RCD Lift Info, PART 2

[Imdone]

Talked to Mike and RCD today. I have been told that it will be the end of the month before my kit ships. I was told that I will have the first production kit that is ready to ship though. I thought production was already in process but apparently not.

Mike at ORW/Howbarmotorsports has been a big help and hopefully I will have the kit begining February.

[Big Green]

Just as an FYI to all of you with regearing questions - unless you either

A) Plan on off-roading a TON (I am a big off-roader and still haven't), or
B) You plan on towing a lot

Then there is no need to regear. Like I said I off-road a lot (real off-roading with big rocks and mud, not a dirt trail....) in high altitude, which believe it or not makes a big difference, and I still feel there is plenty of power left with a V8. BTW I've been running 35's for nearly 3 years now.

[MaxKurby]

I was wondering about regearing. Thanks Big Green. Are you running those 35's with a stock engine or do you have headers, under pully, etc.

[Big Green]

Originally Posted by MaxKurby

I was wondering about regearing. Thanks Big Green. Are you running those 35's with a stock engine or do you have headers, under pully, etc.

Stock V-8 with a spintech muffler (a tiny increase in HP and torque).

[DevinSixtySeven]

aj, what's your gas mileage like?

[RoundOut]

Originally Posted by DevinSixtySeven

aj, what's your gas mileage like?

Sean,

I know you asked AJ, but I have to answer as well.

Going from 265/65/17 to 285/75/16 has caused me enormous fuel economy loss. I figured I would lose 10%, but it is more like 30-40%. I used to get 13-15 mpg in the pure city driving 15-16 in city/hwy and 18-20 on open plains. I am lucky to get 16 on highway now and barely break 10 mpg in town. Combined is usually 12 to 13.

The wheel size causes about a 5% mis-read on my odometer, but I am still horrified by the loss. It looks really cool, but I am not sure I would have done the lift & BFGs if I had known this result ahead of time.

[Joe]

Originally Posted by Big Green

Just as an FYI to all of you with regearing questions - unless you either

A) Plan on off-roading a TON (I am a big off-roader and still haven't), or
B) You plan on towing a lot

Then there is no need to regear. Like I said I off-road a lot (real off-roading with big rocks and mud, not a dirt trail....) in high altitude, which believe it or not makes a big difference, and I still feel there is plenty of power left with a V8. BTW I've been running 35's for nearly 3 years now.

I think there's a little more to it than that based on my experiences - staying with 3:90 gearing and going to 33" tires makes the Tundra a little doggy, going to 35's makes it a real dog relative to acceleration. You'll also find that you'll lug your engine a little more and the gas mileage will suffer some. Going down the road with cruise control on is fine on a flat road but when you come to a slight to modest incline, your cruise control will kick out. All this might not matter to some/most, but the only way I would put up with those shortcomings in a V8 would be because I couldn't afford to regear or had better places to spend my money. 4:56's are great with 33's and 4:88's are great with 35's. 4:56's work ok with 35's but the feel is just about like running 33's with the 3:90s.

[Noleander]

So, lets take the results and compare now vs. then. If you take an average of 12 mi per gallon now and an average of 16 mi per gallon then, here is what you get:

based on $2.00 per gallon

12mpg
312 mi per tank
16.6 cents per mile

16mpg
416 mi per tank
12.5 cents per mile

That means that you pay roughly 30% more per mile, but your cost is still only 16.6 cents per mile. Even if you drive 25,000 miles per year the difference in cost is not that much, somewhere around $1,000 per year or $80 a month. I'm sure most of us drive a lot less than that somewhere around 12,000 miles where the difference would be $492 per year or $41 per month. If you're buying a $30,000 truck $41 per month isn't that much of a difference. This is all based upon $2.00 per gallon. In some parts of the country like Atlanta, it would be even a smaller difference. In San Diego, you may be screwed. Either way the cost difference isn't that much unless you put a huge amount of miles on your truck or you have to pay almost $3.00 per gallon.

[Joe]

Originally Posted by Noleander

So, lets take the results and compare now vs. then. If you take an average of 12 mi per gallon now and an average of 16 mi per gallon then, here is what you get:

based on $2.00 per gallon

12mpg
312 mi per tank
16.6 cents per mile

16mpg
416 mi per tank
12.5 cents per mile

That means that you pay roughly 30% more per mile, but your cost is still only 16.6 cents per mile. Even if you drive 25,000 miles per year the difference in cost is not that much, somewhere around $1,000 per year or $80 a month. I'm sure most of us drive a lot less than that somewhere around 12,000 miles where the difference would be $492 per year or $41 per month. If you're buying a $30,000 truck $41 per month isn't that much of a difference. This is all based upon $2.00 per gallon. In some parts of the country like Atlanta, it would be even a smaller difference. In San Diego, you may be screwed. Either way the cost difference isn't that much unless you put a huge amount of miles on your truck or you have to pay almost $3.00 per gallon.

So are you inferring that if you regear and get most or all your mileage back, that the initial cost of regearing would be recouped and you'd be money ahead? Makes sense to me.

[DevinSixtySeven]

noleander's other point is more the case tho, it costs more but consider what we're driving. i'm on 35s now with the stock 3.9 gearsets, and its a dog until i hit about 3K rpm, and then all the engine mods take over--at that point all that extra radius turns in to leverage, and the truck hustles up and runs right up to ludicrous speed. it's the loss of range more than the increased fuel cost that's annoying.

cruising isn't bad actually. the engine does lug, but once you hit about 70-75mph with 35s and stock gears, you can keep your speed pretty well. the mileage hit is really in-town driving, getting all that tire moving is what costs at the pump.

roundout, i was getting your original mileage on my 33s, and i'm getting your mileage now on 35s. in town, i'm barely double digits, but also keep in mind your mileage is calculated based on a 245/70/16 not the 265/75/16 included in the upgrade packages. i havent recalculated or added the percentage at the pump, it would only make 0.1 to 0.3 mpg difference anyway just off the top of my head.

i will be regearing to 4.86 (not 4.88...different setup) soon, and hope to get some range back. how did regearing affect everyone who's running larger tires? did your range stay about the same, or increase?

-sean

[RoundOut]

Originally Posted by DevinSixtySeven

. . .
roundout, i was getting your original mileage on my 33s, and i'm getting your mileage now on 35s. in town, i'm barely double digits, but also keep in mind your mileage is calculated based on a 245/70/16 not the 265/75/16 included in the upgrade packages. i havent recalculated or added the percentage at the pump, it would only make 0.1 to 0.3 mpg difference anyway just off the top of my head. . . .

Do you mean the window sticker mileage was calculated on 245/70/16? My window sticker was 14/17 and with my mods, I always did better than that. I bet I would have done MUCH better with the cheap tires.

Now I don't feel quite as bad.

RoundOut

[Joe]

With 33 MTs and 4.56's I usually got 18 on the road with more "snap" than when stock, now with 35 ATs and 35 Krawlers and 4.56's I'm getting around 16.5 with both but when I hit a good headwind, it'll take me down into the high 14's. I'm still pondering on the Hi9 Ford 9" diffs - if I do make the jump I'll go with 5.14 gears so when my Krawlers wear out I'll run 37's and be done with it. It gives one a good feeling "cruisin' " in the power band over the road and then crawling along in Crawler Low.

[copslie]

From RCD

Hello Michael,

We are very close to releasing our 6" Tundra 2wd/4wd suspension system. It
should be available in the next 30 days. He kit is part #10-47400. It will
fit your 2003 as long as it was built before 8/1/2003. System comes complete
with everything you need to lift the vehicle besides wheels, tires and lug
nuts. We recommend 33"x12.50" tires on 16x8 wheels, with a maximum of 4" of
back spacing. The front system features a 2-piece lower sub-frame, taller
replacement spindles, and Bilstein coil over front shock absorbers that
utilize the factory coil spring. The rear system features a 4" tapered block
and Bilstein 5100 Series shock absorbers. We do not do any direct retail
sales we are strictly the manufacturer, but I will refer you to some dealers
in your area for pricing and availability. We do not recommend using our
suspension systems in conjunction with a body lift.

Please contact these dealers for pricing and availability:
* Arizona Speed & marine in Chandler at 480-753-0208
* Super Duty Headquarters in Gilbert at 480-633-2929
* Unique 4x4 in Gilbert at 480-969-6600
* Trucks Unique in Glendale at 623-930-9711

[TundraBlue03]

They are recommending 33's, but I recall Klaud said he recommended 35's. Am I missing something here or or they indicating 35's are too big?

[Imdone]

Recommended size is likely not the only size that is usable.