Just another Ultimate install

[PAYNE]

Installed the Toytec Ultimate kit with LR UCA's on my 2011 Limited and wanted to share a few thoughts & photos. The install took about 7 hours including the alignment. A good friend & myself tackled the task in his shop which was a huge help as he is a suspension guru as well as the fact that he has a lift. We totally removed all lines and valves from the X-REAS (should have known the systems was under pressure before we started to loosen the line from the front shock, what a mess). Long and the short of it this is a very good kit from Toytec, straight forward as long as you have a base knowledge of suspension components. After the install we had to lower the front about one full turn due to an overall gain of slightly more than 3" which is the recommended max. Before starting in all stock trim I was measuring 34 1/2" to the bottom of the fender opening in the front and after the suspension and wheel/tire upgrade I now measure 38" which does make it a little more of a hop to get in the seat. It's been installed now for a little over a month and boy what a great difference. Much better about the nose dive under braking, less roll in the corners, etc... I was lurking and learning from the guys on this site since Feb. 2012 and would like to say thanks to all those who wrote up all they were doing & their experiences which helped me tremendously.

 

[H&KRunner]

looks good! where did u get the wheels?

 

[PAYNE]

We have an account with Tire Rack so I ordered them from there. They have a lot of different choices but I went with Enkie knowing they make many of the factory wheels for Toyota, Honda, etc. I wanted machined aluminum with clear coat so I wouldn't be fighting the polish fight or having to worry too much about wheel cleaners. Next on the list is a transmission cooler & I'm debating removing all the silver painted plastic bits like the roof rack covers & door handle inserts & painting them body color gloss black. I've also been kicking around the idea of removing all the flat silver interior trim & doing the same to them.

Oh & a note about the wheels, Enkie has the ST6 wheels in 20x9.5 as well but after doing some research I found that I could save 6 lbs per wheel/tire by going with the 18's not to mention having more tire for ride quality so I saw that as a win win. I appreciate all that helpful information on the Tire Rack website.

 

[j_shoe99]

Nice Ride. :bigok:

#1
Just curious, but why did you choose the 265/70 tire size? I'm assuming with that lift, you coulda fit a much larger tire.

I currently have 265/70/17 on my SR5, and would mainly lift it fit a larger tire.

I'd love a new lift like that.....some day...

#2
What's the tire weight difference between your 265/70/18 and 20? I assume less than the 6 pounds?

 

[Quentin]

I'd have thought you'd have removed those step bars while you were under there.

 

[PAYNE]

The overall diameter was 1" taller than factory which I though would be enough for what we use it for and not too much that would throw off my speedo. In addition to the speedo I also didn't want to change the ratio to the point where I would have incorrect shift points therefore lugging it down & causing issues that way. I certainly can fit a wider tire & may in the future but in my opinion 265 is a good balance between look & not too much more weight (as you can tell I was a little concerned about killing my gas mileage & performance).

I didn't weigh the factory wheel/tire, although it seems like someone on the board posted the weight so I'll try to find out & post the difference. The wheels are 24.8lbs and the Toyo's are 49.6lbs per the website.

 

[PAYNE]

Ok got the answer thanks to the T4R board & Bridgestone website. Factory 20's are said to be 39lbs & the factory Bridgestone tire is said to be 36lbs giving a total of 75lbs. After adding up my totals I am running on 74.4lbs so that makes me feel good (hadn't done the math till now but happy with the findings). Everyone knows adding unsprung weight is a big disadvantage on many fronts.

Oh & on another note I had an issue with the antenna jabbing into the garage door opening when backing into the garage. After doing some reading here I decided to take a spare factory antenna & cut it down to 1" higher than the tallest point on the vehicle. My thought process here is that it now clears the garage & if I start into a low parking garage then I know if that hits then I may not want to go further. I just popped the ball off the end of the antenna, cut it to length & super glued it back on. Still works well, maybe a little less reception but not enough to complain about.