foolforthecity
SILVER Star
2021 LC with 23,000 miles. I purchased new and have been slowly adding modifications and now it is time for a lift. I have DIY'd 100% of the work to this point and don't plan to change that if I can help it. I plan to keep this vehicle forever so everything I do I want to do to it right with a long term view.
Use case:
Daily Driver - 10-12k miles per year.
Car camping, fishing, hiking, skiing, biking, road trips.
I transport bikes with a hitch mounted carrier and on the roof with a rhino rack attachment to the rhino platform.
I transport skis on the rhino rack with a rhino ski carrier attachment.
I transport a hitch mounted stowaway rear cargo carrier for pavement road trips.
Other than forest service and fire roads I will do ~3 to 6 dedicated off road excursions per year. I am not afraid to run it hard off road and will take risks but this is a DD so I try not to tackle trails that are too advanced or highly technical but some of the trails I run do require driver skill and are reasonably technical or >intermediate. No rock gardens for me. Lots of creeks and puddles but no deep water crossings.
Most all of this is done with my wife and three kids in tow + a vehicle full of gear. In other words the rig is pretty darn heavy on the trails.
Major mods/weight additions so far:
I want to make sure the lift that I choose can accommodate the weight I have added to the rig.
BB Sliders
BB Skids. Bash plate is steel and rest of the skids are aluminum for weight savings. I skipped the gas tank skid (for now but may add later)
Trail Tailor hidden winch mount + 12k winch.
Dissent aluminum rear bumper.
Rhino rack platform on roof.
There are a bunch of other mods but this list cover the ones that added the most weight.
Mods I am considering in the future (more weight added):
On board air
Lockers
Dual Battery
BB Gas tank skid
Rear mounted tire carrier for Dissent bumper
I am NOT considering a front bumper
I WILL keep the third row and will not add drawers
I DON'T tow other than when I rent equipment occasionally
I am currently running 275/70/r18 Toyo AT3 and will keep that set-up initially. I have the OEM spacers with 1.25 spidertrax and I did not rub at all until I added the weight of the winch mount + winch and now I rub at full lock. That tire size is just "good enough" for the trails that I do but I would consider a slightly larger size if the lift could accommodate it.
Installation difficulty is a consideration since I will be tackling this alone without a lift. I DIY'd the OEM spacers so I am reasonably capable. Are some lifts easier to install than others? Do I really need to add aftermarket UCAs? These are questions I don't fully understand.
I am looking for the best blend of performance for a DD without having to sacrifice off-road capability and long term durability.
Thanks for the insight fellow mud members!
Use case:
Daily Driver - 10-12k miles per year.
Car camping, fishing, hiking, skiing, biking, road trips.
I transport bikes with a hitch mounted carrier and on the roof with a rhino rack attachment to the rhino platform.
I transport skis on the rhino rack with a rhino ski carrier attachment.
I transport a hitch mounted stowaway rear cargo carrier for pavement road trips.
Other than forest service and fire roads I will do ~3 to 6 dedicated off road excursions per year. I am not afraid to run it hard off road and will take risks but this is a DD so I try not to tackle trails that are too advanced or highly technical but some of the trails I run do require driver skill and are reasonably technical or >intermediate. No rock gardens for me. Lots of creeks and puddles but no deep water crossings.
Most all of this is done with my wife and three kids in tow + a vehicle full of gear. In other words the rig is pretty darn heavy on the trails.
Major mods/weight additions so far:
I want to make sure the lift that I choose can accommodate the weight I have added to the rig.
BB Sliders
BB Skids. Bash plate is steel and rest of the skids are aluminum for weight savings. I skipped the gas tank skid (for now but may add later)
Trail Tailor hidden winch mount + 12k winch.
Dissent aluminum rear bumper.
Rhino rack platform on roof.
There are a bunch of other mods but this list cover the ones that added the most weight.
Mods I am considering in the future (more weight added):
On board air
Lockers
Dual Battery
BB Gas tank skid
Rear mounted tire carrier for Dissent bumper
I am NOT considering a front bumper
I WILL keep the third row and will not add drawers
I DON'T tow other than when I rent equipment occasionally
I am currently running 275/70/r18 Toyo AT3 and will keep that set-up initially. I have the OEM spacers with 1.25 spidertrax and I did not rub at all until I added the weight of the winch mount + winch and now I rub at full lock. That tire size is just "good enough" for the trails that I do but I would consider a slightly larger size if the lift could accommodate it.
Installation difficulty is a consideration since I will be tackling this alone without a lift. I DIY'd the OEM spacers so I am reasonably capable. Are some lifts easier to install than others? Do I really need to add aftermarket UCAs? These are questions I don't fully understand.
I am looking for the best blend of performance for a DD without having to sacrifice off-road capability and long term durability.
Thanks for the insight fellow mud members!