Expeditions West 2004 Tacoma

[Scott Brady]

What is the total milage on the truck now and what did you do to refurbish the suspension/steering? I have 270,000 and I am about to start this process myself. WOW 5.29 gears! I was thinking 4.88s were going to be low for 315/70/17. Mine is a DD as well.

Sorry, been traveling so much that I missed these questions.

I really liked the 5.29s and would likely repeat the same gearing for that vintage truck. The V6 never minded the high RPMs and everything just worked better. Better on the trail, better towing, better around town, better while traveling (this truck went all the way to Panama). The only real compromise was highway speeds (top end), but I did so little highway, it never felt like an issue.

 

[Scott Brady]

Back from the dead!

Scott, I don't know if this has been brought up somewhere in this thread BUT... I was just looking into Tacoma wheel/tire/gearing setups and I see that the 255/85 R16's are an E rated tire. Meanwhile, the 33x10.50's are C rated. Wouldn't the 33x10.50's offer an improved ride over the heavier, taller 255/85 R16 tire? Or do the load ratings not make much of a difference?

I'm looking into potentially running a 265/75R16 BFG All Terrain on a future Tacoma setup but the E rating of the tire concerns me.

I always ran the BFG 255/85 R16, and they are super soft carcass, so they deformed as expected in the rocks. Other tires are really stiff and require some break-in and even lower pressures, but then you suffer from flats (losing the bead). The 33x10.5 would be a good size, but it is actually smaller than the 255/85, by about 3/4 of an inch.

Nothing wrong with the 265/75 R16, especially if the more technical terrain will be avoided. I really liked the 295/75 R16 ATs too - they were excellent performers in snow/ice and sand. They also exceeded my expectation on the rocks.

 

[washington taco]

Sorry, been traveling so much that I missed these questions.

I really liked the 5.29s and would likely repeat the same gearing for that vintage truck. The V6 never minded the high RPMs and everything just worked better. Better on the trail, better towing, better around town, better while traveling (this truck went all the way to Panama). The only real compromise was highway speeds (top end), but I did so little highway, it never felt like an issue.

Almost two years latter, better than never. Since asked I have down sized my tires to 255/85/16, rebuilt the front suspension/steering and have racked up another 20,000 miles. Also no longer my DD. This fall I will be having Marlin Crawler rebuild my trany and if I have enough left over regear to 4.88s.

Thanks Mike

 

[Scott Brady]

Almost two years latter, better than never.

Yeah, I have pretty much been gone for two years. Leaving again in late June and pretty much wont be back until spring 2014. . . I hope I have a wife, dog, house when I get back