Outfitting for Life on Gravel

I have the new Toyo Open Country on the stock Limited wheels (snow rated) and they’re great here in the hills of snow country outside of Buffalo NY. The Limited is honestly really well suited for the type of driving you describe as it sits. I wouldn’t bother lifting it, you’ll be more than fine IMO. I had a 4R SR5P for several years and couldn’t be happier with the XREAS… it’s loads better on road and also in mild off road situations than the SR5 suspension.

This last part might be controversial, but I never put anything on the frame / undercarriage of my vehicles anymore. I run it through the wash with undercarriage spray regularly in winter and in the spring I crawl under with a hose and get all the remaining grit off the shock towers and such. I had the SR5 for 6 years here and the underside looked great. Do your research on the good and bad of the underbody treatments. Even here where the municipalities salt the roads HEAVILY, IMO it’s better to leave the underside alone and spend your money on car washes with underbody spray. Where is live, I can get an unlimited pass for the car wash for $24.99/month. IMO anyway. Good luck!

 

BTW, the Limited plastic rocker protection are the best thing you’ll find to protect the lower doors from getting chipped up on gravel IMO. I took my running boards off right away and have zero chips on the metal. The plastic rockers are starting to show a little wear however, but that’s because they’re doing the job. That said, I don’t have mud flaps either but I don’t think they’re needed despite this pic. Lol. I’m on gravel roads, hunting roads and in muddy farm fields pretty regularly and no problems at all with the Toyos on the stock rims. Good luck!

 

Awesome -- I would only lift it 1" (or maybe 2" front / 1" rear) to get it up off of flying rocks, which are not an issue on our vehicles with higher clearance.

I have 5 17" wheels and 5 Nokian Outpost nAT 255/75R17 tires on the way. I am ordering these TPMS sensors (which appear to be made in Germany, for less than the OEM Pacific sensors) so we could opt to keep the stock wheels/tires ready to go if we ever need them.

Yeah, we have never done any treatment with any of our trucks and have just done frequent washes in town.

 

Great photo, looks like a blast! There is still no "trail style" running board / slider option that will fit with the stock Limited rockers, right?

Have you done any PPF, ceramic, etc.?

 

I haven’t done anything to the paint at all and the 4R is looking great. My SR5 was black too and it held up really well. I mean you’re always fighting a losing battle with a black vehicle, but I always loved the way the Black Limiteds looked, so I’ll deal with that. have 23,000 miles on the Limited now and couldn’t be happier. There are a couple of options for sliders out there for the Limiteds, you need extended mounting brackets, but I’ve never considered adding them as I like the look and clearance without them.

 

Cool, so I will keep the stock running boards on for now for wife/kids and look for sliders that will work with the Limited rockers eventually.

I will show you what it looks like once I get the tires mounted, hopefully not too awkward

Here is what the road looks like at its best when nicely graded, in this case it's just a matter of kicking up a lot of dust and small rocks. When it gets rough (and it does, especially after big rains/floods or during spring melt) 4x4 definitely comes in handy.

 

I don't think it's a height thing, I think it's a tire thing.

 

Yeah, maybe the Geolandars are kicking them up. It will be interesting to see how it is changing nothing other than the wheels/tires. We have had really great experience with Nokians in the past, so I am looking forward to trying the nAT's.

 

Of course. Full length would be the only thing that makes sense. Better than a step that gets mashed into your body by a big rock or obstacle on trail. Also kick outs angled at 15* work well too. Not as easy to step on but don't get snagged as easy and make the rig look taller

 

Alright, here we are with 255/75R17 Nokian Outpost nAT 115S tires on a stock Limited. It sure is nice that these fit just like stock in the spare location. First run into town today.

It drives beautifully. I'd really prefer to leave it stock, but may add a Cornfed 1" front only or 2"/1" spacer lift just to get a little more clearance from rocks getting kicked up. For the minimal cost it may be worth a try. I really like the factory stance, personally, and don't even mind the polished running boards any more!