my truck is too low

[gonzo]

every time i go to the outer banks (the beaches in north carolina) i get annoyed. my old 4runner and old toy pickup used to do great in the sand. now i find that the front end is constantly pushing sand that other trucks have no problem clearing. there are plenty of stock fords, chevys, dodges, xterras, and jeeps driving around, yet when my wheels settle into a set of tracks, i end up pushing sand (incidentaly, although there are many land rovers, land cruisers, and giant trucks with very big lifts driving on the roads in the area, few of them ever make it off road).

i also have to deflate my tires significantly in order to avoid getting stuck, something i never had to do with my '93 4runner or my '94 pickup. when i do deflate the tires then i end up pushing even more sand!

to make matters worse, the traction control systems quite often works against the truck when you are driving in the sand. since there is no way to disable the system you are limited in your ability to tackle some compromising situations.

i love the truck on the road and in the mountains, but this is not a good truck for the beaches.

just had to vent . . .

 

[Falls]

I think if you push the center diff. lock it disables that stuff. Atleast thats how I do donuts in the winter without problem

as far as it being low , lift it ??? I did'nt think the trucks you mentioned had anymore front end clearance than the 4R give or take ??

 

[spyne]

as far as it being low , lift it ??? I did'nt think the trucks you mentioned had anymore front end clearance than the 4R give or take ?? [/B]

Unless I'm mistaken, lifting a 4th gen 3 inches or so puts them pretty close to where the 3rd gen's were stock.

 

[fireteacher]

Unless I'm mistaken, lifting a 4th gen 3 inches or so puts them pretty close to where the 3rd gen's were stock.

:biggrin2: :lmao: :lmao:

love thy 3rd gen!!

 

[Falls]

I love 3rd gens , but dont think they are really higher stock, I always thought it was the body style that made them look higher. Atleast when I pull up next to one stock for stock its only a little higher.

Maybe I'M mistaken

 

[fireteacher]

you gotta pull up to a stock 99 and pull up a step stool to see if hes got leather or not!! j/k

99' are a couple inches taller than the others

 

[Koz]

That's funny because when I was to the Outer Banks I had seen several of those vehicles you mentioned stuck while I drove around them. To say the least I was amazed at how well a STOCK 4th gen (with H/T tires) could get around on the beach.

Koz

 

[Iron Clad Lou]

I think if you push the center diff. lock it disables that stuff. Atleast thats how I do donuts in the winter without problem

I take it you have to be in 4WD for this to work?

 

[Iron Clad Lou]

I love 3rd gens , but dont think they are really higher stock, I always thought it was the body style that made them look higher. Atleast when I pull up next to one stock for stock its only a little higher.

Maybe I'M mistaken

the 3rd gens look higher to me...and the tires look bigger too...maybe the rims are smaller?

 

[gonzo]

That's funny because when I was to the Outer Banks I had seen several of those vehicles you mentioned stuck while I drove around them. To say the least I was amazed at how well a STOCK 4th gen (with H/T tires) could get around on the beach.

Koz

i am in the outer banks at least once a month and have seen many trucks that get stuck in the sand (although i have never seen a jeep or an xterra stuck). you rarely see 4runners stuck out there, but then again, those other trucks that i mentioned are a lot more common.

as far as driving on the soft stuff, the only trucks that i have driven out there so as to make a direct comparison to my current 4runner are a tahoe, a jeep cherokee sport, a pathfinder, my old 2nd gen 4runner, and my old pick up. all of these vehicles faired better in the sand than my current truck.

don't get me wrong, the 4th gen does okay out there, but it is far from being superior. i remember towing out a 4th gen once when i still had my 2nd gen, hoping that it was simply driver error that contributed to him getting stuck.

and my comment about the other trucks was not directed at their ability to move around on the beach, but rather that my undercarrige is dragging on the sand while these other vehicles seem to be clearing it without any problems.

unless i am mistaken, installing a couple inch spacer lift in would do little to get the undercarrige off the ground.

 

[Falls]

I take it you have to be in 4WD for this to work?

I'm not sure how it works on the selectable 4x4 that the v6 has , but being that mine is full time 4x4 thats all I have to work with. I would guess you would have to be in 4x4 since you actually locking the front & rear diffs together.

 

[Falls]

the 3rd gens look higher to me...and the tires look bigger too...maybe the rims are smaller?

They do look higher and I'm sure they are after reading this. The tire's look bigger probably because they are probably 16" , not sure though.

I love the look/stance of the 3rd gens. They just look tougher IMO. More truck like because of the style & design.

The thing with a spacer lift is the if you do a 3"/2" Cornfed ( like most people do )your ground clearance will not change until you put bigger tires on . That is the only thing that will change the distance between the lowest part of the rear pumpkin and the ground. Even with the 3/2 lift it seems 265/70/17 are still. the biggest you can go without trimming and in my opinion look WAY to small with that much of a lift. Going to a 285 series tire will give you more clearance under the rear axle (and looks way cool) , but its like an add'l inch. Thats alot to go through for an inch more clearance over the 265/70's. Granted it does raise the front up for more clearance on the undercarrage,but not the axle .

 

[fireteacher]

3rd gens come from the factory with 15's. get a limited and certain sr5 packages and you get 16's. stock tire for us is a 265/70/16 (i have a limited) and most upgrade to at least a 265/75. getting the extra so called inch.

if the trucks you saw stuck had mt's on them, thats why...terrible in the sand. i take mine to the badlands in indiana, park it on an extreme incline on the dunes, and it will take off from a dead stop on a 60 degree hill climb no problem.

 

[fireteacher]

unless i am mistaken, installing a couple inch spacer lift in would do little to get the undercarrige off the ground.

the spacers will add some ground clearance. just like adding taller coils

 

[RonMAIDEN]

Only base 3rd gens had the 15" wheels and the 16" is pretty much the norm.
In '99 a fair amount of 4Runners (and all Highlander models) got the 1" taller coils but the taller coils were dropped late in the '00 model run and in '01 Toyota dropped the Runner another inch in the wake of SUV rollovers being more scrutinized. The '01s sit a little more than a half inch to three quarters lower than all earlier years of 3rd gens and an 1.5" lower than the '99s and '00 equipped with the "magic" coils.

I'm on stock suspension with 1" taller tires and I have quite a bit more clearance and a much better approach angle than a stock 4th gen.
My neighbor has one so one of these weekends I'll ask if I can make some measurements for a comparison.

 

[boston_kevin]

the spacers will add some ground clearance. just like adding taller coils

Not under the diffs... Only taller tires will increase the ground clearance under the diffs.

 

[Fro-Runner]

I understand that only taller tires will lift the diff (pumpkin) higher off the ground; but you will also have to do a spacer/coil lift in order to put much taller tires on this generation of 4 Runner.

The seats and the inability to lift (raise) this truck-based SUV are the two things I don't like about this version of the 4 Runner. The X-terra, Durango, cherokee, and even the large Nissian Armanda SE all have a higher stance than our Runner.

One of the main reasons I am considering a jump to the 2007 Tundra (and only if you can lift the thing up 4 inchs or more) is the fact that you have to spend $2,000+ on a quality lift just to gain about 3 inches on the 4th gen Runner. Man does that sucks!

 

[fireteacher]

Originally posted by Fro-Runner is the fact that you have to spend $2,000+ on a quality lift just to gain about 3 inches on the 4th gen Runner. Man does that sucks! [/B]

yes it does! trade down! LONG LIVE THE 3rd GEN!

 

[snap315]

The X-terra, Durango, cherokee, and even the large Nissian Armanda SE all have a higher stance than our Runner.

I don't know WHERE you're getting your information from? :bash:

There is NO WAY that the Cherokee, Durango, or Armada have higher clearance than a stock 4th gen T4R! :bash:

I looked at all of the vehicles you mentioned VERY HARD and NONE of them, with the exception of the Xterra, has anywhere near the offroad ability of the 4Runner!

The Jeep was even lowered more for the new design than older models! And I park NEXT TO ONE EVERY DAY so I know it is lower than a 4Runner!

I hate it when people spew false information.


:chair:

 

[Falls]

I don't know WHERE you're getting your information from? :bash:

There is NO WAY that the Cherokee, Durango, or Armada have higher clearance than a stock 4th gen T4R! :bash:

I looked at all of the vehicles you mentioned VERY HARD and NONE of them, with the exception of the Xterra, has anywhere near the offroad ability of the 4Runner!

The Jeep was even lowered more for the new design than older models! And I park NEXT TO ONE EVERY DAY so I know it is lower than a 4Runner!

I hate it when people spew false information.


:chair:

I agree