Moving to Guatemala, need help on how to fix up 4Runner

[guatemala_dude]

Hi all,

What an awesome forum! I just bought a 1998 4Runner 4x4 5sp and will be moving to Guatemala in July. I am driving it from Texas to Guatemala City and need some advice on what to do to make it ready for rougher road conditions. I'm not planning on using it for rock climbing or anything like that, but perhaps muddy roads, mountain gravel roads, just rough central american roads in general. Any advice on tires, shocks, springs, etc?

Thanks!

 

[guatemala_dude]

Hi all,

What an awesome forum! I just bought a 1998 4Runner 4x4 5sp and will be moving to Guatemala in July. I am driving it from Texas to Guatemala City and need some advice on what to do to make it ready for rougher road conditions. I'm not planning on using it for rock climbing or anything like that, but perhaps muddy roads, mountain gravel roads, just rough central american roads in general. Any advice on tires, shocks, springs, etc?

Thanks!

 

[Juan_RKFD]

Hey, Good luck down there. I lived there for 12 years. It's beautiful down there. If you're moving to the city, the roads aren't bad. Watch out for potholes though. Some can swallow your car. Also, the drivers are crazy down there. They can fit 8 cars in a 3 lane road so be careful. If you plan on driving on dirt roads then get AT tires. Some of those roads get real muddy. I had a Ram Quadcab and it was stock and had no problems. So I know the T4R will be fine. One other upgrade would be a mountain bike. There are some great trails down there and a real good racing circuit.

What's the reason for moving?

 

[guatemala_dude]

Thanks, Juan. Do you recommend a particular brand of all-terrain tire? I'm really quite clueless about this.

I'm going to teach English Lit at an international school in the capital as well as work with some missionaries on the side.

 

[Juan_RKFD]

That's cool. I taught English down there as well. What school are you going to?

I have had real good luck with the Yokohamas. They last a real long time and are real good for mild to moderate offroading.

 

[A10MileHusker]

I'm about to purchase Firestone Destination MT's. I have a friend (ric on the forum) who had them on his last truck and got 50k out of them. They do make a AT if you're interested in those.

Enjoy your time down there! Sounds like you're doing a great thing! :bigok:

 

[guatemala_dude]

I'm about to purchase Firestone Destination MT's. I have a friend (ric on the forum) who had them on his last truck and got 50k out of them. They do make a AT if you're interested in those.

Enjoy your time down there! Sounds like you're doing a great thing! :bigok:

Thanks, I'll check those out!

 

[pat161]

If it were me I would start by insuring that any and all possible maintenance items had already been taken care, ie t-belt and water pump if your are even close in mileage and just a general tuneup with all fresh fluids, plugs and wires, belts and hoses, fuel filter and whatever else you can think of. I'm sure there are places there to do this stuff, but just seems easier to do it before you go where you have a history with a shop or friends to help.

Being a 98 I would definitely consider a shock and spring upgrade, shocks at the very least. For shocks I recomend the Bilstien HD line and perhaps a set of OME coils, OME makes springs that keep your ride height about stock so you won't need to lift it. For tires I agree with the A/T, a mud tire won't hurt but you probably won't need it. I would go with an LT designation though as they are a tougher tire, perhaps a 6 or 8 ply would be fine, I imagine you may have some issues if you go with P rated tires, although I am on gravel roads in ME and VT regularly and my Toyo P tires have had no issues in 40k. Have fun and be safe down there.

 

[guatemala_dude]

If it were me I would start by insuring that any and all possible maintenance items had already been taken care, ie t-belt and water pump if your are even close in mileage and just a general tuneup with all fresh fluids, plugs and wires, belts and hoses, fuel filter and whatever else you can think of. I'm sure there are places there to do this stuff, but just seems easier to do it before you go where you have a history with a shop or friends to help.

Being a 98 I would definitely consider a shock and spring upgrade, shocks at the very least. For shocks I recomend the Bilstien HD line and perhaps a set of OME coils, OME makes springs that keep your ride height about stock so you won't need to lift it. For tires I agree with the A/T, a mud tire won't hurt but you probably won't need it. I would go with an LT designation though as they are a tougher tire, perhaps a 6 or 8 ply would be fine, I imagine you may have some issues if you go with P rated tires, although I am on gravel roads in ME and VT regularly and my Toyo P tires have had no issues in 40k. Have fun and be safe down there.

Thanks...does OME stand for something?

 

[pat161]

Yes, OME stands for Old Man Emu, they make aftermarket suspension components and are very popular around the Toyota boards. I do not run them as I was lucky enough to get a hold of the Performance Products 1" lift springs by H&R before they decided to stop making them. If you want to do some research on suspensions I recomend going to the Sonoran Steel website, longtime Toyota guy who can be trusted to take care of you and be helpful answering any questions you may have. They also sell complete suspension kits, which take the guess work out of what you will and will not need to buy.

 

[Juan_RKFD]

It stands for "Old Man Emu".

Be safe through Mexico and only drive in daylight. Also take small bills to pay off the police. There are some out there that will find something wrong with your paperwork and want some money. I have taken that route seven times now.

 

[Ron Helmuth]

yes get all maintenance caught up

all good postings.

LT tires for sure-light truck. Stiffer sidewalls will stand up much better to those potholes.

Yes get the maintenance all caught up and sorted out in advance of the leave.

Any drips now? Take care of them now.

Stock up on oil filters-maybe have an extra fuel filter or two along. Change it out before you go.

I have heard others suggest to take some fine mesh screen and use it to pre-filter your gasoline at those gas stations you would normally not stop at.

Give yourself more fueling options by carrying extra gas at all times. 5 gallons would likely be more than enough.

I am not aware of cat cvtr thefts but imagine it is probably an issue down there as well. Make it just a bit harder for someone to crawl under there and cut it off. Chains may be a deterrent wrapped around the pipes.

Have a great time and send us some photos of unusual Yotas you encounter along the way.

 

[lmtdgov]

I've just been browsing threads looking for info on upgrade/replacement of OEM shocks/struts and came across this thread. Is the OP still around for an update? The wife and I have considered a temporary move to central America and am curious how the drive went.