Need Help! 2002 4Runner SR5 4x4 Auto

[02T4RVA]

Hi there,

I am looking to surprise my son on his 16th birthday with a lifted 4Runner near the end of September. I have been browsing the site now for about a week and just joined today. Everyone has some amazing 4Runners!

My initial budget is $3000.00.

I know I would like to do some sort of lift (suspension), tires (33"), wheels (17" or 18"), and anything else the budget might allow.

This will be his daily driver to school, sports events, and general around town driving.

Any recommendations are greatly appreciated (pictures or links will help as I probably wont understand it all). If I have left off anything important, please let me know and I will be happy to answer.

Thank you!

 

[5vzT4R]

Are you wanting help for tires/rims/lift on a budget?

 

[jmildoc]

If you already have the 4Runner then you can definitely do all those things for within your budget, heck if you shop around on forums you can do a lift for about $500 and then wheels and tires can be had for around $1500. I just saved you $1000..... its like you owe me now

 

[02T4RVA]

jmildoc

Yes, I own the 4runner I got it for my son! Now I want to lift it, put tires and wheels on it. I have been looking around at so many people's 4Runners, I am not sure about brands / recommendations. Do I want a 1", 2", 3" lift? (body or suspension)... Is there a better 33" tire for daily driving and maybe some light off-roading. I guess when it comes to wheels, that is a personal preference. Any brand recommendations that are popular with the teenagers. I do know he wants black wheels (if that helps).

 

[white_n_slow]

jmildoc

Yes, I own the 4runner I got it for my son! Now I want to lift it, put tires and wheels on it. I have been looking around at so many people's 4Runners, I am not sure about brands / recommendations. Do I want a 1", 2", 3" lift? (body or suspension)... Is there a better 33" tire for daily driving and maybe some light off-roading. I guess when it comes to wheels, that is a personal preference. Any brand recommendations that are popular with the teenagers. I do know he wants black wheels (if that helps).

I'm a bit older, so I can't say exactly what's cool with teenagers, but 17" wheels will be cheaper than 18's, and probably better for any sort of off roading. Look on the 4wheelparts website for some popular wheels.

As for tires, I would recommend the BFG A/T - long lasting, good road manners and pretty decent off road. Another alternative would be the Goodyear Duratrac - very popular and a little more "agressive" looking - a.k.a. should get your son laid. 285/70-17 is a good size with a 2-3 inch lift.

As for what kind of lift, there are a million answers to that question. Do yourself a favor and read this before asking too many lift questions:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/66976-3rd-gen-4runner-lift-information-faqs.html

After you've read that, do a forum search on any specific questions you might have and if you don't come up with the answers you need, then post.

Good luck, and that is one lucky kid you've got there.

 

[Ol'Blue]

^^^^ Agreed. If you buy the lift separate you can find some great deals out there. 500-800 bucks will get you a nice lift for a 3rd Gen( Or you can just go strait to ToyTec or Allpro and they will get you set up). The rest you can get tires with. The Duratracks are a good choice for year round driving. Allot of guys run them and are happy with them. Easy to care for and balance also and no weak sidewalls like the BFG's(Sorry guys). I'm still trying to put my master plan together before I do anything but that is just my .02 on the matter. He will be thrilled !!!!!

Blue

 

[Ruff]

expensive adders

my only suggestion is....do not spend $2.5K on rims. Some a-hat will steal them.

Here is my idea, give him the truck on his B-day and let him do the research and pick the wheels, tires, etc. This is a great opportunity for him to learn about budgeting (let him know the $ limit) and to bond with you (mods, picking tires, etc.). This way you do not have to guess at what he would like (then hear him complaining about what he does not like) and he can pick his own items.

Like you mentioned in an earlier post, who knows what kids like nowadays.

Good luck,
Ruff

 

[Ruff]

One more thing......

This is from an old thread about tire size. I saved it when I was doing research on what tire/wheel to get for my 4runner. I did not save the name of the person that posted it but, thought it was great advice.

If you want to have a truck that safely pushes the truck within its stock capabilities, then go with a 2" lift (no body lift), a rear locker, and 265/75/R16 tires with an aggressive tread pattern. This will get you down level 3 trails with ease and you will not have to worry about re-gearing or breaking drivetrain components. This is the route I would recommend... and it is the route I recommend to my customers. It requires far less investment and pushes the truck capability right to the limit of diminishing returns. Pass that level of build and you are getting less and less in terms of additional performance at a rapidly increasing $$$ amount.

To run 33s, there are several modifications that need to be made if you are trying to achieve something other then a mall crawler (i.e. "looks badass"). A re-gear should be considered to reduce strain on the rest of the drivetrain components (without it the RPMs will be a little below the power band at highway speed). Simply putting bigger tires on will not infer traction gains, however more aggressive tires will. 33" tires and you will be much more likely to break stuff... plain and simple... big tires to turn means axles go snap. Likewise, big tires will not prevent you from damaging your drivetrain on obstacles (skid plates and slider will). The body lift that is "required" to run 33s does not give you extra clearance, so the only performance advatage you will have is that extra 0.5" to 0.75" of clearance from the taller tires. When this comes at the penalty of drivetrain vulnerability and gearing that is no longer properly suited to the tire size, its not a win.

Unless you are ready to spend the money to properly prepare the trucks to run 33s, then you are not really netting a performance improvement and its not worth it. 265/75/R16s are a much better size for a mild build.

Your choice, but my advice is to do it right or don't do it at all. Builds with a foot in both camps (33s without additional work) are less capable then either camp.

I have built a 3rd gen 4Runner pretty much as far as possible, and would keep it closer to stock if I could start over.

Your choice, your truck. Best of luck with your build.

 

[SCRunner12]

Here is a sample lift, tire and rim combo that will fit your budget. These are all items I'd love to have on my 4runner, but each person's taste will vary. What color is the 4runner?

Tires:
285/70/17 Goodyear Duratracs ~$1200 http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/cart/addToCart.do?productTypeId=1&productId=31929
or
285/70/17 BFG AT's ~$1200 http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/cart/addToCart.do?productTypeId=1&productId=38318

Wheels:
17" SCS Perfomance Stealth 6's Matte Black ~$800 shipped http://www.toyota-4runner.org/stealth-custom-series/128391-scs-stealth-6-wheels-17x8-5-a.html (They will be getting more in stock soon)

Lift:
Toytec Ultimate of Boss Kit (whichever is in stock) ~$1000 (Their site is down right now)


That will put you at right around $3000. You an definitely go cheaper, but this will be the easiest route.

 

[BrianSD_42]

[MENTION=99068]02T4RVA[/MENTION]

Have you considered giving it to him stock and then letting him pick out the lift after doing the research himself?

I'm not trying to but-in however since this is a public forum it seems ok to share an opinion.

There are several members here who are 16-20 and received a 4x4 as a DD from their parents.

The ones (young drivers) who seem to love their used trucks the most are those who did the research on their own, took the time to decide options and then build it (at least in some ways) themselves. If you do the build he may not get the same level of enjoyment out of it.

For instance you could give him the truck stock and tell him you are setting aside cash for mods like suspension, tires, brakes etc when he is ready.

Check out this thread from the beginning ---> http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/105661-4running-dailys-build-thread.html

// 2-cents

[MENTION=6721]4running_Daily[/MENTION] [MENTION=85214]seanshreds[/MENTION]
[MENTION=85535]TRDteen[/MENTION]

 

[snivilous]

What they said ^^^

How mechanically inclined is your son, or more of would he want to put all that stuff on?

I'm 19, and I personally have just as much fun - if not more - actually working and modding the truck than driving it around. But mechanical stuff is also my hobby and what I do for work... So if it was me, I would prefer just the Runner and then have a budget on what I can get. Then I could shop around, and decide if there is a specific area I would rather put some money into and then get to figure out/learn the truck from stock up. He would also know how the mods went so if he ever wanted to change it up he would know the aftermarket history of it. This is much the process and philosophy my dad had when I got the truck, and the end result is I practically live in the garage :bounce: ...so be prepared for that.

My $0.02. All depends on the person though.

 

[02T4RVA]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for all the info, links, advice, and .02 I really do appreciate it! Keep it coming....

Unfortunately, my son and I are not mechanically inclined, so all work done on the 4Runner will be done by others.

The 4Runner is silver.

I definitely have a lot of reading to do from the links provided (thank you) and I like the idea of him picking out what he likes with regards to wheels and tires.

Thanks again and any other comments or suggestions are appreciated!

 

[Ol'Blue]

After reading all that I will agree with almost everything but the 33's. The powerless is minimal. That post mad it sound like 33's were like running 35's. When guys decide to go that route there is a lot of work to be done but not so much with the 33's. You might have to take a little room for them but it is not bad at all. Conner is running them and they cleared just fine with a little bit of trim in the front fender and that is all( He just use a bigger hammer to roll the pinch welds and his trucks run great and preforms very well on the road and trail, anything after that, all bets are off)

Blue

 

[SCRunner12]

I'd check in with your local chapter of T4R to see if anyone is willing to help with the install. It's a days worth of work at the most and would be a great learning experience for your son. That we he can understand how to fix anything that might go wrong and it saves a ton of money. There are quite a few VA guys on here that would most likely lend a hand.

 

[BrianSD_42]

Use TireRack.com instead of Discount Tire.

Stick with a 16" RIM for better prices and still great performance and looks.

General Grabber AT2 (rough prices)
265x75x16 (31.2") | $650
285x70x16 (32.8") | $700-$750


That is assuming you are going to do all the buying.

 

[02T4RVA]

Thanks everyone! I pulled the trigger and purchased the lift from Toytec:

Ultimate Lift Kit for '96-'02 4Runner
Front coil options: 600LB Silver coils
Front diff drop kit : 4x4 Included
Rear coil options: OME 890 coils Normal load 3" lift
Rear shocks: Bilstein 5125 shocks - $60.00
Other options: NO
Upper control arms: NO

I really appreciate all the advice, .02, and suggestions!

Also, my son picked out 17" Level 8 MK6 -12 offset matte black wheels (supposed to receive today).

Thanks again!