OK, newby-ish. i know, i know - search, stickies, etc. have some ?s.

[therealdutch]

so, here's some background. I've got an '09 GX470 w/ Toytec spacers, tricked rear bags, and i can't even remember what size tires i have because of everything being metric now (versus when i was a Ford Bronco kid running 33x12.5's) but they're about 33" duratrac's. for the last 3 mos we were searching for an early 200 series for my wife to replace her RX330 b/c growing family, and we had convinced ourselves we could tolerate the look of them (disclosure - my wife's first car was an 80 series, so she's a LC girl through and through). i just happened to stumble on a local FZJ100 over the weekend that would mean rather than spend $40-$45k for a '12/13 w/ 70k we could get an '06 w/ 145k miles and w/ trade, i'm in it for about $11k. she averages 5,000 miles a year, so the mileage isn't a big deal on a LC that has never seen salt/chems (all texas owned/life) on inspection, it was clearly a DFW commuter cruiser w/ 15k a year average.
So, here's my krux. i've spent the last couple mos researching what i want to do with a '97 T4R that i was going to use as a 'stop-gap' because her RX had some issues with the light ballasts that i didn't want to spend $1500 to fix (i can fix almost anything with time/research, but didn't have the ability to pull a car apart and leave disassembled for days while I worked on it). I have the T4R & my GX as spares while i make improvements to the 2006 LC.

So, considering 2 little kids (3 & 7) a lift is fine on the GX even w/o running boards, i want to run the biggest tires on the 18's that came on the LC and i'm seeing numbers all over the board. i don't want to mess with the suspension on the LC (for now ), but she's good with the max tire height/width i can shove under there. also, i have to consider that the front bumper is cracked from a minor 'parking lot 'eff-up' - wife, again, is all for a steel aftermarket bumper. she likes the slee. i do too; ARB seems to be least expensive, but looks meh. what about install? anyone in DFW able to help me?

so, all that backstory for, adding bumper with weight (winch later, but that will come w/ beefy springs), what can i do for tires? i know w/ my GX it makes a diff. don't know much about the 100 b/c it really just fell in my lap.

so, long story short - short order needs - steel/aftermarket bumper and aggressive large tires on 18" rims.

don't shoot me for the most basic violation of 'yote forums - i'm going to mexico in a couple days and want to have some guidance to what to do when i get back. (oh and new wheels aren't totally out of the question b/c i HATE chrome).

thanks for any help, or just links to your own threads.

 

[TwiceWithHair]

Feature.

Pics.

Newbie guide.

Largest tire size.

Literally the 4th click down in the FAQ. Could've clicked it in 1/20 the time it took you to write your thread. 285/65/18 or 275/70/18 are what you're looking at. Lots of people like Slee's bumper. Pick a tire in one of those sizes. Buy your bumper. You're set. IMO.


...via IH8MUD app

 

[therealdutch]

Sorry and thanks. I know forum frustration, I'm just new to the 100 and literally have spent half a day on them. My concern was weight of bumper affecting tires (not afraid to trim it cut).

And I just like to type


Sent from my iPhone

 

[TwiceWithHair]

If you have AHC I can't help you. If you don't have AHC, you may want a torsion bar crank to adjust height for the weight of the bumper. Tires shouldn't care about the weight though. Good luck and have fun! Love my cruiser. Reckon I'll be the last owner unless something crazy happens in my life.


...via IH8MUD app

 

[TexasCrane]

Adding a bumper should be fine. 275/70r18 are the largest tire you can fit. As previously mentioned, if you don't have AHC, you may need to tweak the torsion bars to accommodate the extra weight of the bumper. If you do have AHC, the system will accomodate the extra weight of the bumper. However, you probably want to get the techstream software/cable off of amazon and use that to adjust the torsion bars and make sure that the AHC pressures are in spec. Chances are they're already high and adding a bumper will only increase it.

FWIW, the ARB bumpers are airbag tested/certified. That was a big part of why I went that direction on mine.

 

[therealdutch]

Adding a bumper should be fine. 275/70r18 are the largest tire you can fit. As previously mentioned, if you don't have AHC, you may need to tweak the torsion bars to accommodate the extra weight of the bumper. If you do have AHC, the system will accomodate the extra weight of the bumper. However, you probably want to get the techstream software/cable off of amazon and use that to adjust the torsion bars and make sure that the AHC pressures are in spec. Chances are they're already high and adding a bumper will only increase it.

FWIW, the ARB bumpers are airbag tested/certified. That was a big part of why I went that direction on mine.

Thanks TxCrane. i see you're in NTX. did you put your ARB on yourself, or have it installed somewhere. i hadn't even considered airbag compatibility but that is definitely important since it's a DD. what shops in DFW/North Tx have you (or anyone for that matter) had good experience with?

 

[Hayes]

I'm skeptical that "airbag certified" is actually meaningful. Airbag deployment is not directly related to the bumper. That said, ARB bumpers are nice. Not sure about install on the ARB, but the Slee front bumper does require some simple cutting and drilling.

As others have said, dealing with added bumper weight depends on whether or not you have AHC on your truck.

I ran 275/70R18 tires for a bit, and it's a nice size.

 

[TexasCrane]

I'm skeptical that "airbag certified" is actually meaningful. Airbag deployment is not directly related to the bumper. That said, ARB bumpers are nice. Not sure about install on the ARB, but the Slee front bumper does require some simple cutting and drilling.

As others have said, dealing with added bumper weight depends on whether or not you have AHC on your truck.

I ran 275/70R18 tires for a bit, and it's a nice size.

Airbag deployment absolutely is related to the bumper. Here's the statement from ARB's website:

With an air bag equipped 4x4 it is essential that the vehicle's crush rate and air bag triggering is not altered when a bull bar is installed. To ensure compatibility, ARB assesses each vehicle's frontal crush characteristics and replicates the crush rate into the design of each air bag compatible bull bar and its mounting system. This method enables engineers to achieve maximum possible vehicle and passenger protection without affecting the crash pulse. ARB has invested heavily in vehicle crash barrier tests to validate the performance and compliance of its air bag compatible bull bars, and as a consequence, our bars offer a far greater level of protection than most standard brush guards and grille guards.

Please note that a few of the bumpers for older model vehicles are not air-bag compatible, refer to the Vehicle Application Guide for confirmation.

Here's a video from them explaining it:


There's a good thread about this over on expo: Aftermarket front bumpers and air bag systems - Expedition Portal

 

[TexasCrane]

Thanks TxCrane. i see you're in NTX. did you put your ARB on yourself, or have it installed somewhere. i hadn't even considered airbag compatibility but that is definitely important since it's a DD. what shops in DFW/North Tx have you (or anyone for that matter) had good experience with?

My bumper was actually installed by Slee when I was out in Colorado. I've had good experiences with baertrax and Toyota of Dallas.