Calling GU 2.8 owners for their opinons

[Cyclone]

Hi Guys,

I am thinking of buying a 2.8 GU but first I am wanting peoples opinions on them who own one.

How do you find the vehicle for normal road driving, I have heard they are sluggish, is this true? Is it really that noticeable?
Have you done any mods to make yours run better?
What are they like offroad?

Cheers
Chris

[mudski]

I just did a weekend away and a member, BSRT.Beast, owns a GQ RD28t and his went really well. I was kinda surprised actually. The GU's are a bit heavy than the Q though. But a few tickles to the motor, and what you can save on purchase price on the 2.8, reduction gears in the transfer case is a very good idea.

[Bigcol]

while I dont have one, I know a few guys who do have them

great beastie, as good as the 3.0L in everything except take off, but once they are wound up - they move

that and they really dont like to tow, but apart from that, I know of no complaints about the running of them

[BSRT.Beast]

GQ RD28T ...... love it just got a tune today so runs better now and yeh its no powerhouse at 85kw but it gets me where I need to go.
There's plenty you can do to them.
They have their issues but they can be sorted quickly and easily.
If your on Facebook you might wanna check out 2.8 patrol club most of the guys there have GU 2.8's

[Cyclone]

Righto, thanks guys. The are starting to sound better than what everyone makes out. I will head over and have a look at the facebook page now.
Mudski, what are the mods that you are suggesting?

[Ian hunter]

Hiya cyclone having owned a 2.8 GU for over 10 years and done over 550k the best 4x4 over the "T".so go 4 one

[Crimpy]

I am a new owner of a 2.8 and love it. Dont expect it to be a 4.2 and i think youll be happy especially for the price. Common mods seem to be plate to block egr, chip, 3" exhaust. Keep the weight down at all oppprtunities. Also the harmonic balancer seems to be a common fault: keep an eye on it. And apparently they are prone to overheating.

[mudnut]

The gearbox is constructed lighter than the one the TD and ZD use.

[Crimpy]

The gearbox is constructed lighter than the one the TD and ZD use.

Any parts in particular or the entire thing?

[UVB76]

Hi Cyclone,

I've owned my 1999 RD28 for 2 years and it's the first 4WD I've owned. I came from a 2000 Holden SS so the change in pace was noticeable, but I didn't buy the 4WD to go fast, I bought it to go places. We also got it for $8500 when a TD42 GU was going for ~$35,000.


How do you find the vehicle for normal road driving, I have heard they are sluggish, is this true? Is it really that noticeable?

I really enjoy driving my RD28, and I drive it at least three days a week and most weekends on both city and rural roads. The only thing I don't like is long inclines - they can be a struggle, such as on the M1 (Sydney to Newcastle) where I'll drop to 4th and do 90 kmph in a 110 zone while a 76 series LC will zoom past me, but hills in the bush aren't a problem because I don't reckon you should be doing more than 50 on the dirt anyway. The other thing to consider is the RD28 will drive differently depending on the mods done to it - for example, when I added a 2" lift and 33" mud tyres, the Patrol definitely felt "heavier" and a bit slower and consumed more diesel. But without those mods, we wouldn't be able to go anywhere exciting, which is the primary purpose of our 4WD.

When people say the RD28 is sluggish, ask them what they're comparing it to because otherwise it's a useless comparison. I drove an RB30 GQ this week and it was sluggish compared to the RD28, struggled to get over 90 kmph on a slight incline; I also drove a standard Prado 120 and it was "zoomy" compared to the RD28. Differences here being the RB30 is an older carby engine in a heavy Patrol, and the Prado is a newer vehicle, newer engine with some tech to it. At the end of the day, you're not in an RD28 to drag some sick Skyline off the line, but you're not going to be going as slow as those granny Volvo drivers, either.

Also, we don't tow anything. If I had to tow a trailer or horse float on a regular basis I wouldn't use the RD28, I'd definitely look at a TD42 or sell out to a LC.


Have you done any mods to make yours run better?

Not really, not sure they're worth the $$ TBH. I prefer to do mods to either help me get places in the bush/offroad (lift, tyres) or to increase the reliability of the RD28 (block EGR, EGT gauge). There's a thread on the forums specifically for RD28 mods that you might find useful.

As with any vehicle, get to know the common issues and act on them before they give you a headache.


What are they like offroad?

No dramas. We spend nearly every weekend in the bush and haven't had trouble getting anywhere: Barrington Tops, High Country, Watagans/Olney, Pokolbin SF, Blue Mountains, Rylestone area.

[mudnut]

Any parts in particular or the entire thing?

The whole thing, but mainly the bearings and casing. I am onto the second gearbox, which is now making bad noises after towing a broken down van to the mechanics. So I am looking for a suitable upgrade. If you can find an image to compare them with you will see the differences.