99 4runner Build Questions And Another Tire Size Question

[p nut]

My mileage is slightly worse with the 235/85R16 than it was with the stock tires. But my old 265/70R16 (never have tried 265/75R16) were original KO tread in load range C, so about 10 lbs lighter per tire. I was also not lifted. What really seems to have dinked my mileage was the bull bar, that seems to have taken 1~2 MPG from I assume the big flat profile... FWIW, one reason I went narrower was I prefer the handling of them in snow. I don't like the sensation of floating with wider tires.

Yeah, I registered about a 2MPG loss with 235 and 265 from the stock size (but the stock size I ran was the p-rated Ragged Fails). That's surprising that the bull bar affected the MPG that much. I'm guessing it's the hoops (can't remember if yours has them or not, though).
_
Fortunately, the wider (relatively--265/275 width) tires in snow/slosh has never bothered me. I couldn't really tell much difference with the 235's, honestly. But snow removal system is top notch here (in fact, I believe some cities have hired snow plow companies from CO. Maybe you guys do it better!), so I've only have to deal with snow on the road a handful of days per year.

 

[owyheerat]

Welcome to the forum, and great choice of vehicle.

I will chime in with my experience...free of charge:sombrero:

I have owned my 99 base model 4cyl 5spd 3rd gen for 3 years, and love it. I have owned several other Toyota's, and this one has become my favorite. Its the perfect size, comfortable, I can lock everything inside and still gets decent fuel economy. It was bone stock when I bought it. I drove it that way for about a year before I started modding it.

Here it is with 235/85's, Bilstein's all around, Tundra coils up front (on 2nd perch), and OME 890 coils in the rear. No rubbing. I don't know if I needed to, but I installed a diff drop when I installed the new shocks and coils. With stock (4.10) gearing it did struggle up hills. This setup worked pretty good until I built a rear bumper with dual swing outs, then the 890 coils sagged too much for my liking.



So, I swapped the 890 coils for 891's. Which made it ride almost level...just a little rake. I drove it this way for a short time.



I really wanted a rear locker, mine didn't come with the factory E-locker. So I bit the bullet, regeared (529's) and installed front and rear ARB lockers. At the same time I installed 255/85's, and I swapped rear coils again. I am now running OME 861's in the rear and moved the front to the 3rd perch. It still has a little rake, but not bad IMO. I have no rubbing with 255/85's. I don't have a body lift and I am not running wheel spacers.




I have had the gears and 255's for almost a year, and am mostly happy with this combo...except for hwy driving. I am turning 3200 rpm at 70 mph :Wow1:
I went 529 gears, for a few reasons. Mine is not my DD, it has the little 3RZ 4cyl with just over 200k on it, I have added a lot of weight (full skids, front and rear plate bumpers, sliders and rear storage / sleeping system) and I wasn't sure 488's would be enough to push 33's (255/85). In hindsight, I wish I would have went 488, but not gonna spend the money to change them, instead I'm considering jumping up to 35's. :ylsmoke:

So, in summary, I agree with Elbee. Find one with a factory E-locker, install a mild (2") lift, and some good tires. I think you will very happy with where it will get you.

Sorry for the long post. I hope you find something useful in there.

Good luck and keep us updated.:coffeedrink:

Durwin

 

[DaveInDenver]

I wasn't sure 488's would be enough to push 33's (255/85). In hindsight, I wish I would have went 488

I completely agree with this. I ran 5.29 with 33x10.50x15 in my old truck, a '91 pickup w/ 22R-E. Just too low, 4.88 or even 4.56 would have been a much better choice. The gearing didn't really compensate 1:1 for the tire size and weight like a formula would suggest. It did make the engine run high RPM and that didn't do any favors to MPG or getting anywhere very quick.

 

[outdoorjunky]

Thanks guys! both of your recent posts have put things into perspective. there are three clear paths I can now see as far as tires are concerned that range from the cost of stock size tires to about 1400 for front and rear re-gear, if I install them myself, or putting on 32" tires and eventually wishing I would have re-geared and or got the stock tires. Since there is the possibility when exploring the deserts out here of running into unexpected obstacles I really do want to get the differential up off the ground a bit with some bigger tires. I have some dough to do this right and I really want to build a truck that is going to last years and that I won't grow out of.

As far as suspension I think I've now got a pretty good idea of the direction I'm going with that.

Thank you everyone for your time! I'm sure I'll be back with more questions and I'll keep you posted on the progress. First step is finding a worthy 5 speed with locker for the right price.

 

[owyheerat]

BTW, I used east coast gear supply for my regear, and couldn't be happier. Quick shipment. Complete 3rd member and front clamshell showed up looking as new. Return shipping was super easy. And 5 year warranty. I very highly recommend them.

Good luck

Durwin

 

[xlcaferacer]

You are definitely doing well with the truck you are choosing. I wish I would have held out for a 5speed version when we bought our '97 4Runner, they do have a little better "seat of the pants" performance over the automatic versions. Our 4Runner is my wife's DD and it is a limited with the e-locker. I put on a full Old Man Emu "medium" weight suspension (not sure of the part numbers). Since we don't have any after market armor on it it does ride a little firm around town but nice on the highway. It definitely rides better with 150 pounds of rooftop tent and loaded with camping gear in the summer. We run 265/75/16's (32's) and I think this is a perfect setup for what you have planned. Just tall enough and not too skinny. With stock gearing it runs down the road just fine.
I did do the 1" diff drop as the roads around my area are often icy and we run down the road in 4wheel drive often at highway speeds. 30,000 miles later and the cv's are still in good shape! I figure it's cheap insurance. I also run a diff drop on my '89 pickup with only 1 1/2 inches of lift for the same reason. I figure that the closer the cv's run to stock geometry the better! Haven't had to replace a cv yet on either truck, so I figure it must help.
If you are worried about the diff drop costing you some ground clearance, use a solid skid plate. The Bud Built skids on my pickup have taken a solid beating on the trail and have "slid" over more rocks than I care to count.
You will be impressed with where your new truck can take you with a small lift, the e-locker, and 32's. Armor can get expensive but if you are out playing it is worth its weight in gold. If we go anywhere "hard" we throw the tent on my truck, but if my wife would let me take her truck to the next level I would start with sliders and skid plates. I know they aren't as noticeably "cool" but they will give you the most noticeable protection. Sorry for rambling, just sharing my two cents. Hope some of it helps!

 

[DaveInDenver]

I agree with xlcaferacer, 32" tires, 2" of lift, geared (I'd probably do 4.56 with 32" and a V6/stick) and locked thirds will make your truck about as unstoppable as you're gonna find until you start comparing to major mods. The real world difference between a 31" and 33" is 1" clearance and when aired down it's almost negligible.

I disagree with him on diff drops, though. I never ran it on my '91, which had ball joint spacers, shaved bump stops and Sway-A-Way 25mm torsion bars. I did break a couple of CV axles, but those were grenade situations and had nothing to do with spinning on the highway.



My truck had manual hub locks, so the axles did not spin pretty much ever at high speed. BTW, as a note, the CV axles on newer Toyotas are always spinning regardless of the 4WD engagement. The disconnect is in the axle that prevents the front diff from spinning but both axles are always spinning all the time.

I don't have a diff drop in my '08, but that's because doing that on the 2nd gen Tacoma they can cause issues with sending your diff into the oil pan. It's exceedingly rare but the extra leverage of the mounts can tweak the subframe. So a substantial skid is required for sure (agree 100% on Budbuilt, that's what I had on the '91).

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/remove-the-differential-drop-on-your-05-tacoma.118545/

With 3rd+ gen 4Runner and almost all Tacomas (some 1st gen have hub locks) keeping the suspension within the travel windows or using high angle CV joints is important, so being mindful of the angles is a good thing, but generally my $0.02 is it's not necessary to do a diff drop.

 

[paddlenbike]

Finding a well cared-for 3rd gen with both a 5-speed and an e-locker is a needle-in-a-haystack search. I certainly wouldn't pass on a non-locked 5-speed, as those alone are getting harder to find. But they're out there, so keep up the search.

I know a lot of guys here love the skinny/tall tires, but I don't. I highly recommend the 265/75R16 size. Back when I was running that tire, it "looked right," they had great offroad performance, and even with the lift, supercharger, and everything else I could still get 21 MPG on the highway (with the 5-speed). 2 years ago I moved to a 275/70R17 and lost 1.5 MPG, where the move from stock size to the 265/75R16s didn't noticeably change my mileage. I consider the 265s a "no compromises" choice.

 

[p nut]

Finding a well cared-for 3rd gen with both a 5-speed and an e-locker is a needle-in-a-haystack search. I certainly wouldn't pass on a non-locked 5-speed, as those alone are getting harder to find. But they're out there, so keep up the search.

I know a lot of guys here love the skinny/tall tires, but I don't. I highly recommend the 265/75R16 size. Back when I was running that tire, it "looked right," they had great offroad performance, and even with the lift, supercharger, and everything else I could still get 21 MPG on the highway (with the 5-speed). 2 years ago I moved to a 275/70R17 and lost 1.5 MPG, where the move from stock size to the 265/75R16s didn't noticeably change my mileage. I consider the 265s a "no compromises" choice.

Agreed. 265/75/16 is a great choice. And you're right--5-sp 3rd gens are very hard to find (in good shape). Hold on to that gem of yours.