This is what I needed to hear. I think I'm just gonna build my truck into a more capable yet still stock 4runner. Fresh springs front and rear and 31 or 32 inch tires. I'm gonna have 4.30's in it soon, so it will maintain power at the larger stock tire size, and the e-locker combined with slightly larger tires will make it more effective off road. I may add some rock sliders and skids as well to protect it. Basically what I discussed with Absalom earlier.
I wheel the truck a lot, but ultimately I cannot afford another vehicle and I want to hold on to my 3rd gen for as long as humanly possible. It's a weekend wheeler in New Jersey- I don't need a fully built expedition rig. I just need to convert it to the BEST off road performing stock 4runner, because right now it is objectively the worst with the low springs and smaller stock tire. I may hide a winch in my stock front bumper as well. It will be a happy medium, because I really don't need to go all out for my purposes. It wouldn't be worth it with the amount of road driving i do. Basically I'm gonna beef it up to a 99 Highlander with the e-locker, instead of the low 2002 with camry tires.
A lot of this also stems from the fact that I just don't trust the IFS for serious off road abuse. The ball joints tend to fail with a ton of weight on the front, and the cv's start to break with larger lifts. I'd rather keep my stable and reliable stock setup and not have to worry about it, even if I have to opt to go around some obstacles.
