Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

I agree. I’ve had 3 sets of the STMaxx and really like them. They are more of a hybrid so they are a bit beefier than a AT and not quite as meaty as a MT. They have handled everything I’ve put them through without issue. Sand, snow, mud pavement or dirt they do great. Just gotta figure iut what tore pressure works best for you
Good luck with your decision @huruta

 

I would echo exactly what @MTNHABITOVERLAND said, I also run the Falken Wildpeak AT3W and they are awesome, at a great price point, and come with a 55,000 mile tread ware warranty. I daily drive my truck and try to go offroad once a month.

 

I'm a third vote with the Cooper ST Maxx. I've had mine through all four of Utah's seasons, a multitude of offroad terrain, plus it's my daily driver (freeway driving) and I couldn't be happier with these tires. I will definitely get another set the next time around.

 

Christy, I think we're building towards similar goals. I don't do any true four wheeling, but I like to drive some rough roads and deep snow to get to camp sites and trailheads. This will be my third attempt at building my dream rig. The first car was a mostly stock Xterra with a platform in the back. My second car was a fully camperized GMC Safari with 6" lift, 32" mud terrain tires, and locking differential. I think Goldilocks had it right and somewhere in the middle is gonna be the perfect solution.

I bought my taco used with a slight lift and 285/75/17 BFG KO2s. The bigger tires and small lift provide peace of mind when trying to get to those really out there camping spots/trailheads. They also look cooler! As far as I can tell, the downside of these upgrades is mostly just gas mileage.

I'll also add that my stock Xterra got to 95% of the places I wanted to go and I'm sure a stock Tacoma would do just as well. If you put on any of the AT tires already suggested, they'll be all you need for most adventures.

 

I’ll second the recommendation for the “E” load rated tire.

Tires are like oil to gearheads, everyone has an opinion and all are valid.

My personal recommendation is the Goodyear Duratracs. Best damn snow tire without being a studded tire. It’s pretty good on road as well, just not a quiet tire.

 

Bfgko2 gets my vote, we use duratracs everyday in our work vehicles and I would never get them for my personal vehicles. Noisey, too many flats to count, and they wear weird or are on our trucks.

Coopers, I’ve tried these a few times. Fantastic traction/etc. Never had good tyre life with them though. And they started getting way to many flats.

 

Thanks to you all for your feedback on tire recs. This is helpful - gives us some great ideas of what to look at.

 

Senator, Thanks for your perspective and putting your past into a framework of what's possible. Our 2wheel drive '85 vanagon was old enough and low enough that we were on the conservative side about where we went and so we are sure we'll go farther and and don't want to feel limited, but also don't want to pay $ for something we don't need or won't use. So, the big question is whether 5% access is worth the $ to make it possible. Just out of curiosity, any idea how big of a lift you have?

 

I would guess that it's about 3" higher than stock. If you already plan to upgrade your leafsprings to Deavers, you can get a little bit of lift at the same time. I'm sure someone on here, or whoever you order leafsprings from, will be able to make a good suggestion to achieve a small lift and handle the weight of the Drifter in one purchase.

 

I’m not into that rock crawling stuff anymore. I’ll leave that stuff for you younger fellas. From the original question and their descriptors, I don’t see them hitting up the Hammers ever...

 

word i plan to buy them again

 

Probably get load rating of "E" tires. Helps with load carrying capacity.

Suspension, in your case, is about two things- constant load carrying capacity primarily and ride comfort secondarily. Since you probably don't wheel often, you don't need to worry as much about (thirdly) wheel travel (with the goal keeping tires in contact with a surface as much as possible). There are lots of ways to approach this and hundreds of suspension threads. I would go with a very good rear leaf pack that doesn't require assistance (airbags) to maintain ride height. Then I would go with a quality shock depending on how much you want to spend. Front is dependent upon weight up there. Coilovers in the front allow you to adjust the height 0-3.5" to match the rear and they tend to be expensive.

My plan as an example:

Front Icon std travel coilover
Icon upper control arms w/delta joint (delta helps with longetivity)
(phase II) spindle gussets, alignment tab protection
Rear OME Dakar HD springs (I know, but deaver availability isn't in my timeframe) with extra leafs
Rear Ironman Foam Cell Pro shocks
diff drop, carrier bearing drop
Wheeler's super bumps
(phase II) some kind of 17" wheel that will clear the spindle gussets and 255/80r17 tires, maybe Falken Wildpeaks, Hypertech speedometer calibrator

I've found that there are sweet spots in tire/wheel sizes. 16" wheels for 265/75r16 or 285/75r16. 17" for 255/80r17, because for some reason 255/85r16s are more. Use tiresize.com, put in a size and it will spit out brands and prices on a single page.

 

I’ve been buying Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs for, at the very least, 8 years now. The only time I have ever experienced uneven wear was due to knowingly driving on a piss poor alignement. I’ve carried heavy loads, wheeled ‘em, daily driven them, etc. i have only sliced one sidewall and the three other FJ40’s running different brands experiences the same sidewall failures as I did. I find it hard to believe that such a highly popular and high volume sales product has such a poor performance record, especially given their price point. Given, everyone has their own experiences and has the ability to share those experiences here. I just don’t find the anecdotal negative statements, sparsely peppered throughout this site and others, to hold up to the actual real world applied uses.

In my original endorsement, I did say that tires are like oil to gearheads. Your mileage may vary. That’s what makes this site useful.

I, personally, don’t like the non performance of the BFG KO AT Series tire. They are popular. More popular than the Duratracs. I have had personal experiences with the BFG’s being crap in the snow. Those are my experiences.

Data is Data.

 

https://youtu.be/zdeJ3QjhU2U

Have you guys seen this?

We’ll be carrying them when they are released if you want to add one to a Drifter. We already have a shower on order as well.

 

I used $2 hinges from Home Depot bolted to the 80/20 and some 1/4 HDPE seaboard to create a flat top for my drawer.

 

Alrighty As the OP, I’m calling the tire talk. That’s it no mo. There are plenty of threads on tire performance to lose yourself in should you desire. Thanks for your opinions and helping a fellow member.

Now onto that 270 awning and shower thing a ding!!
I’ve seen the shower available from international vendors only so it’s nice to see it available here.
@Iggy any estimated timeframe for availability/lead times on both?
Cheers!

 

And price on the awning! Also, could it be deployed from the passenger side?

I've had an ARB for a while and it's fine. I was debating upgrading to the RhinoRack Batwing or if I'm really feeling rich the AluCab one.

 

Thank you @danneskjold !

 

I was just checking these out earlier this week. They look awesome! Curious to see what they release on pricing

 

I'm all for more competition, US-made products, etc, but am I the only one that looks at this and just sees 20-25% of the surface area directing rain straight to the open corner??
Aside from the actual water runoff in that corner being a pain, with the steel construction and eventual wear from opening/closing, rust seems inevitable, and right at the worst possible area...

Yes, the AluCab has the same issue, but to a MUCH lesser degree due to the single high point and location much closer to the open corner, not to mention the partial aluminum construction.