37" Tires

So I recently bought a 2023 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road and am looking into lift kits. 37" tires just keep popping back into my head and I have been trying to do some research into what is needed to see how hard and expensive it would be to do. I haven't been able to really find any solid information on the minimum height in a lift kit I would need or what other mods and changes I would need to make for this to work. If anyone that either has the build done or has been able to find out more information could point me in the right direction that would be great. I'm not dead set of 37s but I am curious.

 

Right direction, JLR with 3.5" lift, haha.

 

With 37's (and 35's) it's not so much the lift. You'll need to trim, a lot. Even then, you'll still rub.

This video is about a 3rd Gen 4Runner, but it should give you an idea how much you'll have to cut off:

 

^This^

A suspension lift doesn't clear tires on IFS. Alignment and trimming do, and a body lift can potentially help.

37's will require a lot of cutting, body mount chop or relocation, bashing the firewall in with a hammer, and you'll probably end up wanting to beef up the power steering. Some have used a Tundra rack on Tacomas, but I'm not sure if it works on the 4Runner.

I'd also plan on regearing right away.

 

For 37's that would require a definite regear as well, in addition to the other things; probably spindle gussets, beefed up tie rods etc. you would have to cut the entire plastic fender trim off basically and cutback/wend the firewall. hammering won't be enough.

 

Not be confrontational but why 37's? There may be better platforms for that large a change?

 

I’m not dead set on 37’s but I want to be a little different so it just keeps popping in my head. I’m leaning more towards 35’s but 37’s are intriguing. I’m looking for long travel suspension with the lift but wheel and tire size were my biggest question. I know I need a re-gear plus possible axles with the long travel but just doing some research. So if you guys also have any ideas for long suspension travel, and what needs to be done for that I am more than happy to listen to what you have to offer.

 

To do anything larger than 35’s, you will need to tub the firewall. There’s no way around it. I’m on 35’s on a 3” lift with a cab mount relocation and a lot of trimming and BFH usage.

 

Bruh... just sell your 4R and get a JL/JLU Wrangler, you can fit 37's with mostly lift and little to no cutting. You're wasting your time and our time asking these questions.

 

With all the labor and money to set up long travel, regear, and fabricate giant holes big enough to fit 37s, would getting portal axles come out cheaper? It will kill 3, 4 or possibly 5 birds with one stone since it the two kits out there cover most of those bases.

Just thought I'd mention the possibility, especially since it’s not every day you can spend other people’s money. Portal axles seem to be a fiscally responsible way of going with 37s.

 

The portal approach has several advantages. One downside is their typically short maintenance interval.

 

I wouldn’t get portals just for there own sake, because of the 4 additional gear box oil changes.

But if I were afflicted by a brain worm demanding 37in tires, they seem to be a potentially less overall maintenance compared to the traditional route.

it does nothing for the steering though, which will probably be the achilles heel.

 

SAS.

 

This shouldnt be too much of a problem, hes planning on 37s on a 4Runner, he wont be going very far for very long or very often.

 

This is pretty much the only person in the thread with a little common sense. When you want to put a huge tire on a vehicle thats not built for huge tires, put a lift on it. No i dont mean a 2.5-3" puck lift i mean a REAL lift. If you want big tires, put a big lift on so you can clear the big tires. I love big tires, i absolutely love wide tires, but whatever tire i decide to run i put the lift on accordingly. Stuffing a 35" tire under a 4runner with a puck lift or even a set of aftermarket coil overs or taller springs whatever, is stuffing 10 pounds of potatoes in a 5 pound sack. Sure it will fit and drive straight but as you read above, everyone thats done it has had to absolutely hack the crap out of everything. Put a 6" lift on it and fit 35s no real problem. Put aftermarket adjustable coils or taller springs on top of the 6" lift and give yourself about 7-8" of lift and put the 37s on and not have to hack your bumper at a 45degree angle and chop and Z your frame and tub your fenders. That sounds like madness, just put a freakin real lift on it and ride out and be the biggest cat on the block.

 

Just save up for some portals, way easier. Then throw 40s on it

 

Dude, please leave that solid awesome truck a lone, appreciate it for what it is. Get a toy if you are into 37s and all. I did a body mount chop, mudflap delete and viper cut. My 34s still rub when turning at full flex.

Leave that poor truck alone, get this or a cheap TJ

 

Metal Cloak Game Changer? It comes in 4.5 too I am trying to see if it works with my TJ

 

Doing all that to a brand spanking new 2023 4Runner, that will be heart breaking. I know I have modified my 4Runner a lot, but it looks beautiful, kicks ass offroad and rides amazing. Any more surgery on this amazing truck will be criminal.

 

what does your rear lift look like? got any pics? what did you have to do?

 

Someone mentioned portals, that probably is the easiest way. Check out 74Welds.

 

Question on portals. Big off road benefits, but seem like not a good fit for anyone wanting big tires for street. Going above 35s is a lot of work and $. On road behavior as a daily seems unrealistic. Dedicated trail rig you can go nuts on leaning towards off road benefits. My struggle is keeping the balance improving off road but not sacrificing on road behavior.

 

IDK I'm glad portals exist... They are expensive but you are getting
1. More ground clearance than a traditional lift
2. Better articulation with unchanged suspension geometry
3. Portals effectively regear the rig to handle larger tires.

As @2021venture mentioned running anything over 35s becomes difficult to daily for most. This is why I'm sticking with 34s and no regear for now. Truck drives great right now. Plus I don't have a long commute.

When I move out of the city and have a longer commute I will be getting something else to daily. Maybe then I'll be able to justify 35s, regear, and possibly RCLT kit to get more front travel and beef up the steering rack. I wouldn't plan on doing that with my daily though. It will be a dedicated adventure rig at that point. Right now I don't think the juice is worth the squeeze.

If OP really wanted to run 37's on IFS the Bronco is a great option imo.
A Jeep 392 would also be worth considering if you're not dead set on IFS.

The 4Runner is a great rig for what it is... But if you "need" 37's @Yotaholic is right... There are much easier ways to do it.

 

For me, just as important, maybe more so, isn't whether you can daily a 4Runner with 35" or 37" tires. If it drives down the road and can turn into a parking lot, you're all good there. Where 35" or 37" tires are a true detriment with a 4Runner is off road.

The 4Runner has high gearing, way too high, for 35" or 37" tires. You need to address that immediately, if you want to take your rig off road. Unfortunately, the 4Runner is limited in how you address the poor gearing; too high of a first gear (overall poor transmission gearing), too high low-range, and too high differential gearing.

If you want to run 35" or 37" tires off road you need to put in at least 4.56 differential gearing, but your transmission and t-case gearing is still too high to perform really well off road. 4.56 will be fine for a daily driver, but you're going to want to install lower t-case gearing. It's really the only way to get good low-range performance off road.

So, nine times out of ten, when I see a 4Runner that is "built", it's for show, not go.

What's nice about starting with a JLR (Jeep Rubicon) is stock 4.88 gearing, 4:1 t-case and 5.13 first gear and all of that with front and rear lockers. You can put 37" tires on a Jeep Rubicon with a 2" lift, and have 12% taller tires than a 4Runner on 33" tires. The 4Runner, even with 4.56 gearing, won't have 50% of the JLR crawl ratio. My point being, as I posted before, the 4Runner is the wrong tool for the job, and not because you can't daily the 4Runner, but because it'll struggle off road...unless you address the t-case.

Crawl Ratios
4Runner (3.52 * 2.57 * 4.56 = 41.25)
JLR (5.13 * 4 * 4.88 = 100)

 

True. So go ahead and chunk in a crawl box to address the crawl ratio.
https://www.4runners.com/threads/marlin-crawler-tacobox.29724/

Alongside a regear, long travel suspension, RCLT kit to address the weak steering components and lack of front travel.

Now it's almost as capable as a Rubicon when off road... and only twice the price after all these mods!

*Sorry. Sarcasm doesn't read well.

 

@Mtbpsych has a beautiful rig on 33.5s.


I really do think 33-34's and a mild lift is the sweet spot for these rigs. Regear if needed and enjoy it.

Going bigger you'll just discover all the weaknesses these things have.

 

The rear axle on these seem to be indestructible. I have seen front axles explode with tires this size. What mods do you plan to make to the stock front axle to beef them up? I'm sure you are already planning to replace the gears and add a front locker.

 

Once you blow out the stock rack you might as well look for an upgrade. 74Welds has hinted at an upgrade developed by them. I for one would welcome other upgrade options.

 

Dude have you priced those, thats $20,000 for the stock style single shear steering tie rod and $20,600 for a double shear tie rod mount.
what the fuggggggg

 

It’s amazing how the costs accelerate with each step up in tire size! Even though my portal suggestion was a bit tongue in cheek, more I think about the frame chopping necessary to put in a bracket lift, or body hammering/cutting for long travel with big tires, portals really do seem to make *actual* sense. Especially since it will take care of gearing. And especially since you have the option to rebuild the 4runner back to stock, and sell the portals when you’re done having fun. Much better than permanent hacking at a 4runner, which for sure will diminish its value.

But truly solving the limitations of the stock steering doesn’t seem to have any reasonable solutions. You’re basically re-engineering and fabricating a new front end when you get to those high end options. Well, the most reasonable solution is to drive it like it has clay feet and tip toe through obstacles. Driving it very carefully would probably help keep the front differential attached to the frame as well lol.

The leverage tires that big have over everything really is kind of insane! I mean, even though 33s are fine, I can definitely feel the effect on gearing and steering of that small step up in size.