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More 4x4 AnswerMan Columns

October 2014
September 2014
August 2014

TOYO OPEN COUNTRY WINTER SNOW TIRES

Does this tire meet the 'traction tire' specifications (have snowflake mountain symbol)? I'm looking for a tire to run on my truck that meets that certification to comply with the winter driving laws in my state.
Jay

Letter sparked by Review: Toyo Tires Open Country R/T Truck and SUV Tire

Hi Jay,

This tire does not have the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake logo. There is a tire in Canada that's similar to the R/T called the C/T that has this designation, but it's not available in the U.S. Info on that tire can be found here: http://www.toyotires.ca/tire/pattern/open-country-ct

Toyo does have some other Truck & SUV Winter Snow tires, which can found here: http://toyotires.com/tires/winter-snow-tires

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CHENOWTH FRENCH BUGGY

Hi Off-Road.com,

I am French. I am searching for a Chenowth 2 seats 4X2 racing or military.
 
THANKS
Francis Kiénert

Greetings Francis,

Chenowth Racing buggies have been around for over 50 years and have deep ties to off-road motorsports.  There are a number of different chassis, with many built from the 1960s to early 2000s.

I’m not sure how many Chenowth buggies are floating around Europe, but you may get lucky. Try and find an off-road buggy club in Europe to inquire about Chenowths for sale. If you’re open to importing, you might have a better chance finding one in USA or even Australia, where they are popular for both racing and recreation. As for the military Chenowth buggy, those are going to be hard to find. Check with military collector groups, Craigslist, eBay and such.

I would also check the “Classifieds” section on the following websites.
http://www.glamisdunes.com/classifieds/
http://www.race-dezert.com/classifieds/
http://www.offroadaction.ca/classifieds/

Unfortunately Chenowth Racing is no longer building buggies in San Diego, CA.  We’ve been told that they closed their business. If you’re interested in a new Chenowth buggy or replacement parts, HRT Motorsports in California may be able to help. They took over some of the Chenowth buggy designs and can build you a chassis or complete car. 

HRT Motorsports
760-788-0019

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OFF-ROAD RAV4 TIRES

Thank you for the awesome information. Those Dunlop RVXT's do they fit on the stock 16" rims? I found them but the site did not recommend them for the stock rims. And I def want to go with the shock and strut lift by ARB (old man emu) you mentioned the old man emu method. Where can I find the directions to install them? Thank you so much, any feedback would greatly be appreciated.

Patchiu

Letter sparked by Toyota RAV4 Crawling: Recapping our Build of the Trucklet

Hi Patchiu,

Although many tire websites may tell you the Dunlop tires will not fit, they will (with a suspension lift). Trucklet builder Justin Fort used the stock RAV4 wheels with Dunlop RVXT (235/70/16) and then the R/T (225/75/16). According to Justin, the RVXT rubbed at full suspension flex. The Trucklet actually worked pretty well, we had the honor to roll in it both on and off-road a few times. It definitely was a head turner.

You can read more in-depth info about the tire setup in the following story:  RAV4 Crawler: New Tires and Wheels

Suspension installation is pretty straight forward, but you could reference a RAV4 repair manual for step-by-step instructions on how to service the coil springs and shocks on your vehicle.

We confirmed with Mr. Fort on what exactly he used for suspension: "Complete medium-duty suspension OME kit, which added about an inch of height in front and about an inch and a half in back, with far improved damper settings courtesy of ARB-based absorbers."

You can find part numbers at ARB's following page for Old Man Emu (OME) Toyota RAV4 suspension.

You can source the parts from Rocky Road Outfitters

Make sure to check out these other RAV4 Trucklet stories for even more fun-sized action. 

RAV4 Crawler: Building Front Armor

RAV4 Crawler: Trail Testing

RAV4 Crawler: Finding the Limits of the Trucklet

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CHEVY / GM SILVERADO 4X4 WHEEL WONDER 
 

4x4 AnswerMan

I have a 2014 Sliverado 1500 with 37-inch Goodyear MT and 16.5-inch H1 rims. I am having wheel shimmy when I reach 45 mph. I knew this would happen but during the build I could not find any steering stabilizer kits or dampers. Do you know of any or where I could find someone to make one?  I am including some pictures of the truck.

Thanks,

Denver Houck
Palm Bay, FL

Hi Denver,

That’s a nice truck you got there. Looks like you’ve put a lot of time and effort into this build. As for your wheel wander problem, it may be stemming from the tires. Although those Goodyear military tires look cool, the consensus is that they ride rough, especially at highway speed. They’re also known to get sketchy at speeds over 70 mph. The reality is that they were designed for heavier vehicles with a much different purpose (tactical off-road). If you still have your factory wheels and tires, try running those with the current suspension setup and see if the shimmies go away.  You might be surprised.

As for steering stabilizer, you can either run what your suspension lift manufacturer recommends or an aftermarket kit. There are a number of them out there. Some Silverado owners have even made their own mounts.  FOX and Bilstein make some nice ones.

Good luck!

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CALIFORNIA TRAIL CLOSURE

They’re all closed now... no more off-roading in southern CA, period. f*cking give up = (
derp

Letter sparked by Off-Road Trail Rides in Orange County, Calif.

Hello Derp,

Not all is lost, we have some trail news for Orange County’s Saddle Back Mountain. We spoke with the Ranger at Trabuco today and were told Saddle Back Mountain trail via Maple Springs Road (5S04) will be closed at least until September 2015 due to vegetation damage from the Silverado Fire. This applies to vehicles, bikes and hikers. The gate will open again, and we’ll be ready.
 You can find current Cleveland National Forest trail conditions on this page: Cleveland National Forest - Trail Alerts & Notices

For more Cleveland National Forest Trail information, contact:
Cleveland National Forest - Trabuco Ranger District (Orange County Area) Darrell Vance, District Ranger  1147 East Sixth Street  Corona, CA 92879 (951) 736-1811  Cleveland National Forest - Supervisors Office 10845 Rancho Bernardo Road, Suite 200  San Diego, CA 92127  (858) 673-6180

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TOYOTA AXLE CASTER CORRECTION

Great info. Bought the bushes from ARB store.  Now got the idea..
Shiyazer

Letter sparked by Old Man Emu Caster Correction Review

Hi Shiyazer,

Glad you found the information useful. Those caster correction bushings from OME really do help. If you still have the shimmies, make sure to also upgrade the steering stabilizer.

Check out our Old Man Emu Steering Stabilizer story.

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RAM 2500/3500 REAR SUSPENSION UPGRADE

Hey guys how about Sulastick shackles?
Doc

Letter sparked by Project Dodge Ram Mega Cab KORE Recon Rear Suspension

Hi Doc,

Thanks for the tip.  We haven’t tried these yet, but the concept looks interesting. I can see how this might be a good alternative if you carry a heavy load or tow often and want to retain full tow/haul capacity. Not sure how they would do with a constant beating off-road. Maybe a test is in order?

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FIRST FORD SUSPENSION LIFT

4x4 AnswerMan,

I just purchased a 2.5-inch lift kit with shocks for my 84 Ford F-250 (1980-1987 F250-2.5"/1.5" Complete Tuff County Kit w/SX8000 shocks). Will I need to change out any stock parts to make the lift work, such as UCAs or driveshaft? This is my first lift obviously, any help you could give me will be appreciated.

Thanks.

Mark H

Hi Mark,

Glad you’re getting right into it. The installation should be pretty straightforward: front and rear add-a-leafs, shocks. No modification to driveshafts should be needed since it’s only lifting the truck 1-2 inches. Your truck does not have upper control arms, so you don’t have to worry about that.

I looked for instructions on the Tuff County website, but they don’t seem to have any for your specific kit. The 2000 Ford F-150 might be the closest thing since it too is leaf-sprung front/rear. You can try contacting Tuff Country directly to see if they have a file for it, otherwise grab the 2000 F-250 2.5-inch kit instructions here for a general overview.

If you don’t have one already, get yourself a repair manual for the truck. It will help with this project and also better understand your Ford truck. It’s the best $20 you’ll spend. 

Haynes publishes a pretty good repair manual for your truck. You can get a copy at Amazon.com.

Good luck!

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TURBO-POWERED CHEVY 4X4

Off-Road.com,

Doing pretty much the same thing. 85 chev 1/2 ton 4 wd converted to 8 lug axles from 73 chev 3/4 ton dana 44 up front and 14 bolt posi rear end. Just put in 4in lift from off road design putting in a friends new front 4in lift springs in next. Tires Lt 385 70 16 toyo tires 38in x 15 something with 16 x 12 mickey Thompson wheels. Motor V-6 Grand National with 700 hp turbo upgrade. Should be approx. 650 hp will be putting the traction bars on from Off road soon.  Also turbo Kevlar upgrade turbo 350 Short box stepside also. All yellow bedliner on the outside of whole truck.
 Ssyeller

Letter sparked by Big Bad Chevy Rear Axle Build

WOW Ssyeller, sounds like you’re building one heck of Chevy truck. Off Road Designs makes some killer GM suspension and heavy-duty drivetrain upgrades.  That Grand National motor is really going to buzz – sure to turn some heads.  Can’t wait to see it come together. Please make sure to send us an update on your pickup build when you get it rolling.

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TOYOTA G52 W56 TRANSMISSION SWAP

Are these interchangeable in a 1987 4runner with a 22r motor?

Ric

Hello Ric,

Yes the W56 and G52 are interchangeable. If you’re thinking of going with the heavier duty W56, make sure it’s a W56B. Those have a steel center, which is stronger than the aluminum version “A.” If possible, get the matching transfer case. Also, according to our Toyota gearhead friends, some metal massaging will be needed on the transmission hump to make room for the W56.

If you have any more questions or need any parts, make sure to talk to the folks at Marlin Crawler. They are Toyota drivetrain experts.

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CHEVY REAPER

Off-Road.com,

Extraordinary Beast.
Rene Acosta

Letter sparked by First Drive Lingenfelter Silverado Reaper

Hi Rene,

Glad you liked the Chevy Silverado Reaper. All that extra horsepower, wheel travel and unique styling makes for an impressive ride.

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BIG RAV4 HUB ASSEMBLY

Hi 4x4 AnswerMan,

I have a 98 Toyota RAV4, I like to change to the biggest hubs assembly available in 5-bolt along with bigger spindle and drive axles front/rear. If possible a straight swap from another year or Toyota be great, I'm not worried about any of ABS or electronics.  I just want bigger in 5-bolt any 5× pattern please. I'm also willing to customize the drive axle shafts on either end so fitment to my transmission and rear end are not compromised.

Thanks your truly Paul,

P.S. It's a 5 spd manual AWD -98 RAV.

Hi Paul,

We did some digging and couldn’t come up with anything beefier that would just bolt up to your RAV4. You could certainly build custom spindles that would allow fitment of any hub your heart desires (5 or 6 lug), including Toyota. It really depends on what you are trying to achieve and how the RAV4 will be used. 

If you really want Toyota 5-lug, you can try using Tundra axles and hubs. It’s possible 70 Series Land Cruiser axles might also be an option for the 5-lug. off-road race hubs would also be an option, but all these would require heavy modification and fabrication.

If you’re into extreme off-road, there’s a cool RAV4 crawler build on our sister site Pirate4x4.com that is using Toyota pickup straight axles. The thing is burly. You might gain some insight on how extreme a RAV4 can really go. 

Make sure to check out Project “Woodtick”.

We’ll let you know if we find anything bolt-on in the future.

Cheers!

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BLOWN CV AXLE

Hello my name is Rick and I bought my truck lifted in Arizona 6 inches professionally done beautiful.  This year I blew out a CV axle it blew right out pulled apart from the  drivetrain on the four-wheel-drive. I had a friend installing new CV axle in it the first time I hit snow it blew out the brand-new axle after one week, same thing as other axle it ripped apart.

My friend who is more qualified than I am sad to say is telling me I need to get my truck lowered down, because it keeps ripping these axles part, which this just happened after over a year so I'm having a hard time believing this.

My question to you is, do I need to buy a special CV axle a longer special ordered CV axle for my truck or a standard CV axle should work?

Richard

Hi Richard,

Sorry to hear you’re having so many CV axle problems. It sounds like they might be failing due to extreme angles (possibly caused by lift). If your suspension lift allows adjustment, try lowering the suspension a little to see if that makes any difference (at least 1-inch).  You should see improvement on the CV axle angles after lowing.

If you want to try going a different route, you can reach out to the heavy-duty CV axle experts at RCV.  They can build you a set that is much stronger than stock (2x stronger than original equipment).  RCV axles can handle extreme angles, have a lifetime warranty and will increases articulation angle up to 28°.

You can find more information at http://www.rcvperformance.com/

Good luck!