Going long travel on my '06...need some help

[saulty81]

Is total chaos the way to go? Am I able to keep my stock fenders?

Any and all info on the long travel kit for my gen 4runner is greatly appreciated.

 

[Uneek]

If going LT, Total Chaos would be my only option. Yes, you'll need new fenders for the increased travel.

Chaos Edition lots of info there.

 

[lexwoody]

Go with the +2 Mid Travel kit and you get to keep your fenders

 

[Roams001]

LT in front and a custom 3 link in the back...you'd have the baddest rig in the land.

 

[BlairB]

LT in front and a custom 3 link in the back...you'd have the baddest rig in the land.

+1!

I will do long travel down the road, but $5,000+ for just the front has dissuaded me from doing it yet, there are a bunch of other things that I would prefer to spend the money on at this point.

 

[Bumbo]

The +2 vs +3.5 is a pretty tough decision considering the cost between them is near the same.

 

[Pathfinder5243]

I can't speak on LT directly because I don't have it. However, I have friends that do and unless you're jumping or going through whoops it really doesn't make financial sense. With IFS you're always limited. Not to mention the additional cost or bucket gussets, cam tab gussets, knuckle gussets and so on...

My friends and myself mostly do hill climbs, rock crawling and obstacles. That type of off road doesn't really get any better with LT.

There's definitely a cool factor to it but in the end I'd SAS.

There are several other companies making LT and some offer 4.5". Marlin Crawler is about to release theirs with their MarRack system. I believe it's a complete rack replacement with heim'd tie rods. Requires welding on the knuckle and other modifications.

 

[Inv4drZm]

I can't speak on LT directly because I don't have it. However, I have friends that do and unless you're jumping or going through whoops it really doesn't make financial sense. With IFS you're always limited. Not to mention the additional cost or bucket gussets, cam tab gussets, knuckle gussets and so on...

My friends and myself mostly do hill climbs, rock crawling and obstacles. That type of off road doesn't really get any better with LT.

There's definitely a cool factor to it but in the end I'd SAS.

There are several other companies making LT and some offer 4.5". Marlin Crawler is about to release theirs with their MarRack system. I believe it's a complete rack replacement with heim'd tie rods. Requires welding on the knuckle and other modifications.

Conventional LT is close to 1/4-1/3 the cost of a SAS.
Marlin LT will probably be about 1/2.

The thing is with LT you can get just as much/more wheel travel than a solid axle and more ground clearance. If you can figure out spring rates and shock tuning to allow for good suspension flex you'll still get very good crawling performance, I have a feeling Marlin will be tackling this issue with IFS next.

Part of the problem is people run really loose rear suspensions on these Toyotas. They go OMG look at that rear flex! But if they tuned the rear with a sway bar or stiffer springs they would get more flex out of their front IFS. I would bet having a balanced front/rear is important and even more so with our IFS systems. This is something I have never seen anyone talk about and I am hoping Marlin figures something out along these lines.

BTW the Marlin IFS kit will require no welding on the knuckle, I don't think any welding at all actually.

 

[Bumbo]

By the time you get around to making a decision like this, you should damn well know what type of driving you want to do before dumping money into LT or SAS. Not only is it expensive, it’s a commitment to specialize.

That said, as a desert guy, going SAS would be a mistake for me. I do enjoy IFS 4WD, and LT makes so much more sense for what I do because I am not going to extremes on the crawling or pre-runner activities. Just looking for a truck that drives great and provides more travel than stock.

I understand it from a financial standpoint as well, but it’s a luxury item, and you also don’t have to drive it like a trophy truck to get the full benefit. The added headroom and track increase add a ton of stability, safety envelope, and performance when zipping around. You don’t have to be jumping it to see the benefit.

 

[who done it]

I went mid travel for the simple reason of not having to change the fenders. I'm using 285/70/17 and I genuinely love the mid travel. Only thing you should know is that your truck will have more creaks and thuds just because that's how it is.

I would love to use the cantilever suspension in the rear, but I'm not sure if its made anymore. My truck barely sees the trails anymore, more beach camping and a highway cruiser, but damn is it comfortable. Any questions feel free to PM me.