Offroading in a 2wd..

~KnuckleDuster~

~KnuckleDuster~

New member
So I purchased a 98 4Runner 4cyl recently and have really enjoyed taking it offroad. I bought some 33's w/ rims off a buddy of mine and it does quite well so far. Due to the big tires im rubbing when turning the wheel so im wanting to upgrade the suspension now. Heres what suspension im looking at getting:

Complete OME suspension for 96-02 4Runner - Toytec Lifts: Toyota Lift Kits: FJ Cruiser Lift Kits, Tacoma Lift Kits, Tundra Lift Kits, 4 Runner Lift Kits, Sequoia Lift Kits, Toyota Truck Lift Kits

So my question is, am I wasting my time upgrading a 2wd to this extent? I don't plan on doing any rock crawling but I definatly want to go where others can't. Any info is greatly appreciated. Heres the ride:

4runHills.jpg~original
 
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I've been a lot of places in 2WD with mine w/o using the locker. But then there's some stuff I've been through that I've gotten stuck in with 4lo and the rear diff locked. You're gonna end up having to hit obstacles harder than a 4x4 so the chances of breaking are greater. If you're not doing any crazy wheeling then keep it, but if the bug bites you, you're gonna want a 4x4. It looks good
 
I think that if you lift it you will end up pushing your 4runner more and get stuck more often. You could elocker or air locker the rear. You could just do a body lift to fix the rubbing issue
 
Check out Children of Bodoms build thread. he has one of the nicest Runners on the site and defintely the best 2wd IMHO. Very practical efficient purposefull builds.
 
You will miss low range more then 4wd. The concern is not whether you can complete trails that are somewhat difficult, but how much damage you will cause while doing so. We do not allow participants with 2wd trucks to attend our more difficult trips for this reason.

I would recommend an Old Man Emu suspension setup and no larger then 32" tires.
 
I had a 2wd Tacoma with 3" lift and 33's that I drove and offroaded for 3 yrs and 65k miles and loved it. I went everywhere from rocky stuff in Colorado to beaches and dry sandy riverbeds. I always stayed away from mud, and it was DECENT in the snow (did get stuck quite a bit in 2' drifts).

Long story short, I had fun in it and it served me fairly well, but I was always a little apprehensive about going places offroad, especially alone, and I sold the truck last week and am looking to buy a 4x4 Runner in the next few days. There are some awesome 2wd trucks that do a lot of offroading, but I really value the security of 4x4 when I'm in the middle of nowhere and especially alone.
 
A stock 4wd will go always get futher down the trail plus the mods show much better results when modding a 4wd vs 2wd.
 
With the right tires, decent clearance, a little know-how and possibly a locker, it sounds like you'll be able to go a lot of places. You'll be pretty concious of the limited ability of your ride, and a little common sense goes a long way.

I used to have a '93 Toyota truck that was long traveled AND 4x4, and the only times I used the 4wd was to help pull out a Tundra that was buried to the rear diff in sand, and once to get my truck unstuck because my buddy (complete offroad noob) drove my truck on a sand hill on an angle and was driving way too slow. Low desert sand offroad in my general area is almost completely 2WD vehicles unless you're talking about people that are out there hitting the surrounding hills, which is obviously another story.

That being said, it really depends on what terrain you're driving in because in mud you're S.O.L. and everything else is manageable until you get into rock crawling and water crossings.
 
Thanks for the responses guys alot of good info here, and the build threads are inspiring. Im leaning toward staying 2wd for now and see how it goes. My main area of offroad operation will be in Barstow Calif. its mostly hard packed dirt and rock, no mud.
 
Back in the days before i saw the light and got my 4runner i had a 2wd ranger with the Camburg long travel system. It rocked in the desert. I know they make stuff for the Tacoma so i dont know how well that transfers to the runner. for the barstow area i would say a well set up 2wd would be great.
 
If mine was 2wd, I would make it a desert truck, not a wheeling truck. I personally don't recommend the OME setup since you live in Barstow and therefore will probably be off roading mostly in the desert. I have OME suspension and I love it... but... OME is great suspension for all around off roading and rock crawling IMO, but it's NOT good for going fast on dirt.

Since you really can't do much rock wheeling in a 2wd, there are waaaaaaaaaaaaaay better suspension options than OME for a desert truck. Check out Camburg coilovers, SAWs, King, Icon, Allpro to name a few. I would do a long travel kit in the front if I were you and stick an LSD in the rear . That will be awesome for traction on loose dirt and still help a lot on rocks and stuff when you feel like getting off the beaten path.
 
My 2wd '99 was quite capable offroad. I never pushed it really hard (did easy to moderate trails), but the one and only time I got stuck, I knew I needed a 4x4.

I now have an '02 4wd Sport Edition, and I've never been happier.

So I say get a 4x4...
 
x2 desert truck/ baja. if money isnt an issue check out total chaos fab. there pretty much the bomb when it comes to baja suspension


Tacoma Long Travel Suspension

BTW i used to live about 30 minutes from barsto

my dad use to have a 305 twin banchee with paddle tires that hed take out to the dunes alot
 
no offence to anybody but i think 2wd wheeling is a joke, with a open diff a 2wd truck is pretty much 0wd,with rear locker 1wd, i have a 4wd with rear locker but most of the time when i hit the hard stuff i feel like i only have 2wd because the lack of traction up front if you have a 2wd truck my advice is to save money, a lot of money and do a sas.
 
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