AllAroundTuning
New member
Hello all!
(Apologies for length, TL;DR AT BOTTOM)
Long time lurker, but not a new member, just haven't ended up posting since my questions are seemingly always answered via other threads.
Firstly, I would just like to thank the whole community for sharing their knowledge and creating such an awesome, intelligent, welcoming community. Every time I have a question or something, I'm always able to find it here. In many ways, this site is as reliable as our runners! So all that to say, i suppose this is an introductory post just as much as it is a question. I do all my own work, and so far I've been able to get this 700$ banged up 3rd gen to a pretty good place. The pictures no longer do it justice. I won't go to far into the runner itself, but will make a build thread that I will link once I make it. It is great to meet you all! ::wave:
SO now on to what brought me to finally make my first post. I've been looking around for answers to this, however my situation is somewhat specific and I've found varying responses in other threads. That being said, I figured I'd just make a bigger post in order to get all my ducks in a row, and make sure I have it right since when it comes to these things mistakes are almost always expensive. I hope that's okay, and If I missed a thread, or if there's a better place to find this information, let me know and I'll be on my way!
TIRES:
I picked up some 285/75/16 Bridgestone Dueler A/T tires w/ like 50% tread for 100$ bucks off of craigslist. They were a steal, and originally I thought the post said 265, not 285. Don't ask me how I messed that up :der:. Either way, fast forward to me today. I went to pick up the tires and noticed they were actually 285's. I still bought them, because they're in great shape and I didn't want to pass up a deal like that. Plus I'm finally in a position to do some mods (More below/in my build thread)
Now onto the question: With winter rearing it's head, can I shove them in there NOW? I don't mind making some modifications, but has anybody done this and not had it become a headache? I doubt i'll be wheeling until next summer, so as far as some general city/freeway driving, should I be okay, or am I just cutting it to close without a lift...? I prepared myself for the disappointment on the way home, but have found varying advice, so thought I'd ask.
SUSPENSION:
I am specifically wondering about the FJ80 lift. Again, I've found plenty of good general information but I'm trying to determine what would work best for me. So don't hesitate to just throw me in the direction of other threads if you'd only be reiterating. As a preface, I already have the FJ springs themselves.
I have two general questions:
Firstly, I've heard varying numbers, but I'm expecting at a minimum 3 and a half inches since I have 8 coils. I know at that point I'd be smart to replace a few components, namely ball joints, CV's, etc. What else should I look into replacing ahead of time since I have no previous maint. records, and the thing's got 225 thousand miles on it? Any suggestions would be great! I just want to get this lift going because the current suspension is tired and old, and i'd love to not break anything, let alone something that just needs an excuse to bite the bullet.
Secondly, what else do I need for the lift itself? Right now all i have are the FJ springs. As far as I've been able to gather, I'm looking at shocks for the back, and then Shocks/Springs for the front (Tundra TRD...?), and a Diff Drop kit. Those seem to be more or less the necessities. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but all that being said, what do you guys suggest for all the other stuff? Any suggestions for manufacturers, certain kits, even tools that where a great help during the job, I'd love to hear them. I to do this right.
Again, thank you all for your amazing support of each other, if you need clarification of anything just let me know, as I'm happy to clear stuff up. I'm sure at least some of this stuff is elsewhere on the site, but I want to make sure this goes right the first time. I know I really wrote a book, so if you read the whole thing, kudos to you. :thumb:
My build thread will be up later! I will link it below.
TL;DR
(Please read the whole post before you suspect me of having just posted w/o looking around for answers first.)
Hello! Thanks for being an awesome, helpful forum and I'm happy to finally be making my first post! I have some questions regarding Suspension and tires:
1) Are my 285/75/16 Bridgestone Duelers WAY to big to fit on my stock suspension? Or could I shove them in there with a little modification? I know they'd rub, but I probably won't be on stock suspension for long.
2) Regarding a 3.5-ish lift, what should I replace beforehand so that lifting it doesn't give old, worn out components an excuse to give up?
3) As far as the lift itself, what are your suggestions for manufacturers, specific parts, or even tools that made your life easier while installing?
I found a lot of info on the site, but it was kinda all over the place and I'm trying to make sure that I do this right the first time. Thank you for taking the time to read. My build thread will be up later!
I'm happy to be here. :smile: thank you all again.
EDIT: Should have added, I did read through the 3rd gen lift info here, as well as many other general, smaller threads regarding both tires and suspension.
(Apologies for length, TL;DR AT BOTTOM)
Long time lurker, but not a new member, just haven't ended up posting since my questions are seemingly always answered via other threads.
Firstly, I would just like to thank the whole community for sharing their knowledge and creating such an awesome, intelligent, welcoming community. Every time I have a question or something, I'm always able to find it here. In many ways, this site is as reliable as our runners! So all that to say, i suppose this is an introductory post just as much as it is a question. I do all my own work, and so far I've been able to get this 700$ banged up 3rd gen to a pretty good place. The pictures no longer do it justice. I won't go to far into the runner itself, but will make a build thread that I will link once I make it. It is great to meet you all! ::wave:
SO now on to what brought me to finally make my first post. I've been looking around for answers to this, however my situation is somewhat specific and I've found varying responses in other threads. That being said, I figured I'd just make a bigger post in order to get all my ducks in a row, and make sure I have it right since when it comes to these things mistakes are almost always expensive. I hope that's okay, and If I missed a thread, or if there's a better place to find this information, let me know and I'll be on my way!
TIRES:
I picked up some 285/75/16 Bridgestone Dueler A/T tires w/ like 50% tread for 100$ bucks off of craigslist. They were a steal, and originally I thought the post said 265, not 285. Don't ask me how I messed that up :der:. Either way, fast forward to me today. I went to pick up the tires and noticed they were actually 285's. I still bought them, because they're in great shape and I didn't want to pass up a deal like that. Plus I'm finally in a position to do some mods (More below/in my build thread)
Now onto the question: With winter rearing it's head, can I shove them in there NOW? I don't mind making some modifications, but has anybody done this and not had it become a headache? I doubt i'll be wheeling until next summer, so as far as some general city/freeway driving, should I be okay, or am I just cutting it to close without a lift...? I prepared myself for the disappointment on the way home, but have found varying advice, so thought I'd ask.
SUSPENSION:
I am specifically wondering about the FJ80 lift. Again, I've found plenty of good general information but I'm trying to determine what would work best for me. So don't hesitate to just throw me in the direction of other threads if you'd only be reiterating. As a preface, I already have the FJ springs themselves.
I have two general questions:
Firstly, I've heard varying numbers, but I'm expecting at a minimum 3 and a half inches since I have 8 coils. I know at that point I'd be smart to replace a few components, namely ball joints, CV's, etc. What else should I look into replacing ahead of time since I have no previous maint. records, and the thing's got 225 thousand miles on it? Any suggestions would be great! I just want to get this lift going because the current suspension is tired and old, and i'd love to not break anything, let alone something that just needs an excuse to bite the bullet.
Secondly, what else do I need for the lift itself? Right now all i have are the FJ springs. As far as I've been able to gather, I'm looking at shocks for the back, and then Shocks/Springs for the front (Tundra TRD...?), and a Diff Drop kit. Those seem to be more or less the necessities. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but all that being said, what do you guys suggest for all the other stuff? Any suggestions for manufacturers, certain kits, even tools that where a great help during the job, I'd love to hear them. I to do this right.
Again, thank you all for your amazing support of each other, if you need clarification of anything just let me know, as I'm happy to clear stuff up. I'm sure at least some of this stuff is elsewhere on the site, but I want to make sure this goes right the first time. I know I really wrote a book, so if you read the whole thing, kudos to you. :thumb:
My build thread will be up later! I will link it below.
TL;DR
(Please read the whole post before you suspect me of having just posted w/o looking around for answers first.)
Hello! Thanks for being an awesome, helpful forum and I'm happy to finally be making my first post! I have some questions regarding Suspension and tires:
1) Are my 285/75/16 Bridgestone Duelers WAY to big to fit on my stock suspension? Or could I shove them in there with a little modification? I know they'd rub, but I probably won't be on stock suspension for long.
2) Regarding a 3.5-ish lift, what should I replace beforehand so that lifting it doesn't give old, worn out components an excuse to give up?
3) As far as the lift itself, what are your suggestions for manufacturers, specific parts, or even tools that made your life easier while installing?
I found a lot of info on the site, but it was kinda all over the place and I'm trying to make sure that I do this right the first time. Thank you for taking the time to read. My build thread will be up later!
I'm happy to be here. :smile: thank you all again.
EDIT: Should have added, I did read through the 3rd gen lift info here, as well as many other general, smaller threads regarding both tires and suspension.
Last edited:
