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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8923
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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| Quote: | | Originally posted by David KYou do have to get over the 'because it is a Jeep' it can off road thing... |
I'm thinking of the breather tube issue Neal had on the Mission trail. For a brand reknown in the developing world for its' toughness, why would
Toyota overlook such an obvious flaw? This cost Neal hundreds of dollars that comes standard with a lowly Jeep.
On my drive home from work everyday, I travel past the Icon Vehicle Dynamics shop *and* Toyota of Riverside. I honk at the Toyota protesters, because
the Toyoda family appear to be greedy fatcats, IMO.
Question - Why do you think people build Toyotas when they work so great off-road? http://www.iconvehicledynamics.com/gallery/
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64615
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Okay Ken... I may be speaking in too general of terms when I say I KNOW the quality of Toyota is about as high as you can get without paying Mercedes
prices... In fact, the best and most trouble free vehicles I have owned rate something like this:
GROUP A:
1) Toyota
2) Subaru
3) Mitsubishi
4) Mazda
Then I rate the absolute worst cars as far as failures, breakdowns, repair costs that I have owned (this does not mean they drove bad when they
worked, only at the LOW quality of workmanship and materials):
GROUP B:
1) Jeep
2) Plymouth
What does Group A have in common? Japanese brands.
What does group B have in common? American brands.
As for what happened on the Santa Maria trail, you have a couple things mixed up... the breather tube is something I added for next time. My
differential had been contaminated (per the tech). No breakdown occured on my truck, as I already stated. You are correct, the rear differential
breather should be higher than 18" off the ground... bad Toyota for not doing it right like they did on the front differential breather (which is near
the battery). See me differential breather mod photos: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/technical-chat/111954-my-di...
Neal's Ring Gear gave up... I dion't know if it was a stock differentail or after market.. but did you see the weight he was hauling on that Tacoma?
So, that was the failure... and Neal is super hard on his Tacomas, as you know.
There is just NO ROOM in a Jeep Wrangler of CJ for enough camping gear or for my work needs... The Tacoma truck is just the right size.
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Frigatebird
Nomad
Posts: 215
Registered: 9-12-2004
Location: L.A. County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Soaring
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Ken Cooke
...The TRD Tacoma is a great-looking and performing pickup. The non-TRD Tacoma that 'Frigatebird' drove on the 2008 Baja Grande with its street
tires, and street-optimized ride height was no match for Mision Santa Maria.  He
had to back out of the run until his Tacoma had better tires and more suspension lift...
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Ken, don't you know discretion is the better part of valor?  Could my rig have
made it? Probably not without a tug, and some undercarriage damage to boot. Could a non-TRD Tacoma use some upgrades? Absolutely, but "no match for
Mission Santa Maria"?, I don't know.
Next time down, my soon-to-be upgraded rig will finally get 'er done.
Avatar courtesy of Herb 
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8923
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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NEW SHOES!
Mike didn't go the "WIMPY ALL-TERRAIN" route - not since blowing a BFG AT/KO sidewall on the Pole Line Road. He went with the technological bad-boy
of the Jeep Tire world - Goodyear's MTR w/Kevlar sidewalls!
...as always, photos to follow...
[Edited on 12-15-2010 by Ken Cooke]
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64615
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Frigatebird
| Quote: | Originally posted by Ken Cooke
...The TRD Tacoma is a great-looking and performing pickup. The non-TRD Tacoma that 'Frigatebird' drove on the 2008 Baja Grande with its street
tires, and street-optimized ride height was no match for Mision Santa Maria. He
had to back out of the run until his Tacoma had better tires and more suspension lift...
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Ken, don't you know discretion is the better part of valor? Could my rig have
made it? Probably not without a tug, and some undercarriage damage to boot. Could a non-TRD Tacoma use some upgrades? Absolutely, but "no match for
Mission Santa Maria"?, I don't know.
Next time down, my soon-to-be upgraded rig will finally get 'er done. |
Good Tires and 9" + min. ground clearance and low range 4WD will do it. The traction aid of a limited slip differential, a rear locker, or A-TRAC will
make it a lot easier... But the non-locker stock 4Runner of BajaTripper climbed the Widowmaker and his only problem was the bog and it's 3 foot deep
water. Where he got a pull through both ways.
Consider adding an ARB locker to the back end...
[Edited on 12-15-2010 by David K]
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8923
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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Back to the drawing board...
Mike reports that he still has a shimmy...although, his Jeep was professionally aligned. His next order of affairs involves installing a drop pitman
arm and a new Rancho steering stabilizer.
His Jeep now, "Towers of a stock Toyota Sequoia" and it attracted attention outside of Carl's Jr. today during his lunch break. Not bad!
His steering dilemma has to be worked out...so, back to the drawing board...
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8923
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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| Quote: | Originally posted by whistler
Ken,increasing caster may help.I would go to maximum positive caster within the Jeep specs. |
I will review with him the alignment specs his alignment tech walked with him about. The Steering Stabilizer won't hurt, either. I will ask Mike
about his Caster. Thanks!
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Ramon
Banned
Posts: 25
Registered: 5-17-2010
Member Is Offline
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Steering Stabilizer is just a band-aid for steering shimmy/wabble issues. Real porblem is in the toe/caster...... does he have the coil bucket lift?
Those are trouble on every truck I have seen.
DK..... Get off your horse and quit jacking this thread. Enough of the Tacoma rules crap....... and I own one too.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64615
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Sorry Ramon, but Ken and I are friends... and we are jabbing each other and don't want to dis' any Jeep or Toyota product owners, okay?
Last July on Shell Island Ken Cooke's Jeep and my Toyota:
Ken added one of my small stickers to his Jeep:
I see that you are new, and may not have know this... but welcome to Nomad and post your own photos and stories? Maybe I can pick at your stuff too?
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8923
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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Plastic belongs on Barbie dolls!
| Quote: | Originally posted by Ramon
Steering Stabilizer is just a band-aid for steering shimmy/wabble issues. Real porblem is in the toe/caster...... does he have the coil bucket lift?
Those are trouble on every truck I have seen.
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What is a coil bucket lift? Mike is running 4" coils on his Jeep. I am sure his alignment was within toe/caster specs. A new Adjustable Traction
Bar was installed, and his swaybar links were lengthened by Rubicon Express disconnectable ones.
Mike owned a (new) FJ 40, and he doesn't like the FJ Cruiser after getting to test drive one and looking underneath it. I also test drove a
co-workers FJ Cruiser, but I enjoy driving my Jeep much better.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64615
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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The Squarecircle also a Toyota fan, did not like the FJ Cruiser (got the Land Rover LR3 instead)... issuse with visibilty and the suicide back doors,
I think.
FJs are quite well received and I hear they are finally becoming available in Japan. The FJ was created here in California for the U.S. customers. It
had A-TRAC before the Tacoma got the advanced automatic locker-like traction system... as did the Land Cruiser, 4Runner, and Lexus SUVs.
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8923
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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You feel entombed in the FJ Cruiser. You can hardly see out of it, but you can see everything inside of the vehicle. Kind of like a station wagon
w/higher clearance of an SUV. I wasn't impressed with it, but to each his own, I guess.
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Member Is Offline
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I agree with you Ken, I don't like the short glass. But Beckman Tower out of Fresno has one and the crew that drive it love it.
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8923
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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| Quote: | Originally posted by TW
I agree with you Ken, I don't like the short glass. But Beckman Tower out of Fresno has one and the crew that drive it love it.
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TW - This crew didn't pay for it out of their own pockets, though. Had I paid $30,000 for a vehicle that I couldn't modify without losing my
vehicle's warranty, I would be less inclined to purchase it.
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Member Is Offline
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Don't you lose the warranty on any vehicle that is modified by anyone other than one authorized by the dealer /manufacture? I know that on a GM diesel
truck if you put larger tires on it the vehicle warranty is cancelled. 3 Way Chevrolet here in Bakersfield told me that. But chevy and GMC sell lifted
trucks here that are under warranty, but not diesels.
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8923
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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The Moss Warranty Act governs this issue:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson%E2%80%93Moss_Warranty_...
I know Mopar produces its' own suspension lift kits and accessories for this very reason, to install on its' own factory vehicles to sell to the
public...at a price.
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Ramon
Banned
Posts: 25
Registered: 5-17-2010
Member Is Offline
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Not new DK...you and Ken being friends, your constant reposting of the same pictures and your stickers is not the point.... just bored of seeing your
continuous self promotion and hijacking of threads. Your an @$$
| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Sorry Ramon, but Ken and I are friends... and we are jabbing each other and don't want to dis' any Jeep or Toyota product owners, okay?
I see that you are new, and may not have know this... but welcome to Nomad and post your own photos and stories? Maybe I can pick at your stuff too?
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[Edited on 12-19-2010 by Ramon]
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8923
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Its Pole Line Road time
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::Buildup update::
Mike walked out of his home last week after having the Jeep aligned, and noticed some metal objects on his driveway. He drove himself off to work,
not thinking anything was wrong.
Returning home from work, the steering wobbled, and pulling into the driveway, Mike realized hisfront wheel weights fell off!!
Another trip to Goodyear, another rebalance of the two wheels missing their weights, and Mike's Jeep is now ready for the open road or dirt trail.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64615
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Ramon
Not new DK...you and Ken being friends, your constant reposting of the same pictures and your stickers is not the point.... just bored of seeing your
continuous self promotion and hijacking of threads. Your an @$$
| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Sorry Ramon, but Ken and I are friends... and we are jabbing each other and don't want to dis' any Jeep or Toyota product owners, okay?
I see that you are new, and may not have know this... but welcome to Nomad and post your own photos and stories? Maybe I can pick at your stuff too?
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[Edited on 12-19-2010 by Ramon] |
Nobody is making you read what Ken and I post... it is a public forum, if you don't like what you see... find something that you do like.
Posting how unhappy you are isn't entertaining anyone but yourself. What you fail to realize is there are new viewers every day, and because you have
seen something before doesn't mean they should be denied a look.
With only 9 posts on Nomad, who made you king?
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Ramon
Banned
Posts: 25
Registered: 5-17-2010
Member Is Offline
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That will definately make a wobble! Know the feeling. I lose weights on my fullsize a few times a year. Amazing what a little missing lead will do.
| Quote: | Originally posted by Ken Cooke
Mike walked out of his home last week after having the Jeep aligned, and noticed some metal objects on his driveway. He drove himself off to work,
not thinking anything was wrong.
Returning home from work, the steering wobbled, and pulling into the driveway, Mike realized hisfront wheel weights fell off!!
Another trip to Goodyear, another rebalance of the two wheels missing their weights, and Mike's Jeep is now ready for the open road or dirt trail.
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