Montero by Gophere
- Thread starter gophere
- Start date
Cambo
Adventurer
Congrats! I am pretty new to Mitsu's also, but so far there is lots to love. Did you get the Montero or Montero sport? Not familiar with the 2.5, I am guessing thats the 4 cylinder? If so you won't have the locker and if it is the regular Montero you can swap the rear end from a 3.5 with the 9.5" rear end with air locker. Lots of fun mods to do! Lets start with some pics though. :smiley_drive:
gophere
Adventurer
-OK: Heres the low down on my montero
1998 with 130,000 White:wings:
3.5l SOHC V6 Auto
Activetrac 4WD
Factory rear air locker
3-mode variable shocks
A/T mode changeover switch
It goes in on the 1st to Portland Mitsubishi for a update on the preventive stuff and I am going to get a set of 31-10.50s this weekend. This is going to be a great truck!
-Any suggestion on a good set of Tires? I ran Revos for years on my XJ but this Montero is totally different and I would like to try something different.
-The Activetrac locked up a bit when I 1st tried it but it works great now!
-I want an ARB bumper but the RockRails need to come 1st
1998 with 130,000 White:wings:
3.5l SOHC V6 Auto
Activetrac 4WD
Factory rear air locker
3-mode variable shocks
A/T mode changeover switch
It goes in on the 1st to Portland Mitsubishi for a update on the preventive stuff and I am going to get a set of 31-10.50s this weekend. This is going to be a great truck!
-Any suggestion on a good set of Tires? I ran Revos for years on my XJ but this Montero is totally different and I would like to try something different.
-The Activetrac locked up a bit when I 1st tried it but it works great now!
-I want an ARB bumper but the RockRails need to come 1st
tdesanto
Expedition Leader
I think you're right on target with prioritizing the sliders over the bumper for now, if you must choose. Also, I'd recommend waiting on the bumper until you can get the winch too. Now, for the gen 2.5, I think you'll need a small amount of fabrication done to get the ARB bumper to fit.
RogerH on here has this same model and he can fill you in on what's required. I can tell you that whoever did the work for him made it fit perfectly. Wil at Sierra Expeditions can help you sort out which bumper you need. (He's the one Roger ordered from.)
I think you're really going to like this truck. I haven't even seen pictures and I'm already happy for you. 3.5L engine, rear locker, expo white...just add sliders and a fridge and you're all done
As for tires, where do you plan on taking it? Are you thinking an MT or an AT tire? I think you have a ton of options to go with. The new Goodyear MTR is a good all-around choice, but then there's the BFG ATs or KM2s, or the Maxxis Bighorns, or the Cooper STTs, or the...or the..., and so on.
RogerH on here has this same model and he can fill you in on what's required. I can tell you that whoever did the work for him made it fit perfectly. Wil at Sierra Expeditions can help you sort out which bumper you need. (He's the one Roger ordered from.)
I think you're really going to like this truck. I haven't even seen pictures and I'm already happy for you. 3.5L engine, rear locker, expo white...just add sliders and a fridge and you're all done
As for tires, where do you plan on taking it? Are you thinking an MT or an AT tire? I think you have a ton of options to go with. The new Goodyear MTR is a good all-around choice, but then there's the BFG ATs or KM2s, or the Maxxis Bighorns, or the Cooper STTs, or the...or the..., and so on.
gophere
Adventurer
...just add sliders and a fridge and you're all done
QUOTE]
The sliders YES but the fridge, not yet. I have spent 2 weeks in my xj and a month in a kayak and not needed it, but then I am not eating steaks on day 16 of a trip!
off-roader
Expedition Leader
Good choice. A good buddy of mine also recently bought a 98 with the 'winter package' (contains the locking diff). He added an ARB bumper up front.
Roger Brown (4crawler.com) can send you an 'unassembled' set of sliders but he doesn't sell them assembled any more as far as I know. At least when I tried to buy them it took him so long to build up a set (2-3 months) that I just gave up on waiting.
Instead I opted for a set of the Trail Gear 67" sliders (http://www.trail-gear.com/rock-sliders). They're built for a Toy but will work with the Montero. Made 1 3/4" X .120 round DOM tubing. Many have used them for their montero's and I don't ever recall seeing/hearing any complaints from anyone. Cost is $140 + shipping from Fresno CA.
If you ever opt for a front locker, you can get an ARB RD110 locker. I also heard someone's making a detroit for the front but don't know whom.
As for tires, yes, it highly depends on the kind of wheeling you're going to do. I personally prefer BFG MT's but the new KM2's seem to wear pretty quickly on the road (GRRRR!!!) unlike their old MT KM's.
Also depending on where you plan to wheel it's pretty simple to upgrade to a larger tire. 33's should fit without any lift. I run 35x12.5's BFG MT KM2' with a 2" body lift.
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RttH
Member
Congratulations on the purchase! I have really enjoyed mine. Mine did not have the rear locker or adjustable shocks so I paid a pretty penny to get those after market.
I have heard that the adjustable shocks are awesome and actually last a long time, but since mine didn't have them I bought ARB Old Man Emu (OME) heavy duty. My factory shocks would bottom out just having 4 people aboard.
The ARB bumper looks great (thanks Wil!!)but "for me" it is just a heavy ornament as I do not have a winch nor plan on one. If I am solo I stay away from extreme stuff and if I am with some other vehicle they usually have a winch. I do have front and rear lockers and a pair of Maxtrax to throw under the tires if needed, and a hi-lift jack with accessories.
All the after market stuff adds up in $$ and weight, so choose wisely! Weight and too big a tire and your truck will suffer. I am running 33 x 10.5 x 15 KM2's and am extremely surprised and happy with there handling and performance. But for these Colorado mountains offroad I had to re gear. I have had AT and Mt (both BFG's) in 31 and 32" x 11.5. You can easily run 32's or 33's ( I would stay narrow) and not notice any deficits in performance, nor need to modify anything.
Sliders are a good first mod and like Tony said, any reputable shop should be able to make you some. I think mine were only $200 to fab and install.
So, as you can see I am long winded. First get some sliders and tires and go play! You will know what you need as you get out there more.
Hope I was able to help some!
RogerH:victory:
I have heard that the adjustable shocks are awesome and actually last a long time, but since mine didn't have them I bought ARB Old Man Emu (OME) heavy duty. My factory shocks would bottom out just having 4 people aboard.
The ARB bumper looks great (thanks Wil!!)but "for me" it is just a heavy ornament as I do not have a winch nor plan on one. If I am solo I stay away from extreme stuff and if I am with some other vehicle they usually have a winch. I do have front and rear lockers and a pair of Maxtrax to throw under the tires if needed, and a hi-lift jack with accessories.
All the after market stuff adds up in $$ and weight, so choose wisely! Weight and too big a tire and your truck will suffer. I am running 33 x 10.5 x 15 KM2's and am extremely surprised and happy with there handling and performance. But for these Colorado mountains offroad I had to re gear. I have had AT and Mt (both BFG's) in 31 and 32" x 11.5. You can easily run 32's or 33's ( I would stay narrow) and not notice any deficits in performance, nor need to modify anything.
Sliders are a good first mod and like Tony said, any reputable shop should be able to make you some. I think mine were only $200 to fab and install.
So, as you can see I am long winded. First get some sliders and tires and go play! You will know what you need as you get out there more.
Hope I was able to help some!
RogerH:victory:
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