Mud tyres for 4 runner

[Struth]

Guys I own a 94 SR5 4 runner that I am preparing for a trip to Tassie in September and the coming summer in various Vic mountain ranges. I have already fitted the roof rack and basket and the boys in the workshop are building the cargo drawers and barrier.

I need to purchase some rims and muddies. And want to fit a suspension lift.

Any advice on the best tyre/wheel combo and lift options for the IFS front ended truck would be helpful.

I would rather not spend more than $280 per tyre.

Cheers, Struth.

[sniper]

well depends on what height you are after and what terrain you will go going into i.e mud sand....
most comon with IFS is a 2" torsion wind up and springs and a 2" bodylift.
Mind you that the torsion wind up will make your ride a little bit bumpier.
http://www.toyotasurf.asn.au/
best site for you to look at for all info regarding 4Runners and surfs

Personally i ran 2" suspension (rancho) and 2" bodylift with 265/75/16 BFG mud terrains. worked well for me.

this was mine

[Struth]

Dirt and mud mainly. Beaches are not really on the agenda especially given that I am relative youngster to 4x4 and the quicksand in tassie is too risky as we will be travelling alone.

Also I find most of the spurts get scared at anything over 35mm lift on the runner.

50mm sounds pretty good to me though.

Is there much work involved in the body lift.

cheers Struth

[sniper]

for the bodylift not at all. On that link i gave you has all the step by step instructions with pictures on how to do one and other mods if you wished.
If you had a mate help you you would be lookin at between 30min-1hr to do the body lift.
And with the new law been passed nothing over 5" complete your runner with the same set up as mine would still be completely legal.

[Struth]

Thanks again I will check the link and reckon my truck will be about 4" higher in the near future.

Not to appear stupid, but I measure tyres in inches so please let me know what diameter the tyres you recommend are in inches.

Cheers.

[sniper]

265/75/16 = 32`s

[Sprint666]

I have done a 2'' body lift on my 97 dual cab, only problem i found with torsion bar wind up was, rubbing cv boots, bump stops had to be cut down, and you end up with no downwards movement at all. So i only gave a bou a 3/4 inch wind up and 2'' body lift in the end. Bolted on some 15x8 inch rims with 33''x12.5'' muddies. had to trim my side steps, get the occassional rub at full lock, with a fair bit of articulation but nothing to worry me. Bought ny tyres for $100 each second hand Check ebay! and got my rims from the wreckers all for $100, fitting and balance $45 so thats about $135 a corner, and my tyres have a boy 70% tread! Goodyear wrangler muddies.

Body lift was very easy just ensure that you lossen of the steering splines as you lift it, and use a nice fat block abour 65-70mm, i spun up my blocks out of steel on the lave, have been out a few times and had no troubles, the larger tyres have made a great difference.

Hope this helps.

http://www.toyotasurf.asn.au/techsite/bodylift.htm

I used this link for reasearch, and

my truck now. (still would like to go higher, but i will get a live axle truck for that)

[sniper]

never had a problem with my cv boots, but the wind up will put more strain on your cv`s. This said i took mine out and followed my mates who run 35`s and i follow and have never broken a cv.
You can also do other things like a superlift kit but this is alot more expensive, ball joint spacers are another option 1" max so as you can wind down your torsion bars for a more comfortable ride and less stress on your cv`s.
All the info is in the link provided, i felt that mine articulated resonably well for an IFS 4Runner.

[AIstyle]

sniper....u running a rear sway bar?

[Struth]

Yep sway bar still attached.

Struth.

[AIstyle]

sorry...was asking sniper as the first pic in this post as a fair bit of flex on the rear.

[Struth]

Guys I am leaning toward the following,

1" balljoint, diff and sway bar spacers combined with a 35mm dial up that should give about 60mm lift. Rear should be easy enough to match in with the front.

I would reckon the way to go is to get the dial up done first with new coils for the rear, OME all round to ensure this part goes off with no hitches. Then fit the 1" front end spacers and rear coil spacers at about 1.5".
I suppose I need to be careful with OME shocker choice to make sure they hande the extra 1" from the spacers all round.

Can anyone see why this would be a problem?

Body lift can wait for now especially as I can't see how to match the bullbar with the body lift, hopefully I can fit some larger tyres after the 60mm suspension lift only.

Cheers, Struth.

[sniper]

sniper....u running a rear sway bar?

yep, was always to lazy to undo it

would flex a bit better if i ever disconected it

[sniper]

You can buy the ball joint spaces from a guy in that link i gave you, he is in the sale section (mr dj)
These will reduce the strain on your cv`s, or you can add them plus the 2" wind up for a 3" lift, This added with a 3" bodylift will fit 35`s.......but we are getting carried away here.

To make your bullbar match your bodylift you need to have some brackets welded to it to lift it up to match the bodylift. Any metal shop should be able to do this for a carton of beer (providing you cant weld yourself).

And yes make sure your shocks will be long enough, get the longest you can fit.

coil spacers give you height but take away your up travel (tucking rim). If you can afford the new springs i would get them if not then go the spacers.

good luck and let us know how it goes

[Struth]

Yep I realised on the way home that some simple mods to the bullbar mounts would rectify that problem.
I agree that springs instead of spacers will offer better artic and imagine that having the springs done 1.5" taller than the front when putting the OME gear in will be better.
This said I will need to be ready to fit the front end spacers shortly after the OME. I manage a machinery building workshop with welding and fitting and turning staff so metal work is no issue.

I do however have one last question.

What is the measurement between centre of the front wheel hub and say the wheel flare on a standard 94 SR5 4runner? Mine looks to have had a small lift and is fitted with Koni springs and shocks however it is debatable wether or not it is raised.

Unless some other other good advice appears I will lift the bastard and post pics shortly after.

Cheers.

[AIstyle]

keep in mind there Struth....ball joint spacers are illegal and unroadworthy in Melbourne.

I was going todo it but when I found out my insurance will be voided i steered away from it....but thats your call....just giving u a heads up!!!!

[Struth]

Hmmm the missus doesn't like the insurance issue.

Who can I get to dial up the front end 50mm as ARB seem hesitant?

If I dial up 50mm can I expect to break CVs or anything else?

Bare in mind I don't do radical 4WDing but also don't scare easily.

Cheers.

[sniper]

Hmmm the missus doesn't like the insurance issue.

Who can I get to dial up the front end 50mm as ARB seem hesitant?

If I dial up 50mm can I expect to break CVs or anything else?

Bare in mind I don't do radical 4WDing but also don't scare easily.

Cheers.

The ball joint spacers are really hard to see, but in the end of the day its your call.
I cant see why ARB is hesitant as they do this evreyday
It aint hard to do your self, once again instructions in that link. Any 4X4 place should be able to crank them up for you if you didnt want to do it yourself.
You will usually only break a CV from bouncing your truck over rocks and stuff. I have never broken a CV and i went pretty crazy in the bush. Just try not to bounce over obstacles and you should be right. This will break CV`s in any truck.

[Struth]

Yep thanks.

I don't rely on momentum to get where I need to go so bouncing shouldn't be a problem. I will fit lockers before I ever use speed to overcome obstacles. After all I can't get to work during the week if I bust the truck.

I will also tell ARB that it's fine if they only recommend 35mm dial up but I will be getting 50mm one way or another, I am sure the dollars they would miss out on if I went somewhere else will persuade them to do 50mm. Not that I can't do the job myself just that my spare time is very valuable.

Cheers

[spongerx]

Cranking your torsion bars that high wont leave you with much, if any down travel and will be a really harsh ride. I have a 1.5" ball joint spacer on my 2003 lux and I'm fighting leaking CV boots at the moment. I also had to put a 10mm spacer to limit down travel to prevent my CVs binding at full lock and droop. I tend to drive around with my hubs unlocked as much as possible to reduce stress on my boots. Balljoint spacers arent illegal in Barbados where I am as far as I know and the ride is a bit softer with them installed. Your missus will def be complaining on a long trip like you have planned with that much crank on the torsion bars. If you cant go the balljoint spacer route I think it'd be better for you to only crank it 35mm.

[booflux]

Hey mate, I also looked at the spacers but the legal issues and some other feedback I got steered me away from them. I have 50mm wind up on the tbs and its not that bad also in regards to the cv boots, we found that the cheap crap ones work the best basically because being universal they are a bit big. Until using these I was ripping a boot everytime I went off road. These ones have been in for two years now.

[Struth]

OK spoke to ARB today and they are very wishy washy regarding what I can expect if they lift it even 35mm let alone 50mm. Can't even tell me how far the front end might settle over time.

Thought they were the experts

I will speak with Iron Man later today and get their opinion and costing for the work.

Seeing as I dont do big rock hopping or comps I will probably settle for about 40mm.

Does anyone have any feedback on Iron Man suspension systems

Cheers Struth.

[Sprint666]

Just do the bodylift, so easy.

Well it has worked for me, and i have had no probs.

Best of luck.

IFS to much fucking around, I wish I had of stuck with live axls, but.....more comfy on the road.

[Struth]

So bloody many opinions a bloke gets cofused.

The body lift will probably eventually happen but I dont need the missus to come home from OS and find 2" suspension and 2" body lifts

She should never have gone away and appointed me financial controller in her absence

Anyway booked in for Iron man 2" sus lift next week so if anyone can give me a good reason not to do this I need to know soon, but for now i have to do something.

At least the folks at Ironman dont have their heads up their ar**s like another company I shall not mention again.

And back to my priginal question I have been leant brand new 31" cooper STTs for tassie so I will trial these.

Cheers.

[sniper]

STT is a good tyre, personally i go the BF muddies but thats my own opinion. Good luck

[dow50r]

Your way better off doing the body lift first....that way, when you put bigger tyres on, they dont rub on the body, because when the diff is on the bump stops, the body is 50mm higher all the real heavy things stay low, but if you can squeeze in 33's, your up an inch straight away at the front crossmember....then there is suspension....there really isnt much you can do here, many have ripped the ifs out and put solid underneath.... i suggest you get lockers (up the front at least) and leave the suspension where it is....well maybe up an inch
Andrew

[Struth]

Right, hope you all dont think I can't make my mind up but I do see sense in the body lift v suspension lift from dow50r and money does not grow on trees.

As well it is a much cheaper option to gain height for the body, fit bigger tyres for traction and I have yet to bottom the chassis out on the 4runner.

Also it leaves me money for a snorkel (my air intake is behind the headlight) which is pretty cheap engine insurance for the day I tackle the wrong bog hole.

New question. Do you need to extend the gear sticks after a body lift of 2"

Thanks for your input guys it is very helpful.

Cheers, Struth.

[AIstyle]

yes,

gear stick has to be extended 2" as well as brackets are needed to fit the radiator the 2"'s too.

My opinion......Bodylift, snokel (thats a must) and some good rubber and u'll be on your way.

[Struth]

Agreed snorkel is a must have

Body lift wont be a problem really only cost me time.

Will the 4WD stick need lenghtening as well
If so can I just get the stick/s from a Hi Lux at the wreckers so I can extend them first or must it be 4 Runner sticks

Will the V6 suffer too much for the bigger tyres The tassie trip will have it's fair share of highway driving as will most summer trips eg: we want to return to the Grampians for more exploring late in the year so will travel 3+ hours just to get there.

Cheers Struth.

[Struth]

GOT IT

2" body lift, 33" baja claws on offsets so I don't need to tailor steering travel.

Reasons

1 - Too many people can perceive possible trouble with lifting the IFS front end (me included)

2 - Lifting the bugger myself leaves plenty of dollars for tyres (almost halves the investment required vs Sus lift and tyres).

3 - My local 4B shop can do the bullbar mods for $100.00 I wouldnt trouble my aluminium welding mates for such small change.

4 - The maths is being done by the spurts to ensure my tyre choice will fit.

5 - I can always lift the suspension by about 1" later if I require which added to the 1" lift from the tyres will equal 2 " lift for the chassis without straining suspension components.

6 - As one smart cookie pointed out my chassis stays lower thus keeping my centre of gravity as low as possible.

7 - Traction goes up big time.

Guys, thanks heaps for all the input it has helped me make an important decision in an informed manner.

I will post pictures of the completed project in a month or two.

regards, Struth.