Hi guys, I have been lurking here for months studying 3rd gen 4runners and I finally picked up my own 1997 manual SR5 3.4l 4wd. I am knee deep in “new to me” maintenance projects but I have some plans for the fun part of my build. I am sorry for the long post, I have been pouring over the archives but am still unclear on a lot of things.
The truck I want to emulate is Ryhi’s when he had the following setup
Tires - 285/65/18 (32.5") BFG T/A KO
Front – Bilstein 5100 shocks with stock springs
Rear – OME 890 springs with Bilstein 5125 shocks.
Body lift: 2” Toytec
I have 17x8 wheels with a 0 offset and 4.25" backspacing. I want to achieve a similar look and functionality as Ryhi’s with the lowest cost/hassle possible and there are two routes to achieve this. I could get 265/70/17 tires and stay on the stock suspension without rubbing I think but I suspect this might look strange because the ratio of rim to tire would look weak, and the stock shocks are in poor shape anyway. How much would I save replacing stock shocks and buying tires at this size versus option 2…?
Option 2 would be to lift, but exactly what amount is hard to say with the best return on investment for getting a good “look” with the tires and suspension combination. In the photos his 18” wheel has enough rubber at 285/65/18, since mine is 17” is there an intermediary size to 285/70/17 I am overlooking that would look similar but cost less and require less lift which would further save money? Or would it be best then to get 285/70/17 and match his tire dimensions? I will only be doing recreational off-roading, but primarily daily driving. I could copy Ryhi’s setup exactly but I wonder if there are any other recommendations for the same result but less hassle/cost? I read that the 5125’s have some different mounting set up, and I have no idea what I am doing so I want the easiest plug and play solution possible without having to get extra parts, fabricate anything, or half ass it in any way. And from what I read doing more than 1” body lift makes things complicated with diff drops and so forth, but if more than 1” body lift is needed to not rub on that wheel size then it might be getting too expensive and complex. I don’t even know how much this sort of change would drop my mpg and power since I don’t want to do any crazy re-gearing or anything else either.
Additional questions:
What is the best value wheel mounting hardware / hubcentric and wheelcentric spacer combination? All I know is that I need acorn style nuts but I am unsure of all the components I will need to mount wheels on a setup like this and no good local source of parts.
Has anyone done a write-up/have pictures on sparco mudflaps for the non-limited fender flares?
Good source for the stock manual shift knob, or a part # and cost?
Is there anything else that I am overlooking that is cheap that I should replace while I am having the suspension work done?
Is there a good yellow alternative to the Bosch pilot 160 driving lights which are apparently no longer made? The Hellas seem to only have faint yellow sheaths and the KC daylighters with yellow stone guards seem like they may not fit on the front bumper.
Is there a less expensive quality exact clone of the BF Goodrich T/A KOs? They seem very expensive and finding a good source at a good price has proven difficult.
Thanks for reading through this and any help you can offer.
The truck I want to emulate is Ryhi’s when he had the following setup
Tires - 285/65/18 (32.5") BFG T/A KO
Front – Bilstein 5100 shocks with stock springs
Rear – OME 890 springs with Bilstein 5125 shocks.
Body lift: 2” Toytec
I have 17x8 wheels with a 0 offset and 4.25" backspacing. I want to achieve a similar look and functionality as Ryhi’s with the lowest cost/hassle possible and there are two routes to achieve this. I could get 265/70/17 tires and stay on the stock suspension without rubbing I think but I suspect this might look strange because the ratio of rim to tire would look weak, and the stock shocks are in poor shape anyway. How much would I save replacing stock shocks and buying tires at this size versus option 2…?
Option 2 would be to lift, but exactly what amount is hard to say with the best return on investment for getting a good “look” with the tires and suspension combination. In the photos his 18” wheel has enough rubber at 285/65/18, since mine is 17” is there an intermediary size to 285/70/17 I am overlooking that would look similar but cost less and require less lift which would further save money? Or would it be best then to get 285/70/17 and match his tire dimensions? I will only be doing recreational off-roading, but primarily daily driving. I could copy Ryhi’s setup exactly but I wonder if there are any other recommendations for the same result but less hassle/cost? I read that the 5125’s have some different mounting set up, and I have no idea what I am doing so I want the easiest plug and play solution possible without having to get extra parts, fabricate anything, or half ass it in any way. And from what I read doing more than 1” body lift makes things complicated with diff drops and so forth, but if more than 1” body lift is needed to not rub on that wheel size then it might be getting too expensive and complex. I don’t even know how much this sort of change would drop my mpg and power since I don’t want to do any crazy re-gearing or anything else either.
Additional questions:
What is the best value wheel mounting hardware / hubcentric and wheelcentric spacer combination? All I know is that I need acorn style nuts but I am unsure of all the components I will need to mount wheels on a setup like this and no good local source of parts.
Has anyone done a write-up/have pictures on sparco mudflaps for the non-limited fender flares?
Good source for the stock manual shift knob, or a part # and cost?
Is there anything else that I am overlooking that is cheap that I should replace while I am having the suspension work done?
Is there a good yellow alternative to the Bosch pilot 160 driving lights which are apparently no longer made? The Hellas seem to only have faint yellow sheaths and the KC daylighters with yellow stone guards seem like they may not fit on the front bumper.
Is there a less expensive quality exact clone of the BF Goodrich T/A KOs? They seem very expensive and finding a good source at a good price has proven difficult.
Thanks for reading through this and any help you can offer.
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