3rd Gen Maxtrac Spindles

Those moments when you find an opportunity to post a random pic of your truck #becausewhynot...







#ineedtotakemorepics

 

Great info. I'm actually hoping to keep my stock wheels and maybe just a little bit bigger tire. I believe it was Leo4x2 that had stock 17" TSS wheels on his for a while, so I'm assuming they clear the spindles....??

 

Looks awesome

 

So no rubbing with slightly larger tire on stock TSS wheels and with base 4" lift? Not sure if a 6+" lift will fit in my garage. Anyway you can check overall height of your Taco at the shark fin? Btw, your truck looks great with the 6".

 

Those wheels are 7.5Jx17 ET30
The way to read this is 7.5 is the rim width 17 is the diameter and 30mm is the offset (which is where the hub mounts to the wheel relative to center of wheel) because its positive offset its 30mm more outward from center of wheel. The higher the offset the more the backspace (the distance from where the hub mounts to the spindle to the outside edge of the wheel) 30mm converts to ~1.2 inches

So if your wheel had 0 offset. where the hub mounts to the spindle would be at center of wheel which is 3.75" backspace (half of wheel width)
Add in 1.2 inches of positive offset brings it to ~4.77 inches backspace

Maxtrac specs call for 4.5" or less backspace assuming you can actually get away with higher backspace but not much (that would be why tacoma3gen was so close to the spindle with same tires)

So in theory based on what tacoma3gen said yes you could get away with it assuming you have same factory wheels and factory 265/65r17 yes what you have now may technically work, ideally if you want up tire size from those which are 30.8" to maybe a 275/70r17 (32") and gain an extra inch of clearance but for a slightly wider wheel you'd need wheel spacers so your tire wont rub on the spindles

Id take his advice and go with 3/4" or 1" space for the front to make it fall into the specs maxtrac suggests and make it no problem in the future for mounting slightly wider tires. Then 1.5" spacers in the back to even out the rear track with the front (this of course is just for visual appeal though)

 

if your a visual learner like i am:

 

That is absolutely the best explanation I have ever heard regarding back spacing and wheel spec calculations. And the visual ties it all together. I really appreciate you taking the time to fully explain this to a lift "newbie."

I know 20" wheels and big tires are popular with these two (4" & 6") lifts but I really like my stock wheels. However, I'm assuming my truck might not look "right" with 275/70R17's. Aside from that, are there other less obvious reasons for going with bigger (diameter) wheels/tires, a gain in overall ride height not withstanding?

 

Lol no problem i only know what little i do from hours of scrolling through this form and google searches

from what i kno the size and type of tire you go with depends on what your gonna be doing such as guys that go wheeling and like lots of rubber with 16/17 wheels so they can air them down if needed etc. the main thing is exactly what your looking for, clearance. More lift means more room for tire means higher clearance.

 

Hi guys. I'm a noob to TW, but I'm glad to be here! So if I choose to do spindles on my 17 2wd, all I need is the spindles with the extended break lines and some sort of lift in the back. Whether it be a block or AAL kit. Is that right?

 

As long as your wheel and tire combo will clear the spindles, maxtrac calls for 4.5" or less of backspace

 

Yeah I read that on their website. Just making sure I have all my ducks in a row! Thanks for the quick response.

 

So for a newbie like me, can either of you gentlemen tell me what the CB drop kit does and why it is needed?

 

A carrier bearing drop kit
Larger lift in the rear causes less alignment of carrier bearing which cause vibrations in the drive shaft a drop kit brings it closer to stock geometry, its recommended for 3+ inches with just a 4/2 kit like i have you wont need it

 

Leo4x2, is there anyway you can give me an overall measurement to the top of the "shark fin" antenna please sir? I am curious to see if that much lift will fit through my 7' garage door entry.... ??

 

Thank you sir. Once again, excellent explanation.

 

Hey man sorry to get back to you so late, never really on this unless I am at work. But I will get those measurements for you today with the lift I have now. I did not measure when I had the 4" lift but with my 6" now, I gained about 6"front/5"rear. That is measuring from center of wheel hub to the fender. Today I will measure from ground to the fin also the ground clearance I have so you can compare to what stock clearance is.

Since you will keep your stock TSS wheels and get a bigger tire, if you get the Maxtrac spindles, you will barely(and I mean barely) clear the spindle. When I put my wheels back on, I had about 1/2 inch to a little less than half and inch of space between the spindle and the inner lip of the wheel. I am NOT saying it's not safe and doable, I just decided to get new wheels with a negative offset to give me more space between the two and for reassurance.

With that being said, you may want to get some wheels spacers for the front and rear. If you are okay with the amount of clearance between the spindle and wheel then just get some for the rear. The spindles will kick out the wheels about .75" so they will stick out further than your rear wheels. I used 1.25" hub centric spacers in the rear only and it made it pretty even with the front.

Also, do not reuse the dust pans on the new spindles. It says not to in the instructions...I ignored it and reused them and it just scraped the inner wheel the whole time I drove it around the block. I even hammered the hell out of them to bend them back but no use. So just toss them out.

If none of this made any sense feel free to pm me and I can explain over the phone haha I am in a rush writing this.

 

@Solmimi also, do get the cb drop kit. I am not saying you won't need it but just in case you do, it's something you can easily throw on to lessen the vibrations if you have any after the lift. I am using the one Maxtrac provided me with and is still isn't enough to get rid of the vibrations so I need another spacer to do the trick.

 

Man, I can't thank you enough. If I had done a lift the week after Harvey I would've gotten ripped off AND done the wrong kind of lift for my 2WD. I found this thread and it is unbelievably thorough and informative. And you, TacoTuesday, ChadsPride, etc are all very helpful and friendly. I appreciate you taking the time to get that measurement. I have decided I'm going to go as high as possible so the next Harvey won't keep me from accessing the few sites it did. I want mine to look just like yours! I'm sure you're sick of people copying your ride but your truck is sick and rad and all those other words young guys use! If it fits in my garage I'm doing it. And next time I approach that low water crossing at my place in Canyon Lake, I'm going to roll right through! Thanks again to all of you.

 

Yea no problem man. Maxtrac I believe is the best lift to go with for our 2wd trucks. It keeps a lot of the geometry the same by just replacing the Spindles. If you can afford the 6.5" kit I'd go with that as it does add a bit more lift. I swapped out the 4" block for a Dakar leaf pack (provides 3" lift) and 2" blocks. Gives better ride I think than the big ol blocks and still gain lift. Haha I don't mind people going for the same look. It just lets me know that I'm doing something right with my truck But when I get those measurements I will send you a PM and go from there!

 

Imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery...

Did you you also use Billstiens front and back? I believe I read previously somewhere, you used Billies in the front set to zero with a spacer on top, and extended length Billies in back with the Dakar. Is this correct?