Asha'man

I need new tires. I'm running 31x10.50x15 TrXus MT's on stock Tacoma wheels right now, and I bought them together off Craigslist about a year and a half ago. They were used when I got them, and are now completely shot. I mean they're BALD. So I need new tires. I want to get the TrXus' again because they are awesome in the snow and rain and pretty much every other condition you could run into. I have a set of white 15x7x3.75bs American Racing steelies that I plan on powdercoating black, exactly like the guy here did who's name I can never remember. He painted his satin black and put 33's on a light tan 1st gen and it looks sick. ANYWAY.

Here are my options, as I see them.

1) Buy 31" TrXus MT's and put them on the 15x7 steelies once they're black. Maybe level out the ass of the truck again, but other than that keep it stock. Total cost: $550ish for tires, $50ish for powder (my good buddy runs a PC shop), $60-$350 for rear stuff. If I did this I could get the tires as soon as I can afford them and be set to go.

2) Buy 33" TrXus MT's and put them on 15x8 steelies (probably Cragar Soft 8's) that I would need to buy. Sell the current 15x7's. Get 1.5" BJ spacers and either new rear leaf packs or an AAL. To do this I would need 4.88's, as the 31's are bad enough on stock 4.10's at 6k-12k feet above sea level. Total cost: $650ish for tires, $200 for wheels, $125 for BJ spacers, $60-$350 for rear stuff, $500-$700 for gears + install unless I can find used/factory thirds. If I did this I would get some cheap used 31's on Craigslist or go back to the 28" stockers (ugh) until I got the good stuff all together.

Here's the deal, though. I really haven't gone four-wheeling at all yet, aside from a camping trip last summer on which I crawled up a seemingly-vertical hill and went through some minor rock gardens. It was fun. I would definitely like to do more trailrunning/backcountry exploration next year; maybe some rockcrawling, but backcountry trails and actually getting somewhere and camping/biking/hiking/whatever sounds more appealing to me. Either way, what would probably serve me best here? I know TC is gonna come in and say "33x10.50, no lift, gears/lockers, armor" , and that does sound like a good idea, but I really don't want to get BFG's and that's the only maker of 33x10.50's that I've seen so far, plus I'd still need to drop the major coin on gears.

Worst of all, there's definitely a vanity point to all this, too. I absolutely love the look of a cleanly-done 1st-gen on 33's, much more so than on 31's, and that's kinda the vision for my truck that I'd like to see. It may not be super practical, but it does play a part in the decision here.

What say you, Yotatech?

Djlarroc

I went through all this thought process recently. I had bought an awesome set of TrXus MT 255/85/16 and some very nice 16x8 black aluminum wheels. I have gone on a few off-road trips and some rock crawling. After I thought about it more, I decided it wasn't worth it to me to spend so much on a butt load on wheels, tires & regearing to gain 1", and then in the winter not be happy driving on my stock 29s. Again, I know to a lot of members it is important and I respect that, but to me it's not.

Soooo....what I did instead was trade my wheels & tires for a set of used wheels and tires (which are at about 31" right now), and some cash. I'm gona throw that cash at a e-locker and call it a day. 31s will get you plenty of places and if you don't think you will get the most use out of the 33s (which DO look sick), then go w/31s and use the regear money on a locker. JMO.

If you do want the 33s, then tc knows the plan and you should follow it. AxleIke is another CO member and has some nice threads on what to do.

infiltrator

yeah, dont go the 2 extra inches, you will need to regear and thats a PITA. stay with 31's (i got em :])

Asha'man

Hahaha, DJ, is this you?

http://denver.craigslist.org/pts/500912042.html

EWAYota

lol. Thought you were talking to me, lol. I do believe that's his ad.

notanymore

i say just stick with 31s for now. it doesnt sound you do alot of wheeling to where you would need the 33s. but you should start looking on craigslist and such for 4.88s so later down the road you will be set to upgrade to 33s, but stick with 31s for now.

nmtoy

Having done all of the things to my truck that you are thinking about I would say DON"T DO IT! If you are not doing alot of rock crawling you will not need anything but maybe the rear locker and armor.

You will spend alot of time and money. If I had it to do over I would have left the the 31's on my truck and done no lift, gears, ect. My 4runner looks good now but I don't drive it enough to justify the mods.

Just my 2cents worth.
Robb

Djlarroc

Lol... yeah. I totally forgot to delete that & the price is wrong too. WTF? Anyways, It's gone now. Thanks.

Asha'man

Thanks for the opinions! I'm pretty much set on BJ spacers (crank/decrank t-bars as necessary) and OME leaf springs in back (CS009R, 2" lift). Those, plus the extended shackles I already have, should result in a level to slightly raked look. New 31's on the 3.75" BS wheels should work well and look good as well.

Question - shocks. Extended length for this app, or stock replacements? With the mileage of the truck, I'm sure my stockers are shot, but I'm not sure I can afford OME or Bilsteins all around. What are my options here?

nmtoy

You will need longer shocks. Do a search for the "ball joint spacer cruiser coil" thread, Roger Brown has listed a bunch of different shock part numbers that will fit.

Here is a pic with that amount of lift and 31's.

Robb

bigt

i just upgrade my stock runner from 235/75/15 to 31.10.50by15 i too wanted 33s but i some how talked myself out of it and BOY AM I HAPPY.. these bfgs eat the snow and make my runner look really sweeet...like how it should or maybe did roll out of japan in 93

Turbo4Runner

Hey Brian,

I just went through a lot of that. In fact, I am the guy that purchased DJLarroc's wheels and tires and I have been installing an OME lift for the last few days.

Few things:
1. I don't think you need a lift to run these tires. I have 255/86/R16 TrXus MT's which works out to about 33x10 from the Tire size converters I have found online.
2. Locking is the best off road mod on the planet and you will want it at some point, I promise.. However, do it all at once. You'll end up paying twice the labor costs if you regear now and lock later, unless you go with a lunch box locker. I'd be surprised if you didn't want to regear later because:
3. I really like how my truck performs all around after I regeared it. I'm getting better mileage, its easier on the clutch, stays in the power band more, low range is far more effective, etc. So there are other things to consider about regearing besides just running another tire size.

If you go with OME N98's for the front they will have the extra length to support the BJ Spacers.

OME's N94's or N95's work in the rear with either of their larger spring packs. The N95's are firmer.

Get new leaf spring bolts for the front spring hangers and pray they aren't as stuck in as mine are! Get new bushings too.

Oh, also on my truck I had to shave the side of the front bump stops to clear the shock body. It took about 10 min with the dremel.

Good luck!

ovrrdrive

I say if you have the money and want the truck higher then by all means do it. Everyone that says it's too much time and money is deciding what you should do with your time and money.

I put just over $4k into my truck last year and I just couldn't be happier. Not only does it perform great offroad, all the stares and attention I get onroad are worth it to me. You just have to figure out what your priorities are and then go for it.

I went from this:




To this for $4k:





Your results may vary, but in my case it was money and time well spent. I was ready to sell the truck and now you couldn't pry my keys out of my cold, dead hand.

881stGenRunner

i did the BJs, Downey Springs, TBs, Shackles, and a small crank. 15x8 with 3.75" BS, 33x12.5r15 Yoko Geolanders.

I have the 3.0/auto/4.10s (stock). But have since upgraded to 5.29s. I drove it on 4.10s for about 6 months. It wasnt too bad if you ask me. The attention the truck gets is totally worth the 33s IMO.

But with all taht lift came, a rear Detroit, front Lock-Rite, Front and Rear Bumpers (should have been done sooner, just didnt have the bank yet), Sliders, SS IFS Brace.

So many things that were used to beef up what you cant see and that needed more protection.

What i would have done differently was take my stock 15x7 wheels with stock BS and put some 33x10.50r15 Super Swamper TSL Radials underneath it. With the BS i have now, there is a little bit of rubbing on the inner fender when i am turning hard over a bump, or when the wheels is flexed and rolling, it makes a hellova racket.

With that said, i love the way my truck looks(The TJM is gone, and the F&R have bumpers)...

Turbo4Runner

Great lookin' trucks, guys!

Djlarroc

Turbo, you definitely have to get some new pics. Your truck so looks sick now with the new wheel setup. Definitely 1 of my favorites!

infiltrator

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i love your truck :]

Asha'man

Cool, I'll look for that thread. May've run across it in the searching I did after I posted this, too. Thanks for the pic! I know Diesel_freak did this lift and has some pics with 31's (and his truck is grey like mine), but it's good to see other trucks. The tires don't look out of place at all as far as size goes, so as long as I don't come out looking like a roller skate I think I'll be okay.

Turbo, I need to see your truck. It sounds badass now! I hear ya on the gear/locker installs. I think the only way I'd regear right now is if I could find some factory 4.56 thirds to just slap in and be back to normal with the 31's.

ovrdrive - your truck looks sick, but I don't have $4k lying around to drop into mine.

88 - love your truck. That's interesting that you'd go with stock wheels and 33x10.50's if you did it again, though, and kinda lends credence to the claim that width is the real killer on these trucks.

It's looking like my best bet is gonna be a mild lift that would be able to clear 33's in the future, but stick with 31's for a while. Get the right shocks, wheels, tires, and get a Marlin rear bumper and some kind of front bumper. Maybe sliders too, and a crossmember that'll move things up for more belly clearance. When/if the time comes for 33's, I can regear/lock then. Meantime, I can build up my currently-nonexistent wheeling skills so I can actually use all that stuff later on.

881stGenRunner

Here is a picture of how my truck currently sits. My parents have our camera in FL, so i had to use my cell phone. The front stinger really needs to be cut down, it sticks out a bit too far...

kylextrisler

i know mine is kind of a different story cuz im 2nd gen
but i didnt spend a ton of money, w/ the bj spacers, a pan hard drop bracket and steel wheels the only things i bought new, i saved a lot
i got lc coils (which isnt for 1st gens as you prob. know) for cheap bought some used tires from a jeep guy moving up to 35's and shocks on ebay
total, probably between 700-800 but i did it over the summer, slowly building the parts up so it didnt hurt, i got about 3" out of it and fit 33's no problem
i didnt regear, but i have to 3vze
i dont wheel alot, but i also dont drive alot, (live walking distance to campus and work is a 5min drive) but i couldnt be happier w/ my truck (in short hahah)