@Socalexpeditions Vagabond Drifter Build Thread and Trip Reports

They are 17x9 with no offset.

cmc, pinchweld FOLD and trim the fender to line up with cmc cut. That’s what I did.

The truck will flex out without hitting anything. My only problem with no offset wheels is I rubbed frame at full lock off-road.

 

Good to hear! I’ve found some 17x8 +0’s that I think will be fine. Are you rubbing frame where the cab mount was, or further inside?

 

I was rubbing to the right of the lca. Doesn’t hit the body mount at all.

 

Roger that! I’m shooting to find something with -10 offset but still be a 17x7 or 17x7.5.

 

When you say “no offset” do you mean 0mm offset? Aka: 5” back spacing?

Good luck.

Ps: check the rim width requirements for the tires you want. If you go with those 34x10.5x17 tires then a 7 or 7.5” width would be great. If you go 35x12.5 you need at minimum 8”.

 

It’s off topic..but the fenders off your old truck are what I want for my 2nd gen. cutting involved ? Bolt on ? I have a super white and love the look of black fender flares but they are always too big and bulky looking. But those look smaller. Please share!

 

Well I got the wheels used so I’m not 100% sure on the offset. I know they did not sit further in or further out than factory wheels. It was pretty close.

 

4.5 BS @ 0 offset.

And yes, I’m keeping a close eye on rim width. I usually try and run the smallest width possible thats “ok” to have the poor mans beadlock. I ran 315’s on an 8” rim on my old setup and aired down to 6 psi in snow and was fine. It’s been tough finding the right rims.

 

Hey brother! @desertjunkie760 actually did my fender and flare trimming. He cut 2.5” off my stock flares and fenders. Here’s a picture.

 

I'm slowly gathering information about this exact same thing right now. Kind of a pain in the ass.

 

Gotcha. Check the back of the wheel, it’ll have all the specs stamped on the back.

Lol. Wrong amigo!

On an 8” width 0mm offset = 4.5” backspacing.
On a 9” wide wheel however 0mm offset = 5.0” backspacing.

@TacomaDad18 has 9” wide wheels. Hence “no offset” my assumption of “0mm offset” would equal 5.0” backspacing.

On wheel specs?
I’ve got a thread that helps explain all this if you need it.

edit: found it. Here if you want to dive into wheel specs and what it all means -
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...lifted-info-inside-complete-with-poll.514755/

 

Oops! I forgot to mention the 4.5 BS @ 0 offset was talking about the rims I’m looking at!

17x8’s. So your calculation is correct!

Looking at these FN FX’s. I’ve had them before with a 285/75/17 and cleared my JBA UCA. I should be an inch thinner with a 35x10.50. $450 for a set of 5x brand new from FN

 

Ahahaha literally looking at the same thing

Where are you finding 450 shipped ?? I'm seeing 899 for 4

 

You’d be good to go! 4.5” BS will clear ~11-11.5” wide so those 10.5” wide tires would be no problem.

 

Wow that’s awesome. Didn’t realize it was so strenuous to advance the stock fenders! Thanks for sharing.

 

Looking back at it, it isn’t that hard to do. I’ll be doing it to my new truck when it goes to a larger 35

 

So I believe I have found the new rims I want to run! I've always ran FN wheels from Dustin, and I've laid eyes on a set of these Yet to pick the color though, bronze or black?



FN Five Stars in a 17x8.5 -6! I believe this will be the perfect combination to run those 35x10.50's. These beauties only run 23lbs each! The tires weight 63lbs each.

So with my math...

23 + 63 = 86lbs per wheel

If I had Falkens AT3W's: 23 + 73 = 96lbs per wheel

Difference is 10lbs between the two. With all four wheels on the truck, it's a 40lb difference. Using the 4x multiplier for rotational mass, I'm saving 160lbs of weight total!

 

Bronze all the way!

 

Just went to Joshua Tree to break in the truck with my first time camping and offroading in it!

I've been to Joshua Tree multiple times, but never with my girlfriend. She's a geographer and knows quite a lot about the rock formations, how the park was formed, etc...so it was great to finally learn about the landscape. However, each plaque on the hikes was a stopping point

Please ignore the fire right next to the electrical tower. I'm not sure if I was thinking last night, but I definitely shouldn't have had the fire there.


Did you know a Joshua Tree is actually known as a Yucca Brevifolia? Me neither.




First time offroad with the new truck! I have been here with my old truck multiple times, and have never felt like I was driving so slow! The road to the mines are fairly smooth, with just some washboards. The truck in stock form required me to stay around 25-30mph to not be an absolute rattletrap. Any faster would be too rough, and same with any slower. In my old truck with +2, I could easily do 60+ mph and it felt like a cloud. Quite a difference! I was pleased with how well the truck felt on stock suspension - It felt miles better than my 2nd gen stock. I'm not a big fan of KO2's from my previous experiences, but I've been impressed this time around.




After finishing the mine trails, we aired back up and headed over to catch a few pictures before it was pitch black. These 275/70's air up from 18 to 35 with my Viaair 400p in under 1 minute! Onto the silhouettes - I'm not a big fan of taking them when there's a mountain in front due to casting a shadow on the lower portion of the body unless shot from extremely low, but I had my girlfriend jump and we got some cool pics! I was using the wrong lens/shutter speed (why she looks blurry in the first shot).





We then headed over to find our campsite. Right outside of Joshua Tree is free camping for up to 14 days, but unfortunately we don't have that much time on our hands! We picked out this spot by this huge electrical tower as the lot was big. The next morning I realized that we had a fire right under the tower...Lets ignore that part, even though I don't think there was anyway that a real fire could occur. As the night went on, we decided to try out some light painting as I've always enjoyed them!




The next morning I hopped out of the truck early and took a few pictures before packing up and heading home. I was really surprised by just how many people were around us - 13 that I could count without my glasses on. Seems like a lot of people rolled in late!



That's it for this trip! I have been really happy having this truck and accumulating over 2,600 miles on it in under 3 weeks. A few things I wish were different though:

1. Longer seat to provide support under thighs
2. Wireless charger actually working faster than 10% every 40 minutes
3. Headlight bulbs being brighter
4. Transmission still sucks

Overall, I personally think the 3rd gen is a great platform to work on and upgrade.

 

Man, this is awesome! I miss Joshua Tree. Makes me wanna move back to California. A lot of people do not like the desert, but I think it's one of the most beautiful places ever. Can't beat that night sky.