If and when i break/wear out suspension parts? 2022 TRD off road mod/heavy off roading

I was thinking of just upgrading to better quality (OEM if they are best) or more durable parts when the aforementioned happens. Do you think this would be a good way to go instead of buying replacement parts ahead of time? I'm just worried because the "global supply chain" sucks and don't want to have to wait like a month for parts. This is with moderate to some heavy off roading use. What parts do you think will give out first?

 

I don't think supply is that much of an issue especially on suspension parts.

I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Reinforce your factory parts so they're less likely to break:

Spindle gussets: Alignment cam gussets: https://www.marlincrawler.com/armor/axles/hd-lca-frame-brace-2010-4runner
Tie rod sleeves: https://warfabarmor.com/collections/skids/products/4runner-fj-tie-rod-sleeves

 

OP, it really depends on what kind of offroading you're doing. If you're driving to work and hitting fire roads on the weekend, the 4Runner is fine as is.

If you plan on hitting Glamis at 80mph you might want to look at a whole host of things.

A good way to not break parts is to be familiar with their operation and know what kind of maneuvers are likely to break parts (4WD, full throttle, maximum steering lock, loaded suspension/drivetrain and quick unload kinda stuff)

 

I went out on a trail ride with a fairly large group this past weekend. Some of us were interested in driving the trail conservatively, using finesse and having mechanical sympathy for our vehicle.

The other group was gassing it every time they hit any mud, and then ripping donuts in two-wheel drive while bouncing off the rev limiter in a small mud hole.

Which group do you fall into? I think that'll help determine how much you need to reinforce parts.

I'll say, 20 years ago when I was a kid with a Chevy squarebody on 35s, that would have been me ripping donuts in that mud hole too. So not judging, just not my style anymore, especially with the 4Runner.

 

This is the point I was trying to make but you articulated it better. With age comes wisdom, and far less broken trucks.

 

This. All good parts listed.

 

Reading your post was what inspired me to write mine. I knew exactly what you meant and was like "that reminds me of the other day" haha.

 

Did you have Bob Seger playing on the cassette deck while you ripped said donuts? "Like a rock..."

 

Do some research on welded-on spindle gussets reinforcements. Watched a video where the guy broke a spindle on a trail and the prevailing theory was that welding onto OEM spindles weakened them.

 

^Those spindle gussets were developed for a reason - enough people bent the stock spindles on the trail. Here's a well-publicized one thanks to Youtube. Stock truck not doing anything crazy:

 

Not saying they don't work for what they were designed for at first... just that they might not last because of the effect of welding onto a stock spindle.

Here's the video where I saw this information:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CEr_PzUVXY

 

^Yes it's definitely possible to exceed the strength of a gusseted stock spindle. That's why the Camburg fabricated spindles have a market. If money were no object and you can drop $2k on them by all means https://camburg.com/shop/suspension...g-toyota-4-runner-15-performance-spindle-kit/

Going back to @Ctreg 's original query. It's possible to purchase suspension components that are stronger than OEM. $2k spindles, $2.5k RCV axles, $1.7k lower control arms, $1.5k modified Tundra steering rack... $10k later you'll have a bulletproof front end; the only stock thing left to break is the front diff torque tube...

 

I have no idea if this is accurate, but this person's theory is not about exceeding the strength of a stock spindle, it's about the act of welding to the stock spindle causes the material around the weld to weaken. In other words, you spend money to weld a gusset onto a spindle only to have it fail because it the act of welding it weakened the material around the weld. Now you have to spend more money.

It may be a case of spending more money on purpose-built spindles makes more sense. Hopefully someone who has more experience in off-roading can pass along whether or not this guy's issue is actually a known problem or not.

Here is a quote from the description.

 

^Wheel with a bunch of Toyota guys for a few years in a club and you'll see what are likely failures in your local terrain. In my club, I've seen bent tie rods, snapped CV joints, OME shocks pulled apart... Haven't seen a gusseted spindle fail yet!

 

Lol! Most likely Metallica, skipping away on my Discman with the cassette tape adapter.

 

I actually keep an inner and outer tie rod in my gear bag. They were cheap enough and take up hardly any room, I figured they'd be handy to have just in case.

I had seen a video where a 5th gen bent a tie rod and had to be left on the trail, there were probably 10 other Yotas and nobody had one.