Stock 80 Capabilities

[Marco Lau]

To say an 80 is no more capable than a Subaru is horseshìt.

A stock 80 with a skilled driver will out drive a moderately built 4x4 with a shït driver.

A stock 80 vs stock taco, I'll take the 80 any day, thanks. All else being equal (wheels, lift, lockers, sliders etc) I'll still take the fat ass 80

The thing that will most easily stop an unlocked 80 (or any rig) is loss of ground pressure under one tyre on the front, and one on the rear axle.
The classic example of this is front right unloaded, rear left unloaded, visa v.
Then you'll have a wheel on each side spinning due to loss of traction.
Clever lines, and wheel placement can avoid this in a LOT of situations.
Then fairly supple suspension in stock form (overall) will allow more articulation in these scenarios than many other vehicles to keep traction longer.

The 80 suspension has fairly long links in the rear, and, five link (four link with panhard) in the rear gives a lot of articulation, and let's you stuff rear wheels high into fat fender wells.
No taco in stock form is gonna match it.
Front radius arms are a good length, but the bushing arrangement on the front makes them stiffer than the rear, but still gives a lot of articulation when loaded up.

Have wheeled with many versions of hilux (taco) 4runner, landcruisers of all types, prado, Nissan Patrol (safari), land rovers etc
Compare stock for stock in the era before electronic traction control, a '90s land rover defender is about the only stock, readily available, mass production 4x4 that I would say out drives an 80. Nissan patrol of the same vintage is very similar, but slightly hamstrung by shorter suspension links and coils, and weaker birfs.

Linked rear 4 runners, and hilux surf (similar to 4runner) were obviously hamstrung by having shorter rear links, and short armed IFS, and reduced articulation at both ends

i never said that..lol and i own both.
My point is, i would not be rock crawling without sliders. end of story

 

[SaturnAscends]

why risk it, sliders are cheap insurance compared to most mods or head gasket maintenance...lol

Yea the white knuckle ones aren’t cheap though, and those are the ones I’d go for.

 

[Marco Lau]

Yea the white knuckle ones aren’t cheap though, and those are the ones I’d go for

Agreed, nothing is cheap for the 80s when it comes to mods.

 

[SaturnAscends]

Agreed, nothing is cheap for the 80s when it comes to mods.

Cheaper than denting the rocker panels though. One thing I’ve learned lately is you’ve gotta pay to play, especially in the rocks!

 

[Heckraiser]

Middle St Vrain/Coney Flats is rated as a 6 and I’ve seen Subarus (all built for off-road) taking that trail. But I think that is the top end for Subaru’s. That is just where it’s starting to get fun for Land Cruisers.

I would really like to see that! I've bent my control arms and busted my exhaust on that trail, albeit in the rain so you would slide off your line.

Among my friends we do use the term "subarubable" which means basically any stock SUV would make it with careful driving (think grand cherokee and the like). Subarus really are pretty damn capable as basically a run-of-the-mill commuter car with a lift kit. Of course, in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing, I've seen volvo 240s and VW beetles run the lower parts of Carnage Canyon before it was closed.

That said most ladder-frame trucks are still a good measure past any subaru in terms of capability and a taco or 80 is miles past a subaru.


FWIW: I've run a lot of the tougher trails around colorado and utah without sliders. You have to either drive very carefully or have a certain disregard for "preserving the value" of your 80, which was a lot easier 5-10 years ago than it is now with prices the way they are.

 

[SaturnAscends]

I would really like to see that! I've bent my control arms and busted my exhaust on that trail, albeit in the rain so you would slide off your line.

Among my friends we do use the term "subarubable" which means basically any stock SUV would make it with careful driving (think grand cherokee and the like). Subarus really are pretty damn capable as basically a run-of-the-mill commuter car with a lift kit. Of course, in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing, I've seen volvo 240s and VW beetles run all but the worst parts of Carnage Canyon before it was closed.

That said most ladder-frame trucks are still a good measure past any subaru in terms of capability and a taco or 80 is miles past a subaru.

 

[mudgudgeon]

One thing I’ve learned lately is you’ve gotta pay to play, especially in the rocks!

Absolutely!
And as the rocks better bigger, you can guarantee at some point your rig is not gonna keep coming home unscathed

 

[Marco Lau]

Absolutely!
And as the ricks better bigger, you can guarantee at some point your rig is not gonna keep coming home unscathed

the less sheet metal to be had, the lesser the potential body damage. Hence Jeeps are superior in rock crawling in that department.

 

[HankMoody]

my favorite combo (having done everything from stock to 39’s)- hands down was 295/75/16s Toyos on stock height lift with 30mm spacers up front and a few trim packers in the rear. 295s have a nice balloony volume compared to 255/85s without being as cumbersome as 315s. And the 295s really were the best balance for onroad and offroad. Order of preference is :

1- 295-75-16- 30mmfront /10mm rear. Stock tokiko shocks-bang for buck sweet ride.
2- 255/85/16 — ome2.5” lift.
3- 37’s - Frankie’s 3.5-Fox2.0’s


ultimately it just depends on how you are using your rig with respect to balance of onroad and offroad use and if A/T, M/T , and clearance Is needed.

New to the community, and I like your idea of spaces and shocks. Like my stock LC, dont plan on doing much offroading exit riding mountain trails to my honey hole fishing spot. What front and rear spaces do you recommend? Tokiko over bilstein? Thanks!

 

[rc51kid]

My 98 single cab Taco felt very capable on the mild to moderate trails I took it on, and there was never a worry of body damage with the short wheelbase. However, the Cruiser is longer and seems lower to the ground: will I be significantly less capable than I was in the Tacoma even after I remove sidesteps?

apps like Onyx and Trails Offroad use a 1-10 difficulty rating. Any ideas on the hardest rated trail I could take the Cruiser on without suffering major body damage? I'm thinking maybe in CO for example I could get away with Pearl Pass, but maybe not Holy Cross or something like that.

It's a 97 K292, stock as a rock on 33s. No budget for armor or fancy upgrades for the time being.

I took my tripple locked 80 all over the place on BFG At 285/75 and OME 861/862 when I was new to wheeling. That is basically a stock truck. The limiting factor was my driving, nkt wanting to damag the truck and not wanting to get stuck becouse I am ussually alone.

Now that it has more lift, armor, 35s, marlin gears and winch. I feel like I can do a lot more in a more of a controlled way and avoid damage.