06 LX470 newb: 10k to blow, what now?
- Thread starter Joe Bob
- Start date
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The few reasons typically given for moving from 18" OEM wheels to 16" wheels:
Arguments for keeping the 18" wheels (assuming you're looking for ~33" tires)
1) 18" tires tend to be more expensive.
2) Tire availability in BFE.
3) Alternate size options.
4) The extra sidewall height (21.25mm on 285/75R16 vs 275/70R18) to protect the wheel and potentially allow a little more airing down.
2) Tire availability in BFE.
3) Alternate size options.
4) The extra sidewall height (21.25mm on 285/75R16 vs 275/70R18) to protect the wheel and potentially allow a little more airing down.
Arguments for keeping the 18" wheels (assuming you're looking for ~33" tires)
1) You already have them (no additional cost).
2) The 275/70R18 is about the same price as a 285/75R16.
3) With the number of trucks now using the 275/70R18 tire as an OEM size, they should be fairly easy to come by.
4) Aftermarket wheels in "5 on 150" are almost non-existent in 16" (generally geared toward the tundra in 18" or larger) so you're mostly limited to OEM wheels for an earlier model year 100 series, if you have to have 16" wheels.
2) The 275/70R18 is about the same price as a 285/75R16.
3) With the number of trucks now using the 275/70R18 tire as an OEM size, they should be fairly easy to come by.
4) Aftermarket wheels in "5 on 150" are almost non-existent in 16" (generally geared toward the tundra in 18" or larger) so you're mostly limited to OEM wheels for an earlier model year 100 series, if you have to have 16" wheels.
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There was a thread on the 80s tech section on what would you do different if you had to "do it all over again" with modding a truck.
Wife and family? Keep your truck stock. Maybe new tires. Remove running boards. Done.
If you're so inclined to spend $10k, then go purchase a $6k or so LC/LX and spend the $4k wisely on mods that you truly/realistically think you're going to need (not just want because).
$$$ave your money. You have a 90k service in the future. That's a $1k+ hit unless you know how to wrench.
Wife and family? Keep your truck stock. Maybe new tires. Remove running boards. Done.
If you're so inclined to spend $10k, then go purchase a $6k or so LC/LX and spend the $4k wisely on mods that you truly/realistically think you're going to need (not just want because).
$$$ave your money. You have a 90k service in the future. That's a $1k+ hit unless you know how to wrench.
arcteryx
Supporting Vendor
Nice find. Before any mods, I'd do some PM work. Timing belt and water pump for sure. Your below the miles but well past the timeframe.
I have had a couple trucks with rear swingouts and they are a pain for DD, so think hard about that. A fridge is invaluable, we use ours all the time.
Sliders are good, I like these due to their stock look , which is helpful if you have kids. Custom Made Step Sliders For Toyota Land Cruiser
I have had a couple trucks with rear swingouts and they are a pain for DD, so think hard about that. A fridge is invaluable, we use ours all the time.
Sliders are good, I like these due to their stock look , which is helpful if you have kids. Custom Made Step Sliders For Toyota Land Cruiser
This.
I have a stock 05 LX which I gave to my wife because as soon as she drove it I got the guilt trip to sell her Acura MDX. So all my plans to mod the LX went out the window. I got myself a LC and have been loving choosing between either a soft smooth 100, or a badass one.
But, I realize having two 100's isn't for everyone. So as others have suggested, just putting on 33s, removing the running boards and sliders will still be comfy for the wife while being very capable off road.
Bomar
SILVER Star
You bet me too that rig. Great service records.
PM
Tires
Sliders
Recovery Points/gear
Rear auto locker
Light front bumper [dont know how much weight AHC can handle]
Winch
Thats what i would do. You can do allot with a stock LX, you already have a 2" lift anytime you need it. Tires are first for traction 33/34 would be my choice. Remove running boards and add sliders so kids and wife can get it. Recovery points and gear are a must, dont need to go crazy tho. Never had a rear auto locker, but i think bang for buck it would make a for a great addition. Front armor and winch cuz the locker will get you where you should not have gone.
I like the blueberry bumper. My .02 cents list. This is my list of what i would do. I bought my LC 4 months ago and im still doing baseline pm stuff. Next year will be the tie rod, manifold, and check the rack and pinion. If any money left over maybe tires. Then the fun will start....
Tires
Sliders
Recovery Points/gear
Rear auto locker
Light front bumper [dont know how much weight AHC can handle]
Winch
Thats what i would do. You can do allot with a stock LX, you already have a 2" lift anytime you need it. Tires are first for traction 33/34 would be my choice. Remove running boards and add sliders so kids and wife can get it. Recovery points and gear are a must, dont need to go crazy tho. Never had a rear auto locker, but i think bang for buck it would make a for a great addition. Front armor and winch cuz the locker will get you where you should not have gone.
I like the blueberry bumper. My .02 cents list. This is my list of what i would do. I bought my LC 4 months ago and im still doing baseline pm stuff. Next year will be the tie rod, manifold, and check the rack and pinion. If any money left over maybe tires. Then the fun will start....
- Thread starter
- #29
It does have ahc. At least I believe it does. I think ahc is standard on the LX470. I haven't seen any threads out there, but does anyone know if they make beefed up ahc components that can handle the additional weight of a front bumper?
Here's my 2cents.
You have a LX470. I believe Slee's bumper looks best on the LX. I like ARB but something about that smooth design of the Slee gets me. I'll be getting a Slee bumper for mine soon. I also like the Slee Skid plates which I currently have and are awesome. I took my LX to CO for and Slee removed the AHC and put Medium OME kit in with UCA. It rides more planted and no too rough.
As far as wheels/tires. I LOVE the OEM 18s like yours. I have 17inc TRD Rock Warrior wheels with 33inch tires and the only other wheel I'd want are yours. I'd say, keep them. Toyo makes a great All Terrain with great mileage warranty. They never failed me even on slick ice. I also had no rubbing issues even with stock suspension with 33inch. There is one spot you might want to heatgun flat. It's a useless little part in the front fender liner that sticks out. You'll rub there no matter what. I cut mine off but I think the better route would be to super heat and flatten it.
I'm very partial to Slee because of how well I was treated. Why not just take the rig to them and just go nuts on parts. Drive home a new rig.
You have a LX470. I believe Slee's bumper looks best on the LX. I like ARB but something about that smooth design of the Slee gets me. I'll be getting a Slee bumper for mine soon. I also like the Slee Skid plates which I currently have and are awesome. I took my LX to CO for and Slee removed the AHC and put Medium OME kit in with UCA. It rides more planted and no too rough.
As far as wheels/tires. I LOVE the OEM 18s like yours. I have 17inc TRD Rock Warrior wheels with 33inch tires and the only other wheel I'd want are yours. I'd say, keep them. Toyo makes a great All Terrain with great mileage warranty. They never failed me even on slick ice. I also had no rubbing issues even with stock suspension with 33inch. There is one spot you might want to heatgun flat. It's a useless little part in the front fender liner that sticks out. You'll rub there no matter what. I cut mine off but I think the better route would be to super heat and flatten it.
I'm very partial to Slee because of how well I was treated. Why not just take the rig to them and just go nuts on parts. Drive home a new rig.
Vasopressor
SILVER Star
I was ready to pull the trigger on this one, but was sold by the time I called. Glad it went to a member. Can't wait to see the build up.
bluecruiser
SILVER Star
Time to do a little research....lots of threads about AHC, removing AHC, living happily with AHC and everything in between. Nobody makes ' beefed up' AHC components, at least that are marketed to the masses and readily available.
Make it easy on yourself- just ship it to SLEE, and have him install the following:
1. OME 2 1/2" lift with heavy springs
2. Diff drop
3. Front blueberry bumper and Warn 9.5x winch
4. Rear Slee bumper w/ dual swing outs and a fuel can carrier
He'll tear out the AHC and you'll never look back- at least that's what I did and I've never regretted a single mod.
1. OME 2 1/2" lift with heavy springs
2. Diff drop
3. Front blueberry bumper and Warn 9.5x winch
4. Rear Slee bumper w/ dual swing outs and a fuel can carrier
He'll tear out the AHC and you'll never look back- at least that's what I did and I've never regretted a single mod.
Basically what I said.... But add skid plates.
i would do sliders firsts
Are you planning on doing the installs yourself or are you paying somebody? I ask because $10k sounds like a lot, but it won't do everything on your list if you're paying somebody to install it.
I had a big chunk of the work on my truck done at Slee (AHC removal + OME install) but you're probably closer to Cruiser Outfitters, which is another excellent land cruiser shop.
Here's my build thread: Texascrane Build Thread
I want to say that it was roughly $6k for Slee to remove my AHC, install the 1.5" heavy OME kit with UCA, install an ARB bullbar, and install Slee step sliders. Add a Slee or ARB rear bumper (the ARB is going to cost more to have installed as it's pretty complicated - I know one shop here locally charges 8 hours of labor for an ARB rear bumper install) and you're probably right at $10k. You'd probably save about $2k doing all of that yourself.
I would personally keep the 18" wheels. I've looked for 16's myself. While the extra sidewall is certainly nice, they're getting hard to find and people have issues with them catching rocks up against the rotor. Figure that Tires are going to cost you at least $1k for a set (maybe closer to $1250), a roof rack will run you between $800 and $1400 depending on brand/features, and a full set of skid plates will be about $1100.
You don't mention a winch, but you can figure another $1k if that's something you need as well (plus another couple hundred in recovery gear if you don't already own it).
So my rough estimate is that you can do pretty much your entire list for $15k. I think you can probably do the top part of the list for $10k, but you won't have much, if anything left for the bottom part.
- Thread starter
- #37
I'm thinking that I would like to do the work myself. I have a buddy that will likely help. Some of the work seems pretty straight forward. As long as I don't need to purchase expense one off tools to get the job done it makes sense to me to learn the ins and outs of the rig. I don't mind getting my hands dirty.
I think I'm going to start with sliders, roof rack and tires. I think Slee sliders with the step is my slider of choice so far. Still not sure about the tires or roof rack. There's just so much info out there I'm getting stuck doing research for ever! LOL.
- Thread starter
- #38
Yeah. I'm going to create a thread for the build once I get it in my possession. It's get shipped hopefully tomorrow!
Vasopressor
SILVER Star
