Considering buying a Tundra

[equin]

Hey Guys,

I'm thinking of trading in my 99 Prerunner for a used '01-'03 Tundra 4wd access cab. My plans for it are to occasionally haul lots of furniture, lawn equipment and other junk, do some mild, occasional trails with it, and tow a 2500 lb '47 Jeep Willys on a trailer several times a year.

I realize that Tundras and 4x4/Prerunner Tacos share the same wheel bolt pattern. However, I'm wondering if the 15x8 Mickey Thompson rims with 32" BFG muds will fit on a stock Tundra 4wd access cab without rubbing. The rims fit fine over the big calipers up front, just don't know if they'll also fit over Tundra calipers and if there'll be any rubbing with the stock suspension.

Also, what gas does the Tundra use? Premium or regular unleaded? Finally, is the Tundra frame fully boxed?

Thanks for any info.

[dyogim]

Smallest rim you can fit without grinding the caliper will be 16" rims. Backspacing at most should be 4.5". Biggest tire without any lift and no rubbing 265-75-16's. With a 2"-2.5" lift you can fit up to 33" tires. Gas, whatever you can afford, regular, premium or supreme. The frame is not fully boxed, only the front part is.

[grillmasterp]

Hey Amigo,
Murderman has a 4wd Tundra.
You might want to talk to him - (He is entertaining the idea of getting rid of the Tundra for a Dodge CTD- He wants a deditcated tow vehicle)

-As far as 15" wheels- I think you will have a problem clearing the brakes-
-Regular is fine for the Tundra as well

I say Go for it -I call dibs on the Stout rear bumper ;)

-GrillmasterP

[equin]

Thanks for the replies, fellas. Gotta admit, I have mixed feelings trading in the Prerunner. It's been through thick and thin with me hauling all kinds of heavy junk back and forth between Dallas and Biloxi - never once letting me down or leaving me stranded. And although I haven't really done any hardcore wheeling with it, it never broke down on me the few times I wheeled with it in 2wd. But I need something big enough to tow the little Jeep Willys and fit a family of 4 or 5 and a big dog with more relative comfort than the small Taco, and the Bronco so far hasn't been too reliable - something to say about the difference between Ford and Toyota quality. To be fair, though, I have no idea how well the previous Bronco owner took care of it - and I suspect he never really did considering the dark color of the fluids I changed once I got it.

Thanks for the info on the rims and lift to clear bigger tires on a Tundra. Guess my Prerunner's 15x8's are too small for the calipers, which is what I was afraid of, but I suppose it's better to have big brakes that'll stop a big heavy truck than to have some cool looking rims that'll fit over puny brakes with marginal braking power.

And thanks for the tip, Phong, on checking with Murderman. I may look him up if I continue with the idea on getting a Tundra. And if I do decide to trade it in, I'll be sure to consider your offer to buy that Stout Equipment bumper!

[Murderman]

Ed,

Mike and Phong are correct, the 15's won't fit at all. The frame is not fully boxed, as Mike stated, but then again, neither is the Taco.

I have run 87 octane Chevron for the duration w/o any probs. Fuel mileage used to hover about 15+ MPG until I went to 265/75R16's, at which point it dropped into the 13-14 range, mostly in town.

I recently swapped the rear [haven't installed the front sitting in my garage yet, since it is still an experiment] from 3.91 to 4.30. Performance is substantially improved, city mileage is about .5-.7 MPG higher, and highway is about the same ~14+ MPG. The true test yet to come is towing; I normally pull the 6,500# gross Heep/trailer in 3rd [O/D locked out as per mfr. recommendations]. If I can tow in O/D, it will be better mileage [normally about 9-10 in 3rd moving down the road pretty good], but if the 4.30's still aren't low enough to use O/D, it will be in the toilet.

We are going to KR for Mem Day; if Shannon finds another rig to put on his gooseneck, I'll test that consideration then using O/D. If not, we'll throw the Heep on his trailer, and I'll defer that portion of the testing.

Overall, I am pretty pleased with my Tundra. Problems so far have included brake issues [TSB, and a more than a few trips to the stealer to get it almost proper, right front ABS still a little flaky], O2 sensors [2 paid for after the fact by Toyota, one not], and very recent DTC's [yet unresolved due to my own procrastination] relative to EVAP controls.

Call me anytime to compare notes (713) 825-0335.

Happy wheelin', John

[equin]

Thanks a bunch for the excellent info, John. It's been real helpful.