Toyota Hilux conquers Antarctica on jet fuel
The Toyota HiLux has completed an epic Antarctic journey of more than 9495 kilometres, further than any other previous attempt by a similar vehicle. The specially prepared Toyota HiLux achieved the feat without any technical or mechanical hitches.
The Hilux and its latest achievement is a critical part of the longest expedition in polar history, adding to the vehicle’s success in reaching both the North and South Poles on previous occasions.
Two Hilux models – two 6x6 and one-4x4 vehicles completed the expedition running on jet A1 fuel in order to handle the extreme cold. They covered almost 10,000 kilometres during four months on the ice.
Other necessary modifications had to be made to the vehicles, including a crane to lift heavy equipment, and a 280-litre fuel tank for the 4x4 and a staggering 800-litre tank for the 6x6 models.
Naturally, the suspension and drivetrain were beefed up for the conditions, with ultra-low speed ‘crawler’ gears added to the gearbox and huge tyres were added to the Hilux for a footprint that is 17 times the size of the standard tyres and filled with between 2.0 and 3.0psi (29.0psi standard road-going Hilux).
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