in a dilemma need help from fellow Arizonians!

lol you guys are great.

 

Stock for stock... the FJ is way smoother off-road. Having driven both off road (including camber situations)... the FJ stock is a lot nicer off the lot lol.

However...

All three will be vastly improved with proper suspension upgrades. You could just modify your Tundra (but if you really hate it then why I guess). Personally I love the way my truck rides (back is stiff, but I intentionally have it setup that way). If I'm down toward Tucson again soon you're more than welcome to ride along in my truck with fox/allpro expo pack setup.

 

nice. i appreciate it. is your truck as jittery and harsh in the rear offroad?

 

Mine is pretty harsh, but again, by design. I use my truck as an actual truck too, so I want it to be able to tow/haul as well as it can when I need it.

 

i hear ya.. the tundra i have on washboard dirt rds is teath chattering.. i think im leaning to a new taco 4x4 dbl cab short bed trd so i can have the locker. i do like to hit the occasional trail and the tundra is just to big. even if i did fix the suspension

 

Like Jake said.. they will be more "harsh" In the rear.. stock or by design unless you go LT or a nice set of extended travel. Regardless tho, its a truck. It's gonna be rougher than most. I'm sure my friends think mine rides like a brick, but i can tell or notice... nor do i care that much. Airing down helps, weight in the bed helps, etc.. but overall the fj will be smoother out of the box.

 

Either one is nice. I personally don't care for the FJ after both driving and riding in. I would recommend a TRD Off-Road Tacoma. 4x4 is hard to come by in Arizona in general. I was lucky to find mine. Northern AZ will have more. In Wisconsin, it would be hard to find a Pre runner.

 

if i was to get a 2wd prerunner trd package with locker, how offroad capable is it?

 

Imo... not very. Depends on what your using it for. There are tons of places around here that you'll need or want 4wd. Locked pre runner Is just one step up from normal two wheel drive. You wont have anything pulling you up, and out of things (4wd). You will have more traction yes, but in the sand you'll bury yourself, snow.. locker is not safe, crawling.. probably wont happen. We have had sone trips where we have had to pull around locked pre runners. They do fine in two track trails, moderate washes, etc. Again, all depends on what you will use it for.

 

yea i hear ya.. i really want a 4x4 anyway but just thought i ask..lol

 

Better to have and not need it, then to need it and not have It. I'd hold out man, get what you want. It will be worth it.

 

I've had both. My 2008 was a TRD Off-Road pre-runner, this 2010 is a 4x4. Before someone ran a red light and destroyed my 08... I literally had an appointment the following day to trade it in for a 2010 4x4 lol...

You can have more fun than you might think with a pre-runner... but honestly the couple of grand extra... it's well worth it. Plus if you get the further itch (you will, trust me) you can built it into a beast!

You like Reddington already... well there's some amazing trails back there to explore that are pure 4x4 only. Chiva Falls, Three Feathers... for example.










Then there's places like Sedona...





Then there is Box Canyon...




Just a few examples... but there is a TON of AZ to explore that only a 4x4 (or assistance from a tow strap/winch and a 4x4) will get you there. And this is just a small fraction of AZ. Let alone our neighboring states (Colorado, Cali, Utah (cough MOAB anyone?), even if you ever go to the pacific northwest.... Ultimately.... long term it's worth the 4x4. Plus, resale value will stay higher (even if the prerunners do great here on that well, just not as well as a 4x4).

Either way, they're great trucks though





I still loved my PreRunner though

 

I'll be up in Tempe this weekend from the Yuma area. Going to check out a comedian at the Comerica on Saturday. I'm thinking of renting a car so I can save some money on gas.

However, if I had my UCA's from the DSM group buy I'd probably take my truck to Chris's so he could help me install them J/K

 

UCA's aren't too bad to do... biggest thing is getting the bolt out thanks to Toyota's wonderful insight of doing the install without the body there. You'll need to probably bend the body panel (inside engine bay) back just slightly in order to get the bolt head out. Install it the reverse way on the new UCA and it'll be way easier from that point.

 

With a little bit of help the Tundra can be built into quite the formidable off-road machine. Heres one we just built for a customer from Louisiana.



I'll get together some finished pictures and post them up. We have done plenty of FJ's and Tacoma's and have found like others have already pointed out the ride between the 2 is very comparable, it all comes down to personal preference. Both are quite capable off-road vehicles even in stock form and provide an awesome starting platform for a great off-road rig.

 

if you could choose one for an all around off road rig here in arizona, would you pick a tundy, 2nd gen taco, or a 1st gen? and why? just curious

 

I'm assuming this is directed towards me? Honestly I would need more information to make a solid recommendation. Daily Driver? Whats the primary use of the truck? and so on and so forth. Each platform has its own advantages and disadvantages

 

wow nice pics!. i actually did a nice trail there in reddington my fj when i had it. it was awesome.

 

well here is an update on my situation. i just went to precision toyota in tucson. looks like i might be stuck with the tundra for a while. i am going to take a major major hit on trade in. so if i am stuck with it I am going to have to do something to make the ride batter so i can at least take the truck up there with some quads in it or to go shooting. maybe an icon suspension.? the maybe ill look into a second veicle for trialing maybe an earlier taco.

 

Never trade. Sell straight up on craigslist or backpage or local. You'll make a LOT more money. Detail it up, wax her up, use Meguires Quick Detailer and some Black Magic on the tires... she'll sell at/near max KBB easy if she's in good shape. Trust me, I learned this lesson the hard way brotha.