.
i had to chase up the post on it, looks like the company making them no longer makes them for toyotas