HodakaGuy's FJ40 Thread
- Thread starter Hodakaguy
- Start date
Hodakaguy
Adventurer
New shoes & a new look for the 40!
Wheels, Tires....and Decisions. I love the look of OEM wheels/hub caps on a 40 and knew when I purchased mine that I wanted to install a set along with tall skinny tires. For me tall skinny's are a perfect match for the 40! OEM wheels & hub caps are still available from Toyota but there's a problem...OEM wheels are 15" and nobody makes a skinny radial tire in a 15" size anymore. 31x10.50 is as close as you can get and that's already what's on my 40 with the white spoke wheels. Although this is a great tire combo it's wider than I like and not the look I'm after.
Wheels: After doing some internet sleuthing I found that 16" tires would give me the size range I was after and that a company called Cityracer produces replica welded steel wheels in 16 × 5.5J, with 3.25" backspace (same as OEM 15" wheel). These wheels look exactly like stock and utilize the OEM hub caps but are 16". They come powder coated in grey or black unlike the OEM wheels that come in primer only and require painting or powder after purchase. It's awesome that there is a welded 16" option now, in the past you would have to find a set of 16" split rims and welded are far superior to split. The down side of these wheels is that they aren't the cheapest option and shipping from Japan is expensive...stupid expensive. But I was hooked and soon wheels from Cityracer were on the way.
The wheels arrived direct from Japan in about a week. They were packed very well (double boxed) and arrived with zero damage. Quality is top notch and the powder coating was excellent, very happy with the wheels!
Tires: I decided to go with Yokohama Geolander MT G003's in size 235/85/R16 (32"x9.4") as I like the rugged look of these tires mounted on a 40 and several people have used these with great results, reporting quiet running and long life for a MT tire. I thought about trying the new Yokohama AT/XD but in the end went with the 003's as I liked the more aggressive look. I'm not highway driving my 40 so a MT tire will suit me well.
The tires arrived (well 4 of them anyways, one got delayed...ugg) and I had them mounted up asap. The tires balanced out extremely well for a mud tire, one wheel taking zero weight, one taking 1oz and the other two took 2 ounces. Not bad at all!
The G003's run slightly tall to size and are taller than the 31x10.50's they are replacing. My 40 has 1.5" HFS shackles installed and the new tire/wheel combo's fit perfect.
OEM hub caps going on.
31x10.50 on the left, 235/85/R16 on the right.
Removing the 31" spare and the spacer that was required to fit the wider tire on the OEM carrier.
Will look a bit better when the 5th tire shows up lol.
Continued Below....
Wheels, Tires....and Decisions. I love the look of OEM wheels/hub caps on a 40 and knew when I purchased mine that I wanted to install a set along with tall skinny tires. For me tall skinny's are a perfect match for the 40! OEM wheels & hub caps are still available from Toyota but there's a problem...OEM wheels are 15" and nobody makes a skinny radial tire in a 15" size anymore. 31x10.50 is as close as you can get and that's already what's on my 40 with the white spoke wheels. Although this is a great tire combo it's wider than I like and not the look I'm after.
Wheels: After doing some internet sleuthing I found that 16" tires would give me the size range I was after and that a company called Cityracer produces replica welded steel wheels in 16 × 5.5J, with 3.25" backspace (same as OEM 15" wheel). These wheels look exactly like stock and utilize the OEM hub caps but are 16". They come powder coated in grey or black unlike the OEM wheels that come in primer only and require painting or powder after purchase. It's awesome that there is a welded 16" option now, in the past you would have to find a set of 16" split rims and welded are far superior to split. The down side of these wheels is that they aren't the cheapest option and shipping from Japan is expensive...stupid expensive. But I was hooked and soon wheels from Cityracer were on the way.
The wheels arrived direct from Japan in about a week. They were packed very well (double boxed) and arrived with zero damage. Quality is top notch and the powder coating was excellent, very happy with the wheels!
Tires: I decided to go with Yokohama Geolander MT G003's in size 235/85/R16 (32"x9.4") as I like the rugged look of these tires mounted on a 40 and several people have used these with great results, reporting quiet running and long life for a MT tire. I thought about trying the new Yokohama AT/XD but in the end went with the 003's as I liked the more aggressive look. I'm not highway driving my 40 so a MT tire will suit me well.
The tires arrived (well 4 of them anyways, one got delayed...ugg) and I had them mounted up asap. The tires balanced out extremely well for a mud tire, one wheel taking zero weight, one taking 1oz and the other two took 2 ounces. Not bad at all!
The G003's run slightly tall to size and are taller than the 31x10.50's they are replacing. My 40 has 1.5" HFS shackles installed and the new tire/wheel combo's fit perfect.
OEM hub caps going on.
31x10.50 on the left, 235/85/R16 on the right.
Removing the 31" spare and the spacer that was required to fit the wider tire on the OEM carrier.
Will look a bit better when the 5th tire shows up lol.
Continued Below....
Hodakaguy
Adventurer
Continued from above...
On the road: The tires are waaaay quieter than I expected. I've read that others reported that these are a quiet mud tire and that's exactly what I found. I hear the mechanical symphony from the 40 over any tire noise that is there. Steering is nice and light with the skinny tires. These are a 10 ply tire which makes them a tough tire...but stiff. I set the pressure at 32 psi to start and the ride wasn't bad at all. I'll chalk the tires and see what air pressure I need to be running for best tire wear. As soon as the spare tire arrives I'll get it installed so the rear door isn't naked. I was able to remove the aftermarket spacer on the spare tire carrier which was needed with the wider tires.
I'm super happy with the results! This was the look I had in my mind when I started researching wheels/tires, the tires are tucked nicely in the wheel wells and the rig has a more "stock" feel to it.
Here are a few Glamor Shots with the new shoes.
Hodakaguy
On the road: The tires are waaaay quieter than I expected. I've read that others reported that these are a quiet mud tire and that's exactly what I found. I hear the mechanical symphony from the 40 over any tire noise that is there. Steering is nice and light with the skinny tires. These are a 10 ply tire which makes them a tough tire...but stiff. I set the pressure at 32 psi to start and the ride wasn't bad at all. I'll chalk the tires and see what air pressure I need to be running for best tire wear. As soon as the spare tire arrives I'll get it installed so the rear door isn't naked. I was able to remove the aftermarket spacer on the spare tire carrier which was needed with the wider tires.
I'm super happy with the results! This was the look I had in my mind when I started researching wheels/tires, the tires are tucked nicely in the wheel wells and the rig has a more "stock" feel to it.
Here are a few Glamor Shots with the new shoes.
Hodakaguy
zgfiredude
Active member
The look is PERFECT, well done!
Hodakaguy
Adventurer
Hodakaguy
Adventurer
A few more items out of the way.
Time to replace the TOYOTA emblem on the front bezel, the previous owner spray painted the whole thing silver and it just doesn't look right. I ordered a correct OEM replacement badge to swap it out with.
The silver badge.
New vs Old.
I was able to loosen one side of the bezel which allowed my skinny arms to reach back behind the badge and remove the two nuts securing it in place.
Yep....that's better! I know....I still need to get the HF Winch off the rig and get a mechanical or 8274 on in it's place. On the list!
Cleaned and checked the plugs. Plugs looked good and they all were fairly close to spec on gap, .050" for the DUI distributor.
Setting valves.
Exhaust valves were all very close, just a tad loose. The intake valves were quite a bit on the loose side. I brought all the valves back into Toyota spec (Hot clearance specs).
Earlier this week I was in Salt Lake City UT and had a chance to stop by the Landcruiser Heritage Museum.....Amazing place! If your into Landcruisers this is a must see! I took a TON of pictures, way to many to put into my 40 thread here.
* I posted the rest of the pictures on a separate thread here if you'd like to see the collection: https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/landcruiser-heritage-museum-a-visit-in-pictures.1724057/
A few teaser pics of the Museum.
Hodakaguy
Time to replace the TOYOTA emblem on the front bezel, the previous owner spray painted the whole thing silver and it just doesn't look right. I ordered a correct OEM replacement badge to swap it out with.
The silver badge.
New vs Old.
I was able to loosen one side of the bezel which allowed my skinny arms to reach back behind the badge and remove the two nuts securing it in place.
Yep....that's better! I know....I still need to get the HF Winch off the rig and get a mechanical or 8274 on in it's place. On the list!
Cleaned and checked the plugs. Plugs looked good and they all were fairly close to spec on gap, .050" for the DUI distributor.
Setting valves.
Exhaust valves were all very close, just a tad loose. The intake valves were quite a bit on the loose side. I brought all the valves back into Toyota spec (Hot clearance specs).
Earlier this week I was in Salt Lake City UT and had a chance to stop by the Landcruiser Heritage Museum.....Amazing place! If your into Landcruisers this is a must see! I took a TON of pictures, way to many to put into my 40 thread here.
* I posted the rest of the pictures on a separate thread here if you'd like to see the collection: https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/landcruiser-heritage-museum-a-visit-in-pictures.1724057/
A few teaser pics of the Museum.
Hodakaguy
Last edited:
Hodakaguy
Adventurer
Hodakaguy
Adventurer
More Details.....
When I purchased my 40 the rear view mirror was an aftermarket unit that is made from cheap plastic. The mirror vibrates while driving distorting the view and looks like a cheap plastic. A bit of internet sleuthing shows that you can still get the correct OEM Toyota metal units so I ordered one up from a Ebay vendor for $55. With the mirror in hand it's time to install.
New mirror ready for install. Looks great!
The aftermarket plastic mirror. This mirror uses bolts to hold it in place instead of spring clips like the OEM unit. The OEM unit has a much cleaner look.
Side by side.
Installing the new mirror base bracket. I used a bit of Loctite 243 on the threads to attach the mirror base to the windshield frame. The new mirror does not come with the required screws so you need to pick them up separately from your favorite local supply store.
Once the base is installed you can snap the new mirror arm onto the base. The fit is tight. I removed the mirror from the arm so it wouldn't get damaged, installed the arm by pressing and working the arm back and forth, then re-installed the mirror on the arm. Looks waaaay better!
Hodakaguy
When I purchased my 40 the rear view mirror was an aftermarket unit that is made from cheap plastic. The mirror vibrates while driving distorting the view and looks like a cheap plastic. A bit of internet sleuthing shows that you can still get the correct OEM Toyota metal units so I ordered one up from a Ebay vendor for $55. With the mirror in hand it's time to install.
New mirror ready for install. Looks great!
The aftermarket plastic mirror. This mirror uses bolts to hold it in place instead of spring clips like the OEM unit. The OEM unit has a much cleaner look.
Side by side.
Installing the new mirror base bracket. I used a bit of Loctite 243 on the threads to attach the mirror base to the windshield frame. The new mirror does not come with the required screws so you need to pick them up separately from your favorite local supply store.
Once the base is installed you can snap the new mirror arm onto the base. The fit is tight. I removed the mirror from the arm so it wouldn't get damaged, installed the arm by pressing and working the arm back and forth, then re-installed the mirror on the arm. Looks waaaay better!
Hodakaguy
charlieaarons
Explorer
Great find on the wheels, bookmarked the City Racer site, will probably replace the wagon wheels that came with my OJ50 Bandeirante. Running on 8.25R16 Michelin XZLs (33.9”).