KZJ78 2" Lift / Tire and Wheel Offset questions (2 Viewers)

[OHnative7210]

Finally got my 78 in this week from mainland Japan and I am looking at options for a lift, tires, and wheels. I have a few questions though:

1. With only 2" of lift and no plans for serious off-roading, will any parts be necessary other than new shocks and coils? I have read about brake line extensions, castor correction, panhard bars, etc. but I am not convinced those are all necessary for such a small lift. I'd like to lift it the right way, if I go this route, and I am not sure exactly which parts I'll need.

2. Do I even need the 2" lift if I am only trying to fit 285/75R16 (33x11") tires on my stock 78?

3. Wheel offset question...I am looking at a set of 16x8 wheels with -12 offset and from what I can figure, those will be a good fit, but I am hoping someone with more knowledge can confirm this for me or not.

Thanks in advance! I'll post pics of my cruiser once it's out of inspection and registration!

 

[Dprio34]

OH,
I think you can get by with just the 33" tires without the other stuff.
If your main purpose is just the bigger tires, just try that first.
No sure about your offset on the later years. Mine is 4 inches / 10cm on a 1989 LJ70.

@Nas90tdi , just did a nice write up on a 2" Dobinson Lift. Check that out if your are interested.
I run Dobinson Springs and I am very pleased with them. I went with stock height which was about 1" higher than my old tired stock Toyota springs. I recommend changing the bushings and some of the flexible brake lines if you do the lift.

Hope that helps.
Don

 

[AirheadNut]

I could be wrong but I believe that 33" tires will not fit on a stock LJ/KZJ78. A couple of years ago when I got my first LJ78 I tried to fit some 32x11.5 tires and they just barely fit with no rubbing. The front driver tire was really close to the exhaust downpipe.

I am pretty sure there is a thread somewhere that talks about what lift is required for various tire sizes on a 78 series.

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

Apparently you can fit up to 34-35" tires on with stock suspension. The trick is they have to be SKINNY. So to the original poster, I have no doubt 255/85R16 (33" skinny) would fit on the stock 0mm offset. As soon as you go with a wider tire, or -ve offset, you'll probably get rubbing. In this case a lift is the only answer. Honestly, a tall skinny tire is great for nearly everything except for flotation in deep mud or snow. And even then, by airing down it's amazing where you can go.

 

[OHnative7210]

Thanks for all of the inputs so far, I really appreciate the help!

Because I have a wide body 78, I would like to stick with at least an 11" wide tire...the skinnies look great on the non-wide body version but look a little out of place on the wide bodies.

The stock wheels are -20mm offset, or so I think they are from what I've read online. Will the -12 offset aftermarket wheels be a problem with the 285/75/R16 and no lift? Or do I need a different offset.

Thanks again!!

 

[malteser]

I can only comment on what I have on mine since its the only set of wheels I ever put on it. I'm running 33x12.5x15 muds on 10" wide wheels with -32 offset with an Ironman 2" lift. Before I took off both sway bars nothing rubbed but now my fronts rub with the back lower end of the wheel arches. Nothing major though, and only when the wheel is tucked in.

 

[OHnative7210]

Again thanks for all of the help.

I am still looking for answers to my 2" suspension lift question. What additional components aside from shocks and springs will I need in order to make sure I lift it the right way? Thanks!!

 

[coldtaco]

Again thanks for all of the help.

I am still looking for answers to my 2" suspension lift question. What additional components aside from shocks and springs will I need in order to make sure I lift it the right way? Thanks!!

you would need sway bar extensions and a way to lift the rear brake proportioning valve the appropriate amount. castor correction kit? I would think that what ever manufacturer you went with should have these available or be included in the kit.

 

[Nas90tdi]

I can verify that a 33X10.50 will fit with no lift and no rubbing. I had my new tires installed for about a week before I installed the lift. From my experience it looked as though a 12.50 width tire would likely rub the radius arm sightly. That had never bothered me, but some aren't a fan. It doesn't really hurt anything as you will never be at full lock at speed in a LC.

Also, as far as needed components, I installed my springs and shocks with no other items for a couple of weeks. It drives and handles fine, however I did find it to be a bit light feeling in the steering. ( Something the LC suffers from anyway in my opinion.) Installing the castor correcting bushing in the front radius arm cured most of that excessive light feeling.

I have not yet added extensions to my sway bars, on road driving this will never actually be an issue, but, will limit your axle articulation off road because you have decreased the movement of the sway bars. One of these weekends I will take mine off and either add extensions or, just throw them in my parts pile. This also keeps me from reaching the limits of the flexible brake lines until I swap out to an extended brake line.

I haven't yet had a chance to move my brake proportioning valve to compensate for the added lift. This will cause a slight decrease in pressure to the rear brakes. But, short of driving in snow, if you are aware of this,it's a minor issue.

So, short answer is, you can just install your new springs and shocks and go. Take care of the other items as time permits. It will not stop you from using your truck.

 

[OHnative7210]

I can verify that a 33X10.50 will fit with no lift and no rubbing. I had my new tires installed for about a week before I installed the lift. From my experience it looked as though a 12.50 width tire would likely rub the radius arm sightly. That had never bothered me, but some aren't a fan. It doesn't really hurt anything as you will never be at full lock at speed in a LC.

Also, as far as needed components, I installed my springs and shocks with no other items for a couple of weeks. It drives and handles fine, however I did find it to be a bit light feeling in the steering. ( Something the LC suffers from anyway in my opinion.) Installing the castor correcting bushing in the front radius arm cured most of that excessive light feeling.

I have not yet added extensions to my sway bars, on road driving this will never actually be an issue, but, will limit your axle articulation off road because you have decreased the movement of the sway bars. One of these weekends I will take mine off and either add extensions or, just throw them in my parts pile. This also keeps me from reaching the limits of the flexible brake lines until I swap out to an extended brake line.

I haven't yet had a chance to move my brake proportioning valve to compensate for the added lift. This will cause a slight decrease in pressure to the rear brakes. But, short of driving in snow, if you are aware of this,it's a minor issue.

So, short answer is, you can just install your new springs and shocks and go. Take care of the other items as time permits. It will not stop you from using your truck.

Nas, THANK YOU. This was exactly what I was looking for as far as my suspension and tire questions. I had figured that the other parts would be required dependent upon the type of driving you were going to do with the vehicle. I will not be doing any serious off-roading...in fact this car will be an on-road vehicle until we get back to the states.

I am not sure where we will be stationed when we leave Japan and since I plan on taking the cruiser with me, snow might be a factor wherever we are sent to next. What's the reason behind braking being a problem in snow if you don't reposition the brak proportioning valve? Or is it the other way around...move the valve and snow braking is a problem?

 

[Lomoski]

Again thanks for all of the help.

I am still looking for answers to my 2" suspension lift question. What additional components aside from shocks and springs will I need in order to make sure I lift it the right way? Thanks!!

So I put a 2.5 inch front and 3 inch rear Dobinson Lift with their upgraded shocks and heavy duty steering damper. At 2 inches you should definitely put in castor correction bushings as your castor will pretty much be at 0 degrees with a 2 inch lift. It will feel super skatey on the highway with any sort of road deviations or wind. In terms of the lift, I ended up getting about 4 inches due to very tired and worn shocks and ride quality was substantially improved. Granted you do get some body lean when cornering hard due to the extra height. Looks great and rides great and the Guys at Dobinson were excellent dealing with a warranty issue (broken spring) I would highly recommend.

I had to get Sway bar extenders for the front and rear as my sway bars hit my shocks at full travel in the rear and I also had to get longer brake hose due to the hoses being guitar string tight at full extension.

I'm curious why you want such big tires if you plan on never offroading? Is it purely a looks thing? I have 31's on my truck and have considered 32's but I think the power loss would be substantial and personally not worth it for me for the "look". I have a 1kz-te motor in mine and it already feels moderately under powered and not fantastic fuel mileage.

I also adjusted my LSPV due to it only being front brakes in the snow (canadian in alberta) so by adjusting the valve down on the frame it added rear brakes again. If you don't adjust the valve, the LSPV assumes the truck is very light and puts all the braking to the front brakes and you have very little if any rear braking. Super dangerous in high speed braking situations. Easy to do, I can help out with anything mentioned above as I did all the work my self.

Cheers!

Lomo

 

[Nas90tdi]

To clarify the LSPV question. If you leave the proportioning valve in the original position it thinks the back of the LC is light, so does not apply as much braking pressure to the rear as it should. Thus the snow comment. Front tires will lock up prematurely in relation to the rears. So, by adjusting it's position for the amount of lift, you make the braking more uniform front to back, thus not locking up the front end in the snow/ice as quickly.

Hopefully that clears it up for you. Your front brakes are always going to do more braking than the rears, but with the arm out of position ,it decreases the pressure to the rears even more.

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

So I put a 2.5 inch front and 3 inch rear Dobinson Lift with their upgraded shocks and heavy duty steering damper. At 2 inches you should definitely put in castor correction bushings as your castor will pretty much be at 0 degrees with a 2 inch lift. It will feel super skatey on the highway with any sort of road deviations or wind. In terms of the lift, I ended up getting about 4 inches due to very tired and worn shocks and ride quality was substantially improved. Granted you do get some body lean when cornering hard due to the extra height. Looks great and rides great and the Guys at Dobinson were excellent dealing with a warranty issue (broken spring) I would highly recommend.

I had to get Sway bar extenders for the front and rear as my sway bars hit my shocks at full travel in the rear and I also had to get longer brake hose due to the hoses being guitar string tight at full extension.

I'm curious why you want such big tires if you plan on never offroading? Is it purely a looks thing? I have 31's on my truck and have considered 32's but I think the power loss would be substantial and personally not worth it for me for the "look". I have a 1kz-te motor in mine and it already feels moderately under powered and not fantastic fuel mileage.

I also adjusted my LSPV due to it only being front brakes in the snow (canadian in alberta) so by adjusting the valve down on the frame it added rear brakes again. If you don't adjust the valve, the LSPV assumes the truck is very light and puts all the braking to the front brakes and you have very little if any rear braking. Super dangerous in high speed braking situations. Easy to do, I can help out with anything mentioned above as I did all the work my self.

Cheers!

Lomo

Do you have a source and part number you can share for the sway bar extensions and longer brake hoses?

Would love to see a picture of your truck too!

 

[Lomoski]

Do you have a source and part number you can share for the sway bar extensions and longer brake hoses?

Would love to see a picture of your truck too!

Hey GGTSportCoupe,
I got the extenders from Dobinson, the 80 series front ones are a direct fit and the 80 series rear ones worked with drilling another hole to match the pattern of the KZJ78 frame mount. The brake hoses I bought from a company in Vancouver, I'll find their info and post!

Cheers,

Lomo

 

[JimmyPrado]

I have extenders. I’d like to see a pic of how you changed the LSPV.

 

[Lomoski]

I have extenders. I’d like to see a pic of how you changed the LSPV.

I just undid the bolts (10mm or 12mm i can't remember) holding the LSPV to the frame and moved the LSPV down .25". Its now pretty reasonable for braking. The fronts lock up a hair before the rears.

 

[OHnative7210]

So I put a 2.5 inch front and 3 inch rear Dobinson Lift with their upgraded shocks and heavy duty steering damper. At 2 inches you should definitely put in castor correction bushings as your castor will pretty much be at 0 degrees with a 2 inch lift. It will feel super skatey on the highway with any sort of road deviations or wind. In terms of the lift, I ended up getting about 4 inches due to very tired and worn shocks and ride quality was substantially improved. Granted you do get some body lean when cornering hard due to the extra height. Looks great and rides great and the Guys at Dobinson were excellent dealing with a warranty issue (broken spring) I would highly recommend.

I had to get Sway bar extenders for the front and rear as my sway bars hit my shocks at full travel in the rear and I also had to get longer brake hose due to the hoses being guitar string tight at full extension.

I'm curious why you want such big tires if you plan on never offroading? Is it purely a looks thing? I have 31's on my truck and have considered 32's but I think the power loss would be substantial and personally not worth it for me for the "look". I have a 1kz-te motor in mine and it already feels moderately under powered and not fantastic fuel mileage.

I also adjusted my LSPV due to it only being front brakes in the snow (canadian in alberta) so by adjusting the valve down on the frame it added rear brakes again. If you don't adjust the valve, the LSPV assumes the truck is very light and puts all the braking to the front brakes and you have very little if any rear braking. Super dangerous in high speed braking situations. Easy to do, I can help out with anything mentioned above as I did all the work my self.

Cheers!

Lomo

Lomo, thanks for the input! In short, yes...33" will be entirely for looks while I am still in Japan. When I get back to the states in a year and have access to some decent off-road areas, then the 33" tires will be worth it. I will be getting the sway bar extenders, new brake lines, and the castor correction bushings before I get back to the states. My average speed on this island is about 30km since the speed limits are super low and everyone drives even slower...so I probably won't notice any handling issues. I'll have to get all of that corrected before getting back to the states though.

Thanks for clarifying the brake valve adjustment, sounds like its a must-do.

 

[nickolai]

My KZJ78 has a 2 inch EFS lift and caster correction.
I'm running 33x10.5 R15 BFG all terrians on 15x8 -22 offset wheels.

They fit fine but the clearance on the disc brake stone guard thing is about 15mm - if you needed big balance weights on the inside they might hit the rod end.

 

[OHnative7210]

Nikolai, thanks! I think I'll be alright with the -12 offset wheels...hopefully

 

[nickolai]

Nikolai, thanks! I think I'll be alright with the -12 offset wheels...hopefully

No worries - I googled for ages when I went with this combo so I feel your pain!