LX700h Overtrail On Portals?

[LostInTranslation]

Biggest downside of LX700h Overtrail will be angles... Approach/Departure, etc.
LX600 Approach is 25.9-27.4 (AHC High 2) and Departure is 24.9-26.3 (AHC High 2)

Obviously, cutting the bumpers will help, but this be overcome with Portals? I calculate that 74weld Portals and 35"'s would get you 46 degrees of approach and 45.4 departure in High 2. Now, my math is probably flawed, LOL.... but I'm open for discussion!

 

[Oakleyguy]

Bumpers and 35s will do wonders for approach and departure angles.

I do those long before I'd ever consider portals.

 

[LostInTranslation]

Bumpers and 35s will do wonders for approach and departure angles.

I do those long before I'd ever consider portals.

On the opposite side of the country than you, and the only real bumpers are DISSENT. Shipping the truck (Round trip) is $6k... plus the bumpers. Portals are cheaper...

 

[Oakleyguy]

On the opposite side of the country than you, and the only real bumpers are DISSENT. Shipping the truck (Round trip) is $6k... plus the bumpers. Portals are cheaper...

Slee is about to release their front bumper and has historically shipped it so it can be installed locally.

Portals are going to be around 20k just for parts.

 

[ikarus]

Does Dissent not ship bumpers anymore?

Portals are awesome in theory but it's as big a rabbit hole as long travel. While I do think it would be cool to have a stock-ish 200 or 300 on portals and some great ground clearance, in practice it seems like a big headache for minimal gains:

- super heavy, at least 2-300 extra lbs of unsprung mass depending on the portal manufacturer
- oil changes required every 3K I believe
- More expensive than you expect, I know of a Tacoma guy who's past $30K into his portals and supporting mods
- still need fab work, body mount chops, fender clearancing etc to fit larger tires
- gear reduction might not be right for 35s. Most guys go with 40s on portals. Could be doable if you do portals and diff gears to find the right ratio for 35s
- Can't add a supercharger like every other old Toyota does when they get portals. Will the 700 have enough power to lug around all that weight? no idea
- Most people upgrade brakes at the same time
- Portals add 8" of extra width, and wheels have to be low offset. Before you know it your track width is wider than a Humvee, no joke
- Most Toyota guys upgrade to 200 Series steering racks and other components with portals. With the 700 there's nothing to upgrade to. Hopefully it can handle it
- Can AHC handle portals? That's a lot of extra mass for the dampers to control, say if you hit a pothole or rut at speed. Would be interesting to see someone test it.

Just my $0.02. If you're someone who looks at that list and thinks nah, it'll be fun - I genuinely say go for it. I would love watching that build thread. But for me the cons outweigh the pros.

 

[LostInTranslation]

Does Dissent not ship bumpers anymore?

Portals are awesome in theory but it's as big a rabbit hole as long travel. While I do think it would be cool to have a stock-ish 200 or 300 on portals and some great ground clearance, in practice it seems like a big headache for minimal gains:

- super heavy, at least 2-300 extra lbs of unsprung mass depending on the portal manufacturer
- oil changes required every 3K I believe
- More expensive than you expect, I know of a Tacoma guy who's past $30K into his portals and supporting mods
- still need fab work, body mount chops, fender clearancing etc to fit larger tires
- gear reduction might not be right for 35s. Most guys go with 40s on portals. Could be doable if you do portals and diff gears to find the right ratio for 35s
- Can't add a supercharger like every other old Toyota does when they get portals. Will the 700 have enough power to lug around all that weight? no idea
- Most people upgrade brakes at the same time
- Portals add 8" of extra width, and wheels have to be low offset. Before you know it your track width is wider than a Humvee, no joke
- Most Toyota guys upgrade to 200 Series steering racks and other components with portals. With the 700 there's nothing to upgrade to. Hopefully it can handle it
- Can AHC handle portals? That's a lot of extra mass for the dampers to control, say if you hit a pothole or rut at speed. Would be interesting to see someone test it.

Just my $0.02. If you're someone who looks at that list and thinks nah, it'll be fun - I genuinely say go for it. I would love watching that build thread. But for me the cons outweigh the pros.

Interesting take. I know that 74weld portals supposedly way 30-35% less than others, because they are all aluminum, and on the new gen Toyotas the width is only 2.75” per side, so 5.5” width gain. As far as oil changes, they recommend every 5k miles, so basically every time you change oil.

I was aware at the need for positive offset rims.

Power is the big question. I have lot owned a Toyota product in years, but rented a 2021 4runner TTD Pro in Denver in November and found it severely lacking in power. I know the LX700h should be able to overcome that.

Still an interesting discussion topic.

 

[ikarus]

Interesting take. I know that 74weld portals supposedly way 30-35% less than others, because they are all aluminum, and on the new gen Toyotas the width is only 2.75” per side, so 5.5” width gain. As far as oil changes, they recommend every 5k miles, so basically every time you change oil.

I was aware at the need for positive offset rims.

Power is the big question. I have lot owned a Toyota product in years, but rented a 2021 4runner TTD Pro in Denver in November and found it severely lacking in power. I know the LX700h should be able to overcome that.

Still an interesting discussion topic.

Oh interesting, I was just going off what I know about their old design for Toyotas and what my Jeep friends have told me.

Just looked through their official spec sheet on the new-gen Toyota portals and they still recommend 3K oil changes.

https://motorsports.74weld.com/wp-content/uploads/N400-PORTALS-FEATURES-AND-BENEFITS.pdf

You're right, they're narrower than the old gen. Looks like an improvement. Lot of portal axle IFS vehicles end up looking like they have 6" wheel spacers. haha

And yes 74weld are much lighter than the heavier Werewolf portals that have been around. 206 lbs vs 368 lbs according to this writeup:

Toyota 4Runner & Tacoma Portal Axles - 74Weld Vs. Werewolf

Everything you need to know about 74Weld Portals and Werewolf Portals! A complete breakdown of Portal Axles and what to know before you buy.

trail4runner.com

(That doesn't account for the weight of the stock knuckle you would remove)

IDK to be honest they're growing on me. Maybe I'll try a set one day.

Yes the 700 power is going to be a million times better than the T4R. I took one on a test drive and couldn't believe how slow it was. haha. The LX600s I have driven had a good amount of power, better than my 200.

One thing to consider though is that I think you would end up needing to get bumpers anyway, or at least do some significant chopping up front. With a 6" width increase you essentially have 3" spacers on each side and I imagine you'll have some clearance issues running into the front bumper and body mount when you turn. Not to mention you’d have to figure out how to carry a full size 35-37” spare

 

[Jetboy]

I think the question for me is why? What is the use case for an LX700 on portals? Most side by sides will run circles around a LX700 on portals for around the same cost as the portal boxes. And you could just use the LX to tow it to the trailhead in comfort. If you put portals on an LX, you'll be trailering the LX only to have a hot mess of a vehicle that weighs more than a humvee, has less cargo volume than a Rav4, doesn't do luxury or offroad super well, and may be impossible to service in 10 years if the portal parts are no longer available. I know it's blasphemy, but even something like a Corolla Cross on portals would probably make more sense.

For a show truck that you take to the local car show? Sure - LX on portals sounds great.

Also - the full size portals are wildly expensive vs the side by side versions. My next build I'd like to do once I'm back in civilization with a shop is a 5 door Jimny on portals. Probably UTV portals with a set of UTV tracks for winter. It weighs almost the same as a Ranger 1000 crew with the cab on and less than a Canam Defender fully kitted out. And all-in I think I'd be into it less than just the portal conversion for an LX. The LX would make a very nice tow vehicle to the trails for it.

 

[RS6tofj80]

I debated Portals vs. a fully functionaly 4" lift on the G55.... the downside no one really talks about is that they really don't do well at higher extended speeds.... almost all void any sort of warranty if run over 90, LETech and Werewolf both advised also against them with the built G55 motor(580hp/ 740 ft/lbs), in spite of my doing a Southern Hotrod tranny .... they said the gears or shafts would be the next weak spot, and a spendy one....

something to consider and ask questions if your seriously thinking about them...... for my use case being able to do extended high speeds was the whole reason to move from a 200 series.

E