Speed upgrades?

[Alkan]

I've seen people complain about the top speed of this vehicle. It is honestly the only thing that would keep me from buying a Pinzgauer over a regular car, though I may still get one anyways a little later on as a pure off-road vehicle. The mileage is decent enough, maintenance isn't bad and usability is great for everyday situations.

Seeing the performance of a Pinzgauer makes me want one quite badly. So, I'm wondering if anyone has found any cheaper speed upgrades that don't involve screwing with the engine? I'd only really ever want 5-10 extra mph and it would be perfect. If it topped out at 80 that would be great, though I know it can already do highways fine. The only thing that comes to mind would be a modified gearbox that doesn't exist yet and larger tires, since I would guess that the engine is powerful enough to make it go 80, but it just doesn't have the gearing to do so.

Whatever the answer is, these are awesome vehicles and I'm excited about joining a community of Pinzgauer owners and enthusiasts.

[krick3tt]

I am sure that others will chime in on this but, I would never want to go 80 in this vehicle. it is as aerodynamic as
a cinder block and at 80 stopping is questionable. Why mess with it? Jeeps, Land Rovers, Hummers and others
will go 80 and will probably/maybe not perform as well off road but, getting there is half the fun. Take it slow and
enjoy the scenery. ...or, put it on a trailer and pull it with your Dodge Ram.

Just me...and my $.02

[undysworld]

Alkan,

Have you yet driven/ridden in a Pinz? Please don't take offense, but I beg to differ with a lot of your comments. That said, I still love my Pinz.

The mileage is ok, at best (IMHO, compared to many other transportation options), unless you compare it to other 1 1/2 ton trucks (I have a 712). If/when you need a large truck, it's not that bad.

Maintenance/repair isn't bad, but it's extensive. Especially so with 6 wheels. Combine that with some special tools that are needed, and it's more than some folks are set up for. They are labor-intensive, and the parts are somewhat spendy.

Frankly, I find it to be a less than optimum vehicle for everyday situations. It leaks, it's noisy, it's a crowd magnet, etc. But I love it anyway.

I understand your concerns over speed, but I don't think you'll find any knowledgeable, experienced owner who wouldn't echo Morris' comments about them, or worse. If you want to go fast, you're barkin' up the wrong tree.

There have been some folks who have swapped engines, and some report various improvements in speed and/or performance. Having owned a few vehicles with swapped engines, I can report that there are some associated "issues", often. You could search for these sorts of posts for more info. Perhaps the most common upgrade would be one of the EFI setups that a couple guys have pioneered, most notably Jim LaGuardia and Jake Raby. Again, a search would yield info. I can't tell you whether any of these have achieved 80 mph or not though.

I've driven with several Jeep owners around here, and I still own my 3rd CJ5, and with a few modifications they'll go (nearly) anyplace a Pinz will go and still easily hit 80 mph.

My $.02, seek out a Pinz and test drive it. There are a ton of reasons why we love them so much. I don't want to scare you off from them, but I don't want to hear that you got one and were disappointed either. (They make great trailered off-road vehicles too. But personally, I don't do that.)

Edit: As an afterthought, before I bought my Pinz, I forced myself to drive around at 50 mph top speed for about 2 months, just to see whether it'd drive me (more) nuts. It takes a little getting used to, and a 710 is decidedly faster, but it turned out to make the drive more enjoyable to be able to look around and see the sights.

Good luck on your hunt.

[michaelh712]

Alkan,
It's good that you ask these questions now, before taking the plunge and obtaining all the opinions and advice that you can.
I own a 712 and have plans to upgrade power somewhat this summer with FI and a 2.7.

I wouldn't want to go any faster on the road, as I agree that 80 would be scarey. It's not the going that would be most scarey, but the lack of STOPPING. The Pinze has adequate drum brakes for the power that it has. Any significant power upgrade with faster road speeds would require better brakes, which are possible, but full custom and very expensive.

I have other vehicles for speed, but take the Pinze for what it is and can do.
good luck, and I second that you drive one.
Michael

[spandit]

Having done an emergency stop at 60mph on a dry road, the back lifts up & feels very uncomfortable. I'd still like disc brakes as they wouldn't switch off when wet but it's not a high speed cruiser. Believe me, I did nearly 1,000 miles on motorways in March & it was bloody horrible

[Alkan]

Thanks for all the great comments.

The reason I like the PInzgauer is because I want a vehicle that I can both do some impressive off-roading in right off the bat, but that I can also overland in. When I drive on the highway, I usually cruise pretty fast because I like to get to where I'm going right away.

What I'd like to do is get a 710K and fit the interior with a small bed and lots of storage. It would be a more rugged off road camper. I don't like these giant Ford F650 campers. My goal isn't to carry a house with me - its just to have a more secure feeling when I am sleeping out in the middle of the woods, so a nice hardtop K model is what my choice would be. Oh, and I'd love to try to fit a CB radio in the thing and try to use its existing equipment for that, since the K models are communications vehicles.

But to get to some of these places for overlanding, I'd be spending hours on the highway. If I can cruise at 80 instead of 70, I'll get to where I want to go about 14% sooner, costing me 3 hours for every 24 hours I'm on the road.

I guess I could live with that though. I would probably cruise at maximum speed on the highway, but I just would allow for some extra space between me and whoever is in front of me. It might be best to just tail a semi.

The idea behind this would be the build. I would be willing to put thousands of dollars and many years into a project to make a perfected expedition vehicle. I could imagine the brakes might be a difficult upgrade with the portal axle, which I would not go without, but it just might be worth it to travel the thousands of miles across the country to wherever I'm going.

[yaknowthatguy]

If the goal is overlanding, why worry about speed? Isn't it also about the journey, not just the destination?

You can change the gearing - if you feel like putting in an astonishing amount of money doing a design/build on your own transfer case. Anything can be done with the right amount of money and time - but this is an unrealistic goal. Getting the truck up to 80 doesn't mean the portals will be ecstatic with it.

You can swap a motor on a pinz. The only one I've seen that probably makes a big performance difference was a guy in the UK who wedged a 3.0 liter BMW diesel into it. Otherwise you're best thinking about a 2.7liter conversion - there are varying opinions on this modification, but it gets you more oomph.

You can also get disc brakes on a Pinzgauer. Talk to Jim LaGuardia, and be prepared for the cost. It is substantial, but it can be done. Jim's reputation is for a reason, he does very good work. It will not necessarily be really fast - but it will be really right.

I liken my pinz to having a bike for cruising - it's for fun not solely performance. I didn't buy a mustang or an avenger....I bought a pinzgauer. for all its quirks, it is a unique amazing vehicle. I'm not going to try to out-engineer the guys who built it, because it's designed really well for its application IMO. With a few minor mods to it (especially seats) you can have a lot of fun for way less than anyone would spend on a unimog, a hummer, etc. And surely smaller than a surplus 2.5 or 5 ton truck so you can still trail ride with it.

Get a ride in one, get a feel for it. I love driving the freeway at 75 in my jetta. and I dont mind sitting in the right lane at 62 in my pinz one little bit. Worst case do what others do - trailer it to the region you're going to and use it there.

[Jimm391730]

I would be willing to put thousands of dollars and many years into a project to make a perfected expedition vehicle.

You may be much better off starting with a more modern UniMog; they have the power available, and a large selection of transmissions and axle gearing that can allow for substantial hiway speeds (compared to most Pinzgauers) and seem to be one of the chassis of choice for expedition vehicles.

Gears, disc brakes, ground clearance, payload capacity, engine power, etc. give UniMogs much more options to tailor what you personally desire.

But for a general purpose (within it's limitations) offroad machine the Pinz can't be beat, but it is extremely difficult to get it to go outside of it's design limitations.

[kpoling]

Alkan: Since you mentioned a 710K, I thought I would chime in. Besides what all the others have said, they are not high speed cornering rigs either. If you ever drove an early swing axle bug/bus/ghia, they are not good at sharp high speed cornering. The Pinz has swing axles front & rear plus a higher center of gravity (especially the K), so not very good at high speed maneuvers like avoiding a mini van that suddenly pulls out in front of you. Mine likes to cruise at 45-50 mph all day long. But it is a drone, I wear ear plugs or wear noise cancelling headphones.

Regards, Kevin

[totaljoint]

When I drive on the highway, I usually cruise pretty fast because I like to get to where I'm going right away.

If I can cruise at 80 instead of 70, I'll get to where I want to go about 14% sooner...

Alkan:
What 4x4 were you driving around 1970? Did you do 70-80mph on the highway in it back then?
These trucks were designed in 1969 using that era's safety, brakes, mechanics etc...a far cry from today's 4x4 you may be used to.
To put it in perspective, here is a review of some the Pinzgauer's contemporaneous vehicles.

http://www.motortrend.com/classic/roadt ... index.html

While our Pinzgauer looks great by comparison, none were designed for fast, comfortable or safe highway use. Now add 35 years of aging to the vehicle, seals, gears...

Rather than try to make the truck fit your modern expectations, you and your Pinz will last longer if you adapt yourself to the trucks limitations.
Just a suggestion from an old trauma surgeon.

[krick3tt]

Alkan,

Please don't take this the wrong way (that intro is sure to get me off on the wrong foot) but, as I drove my pinz home from a little errand
and was appreciating its beauty and simplicity...see, I was thinking of selling it just this morning and getting a haffie.

It came to my mind that in one of your posts you stated 'But to get to some of these places for overlanding, I'd be spending
hours on the highway. If I can cruise at 80 instead of 70, I'll get to where I want to go about 14% sooner, costing me 3 hours
for every 24 hours I'm on the road.'
I started to chuckle...14%, yeah 14% faster. I have not ever heard anyone state travel in those terms. See, I am an old guy, retired
and I have always thought it takes as long as it takes to get somewhere. So when you posted that phrase it got me to thinking and
being an old guy it took that long to 'get it'. Thanks for the chuckle, it helped improve my day.

I am still on the fence about selling the 'krick3tt' ...don't know what to do.

[audiocontr]

I thought i would chime in as i drive my pinzgauers 90% highway/city. These trucks are not comfortable, not quiet, not fast, even with the higher speed gear box. They do draw a ton of attention and give you an excellent conversation starter. Also quite a lot of fun driving friends around. They are what they are and id advise driving one before trying to make one faster.

List your vehicle priorities. If 65mph+ highway driving is at the top of the list, a Pinzgauer should be at the bottom.

I'll push my stock 710 to 65mph occasionally. The 712 with higher speed gear box - 55mph. I'm sure they can go faster... but why run the chance?

[Alkan]

Driving 75 would be great, but I could live without it. The main thing is getting through the roughest environments with something that gives me lots of storage and a sleeping environment that would keep animals out and keep me off the ground.

[totaljoint]

The main thing is getting through the roughest environments with something that gives me lots of storage and a sleeping environment that would keep animals out and keep me off the ground.

Then either a Pinzgauer or good wife should meet your requirements.

[David Dunn]

Get Syncro Westfalia...don't try to make a race horse out of a Clydesdale ( in this case a Pinzgauer ). Though a VW badge, the conversion was done by SDP . Parts are more readily available and cheaper.

My Pinz is another thing... it is a thoroughbred Pinzgauer