80 not so fun sway (1 Viewer)

[freebird]

I am new to the 80 as of yesterday. Picked a 91 w/ 180K miles in a trade. While driving on the highway I noticed a very touchy sway if the steering wheel was moved back and forth. I just lost a neice in an an SUV rollover and am little touchy. I figure shock replacement is first thing. Any other ideas?

Also I noticed that when I back off the accelerator there is a clunk of sorts and same when I press the accelerator after having backed off. I'm thinking U Joint. Does this sound right?

I have owned three 40's, currently have a 60 I am going to sell and just got the 80 so there never was any turning back. Any advice would be helpful.

Oh and one last thing. I think the stock rims are too narrow and wanted to put wider rims on it. Is an 8" going to stick out too much and what tires would you recommend for mostly highway/street and occassional offroad that are reasonable in cost, perform well and look cool. This is my son's car.

Thanks again!

 

[landtank]

If the truck is still stock then you might need to replace the springs as well as the shocks to get that sway under control. OME is pretty much the boards choice and they have a kit for a no lift situation that really improves the ride quality even over good factory springs.

The clunk is normal and one of the more common causes is the drive flanges at the front wheels. This is a full time 4X4 so they see constant action.

As for the tires you'll need to search. Tons of opinions out there and the stock rims should be fine especially since there is no aftermarket rim with the correct offset.

 

[Land Speeder]

As for rims, I have done 8" and 10" wide rims before on my 91, but have returned to the stock 7" wide rims. They just work...
I now even have 35x12.5 tires on my 15x7 rims. I would have never done it but a reputable shop owner told me it would work, and it is so nice for my scenario: Daily driver that I also off-road and can air down low enough without blowing my bead (sometimes 12psi). This might not be the setup you are after, but if need be, the 7" rims work very well.

Also, for sway, replace those worn-out swaybar bushings also when you buy new shocks and springs.

 

[dfmorse]

Free;

Try the Edlebrook IAS shocks. With OME springs the beast '80 will drive sort of like a sport car. I've had mine on for years and really like the seat of pants control.

...

 

[IdahoDoug]

Free,

Be advised that 93+ owners are advising from a much stiffer spring setup, so suggest you solicit 92 and older owners on springs/shocks. Hard to evaluate from afar, but a carefully tuned and matched set of 4 fresh factory shocks are less than $100 from Toyota. They're quality Tokico units, with welded on gravel shields and such.

An interesting mod might be to put a set of 93+ springs on it along with 93+ shocks as it would certainly be stiffer. Heck, for that matter you might order the 93+ shocks as they're also going to have more damping than new 92 shocks and will bolt right up.

I had a 92 before the current FZJs and felt it rode much better. The 93+ models handle much better though, so a tradeoff emerges.

DougM

 

[Kalawang]

I've reduced sway tremendously with the installation of stiff shocks. Ride also improved for me as I prefer a very stable drive.


Kalawang

 

[LCphil]

I too had twitchy steering and found that a front-end realignment made all the difference in the world. Just make sure they use the right specs.

 

[freebird]

80 fun sway

to all thanks for the input. I just ordered a OME 2" lift kit. Not too rad but, based on everyone's input seems a cross sectional good choice to get beefer springs and new shocks. Any advice ot how to's on replacing the control arm bushings other than a ball peen hammer and a twelve pack? My 60 has 33x12.50 ProComps on rock Crawlwers and I am thinking about moving them over to the 80. I think the rims are 10", is this too radical for a mostly highway machine? I'll mount them and see. Again, many thanks - Free

 

[concretejungle]

freebird, if you ordered from Slee, then he'll provide you with a press tool. If you take the arms to a shop with the tool, they are super easy to press in and press the old one's out. Without the tool, things get tricky.

 

[CJF]

I just ordered a OME 2" lift kit.

Whoa! You move fast! Congrat's.

Curtis
91FJ80