engine mods wont improve your performance dollar for dollar on the trail as much as decent lift, tires, and locker will. its a 22re, it has, what? 120 hp at most??? exhaust and what not is going to give it 2-5hp gains??? re-gear and lock it.

go with OME but ditch the BL, go with a shackle lift to fit larger tires. take it wheeling, whatever rubs, cut it off!

 

thanks for all the input. i was reading a post somewhere on the forum about a year ago debunking bl myths. it was saying that a 1-2" bl and a 2-4" suspension lift would actually keep the center of gravity LOWER because you are only picking up the body, which accounts for about 25% of your total weight, where as a 5-7" suspension lift would raise not just the body, but the heavier engine, frame, tranny, and drivetrain. is this inaccurate? what would be the disadvantage of a 1" bl? i know i am opening pandora's box with this question, but is the distain just personal prefrence or a legit dependability issue? thanks

 

Correct about the lessened affect of a body lift on CG:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...it.shtml#Lifts

And a mild 1" lift does have some advantages:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...Kit.shtml#FAQ1
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...Kit.shtml#FAQ2

And sure, you can probably accomplish most of the clearance of a body lift by fender trimming, but on the 4Runner, the rear is tricky as you have to patch up the interior as cutting the fenders penetrates inside and if you drive a lot on the road, there are definite advantages of a fairly air tight body.

 

i REALLY dont want to cut into my fenders. i really shouldnt have to with 33s. thats the reason i was going to go with them and not 35s.

 

another question...my truck weighs around 2200lbs. shouldnt a 4000lb winch do the trick? why would i need a 8-10k winch?

 

2200 lbs?

:wabbit2:

 

yeah, i screwed up...sorry. it weighs around 4400lbs, but the question remains the same. why a 8-9k winch? would a 4000lb not do the trick?

 

Well, general rule of thumb is 1.5x or 2x vehicle weight for winch rating. Why? Mud, deep snow, other obstructions preventing vehicle from moving. I think 4Wheeler magazine did an in-depth article where they derived the 1.5x or 2x rating factor.

Case in point, I put a 9000# winch on my '85 and the first time I used it, I was buried to the axles in spring (wet, crusty) snow. After going for the shovel to dig it out, I recalled the winch I had put on the week before. No problem (I figured 4500# truck, 9000# winch - heck I could haul it straight up in the air), pulled out 100' of cable to a tree (w/ tree saver strap) and walked back to the truck and hit the controller. Promptly stalled the winch and the 4Runner did not budge. Then I popped the truck in gear, let out the clutch in low range and w/ the tires slowly turning over, I re-tried the winch and it did pop out w/o too much strain.

2nd example, on another run I had to go back down the trail to rescue a full size Suburban that was teetering off the edge of the trail. Got wedged in behind a rock and hooked up as he tried to move forward. As he came forward, he was also sliding down into the ditch and at a certain point he did go over the edge and the entire moving
weight of the 'burb hit the winch, but it held and we did get him up and out of the ditch. So it may not only be your vehicle you are winching.

Point is you can never have too big a winch.

And as a side benefit, a bigger winch typically pulls less current for a given load than a smaller unit:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/4R_bumpers.shtml#Winch

 

my best advice would be a slight body lift 1-2 in, and minor mods to get 33 12.50s under it. Then deffinatly gears 4.88s, with a locker in the rear, perferably an arb locker in the rear with on board air to fill tires & run small air tools on the trail ect, with a posi-trac or equivelent in the front. Then armor the crap out of it! last but not least dual transfercases!!! after that you may have said good bye to most of your budget. but you'd have a very capable machine!

 

good stuff,

Just going to add that I would put dual batteries in it for expedition type exploration

 

a big thanks to everyone posting. you are all helping point me in the right direction for the research that is needed. i have been looking into the trail gear 5" suspension lift. also, i heard about a LCG system? naturally i want to keep my CG as low as possible, and the way it was explained to me was that you achieve this by having around 4" of up travel and 20" of down travel...is this available in a kit for 85 runners? i found a system for Heeps, but havent been successful in the yota market...thanks again for all the input...

 

oh, and by the way, i dont mind to cut into the front fenders, as they are replaceable. but the rear is a different story. i am pretty sure i will do whatever i have to, to NOT to cut into the rear...but who knows, i might change my mind on that later on down the road too...i have a tendency to do that lol...

 

now for some awesome news! i have stumbled across some ARB air lockers (front and rear) that i will be getting for a very good price just as soon i get home from BAF...cant explain how excited i am about that, as it solves one of my biggest problems!!!

 

yea better jump on that if you get a good price. would love to have some but dont wanna put out the money for them

 

amazingly enough, i might be getting them for free...not for sure yet, but i am super psyced to find out.

 

question...if i were to outfit the runner with an ifs model rear axle, would i need a different size/part number locker and R&P gears?

 

Nope, same everything for the most part. Only possible difference would be if you went from a 4-cyl. to a 6-cyl. 3rd member:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/4R_TechInfo.shtml#DiffTypes

 

5" TG springs (or any of those "long travel" springs) is going to be ALOT.


the 3" springs have TONS of flex, and only give around ~3" of lift.


3" springs for the front, 4" springs AT MOST...and some 4" springs in the rear.

after that, install your ARB's with some 4.88 (or 5.29's) gears.

after you do that, install your Winch (Smittybuilt XRC10K is my choice, heard lots of good stuff about em! and they're cheap!)

after that order your tires, i've heard the new MTR's With Kevlar are doing VERY NICE on the trails, and pretty good on the road as well. 35x12.50s would be plenty of tire.

Snorkel.

water-proof your engine.

extend your diff breathers.

after that you should be ready for a A LOT of stuff...




i might also recommend that you install a 2" reciever up front and get a rear bumper with one as well.
after you do that, get a cradle for the winch, that way you can "easily" (that dude is heavy) move the winch and cradle to the rear of the truck if you need to winch yourself out backwards.

 

i was told that if i were to do the 3"TG classic lift kit, i wouldnt be able to do a hi-steer...and how much would i have to trim to fit the 35s with only a 3"TG classic lift?

 

You would be fine with the 3 inch kit and hi-steer. With the three inch kit I doubt you would have to cut your fenders for 35s either