I got the new wheels and newish tires installed today. I put 8 oz of Airsoft bb's in the tires per the online calculator. My first impression is that they work very well. I've only driven a few miles on them so far, but I did take it up to highway speed and there was little to no shakes. Initially I set the tire pressure at 30 psi all around, but with the A/T's I think I'll go up to 32 or 35 in the front since it feels a little soft. The beads make less noise than I anticipated, but I do notice some noise when they fall onto the wheel when coming to a stop. It actually sounds kind of neat. I like the look with the black wheels over the 'shiny', but it's definitely less aggressive without the M/T's. I'll happily take the increase in MPG's and longer life over the looks, however.

A couple not so good pics I snapped before dark...

 

wheels look great. i love how the beads fall when you come to a stop. gets people thinking haha

 

WOOT, SICK! Love em, ...now paint the truck black and disappear into the night!!!! hahaha.

 

your runner is looking great!!! i need to get down there for some camping this fall... its beautiful...

so, uh, you wouldnt happen to still have your old rims, would you?

 

I musta missed............ those new shoes are 31's?

 

Thanks Troy. I was hoping you'd make it out the the Pismo Jamboree this year. Let me know if you make it over this way. I'd like to make one more camping trip before it gets too cold.

My old tires and wheels are for sale here. I can separate them if need be.

Nope, they're 285-75-16 (33").

 

Some pics from this years' Pismo Jamboree...











We had an awesome time at the event. We camped next to Toyotech559 and his friends, also Buck87, and Roy from Savage Offroad. I look forward to this trip every year, and it just keeps getting better. Thanks to Chris and Lance for all their hard work.

 

Great pics..... and WOW, 33's.... Maybe it's the black rim playing optical illusions on my brain! lol. Sorry, .... either way, IT LOOKS GREAT!

PS> That your other half up there^^? Look like a great/happy couple!

 

The pics are a little deceiving. The tires look much better in person. And, yeah, that's my wife. We've been together almost 6 years, and are very happy. Thanks.



Update on the 4Runner...

I ordered some Hi/Low HID's from DDMTuning.com for my headlights. I use the offroad lights occasionally on the back roads, and I really like the color better than my halogen headlights, so I figured I'd upgrade. Should be here by the weekend.

Also, the hard top went back on tonight. I got another one from a friend, which has a much nicer headliner than my old one. It's white, so this weekend I'll be painting it to match (weather permitting).

I've been gathering brake parts too. I've got some new Bosch Zinc coated rotors which I will have dimpled and possibly slotted, Performance Friction Carbon Metallic pads, and Wagner shoes for the rear. I'll be eliminating the LSPV at the same time as well.

Aside from all that, I will be building a platform and drawers in the rear, and I have an idea for the spare tire...deviating from the original swing out bumper plan.

Plenty of projects to keep me busy through the winter.

 

where are you getting the head light housing to run the HIDs? im looking to switching to HIDs. are you doing anything to the wiring? i heard its a good idea to run larger gauge wires.

 

I already have Hella E Code H4 housings. I'd recommend these housings, if you are looking. Do not buy the crappy eBay projector housings, or you will be disappointed. The HID's have nice harnesses, but I might have to run relays with larger wire. I ran a relay with 10 gauge for the HID's in my Hella 500's, and have no problems whatsoever. We'll just have to see how the harnesses are made.



In other news....

I bought a DC FK35 fan controller from Brian's (WabFab) garage sale. Should get that next week sometime, to replace the Hayden controller I'm using now. I had some issues with my controller in wet weather. The FK35 is a very nice controller, with variable fan speeds, and 10 gauge wiring, plus it shouldn't have any problems in inclement weather. All the write-ups I read had positive feedback for longevity and reliability.

 

that thing looks sick! why did you get rid of the km2's?

 

what did that controller run you? im looking at e-fans for the tacoma because ive noticed that if it sits off for less than 10 mins after driving and then gets turned on again the temps are up at *215. dont like her getting that hot...

 

Right now I'm not wheeling as much as before, and I got an awesome deal on the KO's. I figure I'll get more miles out of the A/T's, and by the time they're worn out, I should be ready for 35's. I sold the KM2's pretty quickly, now I have a little extra cash to play around with too. Thanks for the compliment!


I'll be posting a couple pics this weekend, after I get the hard top painted to match. Right now it looks a little silly, since I replaced the top with a white one. The white top has a much nicer interior than my original, so I decided I'd switch them out.

 

Brian sold it to me for $60 shipped. It's new in the original packaging. Before I committed to buy it, I did some reading on other forums about those controllers. Most everyone had great things to say about them. I'm not sure they are still in business, though. Seems that the company had some customer service issues, I read. I'll let you know, first hand, my impression of it after I get it installed.

 

there still in buisness, I damaged mine and sent it to him, its a 1 man operation, he is pretty busy. nice guy though. i bought the surge suppressor and he said that would cover return shipping. didnt even charge me to fix it. it did take a while but i knew that going in. its working perfect, much better than the relays I had temped in while it was getting repaired.. You are going to be happy with your unit.

 

thanks ill look into that.

 

Awesome. Thanks for the heads up.

 

I got the hard top painted to match, and I played around with some desert tan graphics too. I like the two colors together, but I don't want it to be too over the top. I may add to it tomorrow, time permitting. I also bought a plug and play trailer wiring kit (Hopkins #43315), and installed it. I wont use it much, so I tucked the plug away in the rear cargo compartment.

 

At the Pismo Jamboree, I got a chance to use Roy's winch with synthetic rope....well almost. We were on a night run and came across some guys stuck in a bowl. We were going to winch them out, but after realizing they weren't aired down enough, it wasn't necessary. I had pulled the winch line out to hook it up, then we spooled it back in. I was amazed at how much lighter and easier it was to handle than wire rope. So, I thought it was about time for an upgrade to my winch. I found a Smittybilt XRC 10 Comp Series winch on another board, that was 'slightly used' for a good price. Rather than spend my money on synthetic rope and a new aluminum fairlead, I decided for a little more I might as well upgrade to the 10k winch too. I went to look at it Sunday, and promptly snatched it up. I can tell it was installed, but it doesn't look like it's been used at all. I installed it on the 4Runner tonight, and ran the line in and out a couple times, and it runs like new. I'll snap a couple pics in the daylight ASAP.