I’m not really sure if this topic has been covered. I googled it a little bit. I know the 3rd gen is a very durable and capable truck and off road truck. Just curious what others think of it as a expedition vehicle. I’ve seen many photos of it being set up as one. But I’m curious the longevity of the 3rd gen. Being fully armored, fully loaded with gas cans, skid plates, fridge, storage box and such. The longevity of the drivetrain, frame, control arms... the weight of all that stuff. The strain on the drivetrain and engine. And not to mention the terrain when you go off roading. Please share your thoughts, your experience of having a 3rd gen and going cross country, how long have you had it the way it is. Your cons and pros. Your lessons learned from owning the vehicle and being out in the country with it.
3rd gen, longevity as a expedition vehicle. Your thoughts.
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Nooga_Rock
New member
I think the 3rd gens have more than proven themselves in terms of reliability and off-road capabilities at this point.
The concerns you might have is that they're 16+ years old so they're almost all going to be high mileage on top of time wearing some things down. This is one of Toyota's most reliable engines they've ever produced, so they'll last a very long time, but many of them are well into that life cycle.
Power wise, If the vehicle is very loaded down it will probably feel sluggish on the highway, but they were never fast in the first place. Should be fine with regearing.
The concerns you might have is that they're 16+ years old so they're almost all going to be high mileage on top of time wearing some things down. This is one of Toyota's most reliable engines they've ever produced, so they'll last a very long time, but many of them are well into that life cycle.
Power wise, If the vehicle is very loaded down it will probably feel sluggish on the highway, but they were never fast in the first place. Should be fine with regearing.
My truck is more built towards expedition style/moderate to easy red trails. I’m more concerned about the drivetrain handling the weight of everything through years. Driving far away into different states and into the woods. Last thing you want is something bad to happen. So I’m just curious about it.
I’m on 4.30 gears on 285/75/16 load E. Yes I know. Load E is a killer. But the sidewalls are a lot more durable than load D. With that said. Cooper st Maxx only come in load E. Anyways, my buddy told me that with my gear ratio. I have good low end torque. Very useful for muddy trails. If you regear. Wouldn’t you lose that ?
I’m on 4.30 gears on 285/75/16 load E. Yes I know. Load E is a killer. But the sidewalls are a lot more durable than load D. With that said. Cooper st Maxx only come in load E. Anyways, my buddy told me that with my gear ratio. I have good low end torque. Very useful for muddy trails. If you regear. Wouldn’t you lose that ?
theesotericone
New member
The lower the gear(numerically higher) the more torque is produced. If you went to 4.88 you'd have more torque. If you went to 4.10 you'd have less torque.
Nooga_Rock
New member
Regearing would give you more torque, although you might be fine with the 4.30
theesotericone
New member
Torques torque. 2WD, 4Hi, 4Lo doesn't matter.
Scramble
New member
I understand. I though maybe it helps on the highway and stuff. You know how sometimes you do one thing but lose something else. That’s all. That’s why we got forums
Unner
New member
Regearing will give you the feeling of more torque like the others said. Your engine will also run at a higher RPM at the same speed on the highway. I have 4.10's right now. I would love to regear to 4.88's, but it's very expensive so it's not in the plans right now.
I've driven mine across the country 3 times (I live in Alabama) and straight into the back country when I got where I was going (Utah, Colorado, and California).
My last trip to California I drove 1,700 miles in 36 hours across the country and immediately drove 25 miles into the Utah desert to camp for the night. No problems or worries. Then I drove another 1,500 miles to LAX, Monterrey, and then straight into the Mojave Desert to do the Mojave Road Trail. 140 miles of desert travel. Then 200 miles of pavement and then into Death Valley for another 100 miles of very rough desert roads. Then I drove home 2,000 miles.
My truck isn't light, and it's held up just fine on these trips. She's sitting just shy of 250k right now. The only thing I have had issues from were non OEM parts like the aftermarket starter the previous owner put in the truck.
Biggest thing is to stay up to date on maintenance, and be aware of your truck and when something seems off. I'm extremely anal about maintenance and notice immediately if my truck makes a noise it shouldn't be making. That doesn't mean something can't happen, but I try to influence the variables that I can and prevent dumb things from becoming major problems. Like at 200k I replaced the fuel pump as preventative maintenance. Would it have lasted another 100k? Probably. Did I want to chance being stuck 50 miles from a paved road with a dead fuel pump? No...
I've driven mine across the country 3 times (I live in Alabama) and straight into the back country when I got where I was going (Utah, Colorado, and California).
My last trip to California I drove 1,700 miles in 36 hours across the country and immediately drove 25 miles into the Utah desert to camp for the night. No problems or worries. Then I drove another 1,500 miles to LAX, Monterrey, and then straight into the Mojave Desert to do the Mojave Road Trail. 140 miles of desert travel. Then 200 miles of pavement and then into Death Valley for another 100 miles of very rough desert roads. Then I drove home 2,000 miles.
My truck isn't light, and it's held up just fine on these trips. She's sitting just shy of 250k right now. The only thing I have had issues from were non OEM parts like the aftermarket starter the previous owner put in the truck.
Biggest thing is to stay up to date on maintenance, and be aware of your truck and when something seems off. I'm extremely anal about maintenance and notice immediately if my truck makes a noise it shouldn't be making. That doesn't mean something can't happen, but I try to influence the variables that I can and prevent dumb things from becoming major problems. Like at 200k I replaced the fuel pump as preventative maintenance. Would it have lasted another 100k? Probably. Did I want to chance being stuck 50 miles from a paved road with a dead fuel pump? No...
Scramble
New member
Yes, a taller gear will be worse on the highway. Your RPMs will be higher. That's why I'm staying with my stock 4.56's with 33's on my 3RZ. I'm right on 3000rpms at 80mph.
[MENTION=116387]Unner[/MENTION] get some 4:30's from a Limited. I've seen some front & rear diffs go for cheap.
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absalom
New member
Not exactly ...
Output (effective) torque is affected by gearing.
Same principle as a LiIon cordless drill. Super high RPM motor with very little torque, having its effective torque boosted through massive gear reduction.
Unner
New member
The higher rpm can also be nicer on the highway though to prevent an A/T from unlocking the torque converter or downshifting to 3rd gear with the slightest incline.
I've thought about the 4.30's but I don't know if it would be worth the hassle of swapping everything for such a small change and going with an unknown set of gears, whereas I know mine have had regular fluid changes. If I ever need to replace a diff I will most likely do that though.
octanejunkie
Elite Member
Personally, I would go to the trouble of regearing my 4.1 to 4.3 if I got a 4.3 front diff for my 4WD upgrade
*looks at [MENTION=116387]Unner[/MENTION]*
theesotericone
New member
If you increase torque by lowering your gears you increase it through all transfer case ranges. Torque is torque. Exactly.
I actually got rid of my Jeep in order to pick this 3rd gen 4runner up with the specific intention of building for overland / expedition. It is perfect for that especially if you plan to travel outside of the US and as long as you avoid over- building it. I want to drive the Pan American highway and explore Central America so my vehicle swap was driven by the observation that..
1. it is really hard to get parts for jeeps south of the border.
2. Toyota’s and Nissans rule the roads down there so parts and mechanical assistance will be simpler if that’s what I’m driving.
3. Wranglers beat the crud out of you if you drive them any real distance.
As for not overbuilding them - the only real negative on the Toyota suvs is their gas mileage / limited range. Loading them heavily will only exacerbate that. Then realize that most of the heavy Offroad stuff that you might do in a jeep is just the kind of stuff that you would avoid doing on an extended overland experience. Black or Red level trails when you are miles from anything and your vehicle is your lifeline... not smart.
So for me a mild lift (2”) allows a decent set of all terrains, enough clearance for rough roads and light Offroad work, and room to work underneath the truck without needing ramps or jack stands. Paired with a set of skids ( half steel and half aluminum to keep weight down) and I’m protected enough to feel safe running rough 3rd world roads.
I added my ARB bumper and winch after much deliberation and am still not sure taking on the extra weight was the best idea, but wanted the advantage (bumper) in collisions with animals and bad drivers in a place where they are common and self recovery ability in places where I might be far from help seemed worth the sacrifice.
Despite adding that I’m still getting 18mph and have a range of just over 200 miles per tank. Not great but it’ll do. If I armored up and prepped until I was pulling 12-15 mpg as is common in built 3rd gen 4runners then overland expedition travel wouldn’t really be feasible.
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1. it is really hard to get parts for jeeps south of the border.
2. Toyota’s and Nissans rule the roads down there so parts and mechanical assistance will be simpler if that’s what I’m driving.
3. Wranglers beat the crud out of you if you drive them any real distance.
As for not overbuilding them - the only real negative on the Toyota suvs is their gas mileage / limited range. Loading them heavily will only exacerbate that. Then realize that most of the heavy Offroad stuff that you might do in a jeep is just the kind of stuff that you would avoid doing on an extended overland experience. Black or Red level trails when you are miles from anything and your vehicle is your lifeline... not smart.
So for me a mild lift (2”) allows a decent set of all terrains, enough clearance for rough roads and light Offroad work, and room to work underneath the truck without needing ramps or jack stands. Paired with a set of skids ( half steel and half aluminum to keep weight down) and I’m protected enough to feel safe running rough 3rd world roads.
I added my ARB bumper and winch after much deliberation and am still not sure taking on the extra weight was the best idea, but wanted the advantage (bumper) in collisions with animals and bad drivers in a place where they are common and self recovery ability in places where I might be far from help seemed worth the sacrifice.
Despite adding that I’m still getting 18mph and have a range of just over 200 miles per tank. Not great but it’ll do. If I armored up and prepped until I was pulling 12-15 mpg as is common in built 3rd gen 4runners then overland expedition travel wouldn’t really be feasible.
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You make valid points. The mpg on 3rd gen do suck. Especially when built. I have done blue trails at AOAA. And have went through water that was higher then my hood. Minus my wheel bearings getting toasted from getting stuck in the clay. I cannot complain. I am fully armored. From skids, to bumpers, rock sliders. Roof rack, storage box and tools. I’d like input from those who have had their 3rd gen for years as a overland/off road vehicle. And how has it held up. Unfortunately I would not give up my skids or bumpers. They offer a lot of protection, and great advantages over the stock. Weight wise, no. But I have a winch. Synthetic line to keep the weight down a little. But knowing that I’m fully armored will have me much safer in the woods. Now ofcourse if I am miles and miles away from home. I’d avoid hard difficult trails. I would opt for a different path. But locally I’d like to push my truck and see what it can handle. If done a lot of maintenance. And to be honest. Almost ever bolt has been touched. You pay to play.
