Intro/new HZJ73

[Croe]

Hello

New owner of a 96 HZJ73. Goals with are for it to be my daily driver and light off-roading rig. Short term plans are to go over what I have and start fresh with all the maintenance. Long term goals are upgrading the suspension, tires, some simple bumpers and a front winch. It needs some tools, a jack, and a spare to start for sure.

Initial thoughts
OME 2" med lift and some good shocks.
Looking at some 315/70R17 Toyo MTs, those are getting a bit dated, but its hard to find a modern tire that isn't a load range E
Rims I have no clue about, I know I want simple and no spacers.
Bumpers, something simple like the Trail gear rock defense.

If I ran out of stuff to do, if possible, converting one of these to AWD with a LSD in the rear and a locker in the front would be neat.

Obligatory pic

 

[OGBeno]

Welcome. We have an LC shop in Sonoita if you ever need any assistance. We work on 70 series trucks every day.

 

[FJBen]

Hello

New owner of a 96 HZJ73. Goals with are for it to be my daily driver and light off-roading rig. Short term plans are to go over what I have and start fresh with all the maintenance. Long term goals are upgrading the suspension, tires, some simple bumpers and a front winch. It needs some tools, a jack, and a spare to start for sure.

Initial thoughts
OME 2" med lift and some good shocks.
Looking at some 315/70R17 Toyo MTs, those are getting a bit dated, but its hard to find a modern tire that isn't a load range E
Rims I have no clue about, I know I want simple and no spacers.
Bumpers, something simple like the Trail gear rock defense.

If I ran out of stuff to do, if possible, converting one of these to AWD with a LSD in the rear and a locker in the front would be neat.

Obligatory pic

View attachment 4139482

Welcome! Nice cruiser. I’m not going to bash OME, they make great stuff but I believe you have better options now.

If I were redoing my BJ74 suspension, I would go straight to terrain tamer parabolic leaf setup with either their shocks or some dobinson mrr or IMS. The MMR would give the best flexibility.

Tires, I would also look at Yokohama G003 MT. I’ve been running those since 2019 (2 sets). Currently running 285/75r17. Not as wide which I like, and it’s easier on the truck. (34ish) and love these tires. Had great luck with them and a lot of people on here run them.

I would entertain Kenda Klever 35x10.50x17 as I’ve heard good reports on them. I believe @svsisu runs them on his troopy.

As for rims, there are options without spacers in 17 sizes…but not a ton. Nomad, Braid, OZ racing, Bradley V from 4x4 engineering are a few choices. You can also track down OEM style steel rims in 17” in the correct backspacing.

Now I’ve never driven an hzj73 on 35s, but the gist I get from people is it’s going to be more sluggish(er) than normal so maybe gears (tcase or diff) might w in the plan. A 10% underdrive would help for sure in the tcase

 

[svsisu]

I would entertain Kenda Klever 35x10.50x17 as I’ve heard good reports on them. I believe @svsisu runs them on his troopy.

Nice looking truck @Croe!

I do have those Kenda Klever tires and have been very happy with them. I rotate them, including the spare every oil change and they have worn nicely and are not too loud on the road. Offroad they perform well and are not so aggressive that they dig down in soft sand. I also like the 285/75R17 tire size. But, BUT, I have 4:1 tcase gears, so basically 10% underdrive in 2H, and I also have a turbo. I really need that rubber over drive to have a semblance of interstate speed capability. If I had stock gearing and a standard 1Hz I would go with the 16" 70 series rims (PN 42601-60262-03, I think?) and 255/85R16 tires, that seems to be the best all around combo for these trucks. The OEM rims are available from your local Toyota dealer and if you wait for a sale they can be had at a very affordable price. You can find 17" rims with the correct backspace, but they are pricey.

As for suspension upgrades have a look at the offerings from Dobinson's and the parabolic springs from Terrain Tamer.

 

[sark]

Welcome! Nice cruiser. I’m not going to bash OME, they make great stuff but I believe you have better options now.

If I were redoing my BJ74 suspension, I would go straight to terrain tamer parabolic leaf setup with either their shocks or some dobinson mrr or IMS. The MMR would give the best flexibility.

Tires, I would also look at Yokohama G003 MT. I’ve been running those since 2019 (2 sets). Currently running 285/75r17. Not as wide which I like, and it’s easier on the truck. (34ish) and love these tires. Had great luck with them and a lot of people on here run them.

I would entertain Kenda Klever 35x10.50x17 as I’ve heard good reports on them. I believe @svsisu runs them on his troopy.

As for rims, there are options without spacers in 17 sizes…but not a ton. Nomad, Braid, OZ racing, Bradley V from 4x4 engineering are a few choices. You can also track down OEM style steel rims in 17” in the correct backspacing.

Now I’ve never driven an hzj73 on 35s, but the gist I get from people is it’s going to be more sluggish(er) than normal so maybe gears (tcase or diff) might w in the plan. A 10% underdrive would help for sure in the tcase

Have you seen the Falken A/T4Ws that are now available in 255/85? C ply rating but seems like an interesting option since we only really have Coopers in AT to compete in that size.

 

[FJBen]

Have you seen the Falken A/T4Ws that are now available in 255/85? C ply rating but seems like an interesting option since we only really have Coopers in AT to compete in that size.

I run the a/t4w on my gx470 and daughters v8 4Runner. So far they have been great. The GX has 30k I think on them?

I wish there was a “close to 35” 16” skinny tire available so I could run my oem rims. The 17s definitely have more options but most people have to run spacers or search and pay for the right rims.

Mickey Thompson Baja boss AT comes in 255/85r17.

 

[Croe]

Welcome! Nice cruiser. I’m not going to bash OME, they make great stuff but I believe you have better options now.

If I were redoing my BJ74 suspension, I would go straight to terrain tamer parabolic leaf setup with either their shocks or some dobinson mrr or IMS. The MMR would give the best flexibility.

Tires, I would also look at Yokohama G003 MT. I’ve been running those since 2019 (2 sets). Currently running 285/75r17. Not as wide which I like, and it’s easier on the truck. (34ish) and love these tires. Had great luck with them and a lot of people on here run them.

I would entertain Kenda Klever 35x10.50x17 as I’ve heard good reports on them. I believe @svsisu runs them on his troopy.

As for rims, there are options without spacers in 17 sizes…but not a ton. Nomad, Braid, OZ racing, Bradley V from 4x4 engineering are a few choices. You can also track down OEM style steel rims in 17” in the correct backspacing.

Now I’ve never driven an hzj73 on 35s, but the gist I get from people is it’s going to be more sluggish(er) than normal so maybe gears (tcase or diff) might w in the plan. A 10% underdrive would help for sure in the tcase

I've seen the parabolics. I just cant get past the cost vs what you are getting. The price difference is substantial. Shackles, bushings, pins, u-bolts, have been sorted out for a long time. So that is a-lot of money for a 3 leaf spring pack. Soft ride spring kits started coming out for trucks in the late 80s or early 90s. So its not a big deal for current makers to speck some thin leaf's that flex. The spring packs seem thick also with the spacing between the leaves, so not even a tiny gain in clearance. For me I think OME springs and some really good shocks is a better bang for the buck.

I've looked at all the major tires. Finding a light duty tire in a 16 or 17 inch wheel is tough. Out of those the Toyo MT is the most aggressive. There were a few other.

There are quite a few 15" option, I didn't think to look at. If 15" rims fit, that wouldn't bother me.

If it's to slow with 35s I will regear.

 

[FJBen]

I've seen the parabolics. I just cant get past the cost vs what you are getting. The price difference is substantial. Shackles, bushings, pins, u-bolts, have been sorted out for a long time. So that is a-lot of money for a 3 leaf spring pack. Soft ride spring kits started coming out for trucks in the late 80s or early 90s. So its not a big deal for current makers to speck some thin leaf's that flex. The spring packs seem thick also with the spacing between the leaves, so not even a tiny gain in clearance. For me I think OME springs and some really good shocks is a better bang for the buck.

I've looked at all the major tires. Finding a light duty tire in a 16 or 17 inch wheel is tough. Out of those the Toyo MT is the most aggressive. There were a few other.

There are quite a few 15" option, I didn't think to look at. If 15" rims fit, that wouldn't bother me.

If it's to slow with 35s I will regear.

Well there is quite a bit of difference between parabolics and thin leaf packs with only a few leaves. Parabolics have many values above standard old leaf packs. They are a specific design to reduce friction with the space between leaves, also thicker in the middle.

Much lighter, better ride overall and much better unloaded ride and better flex.

If you just want to get the bang for buck, then slap ome and be done. If you want the above benefits and get a really nice ride performing setup, then go parabolic. The reviews have been really good on the ride quality.

If you need a whole new suspension, you are still replacing shackles, bushings, bolts anyway.

 

[Croe]

So I have put just over 1k kilometers on this thing as is. Mostly back roads and two tracks since I was waiting on my real license plate. Plan hasn't changed much. Front springs to get it to sit level. New bushing and shocks. I have decided on 33/12.5x15 with U bolts flips. Door sticker list stock tire as a 31/10.5x15. Current tires are just over 32' so 33 should be plenty good for what I need. Now looking at the Kenda Klevers, they are a nice looking tire and they make them in a C range for 15s. Only annoying thing is it seems to load up idling around the woods. I get back on the road and it wants to miss some until I stand on it and clean it out. I'm at 2k feet and up, if this was my Cummins I would be pulling fuel since even on the road it will smoke some. My bumper has some nice soot stains one it . No clue if this truck is stock, it runs about as good as any 96 vintage diesel. It will cruise 65 no problems. Obligatory pics.