Decided on lift kit, but...

[rra640]

I have lurked here for some time now and done hours of searching. Thanks to everyone for the great information.

I have a 2005 SR5 V6. Basically stock. I have a cabin in the mountains and have come to the conclusion that a lift and bigger tires are in my future. I have torn up 2 of the stock Bridgestone

 

[Expat]

A comprehensive list of suspension setups is available Here

Using the highlift would require an adaptor. The only one I have seen fits onto sliders. You can get that from Wabfab Don't know about any other adaptor to suit a stock setup.

If your shredding tires that easily you might need some serious offroad tires eg Revos, MTR's etc.. No-one has yet made a production carrier for the rear. Lance (Goodtimes) has a custom made job which is very nice. Don't know it would be suitable for the wife to use tho. I think Lance only uses it when doing expedition type stuff. Basically you'd need a new rear bumper to mount the carrier to carry the weight (as in Lance's case). Again there is no production model of this yet.

Carrying a spare wheel/tire on the roof should be completely sufficient for your needs if you are only dealing with a 26 mile trek on dirt roadway. Knock on wood, many of us have covered long distances thru challenging terrain and usually a tire plug or a wheel change gets things rolling again. Are you airing down your tires before negotiating terrain that is stripping your tires? Airing down will allow tires (especially the sidewalls) to flex over rather dig into rocks/branches.

Personally, I would not worry about a spare. Leave your stock one in place under the rear cargo area, and air down your new tires so they about the same height, and limp your way down your dirt track until you arrive at the end then change your tire. I have MTR 275x70x17's on stock wheels and only the stock spare. If I get desperate I have plugs, leak filler and a cb radio.

Hope some of this helps.

 

[Good Times]

1. Last I can recall the Downey kit comes with the Doestch Tech 10" shock for the rear (if purchased with the package) - call to verify
2. Have you considered OME? I would highly recommend this as an alternative .
3. The stock jack can still be used in conjunction with some wood base that you can build on your own. I would recommend a hi lift (48" for your needs) and mount it either inside the cabin or on top. I'm not too fond of mounting heavy objects on top of the roof as this makes you more tippy (I hate that feeling).
4. Sliders - A good armor item to pick up if you need something durable.

For a comprehensive list of items to look into:

http://www.chaosedition.com/tech.asp

I've compiled a list of vendors that support the 4th gens. Some items may not be updated with the current information but I do try to keep up with the vendor list.

If you have any other questions, just post up

Good luck

I have lurked here for some time now and done hours of searching. Thanks to everyone for the great information.

I have a 2005 SR5 V6. Basically stock. I have a cabin in the mountains and have come to the conclusion that a lift and bigger tires are in my future. I have torn up 2 of the stock Bridgestone

 

[rra640]

Thanks for the quick response and great suggestions!

Good Times, I started out looking at spacers and decided that they were not going to be a long term solution... and I felt they were basically for "looks". I wanted something with a little more beef to it since I will be offroad quite a bit.

I had it narrowed down to OME and Downey and settled on Downey for the adjustability factor.

I really wasn't getting a warm feeling about OME, but maybe I should give them a second look. Downey looked a little more "engineered" than the OME. OME looked like bigger springs and new shocks. Downey looked like a highly engineered product. It also looked like the Downey unit came assembled in the spring, so installation looked straight forward.

Any additional info you can give me on that would be helpful.

On the Hi Lift, I assume that there is no way I can use it without sliders, correct?

Your website has some great information... Thanks!

On the tires, are the Goodyear's stronger than the BFG? The folks at Discount rated them about the same, so I planned on BFG becasue they were cheaper. I want the strongest tire available and won't care if they are $20 more per tire. I'm open to recomendations...

Thanks!

 

[Good Times]

Both the OME and Downey kit are great suspension lift kits. If you're discouraged by the OME because it does not come fully assembled, you can contact Slee Offroad and have them fully assemble the unit. They are very well qualified to do this and do this on a per diem basis.

Unfortunately Hi-Lifts on the stock 4runner are of no use since there are no available spots for you to use it. You'll need sliders at a bare minimum.

Depending on where you live, there may be local vendors that can build you one or have some already available. Check out your local shops first and then outsource the other vendors that I have listed on my site.

I personally love the MT/R's and will swear by them. Depending on where you live, the BFG's may be a better alternative or even some other brand/make/model. I've never had any problems with the MT/R's and will continue to use them for all of my offroading adventures.

Good luck

Thanks for the quick response and great suggestions!

Good Times, I started out looking at spacers and decided that they were not going to be a long term solution... and I felt they were basically for "looks". I wanted something with a little more beef to it since I will be offroad quite a bit.

I had it narrowed down to OME and Downey and settled on Downey for the adjustability factor.

I really wasn't getting a warm feeling about OME, but maybe I should give them a second look. Downey looked a little more "engineered" than the OME. OME looked like bigger springs and new shocks. Downey looked like a highly engineered product. It also looked like the Downey unit came assembled in the spring, so installation looked straight forward.

Any additional info you can give me on that would be helpful.

On the Hi Lift, I assume that there is no way I can use it without sliders, correct?

Your website has some great information... Thanks!

On the tires, are the Goodyear's stronger than the BFG? The folks at Discount rated them about the same, so I planned on BFG becasue they were cheaper. I want the strongest tire available and won't care if they are $20 more per tire. I'm open to recomendations...

Thanks!

 

[teotwaki]

I have lurked here for some time now and done hours of searching. Thanks to everyone for the great information.

I have a 2005 SR5 V6. Basically stock. I have a cabin in the mountains and have come to the conclusion that a lift and bigger tires are in my future. I have torn up 2 of the stock Bridgestone

 

[AlexJet]

... I would get some sort of a safari rack for the roof to mount one + the Hi Lift and the other I would like to mount to the tailgate. ...

I've Safari Roof Rack with tire carrier, but never mount my spare there. Have you ever tried to lift the tire over your head? It's heavy. I know that after couple month with 5-6 hr in gym per day and I might be able to do it easily, but right now, thinking of getting stucked with blown tire in the middle of nowhere, tired after a day off-road driving and lifting/winching the vehicle, the roof mount spare is not the option. If only someone will make a tailgate ladder... So far tailgate spare mount like the one GoodTimes has is the best solution, just need to find who will make them and specify demand for it. I'm sure at least 5-10 people on this forum will be considering of getting one.

 

[teotwaki]

Saw a thread that the owner replaced his Surco with a Conferr.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14488&highlight=surco+rack

Conferr and Defender racks and baskets here:

http://www.defenderracks.com/

 

[teotwaki]

Re: Re: Decided on lift kit, but...

...... So far tailgate spare mount like the one GoodTimes has is the best solution, just need to find who will make them and specify demand for it. I'm sure at least 5-10 people on this forum will be considering of getting one.

I really like that thing! Maybe get Shrockworks to build one?

 

[AlexJet]

Re: Re: Re: Decided on lift kit, but...

I really like that thing! Maybe get Shrockworks to build one?

Good idea. They building front bumper now, why not to ask them to look at the rear too.

 

[rra640]

Teotwaki, Thanks for the good info on the Downey lift. You have the exact setup that I am looking for. So the kit did come with rear shocks? The Downey website just said springs and a few vendors that sell them online just had the spings listed. I guess I'll have to call them.

So, you are happy with the performance? Are you still running with the 265's? I want to try to get the 285-70-17 to fit.

What do you do about a spare? I guess the 265's will probably fit under the vehicle in the stock location.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[Good Times]

285/70/17's will fit but will rub a lot depending on the tire configuration (MT vs AT).

Spare... your best bet is stock because 285's will rub the panhard bar.

Good luck

Teotwaki, Thanks for the good info on the Downey lift. You have the exact setup that I am looking for. So the kit did come with rear shocks? The Downey website just said springs and a few vendors that sell them online just had the spings listed. I guess I'll have to call them.

So, you are happy with the performance? Are you still running with the 265's? I want to try to get the 285-70-17 to fit.

What do you do about a spare? I guess the 265's will probably fit under the vehicle in the stock location.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[teotwaki]

Teotwaki, Thanks for the good info on the Downey lift. You have the exact setup that I am looking for. So the kit did come with rear shocks? The Downey website just said springs and a few vendors that sell them online just had the spings listed. I guess I'll have to call them.

So, you are happy with the performance? Are you still running with the 265's? I want to try to get the 285-70-17 to fit.

What do you do about a spare? I guess the 265's will probably fit under the vehicle in the stock location.

Thanks for the reply!

In addition to rear shocks you get two new (longer) rear brake lines made of braided stainless steel, new rear links to adjust the anti-sway bar height, and front spacer plates to adjust the front anti-sway bar height.

Earlier (IIRC) Goodtimes had noted that he felt that Old Man Emu rear springs might be better than the Downeys for heavy loads.
When I went to Utah I had three adults, 15 gallons of water, 10 gallons of gas and lots of camping gear. I rarely bottomed out but I could see that the rear had sunk down. Maybe airbags might be called for but I rarely am that heavily loaded.

Definitely still have the 265/75 Revos. They have been great off-road and on. It sounds like you will want a more agressive tread though. The spare fits fine in the standard location. There are lots of threads here about tire sizes and I read them over and over.

This white paper by Expeditions West influenced my choice:

http://www.expeditionswest.com/research/white_papers/tire_selection_rev1.html

 

[rra640]

another question for goodtimes

I spent some quality time with Discount tire yesterday...

Do you know the width of my rims? The stock tires are 17's and I have the SR5. They told me that the 17" rims that I had were too narrow for 285-70-17 tires. Being too narrow would cause them to "poof" out on the sides causing them to wear out in about 20,000 miles. He suggested new rims that were wider. At the same time I could also get one that has a negative offset that would push the tires out, thus eliminating any rubbing that would occur.

Now I'm really confused. I would like to keep these rims... I kind of like them the way they are. I thought the tires would be the easy decision once I decided on the lift!

I guess I could go with 275-70-17, but really wanted the bigger tires. The 285's are actually cheaper too!

Thanks again for all the help and advice!

 

[AlexJet]

Yes, maximum you can put 275/70-R17 on stock rims. Wider will rub to suspension parts and will wear too fast.
Your bet is go with 275 or get aftermarket wheels like American Racing Baja 17x8 and go with 285.

 

[Colemanfu]

Just get a set of Goodyears and you won't have to carry a spare.





Now I'll get a flat - should have kept my mouth shut.