Questions about my 1998 LC and making it more off-road capable.

LJ_24 · 08-07-2009, 09:08 PM

I have a 98 Toyota Land cruiser. I was considering doing an SAS swap. But I want to keep the driving comfort the same as it is now. I want to fit 35"-37"(havent decided yet) on my landcruiser. I have these two options that I wanted, but I'm not sure which one to go with.

option 1: SAS swap. It will affect my cornering ability and driving comfort, but it will have more off road capability. Less maintenance.

option 2: Keep the IFS and get an Old man emu 2" lift with a 1" slee off road front diff drop. Trim the fenders by 1" to be able to fit bigger tires. This option will help keep my LC's driving comfort about the same as it is now. I still think it would be pretty capable as an off road rig, because I've seen people go on some trails with an IFS suspension.

I use my LC daily. I don't need flex to climb over rocks. I mostly do my 4wheeling in mud. I take my LC to oceano dunes every now and then.

Knowing this, which option would be better for me?

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Stick_Figure · 08-08-2009, 11:04 PM

I personally wouldn't want to give you any advice because i have never put a brush guard on a LC, but just from the physics of it, i would say you would have a problem w/ the guard wanting to pull forward because of the height that you will want the winch vs the height at which it mounts to the frame. I'm just picturing something wanting to "pivot" where you don't want it too. Maybe you could just do a hitch mount for the winch?

scuba · 08-08-2009, 11:19 PM

My 2 cents is you need a real bumper. One with a winch mount.
Those things are wayyyyy to flimsy

**waskillywabbit** · 08-09-2009, 06:44 AM

Start with a real bumper. That thing is useless for a winch and not worth the effort to add one to.

ozziesironmanoffroad · 08-09-2009, 07:11 AM

x3 on a real bumper... those things are good for nothing but looks. to give you an idea, a buddy of mine had one on his f150.... i climbed up on it to check something in his engine bay, and the damn thing bent. get an arb.

LJ_24 · 09-03-2009, 09:41 PM

I have a 1998 toyota landcruiser and I wanted to fit bigger tires. I found an old man emu lift and I'm planning to put that on my landcruiser but that will only add 2 inches of lift. I wanted to, in addition to the lift, trim the wheel wells/fenders. I saw it done on a landcruiser of the same kind on a website a while back but I can't find it anymore. Are there any problems that I should be concerned about when cutting my wheel wells/fenders?

eighty5yota · 09-03-2009, 09:52 PM

leave your measurements half an inch or so long so you can roll a lip back on so they dont look ugly.. other than that use a 4'' grinder or sawzall with stubby metal blade.

have fun with it!

LJ_24 · 09-03-2009, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eighty5yota

leave your measurements half an inch or so long so you can roll a lip back on so they dont look ugly.. other than that use a 4'' grinder or sawzall with stubby metal blade.

have fun with it!

there's no major mechanical/electrical part that I should be concerned about accidentally cutting directly behind the wheel well?

LJ_24 · 09-04-2009, 08:10 AM

I was wondering how much the driveability and comfort of a truck would be affected after doing an SAS swap? I have a 1998 toyota landcruiser that I'm planning to do an SAS swap on. I want to do some serious off roading but I'm concered about my driving comfort when I'm not off roading. My main concern, since I drive this truck on a daily basis, would I be more prone to flipping over while merging on the freeway? I heard that the cornering ability of a truck is greatly altered after an SAS swap, can somebody give me feedback on this subject? thanks.

BAMF_CT2004 · 09-04-2009, 08:55 AM

interesting choice of SAS swap. Havent looking into a swap for the 100. Why not just get an fjz80??

LJ_24 · 09-04-2009, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BAMF_CT2004

interesting choice of SAS swap. Havent looking into a swap for the 100. Why not just get an fjz80??

I wanted to, but I wanted more power and I thought the 100 series would be a good project. It's the oldest 100 series so I thought it would make a good project in the fututre.

olharleyman · 09-04-2009, 10:12 AM

I don't find much difference from my IFS to SAS swap , it is a little different but rides still pretty close to the IFS even my friend who thought it was stupid to get a SAS say's it rides very nice and was suprized at how smooth it rides.

Hell think about not to long ago all trucks rode around on SAS set up's from the factory anyway. Really to me it's almost non noticable I have just over a 100 miles on my set up with a complete motor rebuild as well and it rides great cornoring is about the only place you really notice the difference and it don't take much to adjust your driving style to that.

All in All I say do it you won't regret it and it would be cool as hell to see on a truck like yours , mine is on a 93 4runner with 35 x 12.5's and it has both front and rear done and it is my daily driver and I have no regrets so far and I think the new shocks that came with the TG kit's make it ride better down the road to be honest with you just like any other lifted truck if you drive it like it was built to be and not a sports cars you will hardly notice the difference till you go off road that is.

Here's how it looks now with the swap

Wheelingnoob · 09-04-2009, 10:47 AM

My IFS drove and handled better on the road 100%. Its off road were it had a hard time staying together and the performance was good still not great though.

If you do a lot of off road and rocks (flexing) then the SAS is the way to go. I would highly recommend driving a truck that has had an sas swap done and see if you like it. It is quite tipsy and I have no doubt that I would roll if I needed to do a fast lane change at hwy speed. You just drive accordingly and look far ahead of you to minimize surprises.

Jeremy

Wheelingnoob · 09-04-2009, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LJ_24

there's no major mechanical/electrical part that I should be concerned about accidentally cutting directly behind the wheel well?

That is totally up to you to find out. Do not just go cutting with out knowing what you are cutting into.

Jermey

Kiroshu · 09-04-2009, 10:55 AM

Its all in what you buy supose to make it alittle better ride comfort. The stock solid axle trucks compared to the stock IFS trucks ahd a rougher ride. The IFS was better in cornering and handling. The Ifs did reqiure more maintince than the solid axles. The IFS was moer comfortable in rougher terrain than the solid axle. But mostly the reason for the IFS was to reduce the un suspended weight. The suspenion hold up the weight of the vehcile off the ground. Anything bellow the suspenion system is weight that is more or less dragging the vehilce down.... so alot of the reason is gas mileage and performance. But its all in the quality suspenion you buy or have.

eighty5yota · 09-04-2009, 11:04 AM

yea what he said.. i cant imagine anyone at toyota would run wires within the last 2 inches around the wheel well..

stick your hand back there and check it out..

i dont know how LC's are but my on my 85 there isnt ANYTHING on the inside of the fenders.. and if there was it was on the frame part, well out of the way.

if your scared to cut.. get a wheeling set of tires and a dd set and take your fenders off when you go out to the trail?

sh0kk86 · 09-04-2009, 01:04 PM

just make sure you use good firm shocks to keep the tires glued to the ground

Kiroshu · 09-04-2009, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sh0kk86

just make sure you use good firm shocks to keep the tires glued to the ground

The shocks have nothing to do with the tire staying on the ground its all in the supsension and the weight of the vehicle. The shocks just keep the vehicle from moving bouncing all over the place after a bump or hard turn. Shocks are really for comfort. Atleast if you talking OEM.... you get into performance... well i only do oem but they do sell stiffer or so to say shocks that have a higher lbs that can be adjusted for racing and all kinds of stuff. But if your talking shock that are same all round and oem then listen to first thing i said.

LJ_24 · 09-05-2009, 12:15 AM

thanks for the feedback guys. I dont do lot of rock crawling. Mostly, I deal with mud and I have an occasional trip to oceano dunes. Since I want to use this truck as a daily driver, I was considering jus keeping the ifs getting a 2" OME lift, and then get the fenders trimmed about an inch. I want to have at least 35" tires. Great feedback! thanks for the help

LJ_24 · 09-05-2009, 12:43 AM

If I cut an inch of the fender off, that means I can pretty much fit 2" taller tires right? Cos you add 1 inch all around the tire?

ocdropzone · 09-05-2009, 01:51 AM

watch out for an ECU if you slip...

934rnr · 09-05-2009, 05:32 AM

Well let me tell you from experience driving other SFA vehicles. A coil and linked SFA is smoothest setup compared to leaf springs.
Likely it sounds like you could use FZJ80 front axle on your 98 cruiser. However then your stuck with a 6 lug front and a 5 lug rear unless you changed both axles out.
Anyways good luck in whatever you decide.

Here's the full article on the FJ100 swap if you decide to do it. http://www.4wdandsportutility.com/te...ade/index.html

LJ_24 · 09-05-2009, 03:56 PM

has anyone here used an OME lift? what's the biggest tire size that you can fit on the 100 series LC with a 2" OME lift

Buhundred · 09-05-2009, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LJ_24

has anyone here used an OME lift? what's the biggest tire size that you can fit on the 100 series LC with a 2" OME lift

You should be able to fit 33's I'm guessing.

LJ_24 · 09-05-2009, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LJ_24

I have a 98 Toyota Land cruiser. I was considering doing an SAS swap. But I want to keep the driving comfort the same as it is now. I want to fit 35"-37"(havent decided yet) on my landcruiser. I have these two options that I wanted, but I'm not sure which one to go with.

option 1: SAS swap. It will affect my cornering ability and driving comfort, but it will have more off road capability. Less maintenance.

option 2: Keep the IFS and get an Old man emu 2" lift with a 1" slee off road front diff drop. Trim the fenders by 1" to be able to fit bigger tires. This option will help keep my LC's driving comfort about the same as it is now. I still think it would be pretty capable as an off road rig, because I've seen people go on some trails with an IFS suspension.

I use my LC daily. I don't need flex to climb over rocks. I mostly do my 4wheeling in mud. I take my LC to oceano dunes every now and then.

Knowing this, which option would be better for me?

can someone help me decide which one is a better idea?

08-08-2009, 11:04 PM	#2 (permalink)
Stick_Figure Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Southern California Posts: 81	I personally wouldn't want to give you any advice because i have never put a brush guard on a LC, but just from the physics of it, i would say you would have a problem w/ the guard wanting to pull forward because of the height that you will want the winch vs the height at which it mounts to the frame. I'm just picturing something wanting to "pivot" where you don't want it too. Maybe you could just do a hitch mount for the winch? __________________ 2000 4runner w/ a few changes Misc tools for sale: http://www.yotatech.com/f110/tools-s.../#post51207035

08-08-2009, 11:19 PM	#3 (permalink)
scuba Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Temecula, Or on the rocks Posts: 6,968	My 2 cents is you need a real bumper. One with a winch mount. Those things are wayyyyy to flimsy __________________ Screw you guys I'm goin to TTORA Mods, please be mature and leave my sig alone, thanks. No, I will not be your friend.

08-09-2009, 06:44 AM	#4 (permalink)
waskillywabbit Super Moderator-Sponsoring Member Staff Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Tuscaloosa, AL Posts: 14,559	Start with a real bumper. That thing is useless for a winch and not worth the effort to add one to. __________________ WabFab Off-Road, LLC MySpace Twitter Facebook 7th Annual South East 4Runner Jamboree, 2010 The toughest part of a Jeep is the chick driving it. WabFab Off-Road 4th Anniversary Sale

08-09-2009, 07:11 AM	#5 (permalink)
ozziesironmanoffroad Registered User Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Spring Valley, CA Posts: 5,678	x3 on a real bumper... those things are good for nothing but looks. to give you an idea, a buddy of mine had one on his f150.... i climbed up on it to check something in his engine bay, and the damn thing bent. get an arb. __________________ The 22r series engines are made from the fires of hell, and will fight tooth and nail to not be sent back. 1988 Toyota P/U 4x4 22re, 1200 miles on the rebuild engine builder .268 cam pioneer CD deck 31x10.50x15 BFG A/T BAJA 100W lights on prerunner bumper KC Daylighters 100W rancho rs5000 MUD IS A VALID PAINT JOB! If not living life to the fullest, why live it? my trucks official buildup thread

09-03-2009, 09:41 PM	#6 (permalink)
LJ_24 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 88	Cutting the fender/wheel well to fit larger tires? I have a 1998 toyota landcruiser and I wanted to fit bigger tires. I found an old man emu lift and I'm planning to put that on my landcruiser but that will only add 2 inches of lift. I wanted to, in addition to the lift, trim the wheel wells/fenders. I saw it done on a landcruiser of the same kind on a website a while back but I can't find it anymore. Are there any problems that I should be concerned about when cutting my wheel wells/fenders? __________________ 1998 TOYOTA LANDCRUISER: Buy my 3rd gen 4runner OEM turn signals and front marker lens: http://www.yotatech.com/f109/3rd-gen...r-lens-192026/

09-03-2009, 09:52 PM	#7 (permalink)
eighty5yota Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: san jose cali Posts: 613	leave your measurements half an inch or so long so you can roll a lip back on so they dont look ugly.. other than that use a 4'' grinder or sawzall with stubby metal blade. have fun with it! __________________ 85 single cab longBOB 18'' gone, 4 inch peice-o-crap rancho lift, roger brown 3 inch body lift, 33x12.5x15 MT/R, flat black (apparently non responsive to radar guns =] ) 16 speaker sound system with 10 boston 6x9's, 2 phoenix gold tweeters,2 4x6 infinity's and 2 kicker 12's 2400w. PERFORMANCE MODS: heavy right foot, quick left foot

09-04-2009, 08:10 AM	#9 (permalink)
LJ_24 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 88	Driveability after doing an SAS swap? I was wondering how much the driveability and comfort of a truck would be affected after doing an SAS swap? I have a 1998 toyota landcruiser that I'm planning to do an SAS swap on. I want to do some serious off roading but I'm concered about my driving comfort when I'm not off roading. My main concern, since I drive this truck on a daily basis, would I be more prone to flipping over while merging on the freeway? I heard that the cornering ability of a truck is greatly altered after an SAS swap, can somebody give me feedback on this subject? thanks. __________________ 1998 TOYOTA LANDCRUISER: Buy my 3rd gen 4runner OEM turn signals and front marker lens: http://www.yotatech.com/f109/3rd-gen...r-lens-192026/ Last edited by LJ_24; 09-04-2009 at 08:11 AM.

09-04-2009, 10:12 AM	#12 (permalink)
olharleyman Contributing Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: maryland Posts: 3,291	I don't find much difference from my IFS to SAS swap , it is a little different but rides still pretty close to the IFS even my friend who thought it was stupid to get a SAS say's it rides very nice and was suprized at how smooth it rides. Hell think about not to long ago all trucks rode around on SAS set up's from the factory anyway. Really to me it's almost non noticable I have just over a 100 miles on my set up with a complete motor rebuild as well and it rides great cornoring is about the only place you really notice the difference and it don't take much to adjust your driving style to that. All in All I say do it you won't regret it and it would be cool as hell to see on a truck like yours , mine is on a 93 4runner with 35 x 12.5's and it has both front and rear done and it is my daily driver and I have no regrets so far and I think the new shocks that came with the TG kit's make it ride better down the road to be honest with you just like any other lifted truck if you drive it like it was built to be and not a sports cars you will hardly notice the difference till you go off road that is. Here's how it looks now with the swap __________________ 1990 4 runner 5 Speed Pro Comp Stage II 4" Lift 6" coils rear Aussie Locker front 5.29's Front And Rear 35 x 12.5 x 15 MT's Micky Thompson Classic II Wheels Super Charged 3.4 on the way 1993 SAS 4runner 22re 5 speed 4" front 5"rear 5.29's 35 x 12.5 BFG KM'S Dick cepek DC 1's 88 stock 4runner 3.0 auto for now 1955 Harley Davidson Springer Stock 1955 Hardtail Frame 4 Speed Kick Start Only 1998 Harley Custom Dresser 107 rwhp 139 ft.lbs.trq.

09-04-2009, 10:47 AM	#13 (permalink)
Wheelingnoob Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Surrey, BC Posts: 269	My IFS drove and handled better on the road 100%. Its off road were it had a hard time staying together and the performance was good still not great though. If you do a lot of off road and rocks (flexing) then the SAS is the way to go. I would highly recommend driving a truck that has had an sas swap done and see if you like it. It is quite tipsy and I have no doubt that I would roll if I needed to do a fast lane change at hwy speed. You just drive accordingly and look far ahead of you to minimize surprises. Jeremy __________________ 93 2dr 4runner "overland build" www.overlandcanada.com 89 Supra Built 2jz swap,T67 DBB and a Vipec V88.

09-04-2009, 10:55 AM	#15 (permalink)
Kiroshu Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: wade, NC Posts: 1,339	Its all in what you buy supose to make it alittle better ride comfort. The stock solid axle trucks compared to the stock IFS trucks ahd a rougher ride. The IFS was better in cornering and handling. The Ifs did reqiure more maintince than the solid axles. The IFS was moer comfortable in rougher terrain than the solid axle. But mostly the reason for the IFS was to reduce the un suspended weight. The suspenion hold up the weight of the vehcile off the ground. Anything bellow the suspenion system is weight that is more or less dragging the vehilce down.... so alot of the reason is gas mileage and performance. But its all in the quality suspenion you buy or have. __________________ My current: 1986 Toyota 4runner SR5 EFI 4cyl 2.4L 22RE 5-Speed 242,000 Miles 95% Stock __________________ (Still working on restoring her) My old: 1988 Toyota 4runner SR5 EFI V6 3.0L 3VZ-E 5-Speed 302,000 Miles All stock (sold)______________ (Was my fastest truck i miss her...) My old: 1989 Toyota 4runner Non-SR5 EFI 4cyl 2.4L 22RE Automatic 231,000 Miles (sold)______________ (was my quietest and slowest yota.)

09-04-2009, 11:04 AM	#16 (permalink)
eighty5yota Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: san jose cali Posts: 613	yea what he said.. i cant imagine anyone at toyota would run wires within the last 2 inches around the wheel well.. stick your hand back there and check it out.. i dont know how LC's are but my on my 85 there isnt ANYTHING on the inside of the fenders.. and if there was it was on the frame part, well out of the way. if your scared to cut.. get a wheeling set of tires and a dd set and take your fenders off when you go out to the trail? __________________ 85 single cab longBOB 18'' gone, 4 inch peice-o-crap rancho lift, roger brown 3 inch body lift, 33x12.5x15 MT/R, flat black (apparently non responsive to radar guns =] ) 16 speaker sound system with 10 boston 6x9's, 2 phoenix gold tweeters,2 4x6 infinity's and 2 kicker 12's 2400w. PERFORMANCE MODS: heavy right foot, quick left foot

09-04-2009, 01:04 PM	#17 (permalink)
sh0kk86 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Phoenix, Arizona Posts: 658	just make sure you use good firm shocks to keep the tires glued to the ground __________________ 1986 Toyota 22r Short bed Pickup \| 33x10.5x15 BFG MT's nick

09-05-2009, 12:15 AM	#19 (permalink)
LJ_24 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 88	thanks for the feedback guys. I dont do lot of rock crawling. Mostly, I deal with mud and I have an occasional trip to oceano dunes. Since I want to use this truck as a daily driver, I was considering jus keeping the ifs getting a 2" OME lift, and then get the fenders trimmed about an inch. I want to have at least 35" tires. Great feedback! thanks for the help __________________ 1998 TOYOTA LANDCRUISER: Buy my 3rd gen 4runner OEM turn signals and front marker lens: http://www.yotatech.com/f109/3rd-gen...r-lens-192026/

09-05-2009, 12:43 AM	#20 (permalink)
LJ_24 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 88	If I cut an inch of the fender off, that means I can pretty much fit 2" taller tires right? Cos you add 1 inch all around the tire? __________________ 1998 TOYOTA LANDCRUISER: Buy my 3rd gen 4runner OEM turn signals and front marker lens: http://www.yotatech.com/f109/3rd-gen...r-lens-192026/

09-05-2009, 01:51 AM	#21 (permalink)
ocdropzone Contributing Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: PDX, OR Posts: 4,719	watch out for an ECU if you slip... __________________ ~Robb '81 Trekker The B4Runner Build TREKKER Forum Mini FAQ/Misc Ideas Thread TRY THESE SEARCH LINKS GOOGLE FOR TOYOTA WEBSITES LINK TO ONLINE FACTORY SERVICE MANUALS Drive a real 1st Gen Wheel Responsibly, Don't Screw It Up for Others

09-05-2009, 05:32 AM	#22 (permalink)
934rnr Registered User Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: S. Burlington, VT Posts: 1,240	Well let me tell you from experience driving other SFA vehicles. A coil and linked SFA is smoothest setup compared to leaf springs. Likely it sounds like you could use FZJ80 front axle on your 98 cruiser. However then your stuck with a 6 lug front and a 5 lug rear unless you changed both axles out. Anyways good luck in whatever you decide. Here's the full article on the FJ100 swap if you decide to do it. http://www.4wdandsportutility.com/te...ade/index.html __________________ 86 Toyota 4 runner Soild front axle, 35x12.5 BFG KM2's, winch, blah blah blah.... http://www.yotatech.com/f116/my-new-red-snappah-152938/ My cardomain page Last edited by 934rnr; 09-05-2009 at 05:43 AM.

09-05-2009, 03:56 PM	#23 (permalink)
LJ_24 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 88	has anyone here used an OME lift? what's the biggest tire size that you can fit on the 100 series LC with a 2" OME lift __________________ 1998 TOYOTA LANDCRUISER: Buy my 3rd gen 4runner OEM turn signals and front marker lens: http://www.yotatech.com/f109/3rd-gen...r-lens-192026/

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