Kryptoroxx
New member
I'm on agreement with jayrolla. Sounds like your truck could use a tuneup. There is something not running right. I gained a few mpg back when I did my valves.
Mojave Mad Man's - Multi Use - Build Thread
- Thread starter MojaveMadMan
- Start date
MojaveMadMan
New member
One big thing you guys are missing is weight. I have a ton of extra weight from bumpers, full size spare, skids, etc.
It has a big effect on power, MPG and road manors.
Engine has 165K. New plugs, wires, PCV, mas air flow cleaned, lots of little stuff. No major stuff though...
It has a big effect on power, MPG and road manors.
Engine has 165K. New plugs, wires, PCV, mas air flow cleaned, lots of little stuff. No major stuff though...
Kryptoroxx
New member
I know that stuff is heavy but you shouldn't be getting such a low mpg that it's comparable to hauling a tandem axle trailer though. A regear will help definitely. A yotas strength has never been the huge hp numbers they throw out lol. Best of luck figuring it all out.
JayRolla
New member
That is true, I have a 75lb bumper and 90lb winch, hi lift, two small tool boxes and that is it. I only get 15mpg at best in city, 17mpg combined about about 19mpg highway.
D Farms
New member
Have you weighed your bumpers? after making mine my friend thought it was at least 150 pounds, turns out it was only 73 pounds. and i know the rear bumper is heavyish too, but the tow hitch is almost 40 pounds so it cant be much more thab stock. where the weight starts to build up is tires, and skidplates, with the skid plates you are just adding weight. if i were you and had extra money id just get some 255/85s and remove the skid plates, and keep the bumpers.
MojaveMadMan
New member
My front isn't bad, like 40 lbs. The back is another story. The main tube is 4" x 6" 3/16" thick, 1/4" mounts, all the hitch material... The sides are light, I used 1/8" to try and save weight. Swing out is thick. Add a high lift, and spare I al sure the back weighs closer to 150 lbs. But no I haven't weighed it yet.
Thanks guys for the suggestions. I am aware I am a little doom and gloom on the subject right now. I'm not selling the rig. Just trying to maximize what it can do and re-align some priorities.
I think I am gunna get my manual out and check some stuff on the engine. Timing belt was done, but by the previous owner. I want to kind of poke around and make sure everything is set up correctly.
I really think gears are gunna be the next big thing. Smaller tires would help but they don't really weigh much less so I might as well just gear for 285's and keep them...
Thanks guys for the suggestions. I am aware I am a little doom and gloom on the subject right now. I'm not selling the rig. Just trying to maximize what it can do and re-align some priorities.
I think I am gunna get my manual out and check some stuff on the engine. Timing belt was done, but by the previous owner. I want to kind of poke around and make sure everything is set up correctly.
I really think gears are gunna be the next big thing. Smaller tires would help but they don't really weigh much less so I might as well just gear for 285's and keep them...
sschaefer3
New member
You have a Limited. Which means it has to be an Automatic. If that e-locker came in the truck form the factory, you have 4.30 gears. Not 4.10
Auto no locker: 4.10
Auto Locker: 4.30
Manual Locker or no Locker: 4.10
2.7 4Banger 5-speed with Locker and 16" wheels: 4.56
4.30 and 4.56 would be extremely difficult to tell the difference apart.
Albq. Jim also in Albq runs 315's with 4.30's and a 5 speed, he gets better mileage then me.
My 2001 has 315's and 4.88's TJM T15 with M8000 front and a non-tire carrier rear bumper. I get 12 with a mix of driving with 4.88 gears.
Our 2012 Trail 4Runner gets 18 with stock size tires and a lift.
I agree it's the weight, but I also agree with the others as you should at least get the 12 I get. I am at 15-16 on just highway.
Auto no locker: 4.10
Auto Locker: 4.30
Manual Locker or no Locker: 4.10
2.7 4Banger 5-speed with Locker and 16" wheels: 4.56
4.30 and 4.56 would be extremely difficult to tell the difference apart.
Albq. Jim also in Albq runs 315's with 4.30's and a 5 speed, he gets better mileage then me.
My 2001 has 315's and 4.88's TJM T15 with M8000 front and a non-tire carrier rear bumper. I get 12 with a mix of driving with 4.88 gears.
Our 2012 Trail 4Runner gets 18 with stock size tires and a lift.
I agree it's the weight, but I also agree with the others as you should at least get the 12 I get. I am at 15-16 on just highway.
MojaveMadMan
New member
Some upcoming changes. Big one, got a killer deal on some Kings that I couldn't pass up. They need new shafts but I can swap those out, new shafts on order already. Oh ya and they will be getting some 650 springs for these. Should be perfect for my plate bumper because I don't have a winch.
Also getting some new to me tires. Have a local friend with some 265/75R16's and we are gunna trade. These should help me with my concerns I think and now I won't need gears. Also setting my lift up so I will have less lift which will help things out with driveability.
Parts should be here any day from McMaster Carr for my sway bar links and then those guys will go on as well.
Also getting some new to me tires. Have a local friend with some 265/75R16's and we are gunna trade. These should help me with my concerns I think and now I won't need gears. Also setting my lift up so I will have less lift which will help things out with driveability.
Parts should be here any day from McMaster Carr for my sway bar links and then those guys will go on as well.
A.Wilson013
New member
If you don't care about color I have some ICON 650lb springs you could have for the price of shipping. Let me know man. They're black 3"x13"x650lb
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MojaveMadMan
New member
Dang! King ones I ordered just shipped today. Oh well. I got the 600's they came with to sell too so that will help. Really appreciate the kindness!!!!
A.Wilson013
New member
No problem man- those will look better anyway. Much better, I imagine.
I may have some 5125's for the rear as well... If I can find them, same deal applies. I'll let you know.
MojaveMadMan
New member
Holy crap dude that would be AWESOME!!! Let me know and I'll get you shipping lickity split!!!
MojaveMadMan
New member
Got these in the mail today, my mid travel kit is now located on my garage floor. Got all of this for $800 including new springs and shafts.
This is a kit for a 1st Gen Tacoma with a 6" drop down lift kit. All I need to do is swap in the normal length shafts which I have, and chuck the spacers and they will be ready to go.
Gotta order some re-build kits and shock oil. Swap in the kits, shafts and 650# coils and the front will be ready.
Rears are 10.5" stroke. I need to call King and find out what valving is in them and I might adjust that, might leave it depending. These obviously won't bolt into the stock location because they don't have the right top. But that is ok, I am gunna fab up some shock mounts to go outside the frame rails to mount these. A few people are having good success with mounting the rear shocks on the outside the frame so I am excited to get those mounted. Along with a rebuild and maybe re-valving I also plan on adding some hydro bumps to accompany the rear shocks. They will be built into the shock mounts. Probably going to be a couple months until I get fabbing and mounting...
If anyone wants the 14" 600# springs let me know, we can work something out!
This is a kit for a 1st Gen Tacoma with a 6" drop down lift kit. All I need to do is swap in the normal length shafts which I have, and chuck the spacers and they will be ready to go.
Gotta order some re-build kits and shock oil. Swap in the kits, shafts and 650# coils and the front will be ready.
Rears are 10.5" stroke. I need to call King and find out what valving is in them and I might adjust that, might leave it depending. These obviously won't bolt into the stock location because they don't have the right top. But that is ok, I am gunna fab up some shock mounts to go outside the frame rails to mount these. A few people are having good success with mounting the rear shocks on the outside the frame so I am excited to get those mounted. Along with a rebuild and maybe re-valving I also plan on adding some hydro bumps to accompany the rear shocks. They will be built into the shock mounts. Probably going to be a couple months until I get fabbing and mounting...
If anyone wants the 14" 600# springs let me know, we can work something out!
farmerjon
Senior Member
Always seen your name around the forums, you seem like mostly a lurker but usually have some solid stuff to say when you speak up. Just now saw your build thread and read through. I can relate with changing directions several times, especially going in the "hybrid" route/closer to the all purpose machine that leans more towards road manners. I've gone mostly that direction with my rig, trying to keep it as reliable and awesome as possible, but largely stock as well to keep it as "forward/future compatible" as possible.
Keep up the great work, curious to see where this goes. Perhaps for your DDing, you could leave off the swing out and the Hi-Lift? just do the simple rear and the front? At the very least, I would keep the front, that helps to keep a bit of your aggressive look that says "I know what I'm doing" (both from the sense that you really know how to build stuff but also that you want to get stuff outta your way (Love my ARB)). And I really like both of your bumpers, the lines are awesome. Also, glad you're focused on keeping your family a priority and keeping an eye/focus on them, that's awesome.
Keep up the great work, curious to see where this goes. Perhaps for your DDing, you could leave off the swing out and the Hi-Lift? just do the simple rear and the front? At the very least, I would keep the front, that helps to keep a bit of your aggressive look that says "I know what I'm doing" (both from the sense that you really know how to build stuff but also that you want to get stuff outta your way (Love my ARB)). And I really like both of your bumpers, the lines are awesome. Also, glad you're focused on keeping your family a priority and keeping an eye/focus on them, that's awesome.
MojaveMadMan
New member
Thanks for the good words! I think the swing out will be removed at some point and hang on the wall or something during the normal use. I was considering making a spare mount on the cargo area as I don't like to leave home without one.
There have been a few things that have happened that I have mentioned other places but not my build thread. I went ahead and swapped my tires down a size. I am now rolling around on 265/75R16's. They are Hankook Dynapros. I think my decission was a little hasty. I was getting a little upset about things with my rig and just went for it. The tires are ok, but I just don't think they are a long term fit. I will more than likely end up in a more aggresive tire and may even bump the size back up. But these have good life left, so they stary for now while I work on other things.
So the rig is keeping the bumpers for now. I think I am going to try and par them down a little bit without messing with them too much. I have a few ideas I want to try and I am changing my bumper lights to an LED bar for simplicity and to remove some of the tubing and a little weight. Plus I decided I suck at spray painting and want to get them powder coated, haha.
The big thing is the stack of shocks and parts accumulating on my shelf. I have 2.5" Kings ready to go on all 4 corners and I just snagged a pair of 2.5" diameter King bump stops for the rear. This is way overkill on the bumps, but they will do a great job of helping control the rear as it moves around. I need to fabricate custom shock mounts and bump mounts as well. So big things to come for this thing. Some stuff is getting taken down a notch and some stuff up 3 notches, haha.
A.Wilson013
New member
Glad you chose this route, I think you'll really like it. I am still considering dropping my coilovers down and getting some smaller tires... I'll have to see how yours looks first :biggrin2:
On the bumps... Did you go with the 2" or 4" travel? I am still thinking of doing cans in the rear, but honestly with how well my Superbumps performed on this last trip I think I may just keep those up front.
What's the travel on those rear shocks you got?
MojaveMadMan
New member
I will post pictures once I get the shocks on, it looks a little tall with the current set up, haha. My only remaining question mark with the suspension is what coils do I want to run in the rear. I have Superflex coils right now and they will be too high. But I need something that can handle the down travel this will have...
The bumps are 4" travel which is what I wanted. I will take them apart and put an internal spacer in to shorten the travel, they will either be 3" or 2" when I am done. I wanted the option to choose. It just all depends on where my ride height is. I don't want this thing riding on bumps haha.
The rear shocks are 10.5" stroke. They are OEM replacement for something but I can't figure it out because they are not Tacoma or 4Runner replacements. They might have been a custom length to go with the higher lift the previous owner of my shocks was running... Either way they will suit my needs just great!
A.Wilson013
New member
Nice! I'd be interested to see where you go with the springs for the rear... I am thinking somewhere along the lines of the OME 891 or 906 in the rear... Just really not sure. The 891 would bring me down about 2 inches, the 906 even a bit more. I know that some folks run some odd ball springs for other vehicles, but I am not sure how they'd handle all the weight I carry, and be able to perform as well as the 861's have...
A stupid fear that I have is that my 4Runner will look strange being soooo long and quite short...
For tires I will probably run Duratracs again but in a C-Rated 265-70-17... That or the new KO2's. Not really sure. I just really want back into a c-rated tire.
Or I could just regear, but that's a whole lot more down time and work for me...
Oh, also. Humor us with a picture of where you're at so far.
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MojaveMadMan
New member
I'll snap a picture of my 4Runner today.
In other news, these monsters showed up in the mail today. To say these are overkill is an understatement. I had seen these before but just forgot how massive they really are... I hope the bumps and shocks fit haha.
And the pile keeps growing. 2 more boxes in the mail... And a last one after that...
In other news, these monsters showed up in the mail today. To say these are overkill is an understatement. I had seen these before but just forgot how massive they really are... I hope the bumps and shocks fit haha.
And the pile keeps growing. 2 more boxes in the mail... And a last one after that...
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MojaveMadMan
New member
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