Wanting to get something a little more road worthy on the streets. (1 Viewer)

[kuuner]

Hey!

Been a LONG time since I posted. got my new to me 71' on the road and want to cruise to work maybe once or twice a week when it warms up as I don't have a top. No way could i drive at speed with the current setup, especially with the power steering. That's way too much fun in a bad way.

Don't get me wrong, i don't mind the tire size but the current setup is like driving on balloons. I think I have to go down but do I? Maybe my wheels suck? Lift sucks? Thoughts?

 

[Tapage]

it's your steering tight ..?

tires won't help for sure .. more road friendly tires ( like Toyos MT just coz I like them a lot .. but there are many other road friendly options out there ) will help to .. and one thing works wonders to me it's ram assist for the steering ...

also check caster, bushings and TRE's ..

 

[cruiserpilot]

Are those real beadlocks? Are they well balanced? Sometimes less tire pressure smoothens it out.
I always heard IROKS had good road manners, but never owned a set. X2 on the Toyo MT's,
I've got lots of miles on them.

 

[kuuner]

it's your steering tight ..?

tires won't help for sure .. more road friendly tires ( like Toyos MT just coz I like them a lot .. but there are many other road friendly options out there ) will help to .. and one thing works wonders to me it's ram assist for the steering ...

also check caster, bushings and TRE's ..

Steering is very responsive with no play. That's why the power steering is so scary at speed. If i sneeze, i'm going off a cliff.

 

[kuuner]

Are those real beadlocks? Are they well balanced? Sometimes less tire pressure smoothens it out.
I always heard IROKS had good road manners, but never owned a set. X2 on the Toyo MT's,
I've got lots of miles on them.

I don't think they are real bead-locks.

 

[cruiserpilot]

Steering is very responsive with no play. That's why the power steering is so scary at speed. If i sneeze, i'm going off a cliff.

I had '81 trans am steering box on my FJ40. It was 2 1/4 turns from lock to lock. Ya just got to pay attention!!
This was before cellphones and all that other distracting stuff.

 

[AirheadNut]

My G-Wagon had 37x12.5 Irok Super Swampers, and while they were noisy they handled quite well on the highway. I generally kept my pressures at or below 35 psi on road, and in the winter that dropped to less than 28. The steering on the G was a bit on the loose side, so that probably helped, but even with a RTT on top I never felt like it was hairy to drive.

 

[Tapage]

Steering is very responsive with no play. That's why the power steering is so scary at speed. If i sneeze, i'm going off a cliff.

How much caster are you running .?

 

[kuuner]

How much caster are you running .?

I'll be checking that this weekend.

 

[cruiserpilot]

Yeah, axle shims to compensate for lift. Hadn’t thought of that. Not a spring over is it?

 

[kuuner]

i

Yeah, axle shims to compensate for lift. Hadn’t thought of that. Not a spring over is it?

It is a spring over

 

[cruiserpilot]

i

It is a spring over

Could just need shim adjustment. The knuckle/trunnion bearings ( or whatever you call them ) have to be
in good condition with a SOA especially with fat tires.

 

[kuuner]

Ok...got the wobbling worked out. Thanks guys for the tips. Minor shimming and a balance job (which was a joke considering the size of the tires and the lift and everything else) was the trick. Looks like they glued a door panel on the inside of the wheels for balance weights! That said, rides perfect now! On to the next issue. I'm capped out with the 4 speed. Since it drives so well now, I was thinking of swapping in a NV4500 5 speed. I want that granny gear but with current setup, it's like I have a 3 speed. Yes, I want to be the first guy to the trails so, a 5 speed seems like the way to go. I'm currently sitting at about 2,500-2,700 RPM for freeway speed and would like to get her down just a bit? Is that an extra gear or, different rear end gearing? This is not a full time trail rig so, while the current setup is perfect for that, I'm willing to lose a bit of trail worthiness for road worthiness. Thoughts?

 

[cruiserpilot]

Glad it worked out for you. Advance Adapters has adapter plates for mounting the NV4500.
What engine do you have? AA should have everything you need. I've got a '74 FJ40 with
'79 SBC and '91 NV4500 behind it. I didn't build it so can't give specifics but it's got the
perfect overdrive for those tires and perfect gears in low range as well.