outdoorjunky
New member
First I'd like to introduce myself and say thanks for all the wonderful posts full of information on here. I've gained a lot of knowledge from lurking but now I'd like to participate in the forum as I am about to partake in a 4runner Expo build and need some clarification on a few things I think I've learned from reading the information provided here.
I'm in the market for a 99 4runner, I've always been a hilux/Tacoma guy but never have had 4wd on any of my trucks. I do a lot of waterfowl and upland bird hunting and this requires driving in conditions ranging from desert washboard trails with some heavy obstacles when upland hunting to dealing with heavy mud, ice , deep water, and snow when out waterfowling. I have a 2011 Subaru outback that I've been forced to take on a lot of these trips because it has somewhat of a 4wd capability and even though I know it's not ideal it's gotten me there, however, it is still extremely limited as far as where it can go. Since I'm getting married soon and kids will undoubtably be on the horizon the 4runner appeals to me for the 4 seats plus the 5speed manual option with e-locker. The gen 1 Tacoma doesn't come with a manual trans option with 4 doors unfortunately so I've ruled it out...
anyhow I'm pretty well decided on a a 3rd gen 4runner and I have some questions about lift, tire size in regard to rubbing, and whether I need to stiffen the suspension to accommodate winch bumpers and sliders on the truck.
Question 1 pertains to tire size and function not brand... I plan to put Cooper Discoverer ST MAXX tires on the rig but it's a toss up between 235/85/16 and 255/85/16. From what I have gathered 255's will rub and require hammering of the wheel well skirting to make it work ... will 235's also have rubbing issues?
I am considering a 2" lift but I also have gathered that suspension lifts do nothing for rubbing and a body lift is what would solve that ... I don't want to do a body lift so I'm looking to find a tire that will work without having to modify the body on the chassis. I also like the idea of the skinny tires .. I read some convincing articles and think it make a lot of sense especially since I'll be traveling long distance with the 4runner, not trailering it so less wind resistance and better mileage are appealing on top of the other advantages. My only concern is road manners in regard to snow, ice, and wet .... how do 235's hang in that regard?
In regard to Lift ... it seems like one of the solid options is going with bilstein shocks and tundra springs in the front and the OME springs with blistein shocks in the rear to give a 2" lift ... with that said I also plan to equip the rig with a tube winch bumper up front, a tube bumper with tire holder in the rear, and sliders. Do I need to rethink the lift option with that extra weight or will the progressive tundra springs accommodate that weight and still provide a 2" lift? Would I just need to tweak the adjustable blisteins in front to accommodate the extra weight? I'm going out on a limb and thinking maybe the same shocks would work but springs might need to be stiffened? Seems like the OME kits have a stiffer spring option for trucks that have extra added weight from off road bumpers but many praise the tundra lift for the front so I'm wondering what my options are.
Last question: will running a 2" suspension lift require me to drop the diff or is that only needed with 3" of lift and above?
Disclaimer: I have read many posts on here and gathered a lot of info to the point I may have overloaded myself so excuse me if my questions come across like a broken record.
Thanks in advance!
I'm in the market for a 99 4runner, I've always been a hilux/Tacoma guy but never have had 4wd on any of my trucks. I do a lot of waterfowl and upland bird hunting and this requires driving in conditions ranging from desert washboard trails with some heavy obstacles when upland hunting to dealing with heavy mud, ice , deep water, and snow when out waterfowling. I have a 2011 Subaru outback that I've been forced to take on a lot of these trips because it has somewhat of a 4wd capability and even though I know it's not ideal it's gotten me there, however, it is still extremely limited as far as where it can go. Since I'm getting married soon and kids will undoubtably be on the horizon the 4runner appeals to me for the 4 seats plus the 5speed manual option with e-locker. The gen 1 Tacoma doesn't come with a manual trans option with 4 doors unfortunately so I've ruled it out...
anyhow I'm pretty well decided on a a 3rd gen 4runner and I have some questions about lift, tire size in regard to rubbing, and whether I need to stiffen the suspension to accommodate winch bumpers and sliders on the truck.
Question 1 pertains to tire size and function not brand... I plan to put Cooper Discoverer ST MAXX tires on the rig but it's a toss up between 235/85/16 and 255/85/16. From what I have gathered 255's will rub and require hammering of the wheel well skirting to make it work ... will 235's also have rubbing issues?
I am considering a 2" lift but I also have gathered that suspension lifts do nothing for rubbing and a body lift is what would solve that ... I don't want to do a body lift so I'm looking to find a tire that will work without having to modify the body on the chassis. I also like the idea of the skinny tires .. I read some convincing articles and think it make a lot of sense especially since I'll be traveling long distance with the 4runner, not trailering it so less wind resistance and better mileage are appealing on top of the other advantages. My only concern is road manners in regard to snow, ice, and wet .... how do 235's hang in that regard?
In regard to Lift ... it seems like one of the solid options is going with bilstein shocks and tundra springs in the front and the OME springs with blistein shocks in the rear to give a 2" lift ... with that said I also plan to equip the rig with a tube winch bumper up front, a tube bumper with tire holder in the rear, and sliders. Do I need to rethink the lift option with that extra weight or will the progressive tundra springs accommodate that weight and still provide a 2" lift? Would I just need to tweak the adjustable blisteins in front to accommodate the extra weight? I'm going out on a limb and thinking maybe the same shocks would work but springs might need to be stiffened? Seems like the OME kits have a stiffer spring option for trucks that have extra added weight from off road bumpers but many praise the tundra lift for the front so I'm wondering what my options are.
Last question: will running a 2" suspension lift require me to drop the diff or is that only needed with 3" of lift and above?
Disclaimer: I have read many posts on here and gathered a lot of info to the point I may have overloaded myself so excuse me if my questions come across like a broken record.
Thanks in advance!