33’s and Fender Trim?

Would it be worth it to do fender trim for 33’s? Would it still look good? Have some rubbing in well with compression on 33’s. I know it looks good with 35’s but I don’t want to move up to that tire size yet. Thanks

 

I did 33s and did a 2 in lift and viper cut and no problem.

 

I did a 2.5 king lift with spacers and cmc, but under special circumstances I can get slight rub

 

Also a viper cut

 

This can be tricky - some folks claim to do it without any cutting - good on them.
But in reality you have to consider a few things:
1.) how are you going to use your truck ? - mall crawler hard wheeling on the rocks
2.) a BIG factor; what is your wheel off set ? 0 seems to be the sweet spot
3.) looks are in the eyes of the beholder - viper cuts look ugly but serve a very useful purpose

Right now I am running 33s. Occasionally I like to wheel hard but mostly just intermediate and some difficult trails.
I am lifted 2" but did a CMC and a viper cut (yes it looks ugly but I don't care). I run 16" wheels with a +10 off set.
I just did not want to deal with any rubbing issues off road - and I haven't had any. Also I am thinking 35s down the road.

 

I honestly like the looks of a viper cut myself, only done correctly. Trying to figure out if a fender trim would look normal with 33’s, I already have parts to do it with the c4 fab kit.

 

I am not sure what you mean by look normal with 33s but a viper cut is going to expose more than a normal fender covers. A viper cut is like having a scar down the side of your face - not pretty but bad ass. But if you are going to do the C4 fab kit then damn straight do a viper cut . . . . who cares what it looks like - that is bad ass as hell bro. DO IT!

 

this first image is of my truck now, viper cut front bumper.

 

this is the photo of a different truck, but with a fender trim and viper cut and 35’s. I am wondering if it would look with 33’s instead of 35’s

 

So, you have a viper cut. That and an alignment to move the tires forward a bit is all you need for skinny 33”. 255/85R16 on the stock OR rims 25mm offset.

Nowhere have you stated just what your tire size is or the offset of your rims.

I did the viper cut, alignment on the stock OR rims with no contact and no lift. I’m now up to 35” with lots of pounding, trimming and cutting, again with no lift. On 35x10.5R17 4Runner steel rims with Engine compartment battery area work and replacement of the stock wiper fluid tank as with all the pounding it would no longer fit.

I have my fender flairs off at this time and it looks like I may not have to trim them at all. This was a surprise.

This is a recent good read: 34x10.5-R17 Tires with 4Runner "Snowflake" wheels | Tacoma World

 

Just curious and not making any judgement here - we all do what we want to our trucks for all kinds of reasons.So why did you decide to stuff 35 under a truck that's not lifted - I would also be curious to know what the off set of the 4Runner wheels are although I think that is probably OK if it's not to extreme. Wouldn't it just be easier just to lift it and do a CMC than all the moving all that stuff under the hood ? For sure you are not wheeling in the dirt and over rocks in that configuration.

 

33" 255's and no trimming, no cutting, no cmc, no problems...

 

No worries your curiosity is just fine. From my understanding (Tinker's Adventures') lifts limit up travel to avoid larger tires from hitting existing vehicle parts; some of which I have bent, pounded or cut away; unless you get into some of the extended travel stuff. My modifications under the hood were... may I say sexy - I'm proud of them. If one weren't familiar with a Tacoma they may not even be noticed.

The 17x7.5" steel 4Runner rims have a 19mm offset. The inside of the rim (backspace) sits in exactly the same place as the stock 16x7" OR rims so there is no interference with the suspension. I just have to not get too aggressive with the tire width. I may even be able to go to 11.5" tires, but not 12.5". Backspace in both cases is 5". I'm not a believer in wheel spacers but might consider them in the future. By the way I do have the SPC upper control arms - I may do something different when all other decisions are made. The flexibility of the SPCs are a real plus when you don't have a clue what the future holds. The durability concerns with the SPCs are factual.

You are right, it is not on the rocks... yet, but will be. Rubicon and Fordyce will be attempted, as well as other less populated and more enjoyable isolated trails.

I was erroneously told early on that a lift, or a cab mount chop or cap mount relocation was/were needed for 33" tires - the cab mount is not a concern for the skinny ones and that is what I initially felt comfortable adding. 255/85R16

I enjoyed the Viper Cut's looks and I'm not one to do things for esthetics. The Viper Cut allowed me to start cutting on the bumper/fender area to get use to cutting up my vehicle - the Viper Cut and my complete bumper is now gone and a winch plate installed with no bumper. Not sure I will ever put on a front bumper - my other 4-wheeling vehicle has never gotten one. Also replaced were the very weak bumper attachment plates for the winch, so very needed.

Since I was lied to about what was required in putting 33" tires on, I wanted to try 35" tires with no lift too - so many people say it can't be done - BS. Admittedly 35s are a lot of work and require the realization things are never going to return to stock. 35/10.5R17 Kenda Klever MT2

A lift and suspension will be my last mod as I will take all the weight I will be adding to the vehicle into consideration before that decision. This will be a traveling rig, as well as as much rock and desert trails as it can handle.

I took Tinker's Adventures' advice and removed the spring and shock on each side while doing the pounding and trimming and cutting to get the tires under there. Took a long time, but once I start on something I finish it... eventually. I was not expecting, nor was even on my mind, the washer fluid tank to be a delete. I was aware of the battery mount area being extra hard to pound inward and I drilled out a few spot welds to make it easier, welded up later. I still haven't done the Cab Mount (chop or relocate) as it just barely touches, I will do the cab mount when I decide how to weld on my rock rails. I'll make that decision when I fabricate the rails and have a good look at how those attachments may interfere at the front.

While I was doing the tire work, I also put the air intake within the fender and into the cowl for some high-water protection - yes at full throttle it does produce more noise in the cab, but that may also be because I have had to use more full throttle with these 35" tires. The truck is a dog! I don't plan on having the 35" tires on the truck at all times, just for trips. I will be on 31" and then 33" for most of the time on the street. A set of boots and a set of shoes for the truck.

I don't build things all at once, yet to remain:
ARBs front and rear. Do not like the unresponsiveness of the Toyota E-Locker.
At the same time, of course 5.29 differential gears - they are so needed with these 35" tires!
Rock rails
Skid plates
Transmission support moved up.
Rear bumper, high clearance, no swing, keep BSM if possible, delete or move hitch up.
Crawl box 4.7 and possible added support for transfer case.
Exhaust reroute - this will be a bit different due to the crawl box added length.
I expect several iterations to the rear drive shaft. As the crawl box will be done before the suspension/lift, which may require something else.

For those reading this and wondering:
Gas milage - don't care.
Resale value - don't care.
Looks - don't care.
Function - CARE.
Trail durability - CARE. I will carry plenty of parts and tools. Just won't be the part I need though.

This is MY vehicle not Toyota's.

A lot more than you asked, but I enjoyed writing it out.

 

Great post - wish I could fabricate and weld but those skills are way beyond my "change the fluids and bolt stuff on" skill level
Tinker's Adventure is good stuff.

We are of the same mind when it comes to "For those reading this and wondering:"
I built this truck to get get dirty and wheel. I really don't care if I get some body damage as well as the other stuff you mention.
My brother-in-law started in on all that stuff and I told him if you are worried about MPG and warranty (he mentioned that) and body damage (he brought that up as well) then don't take your effin Rubicon off road (he bought one of those that has never been off the hard ball).

Anyway like your plan.

 

Well, at least one person read that long diatribe.

I simply developed the skills as I went along. Until 20+ years ago I had not done any welding since high school and that was oxy/acetylene and stick welding. Mig welding is so easy to learn. Somehow, I stopped by a welding show one day and the rep for Miller prodded me to try it; after some time and watching others, he prodded me some more. Told him I didn't weld, he said otherwise. Within 30 seconds he had me putting down great looking welds - no idea about the strength. I believe he was actively adjusting the machine controls for my lack of technique. Fabrication I consider to be one of the great side benefits of 4-wheeling. It's very satisfying.

One of the best parts of working on your own vehicle is becoming intimate with it and feeling like you can fix whatever goes wrong in the field. Or at least know what can go wrong.

See you talked your brother-in-law out of it and thus your sister too by association. Too bad. I've had people say the same things and then they got their first pin-strips & rock rash and said to f*** with it, and they were sold. Sometimes a bit too much taking on impossible dreams and listening too much to places such as Tacoma World. I have one neighbor now that I took out and he is so gung-ho I have to stop him once and a while.

 

here ya go. my winter setup which is 33x11.5s.

 

more pics.