1986_4runner

Hi, I dont have a turbo 4runner, but am planning to buy one. Will a 85 4runner- turbo with 33 inch tires need regearing? When I asked a seller that if it underpowered since he has not done any gearing on his truck and has 33s on it he said because of the turbo he doesnt even feel any decrease in power or sluggishness and it runs great and gives gas mileage in 20s.

I have a non-turbo (22RE) 1986 4runner and have 31 inch tires (which I believe are larger than stock) and can feel the sluggishness.

Let me know so that I get an idea if this person is just trying to sell his truck or he really means it, since I have never driven a turbo.

Hayes

turbo has more power but anytime you change tire size without gearing it will be more sluggish. The question you have to ask is 'will this guy actually notice any difference?' If he is not overly into trucks and just did bigger wheels then my guess is no, and if he has had 33's on it for a long time he may just not notice anymore...or he could be lying through his teeth. You'll have to make that judgement from you dealings with him.

4x4Lamm

I would say not necessary for most drivers. My 92 w/ 33's was fine around town and OK on the highway, having a turbo should help out a lot at higher speeds.

Also, it would help to know what gears the truck has stock.

Lamm

1986_4runner

Thanks for your comments. Now I already bought this truck, and cannot undo it, but would be nice to know from you guys if this was a good deal. I bought this truck off ebay (4638722169, you might have to select closed items to see) for 7000 bucks. Good deal or I got ripped off due to my excitement and impatience???

It is 1985 turbo 4runner with 4.5 superlift, new 33 mud tires, nice exterior (new paint),
poor (original) interrior, 1987 Drive Train, Rebuilt Engine, Transmission and Axles.

Let me know what you think.

Alpesh

4x4Lamm

Sounds OK, not a bargin, but not a rip-off.

I see you are in Ohio, you should come wheel with Ohio TTORA soon.

Lamm

Oatmeal

Are you sure about it being an '85. Turbos didn't come out until 1986 IFS and auto trans only (no manual trans) in the 4Runners. You'll definitely want to regear. My buddy runs 5.29s w/35s in his SAS '87 and wishes he would have went with 5.71s-----Hans

1986_4runner

Yes you are right.. But the seller said he has put the engine, transmission and axle from an 87 4runner. I guess in 87 turbo was available in manual transmission too? I havent driven the truck yet and am excited aboutit. This is in Wisconsin and I am buying without even seeing it, so am crossing fingers. THanks! Also I think many off-roaders prefer the solid axle to IFS, I guess the are easier to work and have more clearance?? Would like to know why they are preferred. Also, how does it compare with IFS for normal (say street or highway) driving? Sorry I went off the thread.

bob200587

If I'm not mistaken 87 was the only year for 22RE-T because in 88 they made the 3ZVE. They might have had them in 86 too...

IFS vs. SA.......well, Solid axle is not as great on the road. It won't handle as well, and if you have it stock you'll have the crappy push-pull steering system and you have to have at least 4" of lift to convert to crossover steering.
The way I see it, if you're gonna go with tires bigger than 35s or if you just like those stupid wide style tires then Solid Axle is the best. But for the rest of us, IFS is fine for up to 35s usually, and I say with confidence that a skilled driver with the other proper equipment can handle just about anything in north America with 35" tires.

Rock Crawling isn't my cup of tea, and unless you're doing that competitivley or something I think 35 is big enough.

rdlsz24

I have an '88 pickup with the N/A 22RE with 33's and it seems to do fine with the stock rear-end gearing. I'm not going to set any acceleration or land speed records, but it gets the job done.

Rob

Hayes

how bad will a stock 22re be with 35's? I am aquiring a set today...for free, and was just wondering how bad it would be.

mmessier2

It would be bad. You can get around, but you will want to regear. 0-60 in 20 seconds bad. Freeway in 3rd gear bad.

33's are the biggest I'de run stock, and even that is pushing it.

AH64ID

I have 4.88's and there is a huge differnce between 33's and 35's. I would guess that you will be super slow to get going, espically if your starting on a hill. Your clutch will take a beating for sure.

1986_4runner

So from most of the comments it seems that I would be OK. I am getting it this coming weekend, and will let you know. Of course I would be only able to compare with my 86 4runner 22RE with 31s. Thanks all.

Oatmeal

I guess my reply might have been a little confusing, the P/Us got manual transmissions (RF151....4.30:1 first gear, very sought after and 23 spline input T/case ) with the auto as an option but, the 4Runners could be had with autos (chain drive T/case), only. Ran from, I believe, 1986 through 1987------Hans

trd90toyota

Ok, I have an 87 Turbo 4Runner, they only came in auto. I have 33/12.5R15's MTR's. When I got the truck, it had 31's, it ran fine, had power off the line. I'd would strongly suggest regearing the old girl. You will see a big differance. I'm going to run with 4.88's. The power off the line is really sad with the stock gearing. The Turbo 4Runner came with 4.30's stock. With the engine being transplated into that 85 with the stock 1985 gearing (3.90's if I remember), it will be a dog.

Hope this was a help.

PS: Welcome to the turbo club...

85TurboRunner

first off you should have bought my truck, id have sold it for less, but anyway i have a 1985 runner with a transplanted 22rte and im running 34" swampers and i can still easily out perform any toyota of the same vintage thats running a N/A 22re on the road. my gearing is a lil different tho since my runner came stock with an auto tranny and has 4:30 gears, but that isnt too big of a difference.$7000 tho and not even seeing it in person, how many miles are on the turbo, was it replaced during the rebuild of the engine? if its anywhere over 100k and the turbo hasnt been rebuilt or replaced, guess what it has a cracked turbine housing , the seals are shot and it has shaft play. the CT-20 isnt a long lasting turbo. check that first thing.

Oatmeal

4.10s w/manual trans, 4.30s w/auto trans--------Hans

trd90toyota

Thank you for the correction.

1986_4runner

Thank you all for the comments. This weekend, I went to Wisconsin (9 hrs away!) and brought the truck. Now this is going to be a review from a newbie (in terms of modified/off road 1st gen 4runner, I have an 86 4runner) , so please pardon my ignorance!

First, in response to 85TurboRunner's question, the seller claims that the truck has a rebuilt turbo, installed 10000 miles ago. And trd90toyota said 87 turbo 4runner came only in auto? But this guy claims he put a 1987 engine and transmission in this 85 4runner, so do you think the turbo was transplanted from a third vehicle?

HANDLING: This was the first time I drove a lifted vehicle, that too one without IFS and with 33s, so my first few hours were surely not comfortable, and I also needed a lot of concentration to drive since the truck was wandering. I was prepared for a different kind of ride but I did not have good control on this one. The seller has put a steering stabilizer which he says should help in steering. Is this recommended? I think the steering has more play then necessary and so does my mechanic say. I will see how it performs after reducing that play.

POWER: I have only driven a 1986 manual stock 4runner with 31's so that will be my reference for the comparison. I observed that it was underpowered for 0 to say, 40 and had more power for 40 -60, when compared to my 86 4runner. So I think sometime in future, I should consider regearing. I don't have an idea about the cost (parts) and effort involved, and if it is not too difficult I would consider doing it myself. Any suggestions on how difficult is it to regear? Would you recommend I rather give it to a mechanic if I do not have the experience., I am interested in learning though. How much will it cost me to get it done from a mechanic. Do you have any typical estimates?

FLOWMASTER EXHAUST: The truck has this flowmaster exhaust. Do you think it is so loud because of this? I want power but if it is just giving the extra noise, I would rather not have it. What do you think? I don't like the loud exhaust because then I have to listen to the music really loud and it ll ultimately deafen me!! So can you tell if this exhaust helps in power? and is it really noisy? (I haven't checked for leaks yet but the exhaust looks solid, no rust)

FUEL ECONOMY: The uncorrected mpg was 15. Now assuming the 85 truck had P225/75R15 (correct me if I am wrong) and using Mark Medina's calculator:
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/4LoCalc.shtml#MetricTire

The mpg is 17.49. Is this bad or good? It is comparable to my 86 stock 4runner.

SOrry for so many questions!

Alpesh

85TurboRunner

85 runners arent known for great steering, mine is pretty sloppy also and having a lift and bigger tires just makes it worse. you get pretty use to it tho and correcting the wander becomes second nature. you have more power from 40mph on because your running more rpms and creating more boost from the turbo, although you should be hitting boost in all gears, its pretty noticable even in the litte 22r's. gearing will help your lower end acceleration, i cant say how hard it is to regear(never done it) but if you can afford it have a shop do it. on the exhaust, i run 2.5" from the turbo back to the cat, then it goes to 3" with a flowmaster muffler. with a turbo bigger is better when it comes to exhaust, you can change mufflers tho depending on your noise preference, if you have a 40 series muff, itll be a bit loud. im sure someone will chime in with more info.