Dick's Dank Yank Wank Tank

Thanks, Nick. Wheels change everything. And they make the currently mismatched Leer look better too! LOL.

I really appreciated your BFH mod writeup when I did this. Hardest part was getting my body into a position where I could actually get a decent swing at the prongs while laying under a stock height truck. My only point of concern is how close the tire is to the rear diff, which could be an issue under articulation. Hoping to avoid a hoist relocate, but I'll need to watch that and see how the future lift changes that geometry too.

 

....and just got notification that the Proven Designs mud guards just shipped. So the hub/drum painting and mud guard mod make a nice pairing for another near-future mod day.

 

All that said, I clearly went with the Cooper S/T Maxx and the SCS F5s. So some updates are in order for the record.


Differences from Stock
(NOTE: )

Weight
(as weighed by me on digital bathroom scale)
OEM Offroad alloy 22.4 lb
Dunlop AT Grandtreks 245/70 r16 30.8 lb
Total wheel weight excluding balancing weights and TPMS valves: 53.2 lb

SCS F5 4.5 BS model, 19 lb.
Cooper S/T Maxx 265/75 r16 55lb (includes balancing weight and TPMS valves)
Total wheel weight including balancing weights and TPMS valves: 74 lb

Weight increase over stock: 20.8 lb/wheel
Net increase with 5 wheels: 104 lb

Stance
OEM OR alloy: 16x7 in. wide. Offset: +32mm (approx. 1.25 inches). Backspacing: 5.26 in.
SCS F5 4.5: 16x8 in wide. Offset: +0mm offset. Backspacing: 4.5 in.
Difference: +1 in. overall width, -1.25 reduced offset), -.76 in reduced backspace. How all these relate and the effect it causes is not a simple matter. Rims are 45mm, or 1.75 inches farther out.
Tires are 42mm, or 1.65 inches farther out.







Notes on the F5 wheels
After I got home from Vin's SCS warehouse in the East Bay, I cracked open a box again to inspect the wheels a bit more closely. On my bench with good lighting and no distractions, I noticed that on the back of the rim, one area along the inner circumference caught the light
differently. Rather than rounded over uniformly, it has a more angular edge. If I looked at certain angles, I could see what looked like very subtle grinding marks over an area of a few inches. This freaked me out a bit, frankly. And I thought, well, maybe they need to do that to fine-tune balance. Or something. I quickly checked to see if the valve stem hole was 180 degrees from this area. Not even close. Fuck.

I rapidly opened all the others and inspected them all. Four of five exhibited this characteristic to varying degrees. I put blue tape on all the areas of concern and texted Vin. He said it should not be a problem, and they should all balance fine, and if something comes up, just let him know and he'll take care of it. Hoookay. Once at the tire shop, I showed them the issue and asked them to put all the wheels on the balancing machine without any tires mounted to check their condition, and that doing this may prevent some headaches if something goes wrong during balancing. They did, and they said each wheel balanced better than many OEM wheels they see. Whew. Everyone has nothing but good things to say about Vin. I'm now one of those people.

Results
The OEM SR5 ride was crappy and wishy washy from day one. One of the reasons I had purposely avoided the Sport LB model was because I knew that even its "better" suspension was still crap and a waste of money, which I'd rather save for an aftermarket option. Coming from a first gen with OME and Michelins, I could not tell how much was due to the stock suspension versus the tires. But the bumpiness, lack of shock absorption, vague steering command, and odd tendency to track haphazardly in year-old grooved concrete and also weirdly oscillate from side to side on this same surface while going straight and level was all very offputting, and I suspected the tires were a large factor.

As I decided on tire size and narrowed my desired options, I could see I was headed for an E-sidewall tire. This concerned me, as I've never driven Es before (at least not on a small truck), and many accounts have drivers griping about stiff, hard ride in an unloaded midsize truck. I thought I may go from one extreme to the other in ride quality. So, it was with some trepidation I committed to this setup.

The new Coopers on the F5s is a remarkable improvement, and almost feels like a change in suspension (which is still bone stock). Overall steering command is greatly improved, cornering and related nose roll is greatly improved, and although I can certainly feel more nuance in the road surface transmitted by the Es, at 32 psi it is not bad at all, and certainly not worse than how I had the 1st gen set up with the Michelins, which were only P rated. I have yet to do a chalk test or otherwise mess with psi. But unless the contact patch is problematic or mileage plummets out of reason, I'll keep them at 32.

Furthermore, when the Dunlops came off and were unmounted from the wheels at the shop, I poked at the sidewalls and was incredulous at how flimsy they were. Like, plumbing gasket flimsy. Deformed readily with a mild poke of a single finger. I cannot even imagine venturing offroad with those garbage tires. It just underscores what crap tires these Dunlops are, and what a scam it is for Toyota to use them as OEM equipment on a 4x4 truck.

BTW, for sale cheap, 5 Dunlop Grandtrek AT20s, only 4,723 miles.

 

Lookin good soccer. Why didn't your mud flaps already say 4x4?

 

They do, shuffleboard. WTF?

 

Decoding your old man humor is a chore.

 

Was under the impression these were a new addition.

 

Eaux. Not yet. What you see in those pics is just OEM front and back mudguards. No logos on front, logos on rear.

The Proven Designs are on the way. They just shipped today.

 

1. No PWM
2. No trimming
3. U turns at the mall in a DCLB are no laughing matter.

I get a kiss of a rub on the inner mudguard at full lock. I can push that back with one finger. Haven't even had a chance to articulate fully yet. Looking forward to what Ramon's group buy offers up for lifts.

 

I know, I had the same reaction when I looked from the side. How do those not rub? They really fill the wells. But between my Cooper and F5 research, all things indicated that I would only have to remove the weird little "fore flaps" from in front of the front wheels, and that I may need to trim or remove the, um, front-rear flaps. The OEM flaps are a horrid crime, so as soon as my new aftermarket ones arrive, we'll see what happens. They may not rub at all, or I may need to dick with them a bit.

 

...and arrived

 

Prinsu notes for group buy.

My order: Cabrac, BL Bars, PC, Toprac 6', BL Bars, PC. 20% off if you get both racks. So I'm all in. To the hilt.
But it won't be assembled or installed until after I get the Leer colormatched, which is a summer project.

Daily, both racks will offer great utility for project runs involving large/long materials (lumber, pipe, unruly children, etc.) or even just extra baggage or stuff that won't fit in the bed with the Leer on.

For adventures:
Cabrac
Pretty similar to what most have done before, which is the idea of the thing.
Maxtrax I already have
Plano or other similar low-profile storage bin for straps, spade, jacking pads, old ridgerest pad for working under the truck on trail if necessary, and similar gear that I hope to use minimally and have out of the way most of the time
Gas and water cans, possibly Rotopax, but this needs further research.
Additional propane tank for the trailer

Toprac
RTT of some sort as an annex to the teardrop so we can accommodate Bennett and one of his future buddies, or just for the odd teardrop-less overnight.
Awning on one side for additional shelter.
So I guess that is two more expensive goodies I need to be on the watch for future GBs.

Abridged Notes copied from Zach's BS thread for convenience

Storage and Accessories Installs/Pics
Maxtrax 12
Pelican/Plano Cases 1 2 3 4 5 6
Awning Mounting Options 1234
Rotopax

Carrying a Roof Top Tent
TopracToprac

Install Pics/Suggestions
Weatherstripping Cut to Fit
Weatherstripping With Holes Punched to Fit
Custom Toprac Mount Directly to Topper 12
Threadlocker
Galvanic Corrosion Prevention
Sealing Mounting Holes 12

 

Paid for Prinsu, moved it up the list.
Bought two 5-qt jugs of Pennzoil Ultra today, and four OEM filters on sale from the dealer.
First oil change tomorrow if all goes well. Just passed 4900 miles.

 

Was it buy 3 filters get 1 free?

 

No it was 4.95 each.

 

Ohhh that's a good deal! I thought it might have been the same thing at all Toyota dealerships. Okay proceed lol truck is lookin good!

 

Yeah, my local dealership parts dept. does this a lot, and they post coupons online.

Thanks. The new wheels just propelled it forward A LOT. I'm monitoring the suspension mega group buy now to see how that goes down while I do a bit more research.

 

Have you moved your canopy back 1/4" yet ?

 

Jesus fuck.

It actually needs to go forward by about that much to totally match up with the front vertical edges of the bedsides, but that wont' happen until the Big Paint Job, when I will also caulk under the bed rails and install new bulb seals, etc.

Back door is not leaking as is. And we've had a lot of rain. But I see a little ingress at the typical front corner locations, especially after driving.

Jesus, look at this, right now. About the 4th wave since this afternoon.

 

I'll take that as a no