HackD's ongoing 5-lug armored-slug build.

My 2010 AC 5-Sp 2.7L, with it's stock Dunflop 215/70R15's now at 64,000 km's, have come to my attention as needing replacement within the short-term - i actually have a decent amount of tread remaining, but the shoulders are definitely looking shagged, one tire has a slow leak, despite being plugged already, and there is evidence that i might well have belt issues with cracks forming on the carcass of the tire below tread level. Front suspension is tight, and i had a front end alignment at 60,000 km's.

I will be the first to admit that i am most likely over-taxing the P-rated OEM tires with carrying an ATV in the back, and when not doing that, being overly aggressive and fast in my daily commuting route.

I have been browsing the forum for some time now, investigating upgrade options.

I came across an opportunity on kijiji.ca .. a set of 5 RTX Arsenic (who names these?) 16" alloy rims, advertised with 235/70R16 Goodyear Wrangler ST's, with about 1 summers worth of use on them for a very decent price, and picked them up.

When i got them home, i noted that they were mis-represented in the advertising, and were really 225/75/R16's. No real biggie .. at least i hope 29" vs 29.3" diameter difference is no real biggie. The RTX Arsenic rims have a back-spacing of 42mm, and a center-bore size of 73.1. Obviously intended for Jeep products, these were formerly on a 2003 Jeep Liberty.

I tried to do a test fit this afternoon - but it appears that when i had the dealership put the spare on last month, they failed to put anti-seize on the hub, and it's stuck fast. I whaled away at it with a rubber mallet, with no results. I noted another forum post about this issue, the solution being "kick it loose" .. not really an option for myself, as i've got still dodgy hips after less than successful hip replacement procedures. So, i sprayed the Hell out of it with WD-40, and buttoned everything back up again for now - putting my new rims in the back of the truck to go to a shop for a consult sometime this week.



Jeep Liberty that they came off of.


In consulting a tire shop that i patronize, I have a few questions that I hope to resolve prior to an actual installation attempt - one is about the possible need for extended/different lug-nuts, going from steelies to alloys. The other one, is whether i'll need a nominal hub spacer with going from a 6" width rim, to this 7" width rim assembly, and in relation to the 40mm vs 42mm back-spacing. Theoretically, it shouldn't be a big difference.. but i'm not all that knowledgeable in these things when put into practice.

I have noted successful implementations with both 235/70R16 and 225/75R16 tires on our 5-luggers, with no need for black-box amputation, or rubbing issues - but not on these specific aftermarket rims.

The whole aim for going this route - was the opportunity knocking, in light of my OEM tire's general condition. I highly doubt that they are going to last out this summer. I would also like to use the OEM steelies to mount snows for next winter - i certainly could have used them this past winter in the land of 5 months of winter, and 7 months of bad snowmobiling... As mine is a Base package Tacoma (Broke Arse, Special Edition) i would like to avoid going the Full Monty with a lift kit, Billies, etc.. at least in the short/medium term.

Time, this week, will tell.

 

Success. No black-box deletion required, no rubbing.

 

Nice!

 

Looking good! There's not a lot of room for error WRT the wheels, so that's always a bit scary. Yours look great though.

I went with the 235/75/15 for mine and am a bit sorry, there's some power loss uphill at freeway speeds that I'm really, long term, not going to be OK with. Yours are slightly bigger than mine so you'll notice it too.

 

Steel wheels weight a ton. Get alloy 15x7 like 2000 mustang rims

 

It is slightly more leisurely in the acceleration times, but it's also revving a bit lower also, once going. The past week of commuting, showed no flaws in the up-size plan so far.

The ever so slight lift of the oversized tires from stock, also affords an improved view in traffic - which i welcome. At this time, i see no need for further suspension lift being necessary. I might go that route incrimentally, when things start wearing out - but for now, things are to my satisfaction.

I'm in an area where it's pretty much flat .. with the exception of the Niagara Escarpment. If i'm in that area/on those hills, i'm dog-slow anyway, carrying an ATV on the back, clogging up the slow truck lane.

 

I'm now three months, and approximately 5,000 km on down the road.

Somewhere deep in the back of my mind, i'm thinking about that Toyota spring recall issue, and how it's still unresolved. I've carried a 450lb ATV in the back of mine, long haul, on rougher Ontario roads. 'nuff said about that. The increased diameter truck-grade tires and 16" rims do help on unladen handling, IMHO.. but suspension weakness remains, loaded.

Yeah, i think i might have gotten the wrong truck, but I'll make it work.

I just ordered the ReadyLift 69-5510 kit off of Amazon, and I guess shocks and struts are next.

I'm using 'Scott57011' 's 3" lifted Tacoma as my base inspiration, going forward.

 

Ok, so it's not going to be exactly like Scott572011's..

Apparently my recently installed Bull-bar is pretty much toothless as a passive-aggressive warning to those who would trespass against me, as well as being functionally useless .. those who need to pay mind, aren't.

.. After the umpteenth time in the past few years of playing the highway commute game, and having some happy asshole try to merge into my front bumper/fender in some sort of perverse squeeze-play.. this morning, I've finally had enough. The bastards can get Pitted into the ditch, for all that i care, from here on out.

Wanna play games with this, mofo's?

ARB front *this will seriously fuck you up" off-road bumper, now on order. (Sample photo, only).

 

Biltstein shocks and struts ordered as of today.

I love it when a plan starts coming together.

*EDIT*

July 15th, 2015 - All parts shipped in, truck is scheduled for the upgrades on July 27th, 2015.

No, i am not doing the work myself, being physically limited, it's not a physical possibility to do any 'heavy lifting' .. i got all of the workshop tools necessary, but I'll only end up hurting myself further. I'm limited to smaller mechanical things to spin-wrenches on.

 

Sort of a posting reminder to myself, should this be a good option... please bare with me.


Ok, i was looking through this very recent thread, and it's brought up some additional info/ideas for my own Tacoma rework .. and then i'd also been looking at this one, going back to 2010:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/5-lug-wheel-spacers.130531/

I can confirm that they do - I have a set of aftermarket 16" rims off of a Jeep Liberty.

So... should i have an issue with the wheel/rim assemblies having an appearance of being tucked under too much with the mild lift, and using relatively skinny 225/70R16's at present.. it might well be advantageous to push the wheels out some - particularly with that wide ARB bumper and it's side-plates, i might already need to go with (cosmetic purposes only) Bushwacker fender flares to equalize the appearance in width (i didn't account for that when i first thought of the ARB bumper and ordered.. my 5 lug has no OEM body-molding or flaring, being base of course).. same goes with the presently tucked under tire stance.

I know that i run the risk of creating in frontal profile, a very anorexic, shrunken appearing H1 wannabe, or something, at this rate.. pushing the wheels out wouldn't help matters, but we'll see what happens when i get it up on the readylift with the ARB bumper, first.

If the above info holds true - a set of 1.25" SpiderTrax spacers meant for the XJ/TJ et al, (needing proper metric open-ended lug nuts, and "tuner" lug nuts for the rims - that i've still yet to get.. still using improper stock lug nuts!) will effectively match, and lock into the rim sets that i had bought earlier in the start of this project. How fortuitous.

http://www.quadratec.com/products/92807_00XX_PG.htm

 

Where did you find the front struts? I can't seem to find the front right anywhere.

 

They were shipped to my 4wheelparts location from Edmonton Alberta - there was a set in stock at that store. Might be a Canadian / US supply chain thing?

 

I just got off the phone with 4wheelparts and I was told that they aren't showing either front strut in stock in any US or Canada store. My set is on order from Bilstein. The woman also explained that the reason that they are backordered for so long is that Bilstein will actually prioritize manufacturing for backorders based upon demand, in other words if there's only two people who need a part and 50 people who need different part they will manufacture the part that 50 people need first. I also called the edmonton store and they don't have any more front struts in stock. I'm leaving my order in with 4WheelParts for the front struts and I'll see them sometime in October I'm assuming.

 

Don't know what to say .. I dropped by this past Wednesday just to check status, and make sure that everything was set in place, in order to book the work there - "yup, we just got everything in, I was going to call you" .. so if they fudged the status, and it's on the lift in a week and the struts aren't there.. well, I won't be a happy camper.

 

Readylift, Biltstein's, and ARB bumper being installed tomorrow, and well looking forward to it. Truck is dropped off at the shop for tomorrow, and i'm driving a rental Corolla, in the interim

 

Shop called - major problem. Lower control arm bolts seized in position in the
LCA's, requiring torching and replacement of both components...GRRRR... wonder if covered under extended warrenty.

 

I had a hell of a time getting the front UCA bolt out. ended up bending the retainer bracket for the square nut the bolt screws into. Dremel to the rescue; zipped it off and kept on going.

 

Oops.. i think i meant to say Lower Control Arms .. Attached at two points to the frame each - the front bolts on both, are both rust-seized solid - 4 winters, 68,000 km's on the truck. Mechanic showed me the issue .. and the parts are fucked... needing replacement. Not impressed, Toyota!

So yeah.. the past few days wasted, getting things lined up for this - rental car, plus whatever labor the shop has put into it so far to accomplish nothing, i guess that i'm eating. The good news is that i bought a 7 year extended warranty package with the truck, and it will kick into effect with this repair. Repair is pre-cleared already.

So, the truck gets put back together tomorrow with SFA accomplished so far, and is back in my hands to send to Toyota for this remediation work, and then in a week or two, we get to do it all over again - hopefully successfully next time.

Nothing is ever easy, it seems.

 

Looking forward to pics!