I'm thinking of upgrading the front end on my IFS '91 4x4. It's a daily driver that I've restored to like-new condition and I don't intend to use it as a hardcore wheeling rig so not interested in a SAS. I just want to replace the scabby looking control arms and shocks and give it a freshening up. Does anyone know of a quality aftermarket solution? I'm not having much luck finding anything.

I may consider a very minor lift so I could fit 33"s cleanly but on the stock 15" alloys.

TIA!

 

I would advise against 33's without re-gearing to 4.88 for stock performance. If it's the 22RE, you'll be hating life with those huge tires. No power. 31's seem adequate and are great for daily driving. Lift is unnecessary if you're not wheeling a lot. I've done quite a bit in mine on the stock ride height and 31's.

Toyota knew what they were doing with these bad boys. OEM is the way to go. If you want it to "look pretty" because you're going for a more show style look, I got nothing.

 

33" and stock gearing in a 22RE truck? Do you drive your truck on uphill roads?

 

I second toyodabro^^^.

AND. "scabby looking", if only surface rust is not a problem. However, you may want to check your control arm bushings. New shocks, even non-performance would be an upgrade.
You need to do a lot of research if you are to change your suspension height AND upsize your tires. Lots of things to consider, but most importantly what you really want to accomplish with your truck.

 

33's with the stock 4.10 gearing is technically doable, but I have to agree with this. For the longest time my '86 ran 33's with 4.10 gears, and those combined with my 22R (which has less power than the R-E) led to some inconveniences; I could almost never use 5th gear at 40 mph, taking off from a standstill was a bit more difficult since I had to apply a little more throttle to avoid stalling the engine, and it would really bog down when going uphill, even on some of the slightest inclines. However, one upside to running 33's with 4.10 gears is they allowed me to reach highway speeds (70-75 mph) somewhat easily.

I re-geared to 4.88's shortly after the new year and there was an instant improvement in city driving; I can now use 5th gear at 40 mph, I can take off from a standstill almost as smoothly as if I had an automatic, and I can even go up moderate hills in 5th gear without losing too much speed. One downside though, at least in my case, is it's more difficult to reach highway speeds, and I usually can't go any faster than 70 mph. My engine also revs higher on the highway with 4.88's. The advantages outweigh the disadvantages though in my opinion.

31's would indeed be the better option if you decide to keep your 4.10 gears, tskyyc, but you have to do some more thinking if you want 33's without re-gearing. Which do you do more, city driving or highway driving? Is it hilly where you live?

 

I daily drive my '87 with 33's and stock gearing, although its no race car its perfectly doable. I can easily maintain 55mph uphill driving through the Oregon coast range.

 

wrong thread

 

Absolutely right! Ive done just about every configuration on hundreds of rigs over the years including my own, SAS, full crawler build etc etc. Right now I am building an extended cab 91 22re 4x4. Completely stock and OEM as much as I can get. I am using this new truck as a trail rig, hunting rig and long distance travel rig. Toyota indeed knew what they were doing when they built these rigs. Stick with stock unless you are doing a full crawler build. If you are building a crawler then the sky is the limit.