The Drifter - Specs and FAQ

Will 4.88's work for 34's? I love this size, I don't see myself getting anything bigger on a IFS rig.

 

Yup. I would think so.
I ran on 285/70/17 for a while with 4.88s before going with 35s. It was ok, but i found the rmps to be a little higher than i wanted at highway speeds.
After switching to 35s, it brought them down just about right IMO.
I’m sure 34s would be somewhat comparable to the 35s

 

I had 4.88’s with the 6-speed on 35’s (2nd gen). Great around town and brutal on the freeway. When the ring gear was destroyed last year, I took the opportunity to switch to 4.56’s (and add a front locker, which I should have done the first time). Much better. MPG’s didn’t change significantly, but the engine isn’t screaming at 75mph.

Prior to 35’s, the stock gearing was somewhat manageable with 255/85R16’s (33’s), even with a Fourwheel camper. But it was a manual so I could somewhat make up for it. Off road, it was difficult. Had to go into 4LO for even the slightest incline. Going from 1st (4:1) to 2nd (2:1) was the biggest challenge on the street and in traffic.

Keep in mind that most of the 2nd gen guys, who are recommending re-gearing, have fully armored and loaded trucks. Winch, sliders, swing out bumpers, skids, extra fuel, spare CV’s and driveshafts, tools... all before adding the camper. With just the camper and a light buildout, it might not be necessary on 33’s.

 

Any build spots or used Vagabond's for sale out there for a 5 foot 3rd gen DCSB?

 

seems like 4.56 is the sweet spot for 33s with the added weight of the drifter?

Thanks for the context Phil, I'm getting heavy. More armor is on the way, so the holiday weight is starting to show and has me thinking about how it will affect ratio. Outside of getting a full bumper, we'll be as weighted down as I can be.

As soon as the tires come off I'm likely to go up to 255/85r16. I'm replacing my drive shaft, so while I have a driveline shop under there, I'm guessing adding a front locker and 4.56 (or now 4.30?) but I'm sticking to 33's long term no question. We spend most of our time in the Sierras so I definitely need the Highway.

And since it's been a while - man we love this camper!

 

With 33's I do not find the reason for anyone to regear IMO. I would take the reliability of an OEM setup over a regear any day running just 33's.

Regearing is reliable as stock gears but you do tend to open up a tendency for issues down the road I seen for some unlucky folks. I have seen leaky 3rd members, noises, etc on aftermarket gearing.

I'm on 285/75/17 tires this is a true 34" tire and I plan to not regear. 35's yes definitely, but I will not be going anything bigger than 34"s. I find stock gearing and 34"s not that bad. Yes there is a difference in power, but its manageable. Around town I leave my auto trans in 4th gear and when I get the highway I switch to 5th. I did the same with my 4runner that was on 33's. I'm planning to keeping my Tacoma relatively lightweight.

 

Good point, the evil you know...

 

I will second @4wdExplorer sentiments. I'm running 33s, the drifter, some drawers/camper-buildout stuff, and often lots of weight in mountain bike paraphernalia. No plans for much armor or bumpers or anything like that. The stock gearing works great for me on the highways and desert roads we frequent.

Edited to include a pic from our recent snow storm here in SLC, because why not!

 

It’s the extra weight of the armor/plate bumpers that gets ya.

 

I'd like to seal/caulk the perimeter of the plastic bedrail caps on my 2018 Tundra in preparation for the Nomad. I've popped them off (only broke one or two clips) and my god, there are holes everywhere, just like in the Tacoma.

Is there a preferred compound for sealing around the perimeter of the bedrail cap? Does the paint need to be roughed up a bit for adhesion? I am hoping that the stock low-profile plastic bedrail cap doesn't compress/crush from the weight of the Nomad.

EDIT: I have to admit, I'm also considering just tossing the plastic bedrails entirely, taping over the holes, and having the Nomad sit directly on it.

 

On my tacoma I taped the whole thing and then applied silicone all the way through and around the holes. Then reinstalled the plastic caps letting the silicone cure.

 

Like others we used aluminum duct tape to cover the many holes we had and silicone with the voodoo tail caps. It has worked well.

 

We don't have them for 3rd gens, the bed caps. But with 3rd gens the plastic caps are not as much of an issue as the 2nds because of how thing they are, but they do need to be sealed.

 

Is there an aftermarket bedrail cap available for that year Tundra? I don’t know personally because I don’t own one. But I can assume there is one. And that would be your best bet.

 

Me too! It's a Tundra, but looks the same as the 3rd gens.

 

Hi All,
Does anyone have a photo of a silver Tacoma with a grey powder coated Drifter?
I have a silver gen 3 Tacoma and I’m trying to decide between grey or black powder coating. I can pretty well picture how black would look but grey is a little harder.

 

Been trying to figure this out myself for awhile, but hey I got the time while I wait...ha ha. Below are pics I collected of a silver 2nd Gen w/ black & another random color truck w/ the what I think is the standard grey color. You might be able to have the guys on the Photoshop thread (they are awesome!) work a little magic for you to see how things look. I think the 3rd gen silver is a little different tone than the 2nd gen though but either way it may help. I know there is definitely the option of getting a color match powder coat color as well based on what I have seen, but not sure if that involves an up charge or not.