Category: American Adventures

Adventurist news, events, and interviews with the community.

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Big Meats on a Taco

The Toyota Tacoma is one of the most commonly used overland vehicles out there with a huge following worldwide. The reason is simple, they just work and require very little if any in the way of custom fabrication. I have owned my Gen 2 Tacoma for five years and have it setup just right, with one exception. I’d prefer bigger tires. Don’t get me wrong, my 33” Falken Wildpeak MTs have always pulled off exactly what I wanted to and in some occasions more than what others thought possible. With the truck hitting 100,000 miles and parts starting to fail due to sheer mileage the opportunity presented itself to go to 35” tires.

We had just returned from Overland Expo and there were several problems that needed addressing. First, we lacked power because of the sheer weight of the truck, and I averaged a mere 10mpg to Phoenix and from Flagstaff. I had known that my best solution to fix this issue was to re-gear it. Then I noticed that one of my CV axle boots burped grease everywhere. It hadn’t failed but with 100,000 miles on the odometer it was time for some preventative maintenance. With re-gearing and new axles on the table it was a no-brainer to just take it one step further and go to the 35” tires as well.

I did what everyone else does when about to tackle a new project, started surfing the internet in search of all the information I could find. Who else has done it, how did they do it, what worked and what didn’t was what I was after. What I found was that there was a lot of information out there, yet almost none of this info was complete or organized. So I decided it was time to pick the brains of the industry professionals I know. Industry professionals like Eric Hansen of Yotamasters and Tyler Pelfrey of Pelfreybilt. The reason I chose these individuals is because Eric is a wheeler through and through and runs one of the best Toyota specific shops I know of. I approached Tyler because he had already done exactly what I wanted to do and is a good friend whose opinion I trust. If Tyler’s done it you can bet every aspect of the situation was heavily researched and done right, he’s just that meticulous.

Eric and I had a good conversation about what gears to go with. I posed the question of re gearing with the truck as is with the possible potential of going to 35 inch tires in the future. Eric described the gears like riding a bicycle. Picture riding the bike where you pedal hard to make power or easy to make the same power and your engine is getting winded, re gearing in essence is going to prolong the life of your drivetrain. I asked if we should do 4.56 or 4.88s from the stock 3.70 gears. I told him I average 70-75 on the freeway and rarely if ever drive over 75mph. He explained that the gearing difference between the two was very minimal and that if I didn’t really drive over 75 then he would recommend the 4.88s, if I was more of a lead foot and wasn’t sure if I was going to 35 inch tires than 4.56s would be better. I opted for the 4.88s.

The next phase of the research was what companies parts do I go with? I ended up going to East Coast Gear Supply for their assembled differentials. They had some improvements over the OEM differential setups I wanted plus the idea of just having assembled diffs sent to me and sending my cores right back was extremely appealing. One of the upgrades that East Coast Gear Supply has is a replacement sleeve for the needle bearing in the driver side font clamshell. The needle bearing is known to fail on the Tacoma clamshell, so the upgrade was a must. The process for ordering was simple, I called them up and talked to one of their knowledgeable reps, told them what vehicle I had and answered their questions and viola new diffs were ordered.

The next item to be ordered were new axles. Most aftermarket axles were not the way to go due to poor quality control. I had great experience with my OEM Toyota CV axles so I wanted to just stick with what was working, that is until I saw the price tag that Toyota was charging. After more googlefu and interwebs reading I found CVJ Axles. They specialized in refurbished OEM Toyota Axles that you could get as stock replacements or with upgrades. I told Stephen at CVJ Axles what I was doing with the truck and he recommended using their high angle boots.

The final step was choosing the tires and what path I would use for clearancing the fenders. I had been running Falken Wildpeak MTs in the 33 (285/75R16) variety for over a year and can honestly say I was blown away by them. I have ran various other brand tires for all kinds of other driving, whether it was desert racing, overlanding or more technical rock work but the Falkens seemed to perform well everywhere to include on road, they where actually quiet for a MT!

I opted to go with the Wildpeak MTs again for the 35” tires (315/75R16) but fitting those big ole meats on the Tacoma would require cutting my fenders first. That was fun!

With the fenders neatly trimmed to clear the 35’s, I needed a way to make the truck look good afterwards and that was an easy choice, Bushwacker Fender Flares.

These flares took a while to get all of them on because we were busy actually getting out on trips, but the proof of concept was achieved as it all came together in Colorado on Engineer Pass!

Once all the flares were on it had the fully finished look I was seeking as well as some additional coverage – overall I am very happy with how all of these modifications turned out.

Full build thread on the truck can be found HERE on our Forum at American Adventurist.

Photos by Cifaldi Photography and Chad de Alva.

 

Full Disclosure: Tires, flares, gears and CV’s were provided at no or reduced cost to Brett or American Adventurist. 

 

 

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SIDI Adventure 2 Gore-Tex

Wet feet are one of those things that can really impact your enjoyment of a ride.  In the best case scenario, you’re looking at a minor annoyance when you can dry your feet and all your gear when you get home from a day’s ride.  Yet, ADV rides are typically multiday if not multi-week outings, and when you’re shoving your feet into the same wet gear day after day it can really wear on even the hardiest of riders.  Throw in some cold temperatures, and things can quickly go from ‘adventure’ to suffer fest.  Yet, with the right boots, all of the wet in the world can’t keep you from enjoying an awesome ride.

For the last eight months I’ve been wearing Sidi’s Adventure 2 Gore-Tex boot in desert heat, on frosty fall mornings, through flood inducing summer monsoons, and on plenty of bluebird days.  I’ve worn them on dual sport rides, off road rides, adventure rides, and even spent a little bit of time on a trials bike while wearing these boots.  If this sounds like a lot, that was exactly the point – my objective was to throw as many different conditions and types of riding at these boots to see how they would hold up.

The Adventure 2 is an update of SIDI’s well-loved Adventure Gore-Tex boot, and just as you would expect, SIDI has improved on the original Adventure Gore-Tex boot for this second revision.  One of the most notable changes is that the Gore-Tex gaiter has been extended further up the boot, making it even harder for water to find it’s way to your feet.  Out in the world, that translates into riding in wet conditions without concern for getting wet feet.  You can overcook water crossings for ‘gram-worthy (that’s how the kids refer to a photo for social media) photos, ride in microbursts that turn roads into rivers and just about anything else you can think of.  About the only way you’re going to get wet in the Adventure 2 is if you have to put a foot down in knee-deep water or if your pants aren’t waterproof.

In summer heat that feels like you’re riding in a hair-dryer, the Adventure 2s are still quite comfortable.  Considering that water vapor in the microclimate inside your boot has to go through a Gore-Tex laminate and all of the other materials that make up the Adventure 2, breathability is still quite good, and I’d go as far as to say they’re more comfortable in the heat than other brand’s non-Gore-Tex moto boots I’ve worn in the past.  Make no mistake – your feet are going to be warm, but if you’re worried about feeling like you’re wearing plastic bags on your feet – you won’t get that feeling in the Adventure 2.

In the cold, the Adventure 2 does a good job of keeping your toes warm, even though the boots aren’t insulated.  Toe warmth is obviously helped by having a core body temperature that’s in the right range, and a good sock on your foot, so as long as you have these first two things in place you should be good to go for a ride in the cold with cozy feet.

Extending the Gore-Tex cuff up the boot wasn’t the only revision that Sidi made to the Adventure 2 – the ankle flex system, Achillies protector, TPU placement, and other features have all been updated for this second revision.  You’ll feel these refinements the first time you slip a pair on and notice that the boots already feel (nearly) broken-in.  About the only gripe I can find with the Adventure 2, is that it isn’t a great boot for hiking for miles in.  On several occasions, I’ve found myself going for multi-mile hikes while out riding and on a few occasions this resulted in hot spots on my feet.  But I don’t fault the Adventure 2 for that – after all they’re motorcycle boots and not hiking boots, and there is no way that two buckles and a Velcro closure can embrace your foot the way a proper lace-up boot can.  Therefore, my wishlist for Adventure 3 would be better hiking performance.

In the course of normal amounts of walking around and all day riding, I didn’t have any uncomfortable fit issues.  I could spend nearly all of my time on a long ride standing and my feet would feel great at the end of the day.   With the Adventure 2 as part of my gear system, I stopped bringing extra footwear on my rides (unless I knew I was going to be hiking) as I was quite comfortable living in these boots 24/7.

On the bike, the Adventure 2 Gore-Tex works great transmitting input from your feet to the bike, and at no point on any bike ranging from a trials bike to a big ADV bike did I feel like the boots were impacting my ability to ride.  After a few minutes of riding in these boots, and you’ll feel like you’ve been wearing them for months so there is no learning curve associated with incorporating a new piece of gear into your system.

The SIDI Adventure 2 Gore-Tex boots have been a great addition to my riding gear system.  Even when I’m using the boots for types of riding other than what they’re intended for, they’ve handled everything I’ve done with ease.  Wearing the Adventure 2’s on not-adventure rides started out as a test for the sake of this review, but quickly became a standard practice because I just enjoyed wearing these boots so much – and the whole dry feet thing is pretty nice too.  The Adventure 2 is a well-made boot that has held up great to countless miles of riding, and I only expect continued comfort and worry free performance from them.  SIDI makes some of the best boots out there, and it shows in Adventure 2 Gore-Tex.  They’ve taken the well-loved original boot and only made it better in it’s second revision to create one of the best adventure / dual-sport / keep your feet dry when you’re riding boots money can buy.

Full Disclosure: SIDI generously contributed a pair of Adventure 2 Gore-Tex boots for review at no cost to Chad de Alva or American Adventurist.