'10 Tundra CrewMax

[zidaro]

Zidaro,
I was all set to get different tires on my 08 DC, but reading this thread, along with the 5 snowstorms we've had since the beginning of the year convinced me to give these duratracs a try. My stock tires are terrible in the snow and I'm really hoping these work out. Great build btw, great to see people taking our trucks out. I've got the Sway-Away adjustable coilovers and Total Chaos UCA's set at about 2" of lift, totally got rid of the horrible bed-hop I had when I got it. Did the ExpeditionOne bumpers/winch affect the ride much? Can't decide between those or a ton of BudBuilt armor underneath for right now. Thanks,

John

Still love my Duratracs. Think you will too.
Now just REALLY want to get the front ARB and rear Auburn traction control installed so i feel like i can get in and out of anywhere it will fit :Wow1:

The bumpers and winch definitely added some weight to the truck! MPG went down to ~15-17 mpg in the area i live (course it is winter too and im in 4x and on snowy roads at times) I felt very vulnerable with the stock tin on each end though and now i can ********** a snowbank, deer, or have a tourist slid into me w/o stressing.
Suspension was on at same time so who knows on that effect.
They look great and work perfect.

Budbuilt skids are great ( I have had them and abused them on my crawler for years) and they are on the list for underside protection at some point, his sliders are nice too- just cant justify the shipping. I find i am not needing the skids before i add the traction devices and a set of sliders. Stock skids are fragile but will handle small blows, when i can drag my truck across some rocks, then the budbuilts will go on :sombrero:

 

[mosupernak]

Nice build so far! Congrats on all the empty boxes and new shiny parts on the yota

 

[hovenator]

Great looking Tundra. I love those bumpers and Dura-Trac tires.

 

[zidaro]

Finally got around to getting a couple things done on the Tundra.
Weve had amazing weather in the Eastern Sierras so it has been tough to spend a day wrenching when you can be out climbing rock and ice or laying out some great spring temp/winter snow turns on the hill.

Installed a Drive shaft center-bearing carrier drop. My truck only has a ~3-4" lift and it is not a recommended item for lifts under ~5", but i could feel a bit of shudder in the drivetrain on takeoff acceleration and it was bothering me. Just didnt have that perfectly smooth "new" car feel like it should. I had an extracab in the past that had a center bearing 2-pc. driveshaft and was more than familiar with the issues when lifting the truck. The carrier bearing is not cheap to replace, makes a ton of noise and vibrates like a ******** when it starts to wear. Easy fix but PITA till ya do.
Fix the problem now i told myself.
Brian from www.StreetTacos.com sells a drop center bearing carrier bracket for 07+ Tundras to just this.
http://www.streetacos.com/Products.html - search for 07 tundra and the specific products will come up.
His bracket uses stock holes and adds an adtn'l bolt to increase rigidity. Drops the bearing 1-1/2". Comes with hardware. Very easy install that takes a total of 20min. and 1 beer. I even had an icy driveway to lie on.

drop bracket

location of bolts to remove (2)

bolts out, drop shaft with supported at axle with a block (notice ice)

new bracket in place, upper flange to front of truck. top, center bolt is new and adds some rigidity. install this bolt first but leave loose till others are lined up.

all done and tight

test drive brought a smile to my face. NO more shudder on takeoff or acceleration. Didnt have high speed vibrations before or after, but if i would have let the issue continue- i would have. Should have done this the day i lifted it.

Also- Toyota batteries suck. This is a new truck with 10K on it. Already have corrosion and mild leaking. Searching the web, this is common.

Problem solved:

Sears Dihard Platinum PM-1 Group 31M AGM Marine battery 205 min. reserve. Direct fit in 07+ Tundras. Plenty of juice for a winching and to run my ARB fridge w/o the worries. Same exact battery as an Odyssey
I test fit today, charging fully then in tomorrrow.

 

[zidaro]

battery in and winch wired up to it.
Fit like a glove, no issues. I did drill out the pos. leads to 7/16" to fit over the threaded terminal.
peace of mind.

Never added how the winch solenoid mounted. Did a simple bracket behind the bumper for now. All cables reached. Not as protected from the elements as I would like, but no need to pop the hood to winch.
Down the road i will rewire the solenoid for an in cab switch and mount it under the hood at the same time.

Heres a shot of basic solenoid wiring out of an XP9.5 I had no manual and all the stickers were off the cables so i had no idea how these were wired. Searched quite a bit and found diagrams to match, then realized the cables come out of the housing in a specific order.

Small alum. plate on left side.

Solenoid and rope wound.

Line is a Rockstomper 3/8" X 110'.
Planning on an Alum. plate cover when i get to it.

 

[bdyer]

Charging system

Does the tundra charge curve go with the Agm diehard. Christo told me that agm batteries require special charging or they don't work well. I don't know just asking

 

[zidaro]

dont know?
I have an xtreme charge battery charger and planned on a maintenance charge on occasion. beyond that, guess i will find out.
Let me know if you happen to dig up any info on this. Didnt even think there was a charge "curve" with the intermittent charge coming from a running a vehicle that would get turned off regularly, my ignorance.

btw- Ive had an Odyssey running in my '87 4runner for 4 years without a single hiccup? You got me wondering though, dam i hate that

 

[Deleted member 13060]

Here's the "official site" http://www.odysseyfactory.com/index.html I didn't see anything special on charging......

 

[Scott Brady]

Great photos and project:

 

[zidaro]

Here's the "official site" http://www.odysseyfactory.com/index.html I didn't see anything special on charging......

thanks for the link

I have never heard of anyone using odyssey, optima, dihard pt., or other AGM batteries having charge issues in vehicular use. This is what they are designed for.

 

[zidaro]

Great photos and project:

Thanks Scott, fun toy that i get to drive every day!

 

[bdyer]

Battery

Thanks for the info

 

[rroadkilll]

Love your rig... Looking to get rid of my Xterra and get into a Tundra...

 

[zidaro]

returned from a 10 day camping trip split between Johnson Valley offroading and Joshua Tree climbing. Rig worked perfectly and a great time was had by all.

my buddy and his family, also from Mammoth, came down and joined us too. He happens to also have a Crewmax and a FWC. His is stock with load leveler leafs so far. Im working on him

averaged 12mpg with 70mph highways, headwinds, fully loaded camper incl. water beer and wood, and a dirtbike on the back. Not great, but ill take it. Engine NEVER hesitated power, bags held the weight, comfort galore the WHOLE time.

my buds crawler we played with in Johnson Valley- here on Chocolate Thunder

we got some wheeling and riding in, but were really there to watch the KOH races. Insane

then met my wife and daughter down the desert in Joshua Tree NP for some beautiful camping and climbing.

Weather was SoCal perfect the whole trip-a nice relief from the Winter in the Sierras this year

 

[thenomad]

Nice photos and build! I can't wait to get some traveling in!