Help Me Make the Perfect Cruiser

[extreme_treeman]

OK....this idea is going to go one of two ways.......its either going to work really well.....and we will all have some fun from it...or it will be a major flop....lol.
I have the new single cab v8 Turbo diesel landcruiser as a work truck. I use it extensively in some pretty difficult situations, but still have to drive on the road for some considerable distance a well.
It carries dogs in a dog box (currently getting built)....and a quad as well.
I need it lifted...and bigger wheels and tyres for clearance....as well as the tyres needing to be very capable offroad...I want them to last more than 2000k on the road.
It needs a winch, maybe winch bar...although I wondered if a winch can just be added to the current bar.
And any other mods that you guys may think necessary.

Heres what I propose.....we discuss mods as we go......and after debate and discussion..I do what you guys have decided is best........and will suit my needs considering what the truck gets used for.

I take photos as we progress....and we move on to the next part.........

Now like I said.....this is either going to work well...and I get the perfect truck...or it crashes into computer oblivion

This is what it looks like now. It has the high country packgae which includes diff locks etc etc. But I have already managed to get it stuck twice...so lets get to work......

[extreme_treeman]

I thought we could start with SUSPENSION.

I have spoken to Pete Munro in Chch...and I can fit ARB kit that will give me approx 100mm of added height. I spoke to him regarding the fact that I envisage 35inch tyres on this..to give me diff clearance as well. This kit will cost me 2000k approx including fitment by the local toyota boys.

Supposedly.....this kit will allow me to fit 35's with an offset rim...without rub...b ut ti does change the gearing by a whole gear.

Thoughts? Better ideas?

[gimmemud]

hope your ready for a two year build People never seem to be able to agree on this site.
Get a lift kit (OME imo) some Goodyear Wrangler MT/R 35/12.5R15 and get a compressor so you can let them down in the mud.
Looks like you should be able to get a winch in that bar, get ground anchor, high lift, etc, etc...
My 2c

[extreme_treeman]

LOL......I need it finsihed in the next month or so...preferably before winter.

OME compared to ArB? Why? Better.....worse?

[Sadam_Husain]

OME compared to ArB? Why? Better.....worse?

OME is Old Man Emu which is the ARB kit

[extreme_treeman]

Yep...I just established that for myself by doin an internet search.....lol.............

[gimmemud]

Sorry didn't see your second post. I wouldn't think too many other brands would have brought out a kit for a late model cruiser?

[NJV6]

Goodyear Wrangler MT/R 35/12.5R15

He said he wants something 'very capable' off road

Considering you are in Otago?? - 35 inch tyres are nearly overkill. If it was mine - A set of 285/75R16 BFG's on the factory 16 inch rims + two sets of chains would not only make road manners better than a Simex, yet provide better traction when req'd, and the best road going tyre off road. I'd give it a lift to clear the chains and then I'd put a winch in the current bar which doesn't look like be too hard.

Then you'd have a bloody desireable, extreemly capable truck set up without spending loads of money.

And I reckon thats worth 3c

[extreme_treeman]

I like the sound ofthat......but sometimes I am in the high country where tracks and the like are rocky scree and washed out etc whereI thought the 35's may give me a little more diff clearance? I knwo the tyre size that you mention is one that the guys at Munros said would only cost me about 1/2 a gear.

[haydgq]

Hi, I would say you cant go wrong with the BFG Mud terrain tyre as they are very very good in the mud and still maintain great road manners and wear very well, When i was in earthworks our Prados and Hiluxs used the BFG muddies and they usually lasted around 70,000kms and preformed much better in the mud and snow than the goodyear mtr and bridgestone MT duelers etc and if you are looking at 35,s they are not alot dearer then the other brands either.

[extreme_treeman]

Alright....soooooo....so far we have decided on the Old Man Emu ( ) suspension....and BFG tyres.All my current hiluxs run Maxxis mudders.......do you guys not rate them? They dont seem particuarly capable off road,....(or maybe thats me...lol)......and they dont do much mileage(imo).
ALthough mileage doesnt matter so much for me....(I'm the boss so I can replace them when I need to....it dioes matter for my other trucks.....lol).

I see some of the trucks have over axle spring conversions......is that really too much for my needs......bearing in mind that I dont want to have to lift dogs onto it..lol..........or break legs jumping off some great height.....lol

[Engineer]

i just bought a set of 35inch bfg..was going to go 33s but the 35s were $4ea a tire more so thought why not?!
give me your wallet and ill spend ya cash for u!!

[DieselBoy]

The answer is simle really.

YOU NEED BIGGER TYRES

Your truck has all the hard work done already, it has lockers, it has a solid front end, it has the big power plant.

All its lacking is the good rubber to get you places.

Choose the tyres you want to run ( I would highly recommend Maxxis Creepy Cawlers for a good all-rounder) and then the size ( I would throw 35X12.5 R16 on a truck of that size) and then learn how to drive it.

Those flat deck cruisers have some seriously HUGE leaf packs in the back, you won't get any flex in the rear with out a full tank of gas in the Quad, and all the dogs, plus the litter of 12 or 13 pups on the deck. You obviously carry the gear around, so you need those heavy springs. You also have lockers, so you don't need to rely on suspension travel as much.

Buy the tyres, put them on, see what needs doing to get them to work with out rubbing and then run with it.

There are a few ways of getting the tyres to work.

My personal preference is to fit a small suspension lift, about 50mm, as that generally means you can leave the drive train unaltered and it works as-is with out vibration. From there work out how much you need to extend the bump stops in order to stop the tyres rubbing at full articulation.

Once that measurement is worked out, you can go one of two ways. You can space the bump stops down to restrict upwards travel so the tyres don't contact the gaurds, or you can fit a body lift of the equivilant size to the bump stop extentions, and leave the suspension getting full travel, and lift the body work up out ofthe way with a body lift.

Just remember the whoe point of lifting a truck is for the sole reason of fitting bigger rubber

[Sadam_Husain]

Yeah DB's bang on the button with all that shit he said, you've already got the big torque donk and diff locks and all you need to do is get rid of those skinny little tyres. My trucks a fair bit earlier than yours but fitted 35" tyres easily with a little body lift, I also had the centres flipped in my rims to give me about 75mm wider offset on the rims. Like DB said you'll have big heavy duty spring packs in the back with little articulation but it dosent matter how high you cock a back wheel in the air if you've got the diff locked in

[rokhound]

The answer is simle really.

YOU NEED BIGGER TYRES

Your truck has all the hard work done already, it has lockers, it has a solid front end, it has the big power plant.

All its lacking is the good rubber to get you places.

Choose the tyres you want to run ( I would highly recommend Maxxis Creepy Cawlers for a good all-rounder) and then the size ( I would throw 35X12.5 R16 on a truck of that size) and then learn how to drive it.

Those flat deck cruisers have some seriously HUGE leaf packs in the back, you won't get any flex in the rear with out a full tank of gas in the Quad, and all the dogs, plus the litter of 12 or 13 pups on the deck. You obviously carry the gear around, so you need those heavy springs. You also have lockers, so you don't need to rely on suspension travel as much.

Buy the tyres, put them on, see what needs doing to get them to work with out rubbing and then run with it.

There are a few ways of getting the tyres to work.

My personal preference is to fit a small suspension lift, about 50mm, as that generally means you can leave the drive train unaltered and it works as-is with out vibration. From there work out how much you need to extend the bump stops in order to stop the tyres rubbing at full articulation.

Once that measurement is worked out, you can go one of two ways. You can space the bump stops down to restrict upwards travel so the tyres don't contact the gaurds, or you can fit a body lift of the equivilant size to the bump stop extentions, and leave the suspension getting full travel, and lift the body work up out ofthe way with a body lift.

Just remember the whoe point of lifting a truck is for the sole reason of fitting bigger rubber

Never ceases to amaze me how many people don't know that though

I reckon what DB said is bang on the money as well.
Tyre choice is going to be a personal thing, and with the amount of sharps on the ground down south (shist etc), you are going to need a tyre with a reasonably firm compound IMHO.

[wopass]

The answer is simle really.

YOU NEED BIGGER TYRES

Your truck has all the hard work done already, it has lockers, it has a solid front end, it has the big power plant.

All its lacking is the good rubber to get you places.

Choose the tyres you want to run ( I would highly recommend Maxxis Creepy Cawlers for a good all-rounder) and then the size ( I would throw 35X12.5 R16 on a truck of that size) and then learn how to drive it.

Those flat deck cruisers have some seriously HUGE leaf packs in the back, you won't get any flex in the rear with out a full tank of gas in the Quad, and all the dogs, plus the litter of 12 or 13 pups on the deck. You obviously carry the gear around, so you need those heavy springs. You also have lockers, so you don't need to rely on suspension travel as much.

Buy the tyres, put them on, see what needs doing to get them to work with out rubbing and then run with it.

There are a few ways of getting the tyres to work.

My personal preference is to fit a small suspension lift, about 50mm, as that generally means you can leave the drive train unaltered and it works as-is with out vibration. From there work out how much you need to extend the bump stops in order to stop the tyres rubbing at full articulation.

Once that measurement is worked out, you can go one of two ways. You can space the bump stops down to restrict upwards travel so the tyres don't contact the gaurds, or you can fit a body lift of the equivilant size to the bump stop extentions, and leave the suspension getting full travel, and lift the body work up out ofthe way with a body lift.

Just remember the whoe point of lifting a truck is for the sole reason of fitting bigger rubber

Never ceases to amaze me how many people don't know that though

I reckon what DB said is bang on the money as well.
Tyre choice is going to be a personal thing, and with the amount of sharps on the ground down south (shist etc), you are going to need a tyre with a reasonably firm compound IMHO.

X4

true that man im a big fan of the creepy crawler after seeing how well they work on the bigger trucks as a general purpose tyre.

[PuddleJumper]

I have spoken to Pete Munro in Chch...and I can fit ARB kit that will give me approx 100mm of added height.

You might want to double check on this height... They don't usually do a lift that high (apart from the 80/100 series Cruisers and Patrols) Or PM BADNUZ on this site. He sells ARB stuff too. Should be a VERY capable truck once finished

[Steve_t647]

I know of two new model's that were modified for work in Antartica, they ran 36's and the whole front end needed to be moved forward and made wider. It was a lot of work and the gear came from Arctic Trucks and also involved a lot of trimming, it was pretty tall too.

Once it was fitted they had a look and they don't think there is a better way to do it, there is not a lot of room under them and they don't seem to be designed to be easily upgraded, I believe the OME kit is similar to the Artic truck it was not available when the other two were done.

I think there is another one being done in CHCH soon too but it may end up 6wd and stretched.

[extreme_treeman]

Now we are talking..........some great info coming through here.

I fitted 33's today.......with no rub...and no offset of the rims.......so thats a start..........now I need to try 35's.....I had 36s sitting in the shed...but sold them to a mate a few months ago...grrrrrr....I will look into the Maxxis Creepies..suspect will need the offset rims?

[extreme_treeman]

Once that measurement is worked out, you can go one of two ways. You can space the bump stops down to restrict upwards travel so the tyres don't contact the gaurds, or you can fit a body lift of the equivilant size to the bump stop extentions, and leave the suspension getting full travel, and lift the body work up out ofthe way with a body lift.

Just remember the whoe point of lifting a truck is for the sole reason of fitting bigger rubber

If i lift the body...wouldn't that mean that I will have issuessuch as brake lines being too short........and gear levers and the like?

[85BJ73]

I ran Maxxis Buckshot Mudders and got 40,000 km from them, and they were ok off road, when deflated to 15psi, but the newer tyres i have, Maxxis Bighorn are a definate improvement, and have heard of a truck getting 50,000km on them. Never seen the creepy crawler, but have heard good things about them.

[muddyplumber]

iv had m/t wranglers,superswampers,muddlizers next tires will be creepys. Kats kaiapoi seem to have really good prices on tires esp maxxis...cant wait to see the finished truck

[DieselBoy]

Once that measurement is worked out, you can go one of two ways. You can space the bump stops down to restrict upwards travel so the tyres don't contact the gaurds, or you can fit a body lift of the equivilant size to the bump stop extentions, and leave the suspension getting full travel, and lift the body work up out ofthe way with a body lift.

Just remember the whoe point of lifting a truck is for the sole reason of fitting bigger rubber

If i lift the body...wouldn't that mean that I will have issuessuch as brake lines being too short........and gear levers and the like?

Likely and un-likely in the same breath

Im guessing, and its only a guess, that a total of 100mm extra clearence under the gaurds should see the 35's work nicely.

So if go for a conservative 50mm bodylift, you could be fine. Its specific to each make and model of truck.

Brake lines are usually ok, as is the steering, but wiring, intake plumbing, fuel lines, fan shrowd, shift leavers, hand brake cable and a whole myriad of other stuff can create drama on certain trucks. Generally the more sofisticated the truck, the harder it can be.

BUT, before you go writing the body lift off into the two hard basket, the complications caused by jacking the suspension up to much can also be just as complicated, and more often than not, the fix's for these gremlin's are expensive, as you need some custom stuff made or sourced from oversea's. Most of the issues with a body lift are easily over come with off the shelf stuff.

[darinz]

Pretty good advice so far but when you consider the cost of the vehicle then a well designed 100mm suspesion lift is going to be a better option than a body lift. At the end of the day what is a few hundred for the extra lift when it leaves so much else standard? And if brake line etc need changing then get steel braided ones made. About $30 a hose dearer than rubber but much safer!
I don't know the terrain down south so will only ask a couple of questions for tyre choice.
Do you need a wide tyre or does narrow wrok better down there? Radial or crossply? Lots of road use so raod manners important or don't care about road handling?
The problem with most 35" radials is the are too wide so float too much but this can also be a huge advantage depending on the terrain.
I agree on the Creepies being a pretty good option as the likes of ET's etc are probably too extreme. (no pun intended)
The advatage with getting an OME kit for this is that it has been designed to retain the load carry but increase height and increase road handling. I would question whether they do a 100m kit as for most things it is a 50mm lift and the bigger springs they do are for offroad only and are really for competitions trucks.

[callum007]

Hey, I passed you in town the other day and from the looks of it, it be suggesting the OME kit.. I have one on a Works Hilux and we run 32's with ease and room to spare for the chains.. Only running Wrangler MT/Rs, but for what i'm thinking you'll be using the vehicle for i wouldn't be suggesting Creepys as I found them Junk in local terrain.. Id possibly be looking at a BFG M/T in the 35x10.5 so nice and narrow.. just ask the hundreds of local farmers with your model cruiser running the BFG's.. apart from the occasional one on simex or Swampers..

[extreme_treeman]

Hey all.....

I wondered myself about whether to go 35x10.5....or 35x12.5.....I got stuck in the Oreti pretty badly last week....in just mud and peestone. In the past in my hilux with the wider tyres woudl have got through that........i'm sure...or at least been able to back out over its tracks....where the cruiser...just sank....dug big holes with the Pirelli tyres....and got stuck.

My logic is the wider....BUT.....that will create more probs with fitment.

What sort of mileage can I expect from simex on the road? Just out of curiousity.

When offroad I am in some pretty wicked situautions.........but often have travelled for 600kms on the road to get there. my offroad/onroad ratio is probably 20/80.......but offroad stuff is usually pretty rough.

I will look into the size of the lift from Pete Munros tomorrow...and let you all know what the actual size is.

[NJV6]

Hey all.....

I wondered myself about whether to go 35x10.5....or 35x12.5.....I got stuck in the Oreti pretty badly last week....in just mud and peestone. In the past in my hilux with the wider tyres woudl have got through that........i'm sure...or at least been able to back out over its tracks....where the cruiser...just sank....dug big holes with the Pirelli tyres....and got stuck.

My logic is the wider....BUT.....that will create more probs with fitment.

What sort of mileage can I expect from simex on the road? Just out of curiousity.

When offroad I am in some pretty wicked situautions.........but often have travelled for 600kms on the road to get there. my offroad/onroad ratio is probably 20/80.......but offroad stuff is usually pretty rough.

I will look into the size of the lift from Pete Munros tomorrow...and let you all know what the actual size is.

Yes the Oreti is soft at the moment - I was in there yesterday.

I still think for what you do, a good mud terrain is more suitable than a simex. I didn't know you could get 35x10.5 in anythingg other than a Simex which measures wider than that anyway. I doubt a Simex would be a suitable tyre for the gravel of the oreti!

[Sadam_Husain]

What sort of mileage can I expect from simex on the road? Just out of curiousity.

There wasnt much rubber left on mine after about 12k and there really @#$%^$ noisy on the road, I've stuck a set of creepies on now and they arent as agressive as the simexes but where we drive around here the terains a bit harder and I dont need tyres that can dig as well as simexes do

[extreme_treeman]

Alright ....so it looks like my choices are between.....

MAXXIS Creepies...........or.........
BFG mud terrains

BFG...sound like te way to go for the terrain down here.....according to one of our local boys ......but I'm open to options.

Still need input on the skinny vs wider thing though.

[DieselBoy]

Your driving a truck that weighs considerably more than your old Hilux, so it will be more prone to disapearing in soft stuff.

If you drive in a lot of soft ground, like Pee gravel and soft river beds, then you want to spread the weight of the vehicle as much as possible.

The best way to do that is to fit the widest tyres you can, and then let the pressures down to about 10PSI before you head off the road.

A Narrow tyre is best suited to digging through a soft layer in order to reach hard/dry ground underneath, such as clay or greasy paddocks. Thats the reason why Simex's are narrow in there range, and are recommended to be fitted to quiet narrow rims in comparison to general mud terrains.