The ReadyLift leveling kit allows the Tundra to run 33- inch tires without clearance problems when wheels with the proper off-set are used. We shod this version of our “continuing to morph” truck with the new 33x12.50R18LT Interco TRXUS STS radials mounted on the factory steel wheels.
Leveling kit puts our Tundra Double Cab 4x4 on an ... EVEN KEEL
We’re easing into Project Deepwoods as new aftermarket products become available for our 2007 Tundra Double Cab 4x4. The easy-to-design, easy-to-install items are always first out. Such aftermarket items are all that’s needed to make a new Tundra work quite well for many Off- Road Adventures readers’ lifestyles.
Today’s full-size pickup manufacturers continue to push the towing and load-carrying limits of their newest offerings. Toyota’s all-new 4x4 Double Cab Tundra is a prime example. It’s rated to tow more than 10,300 pounds while carrying 1,655 pounds in the bed. It’s a truck designed for some serious load totin’.
However there are a lot of owners of new 4x4 trucks, no matter the make, who will never tow a trailer or haul a load that comes anywhere close to the pickup’s maximum capacities.
More than likely, most 4x4s will be burdened with a small boat, travel trailer, motorcycles or ATVs on a trailer. So that nose-low, tail-high stance — designed to keep the truck on a relatively level attitude when fully loaded — might not be that appealing.
To change a truck’s nose-low attitude, the cure is simple: install a suspension leveling kit as we did as our first suspension modification to Deepwoods (we’ll be installing a 6-inch lift later on as Deepwoods morphs towards our end goal of building a really rugged and versatile ride).
The kit that puts it on an even keel is from ReadyLift and takes a knowledgeable DIYer about 1-1/2+ hours to install. But we were stumped why the traction control system would suddenly kick on and dial back engine power and make up-shifts sluggish after we had the front-end realigned and the 33s in place. After a lot of head-scratching, it all pointed to the onboard computer just doing its job.
The sophisticated Steering and Yaw sensors, part of the truck’s vehicle stability control system, are so sensitive that after any suspension change the alignment has to be brought back into tight factory specs — and a “Zero Point Calibration” done after the alignment to re-set the on-board computer.
If these are not done, the sensors may trigger traction control under heavy throttle load causing the traction control light to flash and the engine to lose some power, even though there’s been no loss of traction. Typical cost to have a Toyota dealer do these two critical adjustments is around $125.
But laying out Benjamin triplets and spending a little creeper time under the truck is well worth it; not only does the 2-1/2” lift set the truck level, it allows plenty of fender well clearance to run our new Interco TRXUS STS 33x12.50 radials we mounted on the stock 18-inch steel wheels.
Warren Spears, of Spears Auto Repair in Long Beach, Mississippi, showed us the nuts-and-bolts of installing the ReadyLift Toyota Tundra suspension leveling kit.
1.These fabricated and machined ReadyLift leveling blocks extend the length of the struts 2-1/2”so the truck sits level. They are not designed to be used with any other suspension modifications.
2.Place the truck on jackstands or a lift. Take off the front tires, and remove the skid plate.
3.Loosen the lower control arm bolts (one front, one rear) to allow the arm to move freely once the spindle bolts are removed. DO NOT REMOVE EITHER THE BOLTS OR THE ALIGNMENT CAMS.
4.Remove the sway-bar end-link bolt and the lower strut-mounting bolt.
5.Loosen the four nuts that hold the strut to the upper bracket. Do not remove nuts at this time. Then remove the two 22mm bolts that connect the lower control arm to the spindle. Caution: The lower control arm will drop down once the last bolt is removed, so be ready. Once the control arm is clear of the spindle, finish removing the 14mm nuts that hold the strut to the tower and carefully pull out the strut. Take care not to damage the rubber CV boots.
6.Place the ReadyLift leveling block on the top of the strut making sure the alignment lines scribed into the lift block faces “front” as indicated on the strut. Make sure the nuts are very tight.
7.Reinstall the strut and tighten the supplied upper mounting nuts to factory specs. It will take some muscle to bring the spindle and lower A-arm back into alignment so the 22mm ball joint bolts can be installed. Put a dab of Loctite on each bolt and torque the bolts to factory specs.
8.Double-check all bolts and nuts for tightness. Then repeat the same steps on the other side. After installation the Tundra will require a front-end alignment. Jake Pearce at A-1 Radiator Specialists in Gulfport, Mississippi, expertly brought our Tundra back to specs using a state-of-the-art Hunter computerized system.
TINT WORKS
Innovative window tint film provides looks with function. Tinting the windows may sound redundant because our Tundra came from the factory with tinted windows. But there’s a really big difference between the factory-tinted windows and what we have in mind for Project Deepwoods.
While the tinted glass provides a certain level of privacy and looks, we wanted more in the way of improving the blocking of UV rays and solar heat without interfering with signals from the Tundra’s keyless entry system, its tire pressure monitors, on-board GPS and AM radio.
“Many traditional high-performance metalized and ceramic automotive window films can interfere with signals from typical electronic devices,” warns Ginney Kubler, with CPFilms, has a brand new automotive window tint product — LLumar Axcess Signal-Enabling Window Film provides excellent UV and solar heat protection without blocking radio signals.
LLumar Axcess window tint is said to reduce glare up to 90-percent while blocking out 55-percent of the solar heat. For us this means far greater protection inside the cab and less use of the A/C system in the dead of summer.
Jerel Williams, owner of Tint Works, in Long Beach, Mississippi, applied LLumar Axcess with a 40-percent light transmission to the side and rear windows in about an hour. He was very mindful of keeping our truck within the limits of the state laws related to window tinting.
Every state has different laws regulating the amount of tint you can legally have on a vehicle. Here in Mississippi, the front side windows have to allow at least 28-percent light transmission.
We checked the light transmission with a light meter — the same one used by many of our local authorities. The LLumar Axcess film installed allows 31-percent light transmission. So we’re fine.
The LLumar Axcess give our Tundra a bit more of a custom look, makes it more difficult to scope out what’s in the cab, greatly reduces the penetrating heat of the sun, and knocks down the glare when looking from the inside out.
Best of all, the Tundra’s radio, tire pressure monitors, and our new Garmin GPS that’s mounted on the dash all work perfectly.
A trick of the trade is to cut the window film on the outside where it’s easy to work, then peel the trimmed piece off the backing and apply the film to the inside of the wetted window.
Deepwoods, sporting LLumar Axcess window tint, gives us looks with function.
The factory 18-inch steel wheels are just wide enough to accommodate the 33-inch TrXus rolling stock. Note the Bushwacker fender flares we installed to increase body protection.
TIRES WITH A FLARE
Interco’s New TRXUS STS tires fine street/trail option
Stock tires just don’t stick around very long on a project truck. Let’s face it, even though they work great for every day driving, they just don’t look that cool or provide the kind of traction performance we want when pavement and gravel give way to rough 4x4 trails comprised mostly of rocks, sand, dirt and mud.
The tire we choose for this mid-way point in the transition from mild to wild is the new Interco TrXus STS radial — a unique all-terrain tire that has a special sidewall and tread designed to optimize both street and trail performance. We picked the TrXus STS in a 33x12.50R18 because that size fits on the stock 18-inch steel wheels and its wide tread face just barely clears the upper A-arm.
At the time of this writing there are no aftermarket wheels available for the new Tundra, which has an odd 5x150mm bolt pattern and unique wheel offset. Later we found that Pro Comp Wheels is developing a wheel to fit and we’ll be changing to that one in a future installment.
STS stands for Three Stage Sidewall — a new concept in all terrain tires. Essentially the sidewall design is like a built-in suspension; the more it compresses, the stiffer is gets. On the street the flexible sidewall design gives a relatively cushy ride. And off-road, the sidewalls adjust to the conditions to give excellent off-road performance, especially in soft dirt, sand and snow. Such a design should also make these tires right at home in rocky terrain.
We swapped out the factory aluminum running boards for a set of these new nerf step bars from N-Fab. They bars bolt right into the Toyota mounting holes using the same bolts, so the change takes all of 10 minutes.
STSs are surprisingly quiet and provide a softer ride than the factory street tires they replaced. We also noticed they absorb potholes and surface irregularities better than the stock tires.
The tire/wheel package tucks just inside the wheel wells with no front or rear clearance issue. However, because the tires have a 10.5-inch tread face, we knew there’d be a lot of debris flying off the treads. So we added a set of Bushwacker fender flares to give an extra margin of body protection. The flares are very easy to install, with no drilling required.
The STS 33x12.50R18 is just a little taller than the stock P275R65R20 that came stock. The biggest difference between the two tires is tread design and tread face width.
SMART GPS: MAPS TO GO
Versatile communications and GPS you can take anywhere
Knowing one’s location is an important subject for those who like to venture in previously unexplored regions. Knowing where your buddies are — and being able to communicate with them — is equally important. That’s why we turned to Garmin for assistance when it came to setting our Project Deepwoods occupants on the right path.
Garmin’s Ted Gartner, an off-road adventurer himself, suggested we utilize two of their newest products to keep everyone in Deepwoods on the right trail: The z_mo 550 and a pair of Rino 530s.
The z_mo 550 is a really durable, full-featured GPS unit designed for use on motorcycles and ATVs. It can also be quickly swapped from bike to boat or, in our case, the Tundra using its special snap-in mounting system.
Durability is a must, so the z_mo 550 is waterproof and built with fuel-resistant plastics to withstand the elements. We won’t be afraid to snap it out of the dash mount and pop it into the mount on our Polaris Sportsman 800 quad.
It’s preloaded with City Navigator® NT street maps and a hefty points of interest (POIs) database, including motels, restaurants, fuel, ATMs and more. Simply enter a destination, and z_mo takes you there with turn-by-turn voice directions that speak street names. The 550 also comes with a rechargeable, removable lithium-ion battery for trip planning or use on foot, and even accepts additional maps.
Garmin Rino 530 (left) handles our 2-way comminucations and GPS afoot while the z_mo 550 serves as our on-board GPS in the Tundra or on ATVs.
Special mounting bracket allows z_mo 550 to be quickly switched from vehicle to ATV. As long as there’s a 12-volt power supply (or its battery is charged) you have the services of a full-function, Bluetooth-capable GPS.
With z_mo 550’s Bluetooth® wireless technology, you can connect z_mo to your Bluetooth-enabled headset/helmet and cell phone to make and receive hands-free calls while riding.
When we decide to set out on foot, a pair of Garmin Rino 530 two-way radios with built-in GPS will be in our hands. These new, waterproof GMRS/GPS radios have a maximum output of 5- watts and a range of 14 miles (line-of-sight). They also can pinpoint the location of the other unit in case of an emergency. There’s even a built-in electronic calendar that shows the best times to hunt and fish.
We’re going to utilize a portion of the Tundra’s enormous center console to keep the Rinos handy — and fully charged. We’ll install the Garmin battery chargers in the center console so they will run off the 12-volt system. That way our hand-held GMRS/GPS radios will always be at the ready.
ALL ABOUT NUMBERS
Project Deepwoods Tundra Numbers Impress
Toyota engineers have done a masterful job of building a brand new all-aluminum truck V-8 that displaces 5.7 liters and makes 381 horsepower and a tire-shredding 401 pound-feet of torque.
This healthy small-block is backed with a six-speed automatic, and in the case of our SR5 truck, comes with 4.33:1 axles ratios and electronically activated limitedslip rear differential so when the traction control is turned off there’s a little something to help keep that power distributed where it’s needed most.
We know there’s even more power on tap and our goal is to unleash as much of it as possible. Our long-term plans are to make the 5.7 breathe even better than it does now. By the end of the project we hope to have a TRD supercharger and a cold-air intake gracing the engine compartment along with headers and a catback exhaust system. Those performance upgrades should push Deepwood’s horsepower well above 500.
We needed to establish true rear-wheel horsepower/torque numbers to see exactly what each of the planned upgrades add to the package. So we went to JMS Chip & Performance in Lucedale, Mississippi, where Steve Sisler and Monte Johnson put Deepwoods on their Dynojet chassis dyno.
The numbers: 300.1hp and 305.5 lb/ft torque at the rear wheels at 5750rpm. Those figures are about 80hp and 96 lb/ft shy of Toyota’s published figures. But that’s normal for any vehicle.
“What we are seeing is the parasitic power loss from the drivetrain,” explains Sisler, “It’s very typical in a four-wheel-drive truck to see a 20-percent loss in power by the time it reaches the rear wheels. You have to remember that power has to go through the torque converter, transmission, transfer case, driveline and differential before it actually reaches the rear wheels. Every one of those components robs some of the engine’s power.”
Toyota’s Bed Xtender comes in a kit that includes the anodized aluminum curved side section, matching center connecting tubes, mounting hardware and instructions.
EASY LOADER
Tailgate enclosure provides both form and function for new Tundras
Anyone who has hauled an ATV or bike around in the bed of a pickup that has to have the tailgate left open knows the pitfalls. With an open tailgate, it’s not always easy to secure loading ramps, fuel cans, and other items from sliding out the back of the truck. Installation is very straight forward, requiring a minimum of hand tools and took us less than 20 minutes.
