I always read a lotof threads where people are doing lifts, tires, and other suspension mods. How capable is this thing with a good set of 265/70/16 in 4LOW? I have only climbed a steep gravel hill once (landrover couldn't make it) and went mudding a few times. The rest of 4x4 time is when I go to the beach for some good fishing.

 

What tires do you have? Do you have a rear e-locker? 4Runners are very capable vehicles from the factory.

 

stock capabillity depends on the year and the tires. MT's make such a huge difference. Finally got to hit the snow for the first time on my bfg MT's and I loved them so much. They did awesome, got me as far as my clearance could take me and then some.

 

my personal experience with my stock 4runner has been pretty amazing, picking some good lines, and throttle control has gotten me places, I didn't expect to get through. My 4runner is unlocked, on 265/75 Bridgestone something or anothers(pattern looks a gnats ass hair more aggressive than any other street tire). I made it through all, but daniel, at uwharrie national forest, and through a few local mudholes. I wouldn't rate the trails at uwharrie as hardcore, or anything, but there are some hairy spots, that i didn't think the truck would make it through, but did.

Anyhow, the point is, you will be surprised how far she will go. My biggest problems came from exit angles. The rear really seems to love the ground, haha. Mine is getting lift, wheels, and tires this week, since I will finally have time to throw all the stuff sitting in boxes on there.

 

yeah 4runners do well stock. i mean when i first got my truck, it had 75,000 miles on it, mint, and had the stock size tires (225/10.50/15 if i remember correctly) and i wheeled it the day after i got it. did much better than the trooper my mom had, even tho the trooper had BIG good year wrangler M/Ts on it. though i still say its cuz it had the auto hubs, and not the fact that it was an isuzu.

 

You are only a VERY tiny bit LESS capable than someone with a lift.

Suspension lifts do almost nothing to improve the capability of a vehicle.

And to answer your question directly, your truck is very capable. Driver has more to do with it than the truck.

 

If all you're going to be doing is climbing gravel hills and going to the beach, I'd just get a set of nice tires (stock size or 265-75-16's) and call it good. If you feel like it's capable now, why buy unnecessary parts?

 

yep, i also say step up to an inch bigger tire by going with the 265/75/16s in a nice M/T tire that you will like or just an A/T if you only plan on gravel an a little beach sand...but these rigs are VERY capable stock, and by just adding some good tires, will take you more places than you would believe possible...

 

Mine sees a little hairy stuff but I know it's limits but it does quite well with just the bigger tires and my taller OEM coils help.

 

Little taller tire, air down and even a True Track LSD Make a big difference. I would say prior to my mods on my truck-- i would run 3 star trails with Nitto Terra Grapplers--after mods--3.5-4 star trails. but it is true--driver makes a big difference.

My new rig is getting a Detroit, 35's Yokohama M/T plus and then down the road maybe a lefty or Atlas T-case........

But tall skinny tires is where it is at--because we are so light--in some ways (i know there are two schools of thought) the larger wider tires hurt us some in the traction department.

 

From my experience the only thing you will need to be concerned with is the ground clearance. I had enough when I was stock, but that was the biggest issue. Choosing lines. I did fine with bald straight treads in 4WD.

 

im unlocked, cooper all terrains, not looking to do anything since it meets my needs right now.

 

I was very impressed with my 02 sport just on saturday. Me and 2 buddies loaded all our guns and ammo up in the 4runner and went up to the mountain.
Just logging roads, nothing too extreme, but 1 foot deep compacted ice/snow. We where going up hill in this stuff and only in 4 hi and were doing fine until all the traction control alarms went off and my stock tires lost traction. I slid a llitle bit into some hardened ruts and we dug out the tires enough to get backed into the ruts we came up on.
I backed it down about 1/2 mile before we found a wide enough spot to do a 25 point turn around.
All in all I had a blast and the truck performed well. Better tires are going on soon though.

 

too make you rig go farther off road then most just air down your tires to about 12psi and you are good too go. if you are going high speed i only go down to 15psi in the front to help with turning; but still 12psi in the rear.

 

that depends entirely on how wide your tires are, and how wide your rims are.

 

I have stock 265/70 r16 on factory 5 spoke rims. On my FJ40 i run 8psi all around i have 34 9.5r15 on factory steel rims(5.5" wide) with stock hub caps. That set up rocks. But the Fj40 is also locked F/R with ARB's that helps the most, or maybe the 50:1 crawl.

 

Ah, see, I have a similar set up to your 40. I have ARBs F/R and 100:1, as well as 9.50 tires, though they are 33, not 34.

BUT, i have a 8" rim. When I had 12.50s, I used to run 12, no issues, but when i went to the 9.50, at 12, I rolled a tire off the bead within 15 minutes of starting the trail.

So, you can go that low, but you must have narrow enough rims.

 

I was impressed with the incline i climbed in 4Low. So steep all I could see was sky over the hood. I kept the throttle steady since it was dirt and gravel. It didn't even slip. The landrover tried about 3 times but couldn't make it.

 

Not to hijack this thread, but would about 12psi be safe to run on a 12.50 on an 8" wide rim

 

I did it with zero problems for a year and a half.