My Lightweight Daily Driver Build in 2024 - '08 Salsa Red Pearl w/ARB OME + BFG KO2 (1 Viewer)

[ABadSanta]

Hey MUDers. Long-time lurker, first-time contributor. Sharing my build in the hopes I can pay it forward and help others who might be considering similar modifications.

First I'll start with the 200 itself. Bought it last year (2023) soon after 200 LC (not LX) prices dropped under $30k. I came from a 1997 80-Series that I loved but sold on BringaTrailer because it didn't fit my needs well enough, as awesome as 80s are. One day I'll get my dream-spec 80...I digress.

2008 Salsa Red Pearl over tan. 230k-ish miles. Sold new in California and hasn't left the state since. Owned since new by an affluent family who traded it in for a brand new fully-optioned XC90. Saw the ad within a couple hours of it going up and the price was right. Pictures below from the inaugural drive home, camping trips, at my Toyota mechanic's shop, etc in the first few months of ownership.

Then I was ready to modify it to my liking, which meant a lift and tires. I read over @Crab Sack 's "The Satchel" post multiple times, as he did the exact ARB Old Man Emu suspension setup I wanted to do. I found the same parts on Mudify and placed my order. @Crab Sack you're awesome and thank you.

Wheel-wise, @Crab Sack went with aftermarket wheels though I wanted to stay stock, so I just needed tires and wheel spacers. I wanted 275/70/r18 because that would give me a 33.2" wheel but would be a touch skinnier than stock, which I also like. I was choosing between BFGoodrich KO2s (had them on my 80 and they were great), Falken Wildpeaks, and Yokohama Geolander G015s. In that size, KO2s turned out to be the cheapest by a meaningful amount and add the discount I get through work, I was able to get 4 KO2s for a solid price from Tire Rack.

I went with 1.25" Bora wheel spacers after some research here. Just enough of a spacer to clear the factory studs and prevent more rubbing, but not too thick where the wheels would be sticking out past the arches.

Story continued in next post:

 

[ABadSanta]

Here's where things got tricky and annoying and it all started a whole saga of trial and error. After ordering the same exact parts, Mudify called me and told me ARB were transitioning away from those front suspension parts and were being discontinued. No more 2702 front springs and 91005 front struts. Instead, they're making one front spring option (4019) and one adjustable front strut (93005) for 200s. I assume they did this to save money by manufacturing just 1 spring rather than a series of them depending on intended lift height. Mudify assured me I could still get the same 2" lift and the parts didn't cost any more than what the outgoing parts cost. The most critical part here: these adjustable struts are adjustable in that they come with little metal spring spacers that go around the strut below the spring seat. Mudify told me using no ring space under the spring seat would give me the same lift as the outgoing 2702 springs. So shortly thereafter, the parts came and after installation here's what it looked like:

And then with the tires and spacers on:

At first glance it looked pretty good but I was really frustrated because there was a ton of rake. SO MUCH rake (to me). I wanted it to be about level with just a small amount of rake like @Crab Sack 's build. Hub to arch in the rear was 23" but it was 21" in the front and you can tell. Basically, the guy who called me from Mudify was wrong and I needed to start from scratch in the front and put that taller ring spacer on. There are 2 sets that come with the struts. One set about maybe half a cm which seems like it would barely do anything, and the taller one I needed installed: it's about 1-1.5"-ish tall (wide however you want to describe it) and I knew it would give me the lift I was looking for.

Story continued in next post...

 

[ABadSanta]

And finally with that spacer on, it was complete! Pictures below. I'm so happy with how it turned out. Some notes after everything was done:

• There's still some rake, but now the front is about 22"-ish from hub to arch. It honestly makes a huge difference in the stance and I can even tell when I'm sitting in it. Totally fine with the rake to account for people and cargo for camping trips.
• Front mud guards needed to come off because of rubbing. There's still some rub on the front, especially if I'm on an incline and fully locked to one side but it's not a big deal. If you go with a tire that is less squared-off like KO2s or with 32.6" tires you'll probably rub a lot less / barely.
• 1.25" spacers are perfect and would highly recommend if you're choosing between 1.25" vs 1.5"
• The OME setup is awesome and they must be the strongest or one of the strongest options. I can tell by the construction and how well designed and made they are. It's a harder ride than stock, but I had to accept that if I wanted to do a lift via aftermarket suspension.
• Of course because it has larger diameter wheels, it's slower and thirstier than with the stock 31.5" tires. I could get almost 20 mpg on the highway on the stock 285/60 Michelins. Now I'm getting at best about 16-17 mpg on the highway. Still better than the 80 though. At best I got 13-14 which apparently is pretty good for an 80.

Let me know if you have any questions. Happy MUDing.

ABadSanta

 

[abadlydriven]

it’s like an OEM+ build

 

[Boston Mangler]

Excellent!

 

[RT Cruiser]

We have a 2008 red salsa as well. Best color ever!

 

[scargreen]

2014 Salsa red here, and love the leveled look you have now!

 

[Heckraiser]

looks great. That's a sweet pickup you've got there too.

 

[CT3]

Looks great, well done! My next build will be something like this — “fast and light”