I was thinking of doing a body lift. As of now my rig is bone stock. 1999 4Runner 4wd 5speed sittin on 225/75/15's. I have some new tires/ rims to install, they are 16x8 ivan stewart rims with 285/75/16 bridgestone duellers. I am in the middle of buying the sonoran steel #7 lift to go along with this. Question is is a body lift really necessary so the tires wont rub? or is it better to trim the pinch welds of do ya have to do both? Also on the body lift will I need to make modifications to the fan shroud what all is involved? one more thing I promise: the stock gears in my ride I believe are 3:91's will this be a major NO NO or not I know the clutch will suffer ie. shorter life but are the stock 3:91's too tall?

 

What size tire did you want to run? for 33" tires (285s or 305s) you can go 4.56 or 4.88s. 4.56 will give lower rpms when cruising on the highway if you like to push higher speeds. 4.88s will give you more power and possibly better mileage for stop and go driving but will run higher rpms at highway speeds. thats my understanding of it anyways.. im leaning towards 4.56s for my regear and running 305s.

All the information you could want or need for body lifts is on 4crawler.
http://www.4crawler.com

 

Can't help you on whether or not 285s will clear w/ or w/o a body lift inconjunction w/ the SS 7.1 lift. I have that very lift, but do not have 285s on 16x8 rims. Someone else who does, can chime in.

As far as the gears go, I'll be blunt...3.91s suck w/ 33's. At one time I owned a '99 2wd 4Runner, auto with 3.91 gears, 225/75/15 tires on OEM 15x7 rims. After a couple months, I upgraded the tires and rims to 265/70/16 on 16x7 oem rims. (Basically going from a 29" tire to a 31" and a 1" wider wheel.) Even though this was not a huge jump in rim/tire size, I could tell a big difference in the way the vehicle responded. Acceleration was much slower and it took the truck longer to stop than previously. Although, after a few months, I became use to way the truck responded and it did not feel so out of place with the larger rim and tire.

Therefore, going from about a 29" tire to a 33" (285/75) tire is a huge jump. Without compensating for the larger tire, your engine,trans, brakes and mpgs will definitely suffer over time. Acceleration will be much slower and braking will require more force. Really, the overall vehicle will suffer.

I will be upgrading from a 31" tire to a 32" tire and a 16x7 rim to a 16x8 rim soon, but plan on keeping my stock 4.10 gearing in my current '02 4Runner. I'm sure I'll notice a difference, but when and if I eventually step up to a 33" (285/75) tire, I am either going to regear to 4.56 or 4.88. I'm still debating which gear to install, b/c I have learned some guys prefer 4.56s w/ 33's, while others prefer 4.88s w/ 33's. Appears it comes down to personal preference and what exactly you use your vehicle for. I do not feel there is one perfect gear choice w/ 33's.

Here's a website that lets you compare 2 tire sizes to each other: Tire-Size-Calculator. This will show you exactly how much of a difference going from a 225/75/15 to a 285/75/16 will be.

Here's a website that compares gear choices to tire size: Gear Ratio Guide. Granted this might not be exact for your application, but it's a good reference.

 

I would warn that to go to a larger tire and wheel combo on the earlier Runners that originally came with the 15" wheels could be overwhelming for the brakes over time. There are Tundra rotor and caliper options to overcome this-but at that point you would be committed to the 16"s and would not be able to quickly and easily go back to the 15" setup. (say for example you wanted to keep your 16" wheels and tires when you are ready to sell your Runner)

 

Have you considered going to 4.3's? I think that would be far more suitable for 33's. I would only do 4.55 or higher if fitting 34-36 inch tires.

Also, do the body lift. Will definately look better, and what ever kit you get should include ALL options and hardware to take care of things like radiator stuff etc. Read through the 4Crawler web site, heaps of info there.

 

I beg to differ. I know other 4Runner owners that have regeared and at a bare minimum, they would only suggest 4.56 or higher w/ 33's. IMO, 4.30s w/ 33s is still too low. The guys that are running 35's say that 4.88s are the best match...and they should know, b/c that's what they are running.

You definitely don't want to have the new gears installed and it still not be what you want. Do it once and do it right.

Like I said, I'm debating between 4.56s and 4.88s when I go to 33's...and here's what others that have regeared have had to say about it when I asked:

Click me

 

Fair enough. But as that link says and as do the figures, 4.30's will get you closer to stock and be better for highway use, which (for me personally) would be a better option, since I only go hard wheeling 3-4 times a year. If you carry lots of gear and wheel often (with 33's)then 4.56's would be better.

 

Well I guess I'll go buy some gears..........CRAP!!!! It never ends!!!!!!! I just want to lift this thing and put on some meaty skins!!!!!!!!! DAMN you sucky 3:91's!!!!!!!!! I need a BEER>

 

keep us posted on your progress lifting and adding the tires post pics when finished

LSUSYCO

 

U got it dude!