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Time to go off-road

Discussion in 'Off-Roading & Trails' started by DamonInPHX, Mar 3, 2016.

  1. Mar 3, 2016 at 2:36 PM
    #1
    DamonInPHX

    DamonInPHX [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2016
    Member:
    #1646
    Messages:
    9
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Damon
    Vehicle:
    2000 4Runner
    Hi, all! I'm looking at making some changes to my stock 2000 SR5 4Runner. It's time to dedicate this thing to off-road AZ territory. I'm not looking at doing King of Hammers, but I do want to lift it up a bit, throw some bigger tires on it, and get it ready to play.

    I will say up front that I while I have many years of experience as a mechanic on fighter aircraft, the F-16 has traditionally not performed very well on rocky terrain, so I'm pretty inexperienced when it comes to configuring this kind of stuff. Hopefully, I'm better at asking questions.

    My current specs:
    - V6 3.4L
    - 4WD (Manual Transfer)
    - Automatic Transmission
    - 165K miles
    - Factory shocks
    - Factory wheels
    - 165/65R16 Tires

    I'm due for new tires, wheels are starting to get a bit old for my taste, shocks are squeaky and due for replacement, TREs and LBJs are probably due, so I have plenty to do.

    What I'm asking for is some basic advice for a starting point. I've been doing some reading here, there, and on Reddit and other places, and I think I know what I'd like, but I want to get y'alls opinion on this as a starting point:
    - Ambit RS02 (6 lug, 0 offset) https://www.ambitwheels.com/collect...8x9-0-6x139-7-truck-wheel?variant=14930964676
    - BFG KO2 285/65R18
    - Probably some sort of lift to ensure clearance

    Questions I have are:
    - Do I need to lift? If so, body or suspension? And how high?
    - What's a good set of shocks/struts? Going back to the previous question, since I'm changing the shocks anyway, should I just do a suspension lift?
    - If I do a lift, how much chopping/trimming do I have to do to ensure clearance?
    - Will I need spacers for those Ambit wheels? Or is that something that should come with them?

    Aside from some of the resources like here and 4Crawler's FAQ, is there anywhere I should be looking in order to better educate myself as to what the options are?

    Thanks!

    Damon
     
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2016
  2. Mar 8, 2016 at 4:06 PM
    #2
    Ol'Blue

    Ol'Blue New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2014
    Member:
    #55
    Messages:
    1,376
    Gender:
    Male
    "Not all who wander are lost"
    Vehicle:
    99 T4R LTD- 33's and locked, 01 SR5-,SAS Sold...
    A few things here and there. Still dreaming up stuff

    First off welcome to the party man. Also from another Vet and ground ponder thank you for your service and keeping the birds flying to cover my ass over in the sand box and the Mts of the Stan. I can't recall having a 16 coming in but I know for a fact I had a F-15E drop some JDAMS a few times. Anyhow.

    First question for you, dose it have the factory Elocker in it?

    Next- Why are you hooked on that wheel? I"m going to be honest you probably don't want a 18 in wheel for wheeling unless you are going huge on the tires. Like 38's and up. With a wheel that big if you air down for the trails it doesn't give you a lot of meat on the ground because you loose rubber for more wheel. It's a trade off. See were I'm going with this....

    Next- What type of off roading do you want to do and how much do you really want to spend on a lift. A quality lift will set you back about 800-1,200 bucks. It's worth paying a little more on this I feel. You can spend a lot more if you want too.

    If you do a lift 3in is about the max you want on a 3rd Gen and still be reliable and easy to work on. Throw a 1/2in body lift in with it and your pretty much golden for most anything you will do with proper armor on it. Bumper, Sliders, and Skid Plates Etc.... A 3rd Gen with that set up on 33's will do ALOT! I'll be as bold to say more than most people will do and not loose there nerve.

    Do any Maint before Mods always, it will pay you huge on this rig. You will be able to wheel the hell out of it and still make it home.

    Now I'll also say this. If you get into 35's plan on doing a lot more work and you will break shit I promise you that!

    Hope that helps and get you off to a good start. Hit me up if you have more questions. I have two 3rd Gens so I know them pretty well.

    Blue
     
  3. Mar 8, 2016 at 4:44 PM
    #3
    SixthSnail

    SixthSnail I have no idea what I'm doing

    Joined:
    Jan 24, 2016
    Member:
    #1449
    Messages:
    393
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Matt
    Los Angeles/Santa Barbara
    Vehicle:
    '16 4Runner SR5 4x4
    Hey Damon! I numbered your questions so that I may answer them easier.

    1. Some people do a combination of body/suspension lifts. I am a strong advocate for only doing suspension. Go with a 2.5-3 inch lift and stuff some 33" tires. My favorite combination is the 285/70/17 size tire (M/T or A/T) wrapped around a 17" Wheel. I would ditch the 18" wheels if I were you as @Ol'Blue said.

    2. Yes! Do a suspension lift. I have run Bilstein in my Tacoma, and now I run Icon. Can't say enough good about Icon. I really am not a fan of Bilstein if you are able to afford anything better. Icon, Fox, ADS, Walker Evans, and King are all fantastic companies to get shocks and struts from. Some are cheaper than others so it partially depends on your budget but I think that people generally rank them in this order:

    Best: King and ADS
    Great: Fox and Icon
    Good: Walker Evans
    Okay: Bilstein

    3. With 33's on my Tacoma, I had to trim my fenders slightly and cut the cab mount (Body mount for 4runners). I would suggest you do the same. With any size bigger than 33's, you will have to do a lot more cutting.

    4. I'm not positive but like I said, get some 17" wheels! SCS wheels are my personal favorite!

    From a non vet, thank you both for your service!
     
  4. Mar 12, 2016 at 6:27 AM
    #4
    DamonInPHX

    DamonInPHX [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2016
    Member:
    #1646
    Messages:
    9
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Damon
    Vehicle:
    2000 4Runner
    Thanks, guys! Sorry for the late reply, I'm on the road right now.

    Good advice, all of it. I'll be back with a more solid reply, but I did want to tell y'all that I appreciate the advice!
     

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