Beadlocks on 4th Gen?

[Drunner97]

I suppose the booze woulda helped with the dislocated elbow

Looking at your signature I notice your rolling on 35's with Icon 2.5" up front and 2.0 rear which stage kit is that? Did you install a Body lift? What are these springs MT 3" Heavy rear coil? I mean I understand what heavy duty means. What is the MT and what is the spring rate? What did you have to do to get them to fit? Rear link extenders, rear axle moved back? Are they true 35's? or a 34? If you want to respond privately that's cool.

Thanks,

~Hugh

There was plenty of booze back at camp to help with the injury, hahah. We made and ate our Thanksgiving meal (bbq'd turkey legs, mashed potatoes, and corn this year) then drove home in the morning. It was a loooong drive.

No body lift. the MT coils are the Metal Tech long travel heavy 3" coils. No sway bars front or rear so no extenders. Haven't had to touch my rear yet, but I do have a 3" bump extension that I think is keeping them out of the wheel wells. Still rubbing front, but I'm going to cut another 1" off the fender. KM2s are a 34.8 so nearly a true 35. Will probably have to shim my front bump stops too because I'm hitting the top of the wheel well on hard compression/hits. The Icons I pieced together. Had the rears first, then the fronts about a year later. Was running Camburg ball joint UCAs but now I'm on Total Chaos Uniball UCAs.

 

[6wheelin]

There was plenty of booze back at camp to help with the injury, hahah. We made and ate our Thanksgiving meal (bbq'd turkey legs, mashed potatoes, and corn this year) then drove home in the morning. It was a loooong drive.

No body lift. the MT coils are the Metal Tech long travel heavy 3" coils. No sway bars front or rear so no extenders. Haven't had to touch my rear yet, but I do have a 3" bump extension that I think is keeping them out of the wheel wells. Still rubbing front, but I'm going to cut another 1" off the fender. KM2s are a 34.8 so nearly a true 35. Will probably have to shim my front bump stops too because I'm hitting the top of the wheel well on hard compression/hits. The Icons I pieced together. Had the rears first, then the fronts about a year later. Was running Camburg ball joint UCAs but now I'm on Total Chaos Uniball UCAs.

A few more questions? Do you think it was all worth it considering you still have rubbing at full compression? Is the added size that much of a game changer? Seems to me your set up for "overlanding" style travel. Really no sway bars? Aren't you concerned with on highway safety? For instance in an emergency maneuver? Doesn't the chance for roll over increase?

I get that the bump extension helps but doesn't it sacrifice travel? I get deleting the sways helps with articulation, I'm assuming this is why you did this?

And your running stock front & rear bumpers? Did you increase the front coil springs?

Sorry for all the questions haha. I'm just working out my build. Icon stage two kit ( figure I'll need to upgrade my front and rear springs with additional load) already regeared with 4:88's.

Figured a 1 to 1 1/2" BL would help a ton, body mount chops, pinch weld flattening (though this is still kinda a mystery to me) and the aftermarket bumpers. Am I missing anything? Also considering just moving up to a 315/70/17.

 

[Drunner97]

A few more questions? Do you think it was all worth it considering you still have rubbing at full compression? Is the added size that much of a game changer? Seems to me your set up for "overlanding" style travel. Really no sway bars? Aren't you concerned with on highway safety? For instance in an emergency maneuver? Doesn't the chance for roll over increase?

I get that the bump extension helps but doesn't it sacrifice travel? I get deleting the sways helps with articulation, I'm assuming this is why you did this?

And your running stock front & rear bumpers? Did you increase the front coil springs?

Sorry for all the questions haha. I'm just working out my build. Icon stage two kit ( figure I'll need to upgrade my front and rear springs with additional load) already regeared with 4:88's.

Figured a 1 to 1 1/2" BL would help a ton, body mount chops, pinch weld flattening (though this is still kinda a mystery to me) and the aftermarket bumpers. Am I missing anything? Also considering just moving up to a 315/70/17.

I went from a 32, to 33, to 35 (34.8) over the last 3 years. In the limited wheeling I've done on the 35s it was definitely worth it. Demello front bumper and rear custom bumper. Haven't had sway bars on since I lifted 3 years ago. Between 700 lb springs in the front and now the heavy coils in the rear it's actually still pretty stiff. I also won't swerve. If I have to smash into someone or something, that's what going to happen. I have my son with me 98% of the time and I won't risk flipping it to swerve in an emergency. Feels great bombing through the desert at 50-70 mph without the sway bars.

My pinch welds are flattened and cab mount is chopped. I think the body lift would probably help the top of the wheel well but I also think I can crank my front coil overs another 1/2" I just haven't gotten around to it. My thought is that the body lift also raises your center of gravity which I'm trying to avoid. I'm running wheeler's super bumps in the front as well. Until I really get onto some crawling trails I won't know how much the rear extension is really hurting me or not. I don't even think I've actually hit them since I put the 3" coils on to be honest.

I've always planned on an expedition rig to be my end goal, but at the same time I want my rig capable of anything I may unintentionally come across. I don't plan to be a full time crawler, but it's nice to know that I can if I need to. So while I'm equipped for expedition (solar, fridge, dual batteries..) I spend more time on trails that 90% of 4runners can't or won't go on. I expect to start tackling some of the harder "extreme" trails this summer and the 35s will definitely make them easier to do.

 

[6wheelin]

I went from a 32, to 33, to 35 (34.8) over the last 3 years. In the limited wheeling I've done on the 35s it was definitely worth it. Demello front bumper and rear custom bumper. Haven't had sway bars on since I lifted 3 years ago. Between 700 lb springs in the front and now the heavy coils in the rear it's actually still pretty stiff. I also won't swerve. If I have to smash into someone or something, that's what going to happen. I have my son with me 98% of the time and I won't risk flipping it to swerve in an emergency. Feels great bombing through the desert at 50-70 mph without the sway bars.

The front springs your using are also Metal Tech? Did you do all the work yourself?

My pinch welds are flattened and cab mount is chopped. I think the body lift would probably help the top of the wheel well but I also think I can crank my front coil overs another 1/2" I just haven't gotten around to it. My thought is that the body lift also raises your center of gravity which I'm trying to avoid.

I think in actuality it raises the COG nominally. Depends on your interior load and rooftop weight but the bulk of weight is still down low, drive line ect.

I'm running wheeler's super bumps in the front as well. Until I really get onto some crawling trails I won't know how much the rear extension is really hurting me or not. I don't even think I've actually hit them since I put the 3" coils on to be honest.

My understanding is that moving the rear axle rearward prevents the 35" wheel from contacting the forward part of the wheel well which is the rear passenger door area under full compression. I suppose you could just simulate full stuff by lifting one rear side. Then you'd know for sure.

I've always planned on an expedition rig to be my end goal, but at the same time I want my rig capable of anything I may unintentionally come across. I don't plan to be a full time crawler, but it's nice to know that I can if I need to. So while I'm equipped for expedition (solar, fridge, dual batteries..) I spend more time on trails that 90% of 4runners can't or won't go on.

Seems we have similar goals. Do you have a build thread? Or just some pictures?

I expect to start tackling some of the harder "extreme" trails this summer and the 35s will definitely make them easier to do.

Thanks.

 

[Drunner97]

Thanks.

Pretty much all work has been done myself. Had some friends help me with the front and rear diffs when I got new gears and lockers because the parts are heavy and required some finesse. Front coils are Eibach 700 lb coils on my 2.5 Icons. Haven't felt like I've needed to move the rear axle back yet. I might find some stuff to play on while I'm out in a couple weeks (it's an easy going camping trip, nothing hairy) and flex things out as much as possible in every direction to see where my hang ups are.

I should really start a build thread one of these days. I've only been out once since I put the 35s on so not too many current pics right now. Got a bunch of trips planned out over the next couple months so I'll have updated feelings about the setup soon, haha.

 

[Drunner97]

This is the most recent pic.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[rickashay]

I've got a set of SCS wheels that I had converted by OMF. Having the beadlocks is great especially in deep snow. I had them down to 4psi last weekend and it's amazing what the extra footprint can do. I'm very happy with the wheels but like everything you do to your truck, they come with a trade-off.

- weight : all the extra material and hardware means a heavier wheel. This equates to loss of performance and fuel economy but also more wear and tear on components.

- cost : beadlocks aren't cheap

- maintenance : it takes forever to mount tires... The torquing procedure is quite tedious and is not something you will want to do very often. Not to mention you are supposed to buy new beadlock hardware each time you re-mount tires (recommended) as the bolts can stretch and potentially break over time like any other bolt. Due to this being part of the wheel I suppose the safety element is more of a factor. Some people say you need to check the torque every couple months on all of the ring bolts. I used blue loctite and followed the torque procedure to a T, and visually inspect the wheels and bolts each tire rotation to hopefully catch if anything is moving. I also run up to 35 psi but it is "not recommended" to do so. On my phone now but lots of photos in my build thread.

 

[6wheelin]

This is the most recent pic.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Damn looks great! I wish the sliders I got angled up more.

It looks like you had to trim the rear custom bumper where it meets the wheel well? It's hard to tell.

And you have a snorkel, which one did you use? Is it spec'd for a Taco? And what wheels are do you have there? Are they steel or Alloy?

 

[6wheelin]

I've got a set of SCS wheels that I had converted by OMF. Having the beadlocks is great especially in deep snow. I had them down to 4psi last weekend and it's amazing what the extra footprint can do. I'm very happy with the wheels but like everything you do to your truck, they come with a trade-off.

- weight : all the extra material and hardware means a heavier wheel. This equates to loss of performance and fuel economy but also more wear and tear on components.

Totally true.

- cost : beadlocks aren't cheap

No they aren't. They seem to range from $200 to $1000 maybe more?

- maintenance : it takes forever to mount tires...Why please describe? The torquing procedure is quite tedious and is not something you will want to do very often. Not to mention you are supposed to buy new beadlock hardware each time you re-mount tires (recommended) as the bolts can stretch and potentially break over time like any other bolt. Ugh.Due to this being part of the wheel I suppose the safety element is more of a factor. Some people say you need to check the torque every couple months on all of the ring bolts. I used blue loctite and followed the torque procedure to a T, and visually inspect the wheels and bolts each tire rotation to hopefully catch if anything is moving. I also run up to 35 psi but it is "not recommended" to do so. On my phone now but lots of photos in my build thread.

I presume you remove the beadlocks to mount then reinstall and torque down the 24 bolts. The max pressure concerns me. Right now I run apprx 42 psi on road, 35 seems a tad low and of course has the consequence of reduced MPG, increased wear and the safety issue.

Yeah I'd follow the recommendations to the "T" too. Thanks for the info. Now to check your build thread.

 

[Drunner97]

Damn looks great! I wish the sliders I got angled up more.

It looks like you had to trim the rear custom bumper where it meets the wheel well? It's hard to tell.

And you have a snorkel, which one did you use? Is it spec'd for a Taco? And what wheels are do you have there? Are they steel or Alloy?

Rear bumper hasn't been trimmed yet. If I move my axle back I might have to. Not sure yet. Centerline wheels. I believe alloy. They came with the 35s as a package deal. Ill probably go SCS SR8 eventually. Sliders are RCI bolt on. I actually need to fix those some day too because my doors scrape them on top. They're angled wrong for a bolt on. Snorkel is the lc80 eBay snorkel.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[rickashay]

I presume you remove the beadlocks to mount then reinstall and torque down the 24 bolts. The max pressure concerns me. Right now I run apprx 42 psi on road, 35 seems a tad low and of course has the consequence of reduced MPG, increased wear and the safety issue.

Yeah I'd follow the recommendations to the "T" too. Thanks for the info. Now to check your build thread.

Mounting the tire is something you do partly by hand and not all on a tire machine, so it takes more time (my OMF beadlocks only lock onto the outer tire bead). You torque each of the bolts down in phases (star pattern , like lug nuts) once you have the rear bead of the tire seated. This ensures you have a nice even amount of pressure along the outside bead and allows the beadlock ring to slowly bend itself into place as you torque. The ring actually contours once it is tightened down all the way. But you first torque in a star pattern to 8ft-lbs, then to 12ft-lbs, and then the final end torque of 16-18ft-lbs. (Don't quote my figures... recalling by memory).

Edit: OMF beadlock instructions HERE.

With an LT 10-ply tire, on a 4th gen 4Runner, I am surprised you air up to 42 psi. I have been getting pretty even tire wear on both my 1st gen Tundra (on 315/75R16) Toyo MT's at 35 psi, and my V8 4th Gen 4Runner with 295/70R17 Cooper STT Pro and now 295/70R17 Toyo RT all at 35psi. I am sure you have your reasoning though. I really doubt you would have any issues up to 40 psi either though TBH. I have not had any tires loose air at all since I've been running the beadlocks. I think it's more of a liability thing from the wheel manufacturers stand point. Just like how 95% of aftermarket front bumpers are not certified for safety in a collision. You might even consider calling the beadlock company of your choice and talking to them about it off-the-record.

If you have any other questions, just let me know.