4x4 toyota prerunner...on a budget?

[rdc]

i have not really seen a ton of toyota prerunner kits that retain the 4x4, about the only kit i have seen is the total chaos kit...i need to keep 4wd...are there any other decent kits out there? i will mainly be running logging roads here in michigan and the silver lake sand dunes...if i am not in the right place please link me and i will come back someday when i am smarter

chad gilbert
1992 toyota

 

[JrSyko]

If you run a search on RDC you will find a lot of info as your question has been talked about before.

See ya in the dirt!

 

[cleartoy]

Nothin wrong with the TC kit. Its like $1700 plus T 100 axles, shocks, shock mounts.

Probably the best kit for your application.

94 Toyota stdcab 2x4
99 Yamaha YZ250

Got Sand??

 

[hbprnstr]

Get the camburg kit. If you want the best thats what i would suggest. it goes for around 3 grand but that includes all the shocks and parts that add up. camburg makes quality stuff and you deffinetly get the most for your money. call them at 848-8880 for more info on the kit. I have it on my truck and it cycles 13 clean inches and wouldnt get anything else.

 

[Curtis Guise]

Both TC and Camburg have great kits for Tacoma's and later model 4-runners (after'96). If he is asking about pre '95 4-runner or truck suspension then TC is the way to go with T-100 axles. I don't think Camburg has their own kit for pre '95 4wd Toyota's, just 2wd kits. (Jerry please correct me if I'm wrong. I just checked your site)

 

[fishd00d]

Camburg does not make anything for the 4x4 pre-95 Toy's....

Go Big Or Go Home
United Jumping Truck Society

 

[havahockey]

If you are refering to an older Toyota then I would go with the TC kit. If you are talking about the Tacoma then go with either the Camburg kit or TC kit. Both have pros and cons, but for the money you get more with the Camburg kit. IMO the TC arms are way overpriced.

Race-Dezert Anonymous - Step #1:
"Hello, my name is Jason. And I'm a Race-Dezertaholic."

 

[ACID_RAIN28]

Get the ATS kit. The best money can buy just shy of custom. A little more than the TC, better built, and you get what you pay for.

Anyone can escape into sleep, we are all geniuses when we dream.

 

[yotatech]

I have the total chaos caddy kit on my yota and it works great. so much better than stock. it was worth the money that i put into it and the four wheel drive works great. Its nice with the flex and not having all the front end hop from loss of trac. Its ultimately up to you, just thought id put in my two cents.
good luck

 

[YotaWhoopRunner]

I too have the Caddy kit and I love it! It is probably the best kit out there that you can get and still keep your 4wd. If you really want to know which brand is better, just look at the actual kits. I think it will be pretty obvious. Oh and one thing about the T100 axles, is that the length is just right for the caddy kit. If you extended the arms any more than it's 3.25" you will probably be taxing your cvJoints. If you haven't done anything to your truck yet, I would recommend that you get the rear done first. Without weight in the back, the rear will be sliding around and kicking through the bumps. With 4wd engaged on my truck, it makes a huge difference in control (with crummy Downey leafs or stock), but the rear will tend to buck and be pretty hard on your trucks rear suspension and drive train. I was planning to only use the 4wd in extreme situations, but it's on all the time. From my experience I would rather have a stock front and have the front end be pushed up off a whoop, rather than have a bouncing rear which nose dives you into the next one(IMO). If you have the money do both =P.

 

[havahockey]

Without getting into a flame war I wouldn't put anything ATS on my truck. I know lots of people who have their Tacoma kit new and old and no one is happy with it. In that case you don't get what you pay for.

Race-Dezert Anonymous - Step #1:
"Hello, my name is Jason. And I'm a Race-Dezertaholic."

 

[rdc]

sorry i should have specified that i have an older 1992 yota...i dont live out in the good prerunnin areas you guys do...how much does the TC kit lift the front of the truck? i plan to fabricate something my self for the rear....thanks for the advice...i guess if there is nothin cheaper that does any good i will start saving my pennies...i thought i may be able to sneak buy with something else since i wont be tooooo hard on it right yet... oh and you guys gotta stop usin abbreviations i have no clue what you are talking about..i am a total newbie to "actual" prerunnin...my last truck was a 1997 jeep wrangler built for the rocks that still jumped and ran around the sand dunes pretty well but i had nothing of the preunner sort on it...so this is all very new to me...i been searchin like mad..i guess i should also mention i totally suck at searching

chad gilbert
1992 toyota

 

[YotaWhoopRunner]

What abbreviations are speaking of?
ATS= Advanced Toyota Suspensions www.chaosfab.com

Well the goal of these kits aren't really to achieve lift, but a better working suspension. Technically, if you stay with the torsion bar route, you can adjust ride height according to how many turns you put into the torsion bolt. You don't want to crank them full so you are at full droop cuz the ride is gonna suck. The kit itself is around 1600 and Kartek sells the whole deal with shocks, fenders, etc for 2799.

 

[rdc]

so yer saying that all of the tire clearence gained is by fiberglass fenders? i would have thought there was some amount of lift added in there...

chad gilbert
1992 toyota

 

[YotaWhoopRunner]

All these kits use the stock spindle and work by elongating the arm and repositioning the geometry slightly forward. There are no drop down brackets or lift spindles invloved. The only way you gain additional lift with these kits are through larger tires and cranking the torsion bars which will force the arms to go down causing some added height. Basically I am saying that they were not designed to achieve lift, it is just a bi-product!

As for fiberglass fenders, since these arms use the stock pivot points, there is no lift gained here. The reason for fiberglass fenders is that the additional travel gained would hit the stock fenders even with the stock 31" tire.

With a standard toyota 4" lift, they use drop down brackets which re-positions the spindle lower creating your lift. This moves the whole stock suspension lower to the ground and will not give you additional travel. That's why there is no need for fiberglass, because the lift put the tire further down from the fenders. This is where the fender to tire clearance comes from.

So basically yes the clearance you see between the tire and your fenders are mostly due to the bigger holes from the fiberglass. You can get even more tire to clearance by cranking it so much that it rides on the bump stops, but then you will get camber problems and a sucky ride.

 

[martininsocal]

There is usually minimal amounts of lift with a good prerunner set-up. Lift only provides a higher center of gravity for the most part. And that equates to poor handling, tendancy to roll, etc... Cornering goes down hill. A good set-up will have between 25 and 50% of the total travel in droop and the rest in compression. What this means is the ability of the wheel to drop into holes as well as compress over objects. When the wheels leave the ground, they will droop all the way down so you have full compression travel when you land, using as much available travel as needed to absorb the bump. Ground clearance is increased by running a taller tire, which also increases rollout, with the larger diameter tire. This helps the tires roll over objects easier due to the lower ramp angles. The race style fenders allow you to run a larger tire without resorting to ill handling lift. Think lowriders with lots of wheel travel.

Martin

If your gonna go, go BIG

 

[rdc]

i understand everything you guys are mentioning i just figured a small amount of lift would be gained...makes sense that there isnt. those of you with the total chaos kits what did you spend all together to get the caddy kit on the road? anyone running the standard total chaos kit?
thanks again guys you are being very helpful
chad


chad gilbert
1992 toyota

 

[NorCal_Prerunner]

If yor on a huge budget, Put the money where it counts. In the shocks. Get yourself a set of 2.5 Swayaways or Kings. Ditch the swaybar, put on some low profile bumpstops, and if your up to it, notch the balljoints a bit. You can also run some Swayaway torsion bars. When you have the $, upgrade your upper and lower A-Arms.

It's never too late to be what you might have been....

 

[cleartoy]

2.5" shocks will not fit up front with stock arms. 2" are a tight fit and may need notching of the stock arms to fit.

Just get low profile bumpstops, crank the torsions, run oem Bilstien shocks. Your really limited when using the stock arms. Hell get a bracket lift kit if you need extra height.

94 Toyota stdcab 2x4
99 Yamaha YZ250

Got Sand??

 

[orvacian]

(my origional suspension on a budget, inexpensive Downey bolt-on hoops and dual 6.5" Fox shocks on stock arms with lo-pro stops)

(my suspension after a hot cash injection!)

By the way, the Toyota 4x4 is the worst truck to make a prerunner out of if you are on a budget, sorry to break it to ya. Think over what you want to eventually end up with BEFORE you start the project. Otherwise you will be re-doing things 2 or 3 times and loosing money all along the way. For example: with what I have invested into mine I could have bought a stock Ranger, a new 250hp motor,a new trans, 4 link, equal length beams, full cage, fiberglass, triple bypasses and airbumps all around, etc...
And my truck still is not even close to finished.
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by orvacian on 12/06/02 00:43 AM (server time).</FONT></P>