Marv's Boring Black SR5

Bummer about the flats, but that trail looks like a blast! Might have to head up that way at some point

 

Just peeked under my Imagine to check. My tires are ever so slightly more worn on the inside, but not by an appreciable margin. The trailer is heavier, so already on 3,500# axles with 3” tubes. Not a ton of crown, but certainly not negative. Springs are 4-leafers.

If I have issues down the road, I’ll bump up to 4.400# axles and spring sets. That’s what GD used on the next trailer size up from mine, and they’ve finally changed the axles in my model to the heavier ones as well. They started putting the larger tires (like I swapped to) on the new one also. Makes me assume I’m right on the line…

 

Do you think it has anything to do with going from E load to C load sidewalls? How aired down were you when you got the two flats?

Not trying to poke you in the eye; just curious.

 

Probably a good point, but there’s probably not as much chance that those speeds would have been attainable with stiffer tires.

I’ve ruined a lot more tires (while off-roading) this way than I have with nails and screws, but I wouldn’t want to put stuff semi tires on to reduce the chance.

 

I've only ever off-roaded on aired down E load tires. It's like riding on a cloud. You lose a tiny bit of clearance, but they just deform nicely over everything and have more protective sidewalls.

I asked because I was considering following in Marv's steps and going with C tires when the time comes, but I'm wondering if the increased exposure to sidewall damage is worth it.

 

Everything has a trade off! I agree that you can air down and rally on LRE tires (it’s what i do) but you would see even more comfort and such with the softer sidewalls of LRC tires.

Gotta find the balance…. Air down enough to get really squishy, and you need to pay more attention to the obstacles that bit Marv. Run with more air or a stiffer tire and you’ll be less likely to pinch sidewalls, but also less comfortable. Less speed. Less traction.

All about balance. When was the last time we saw a UTV or sand car on LRE tires? They’d never ruin a tire, but everything else would suffer.

 

It’s a fun one! Other trails in the area, too.

 

So I was running about 15 psi when I flatted.

I don’t think the C load attributed to the flats any more than my E’s would have. I simply partied too hard for the pressure I was running. I’ll tell you what though, it was floating pretty good up until that rock jumped out and bit me!

I’ll be sticking with C range tires from now on. The on road comfort is noticeably better than the E’s and that’s where I spend most of my time. For off-road, they are more supple and flexible when aired down, as well. I just pushed the limits and found a particularly square rock edge. I’m just not convinced that there’s any good reason (for me) to run the E’s anymore. I just towed 6k miles with them and running at 35 psi cold I didn’t notice any less stability than with E’s at like 60 psi. I DO notice more comfort and less “bouncy” ride with the C’s, Towing or unloaded. Just better comfort all around imo.

 

A picture from discount tire after gettin my new meats put on!

 

I don't have any comfort issues with Es; I was just thinking Cs might save me some weight. I typically run 18-20 psi in pretty rocky terrain in TN and CO.

 

My wife was a little perturbed that I rallied our tow rig and blew out 2 brand new tires 3 days before we left for another trip (that had been scheduled for months!). Luckily, Discount tire was able to get some new Toyo's ordered and installed them on the truck before we departed, this time for a "short" trip to the Black Hills in SD.

Also before this trip, I had the axles and leaf springs upgraded on the trailer. I now have some real 3" OD 3500lb rated axles and some legit leaf springs. Trailer tows a lot nicer and doesnt bounce around near as much. I anticipate tire wear will be much improved, as well.

It's about 400 miles from our house to the place we stayed. I don't usually like to drive more than about 300 miles per day when we're traveling, but this was a single day drive so I sacked up and we were at the campground by dinner time.

The Black Hills are amazing. SD is such a free state compared to CO and sometimes I daydream about moving to the Rapid City area. It feels deserted compared to the front range of CO but there's so much to do there. Maybe someday...For now, just another visit!

We stayed in a pretty nice campground with full hookups (horse thief campground). The kids had a great time, as usual, as there were rocks right next to our campsite. They love climbing. We also did some of the touristy stuff like the alpine slide in Keystone, reptile gardens, and Old MacDonald's farm. I really wanted to hit some of the OHV trails and do some 'splorin but just didnt happen this go around. Probably better that way since I would have gotten wild and broke something which would have damaged relations with the better half.

Another great trip in the books. Truck is boringly reliable and tows well, even when loaded a bit above its gross weights. Trailer pulled good, though we did experience a toilet failure this trip. These dang campers are so delicate seems like 3 years in everything is starting to show cracks. Gotta pay to play, I suppose. I'd love to go back and hit more trails/offroad adventures and skip the tourist traps next time.

Anybody got good advice on Black Hills area trails? I think C4 fab is up there somewhere too aren't they? Might need some of their bumpers....
After the trip, I happened to park in a parking lot next to a raptor with the 37 package. I think mine looks better

 

The C's would definitely save a little weight. Not sure if it's enough to justify the change if you're happy with E's though. I had E's previously and I dont feel like there's any perceptible difference in handling due to the lighter tires. It's still quite a bit of rotating mass either way you slice it.

 

Lol. I park next to some poor schmuck with a Raptor at the gym a lot. It’s cute.

 

It’s fun to bag on them a little, but they really are quite impressive for going fast over rough terrain. I can pretty honestly say that in stock form my buddies raptor outperforms my ADS equipped tundra in the fast stuff. Long travel is a hell of a drug.

 

You’re not wrong! Still, it’s fun to poke the bear.

 

Well we decided to take one last trip to the mountains this year and were hopeful for some good weather. We couldn't have asked for nicer conditions! We went down to the Buena Vista area and had a blast. Camped near Nathrop along the river. Went up to St Elmo to visit the chipmunks (kids love that!). Explored some old trials/ohv roads up by the Mary Murphy mine. S'mores. Did a little ADS/Deaver flexing for the peanut gallery . Hiked a bit with the kids and they did great.

I did get "Stuck" in sort of a steep/rocky section of one trail. Had to park and hike a bit from there. It seemed like stock gearing/power/35's just weren't gonna get up this section. 4lo didn't even seem to make a difference so I guess I'll need to start looking harder at those 5.29 gears and 37's... Also bashed my passenger side front bumper shell pretty good. I guess that's one step closer to a C4 fab or something...

 

Making great memories, right there. Enjoy them while they are young, it is true what everyone says they grow up fast!

 

That’s sooooo cool! YAY for fam time!

 

The truck is about to turn over 100k miles so I took it in for one last service while under the extended warranty. They did an oil change and usual stuff. They discovered that my water pump was leaking so they replaced that under warranty and put on a new belt, too. I took advantage of the offer to restore the headlights, as well. They had a tech offering it for $129 so I said yea, what the heck. They did the large Toyota emblem in the middle of the grill, too. Looks a lot better and lighting is improved at night.

I also had the tech install a new set of bushings on my MCM UCA's, since I over greased and deformed most of them. I didnt want to mess with the old ones and it was well worth the couple hundred bucks in labor to get them swapped while keeping my hands clean.

Truck is still running great. Looking forward to another summer of towing and wheeling! I have been thinking about 5.29's, some new LCA's and bypass shocks for the front, and some new RCI armor....

 

Last week, we decided to make our first camping trip of the year. My wife was on a weekend retreat so it was just me and the kiddos! Went out western CO near Palisade and stayed a few nights in James Robb state park, pretty much right on the CO river. We got a mix of rain/snow/sun/wind...so typical springtime weather in the Rockies. The kids had a great time and enjoyed their hatchets, headlamps, RC cars, and bicycles. We got to checkout the huge shooting complex at Cameo, but we didnt bring the bang sticks on this trip so it was just a cruise through of the facilities. Pretty impressive place! We also went out in search of a heard of wild horses that roam the area. We didnt find any horses, but definitely found some thick, peanut buttery, western slope mud. Yikes! I was sweating for a couple minutes thinking I may have to get some help to get out of there. Luckily, I was able to drive out but man that stuff was wicked. Once we got back on the more gravelly roads and shed the mud, it was pretty fun. Pretty sure I caught some air as I was tailgating a Bronco Raptor on our way out of the area we were in He must have been a new owner and was really babying that thing. I sort of felt like I was behind Miss Daisy...It's amazing that people will spend that kind of money on a machine like that and then drive a dirt road like they're in a dang Honda Odyssey...

Did some Trainspotting and hit a great diner in Rifle on our way home.

Great trip to start the year! Had a blast with the kids and got to see spots of Colorado that we've not spent a lot of time in. I plan to return when the weather is drier/warmer for another trip. When I got home, I spent an hour at the manual car wash removing the CONCRETE that the mud dried into. What a pain in the ass!

The 35" Toyo AT3's are wearing nicely. Method's bead grip works great at higher speeds and lower pressure, too. The ADS suspension continues to impress me, though I'm sure I could tune/valve it better. The onboard air is still REALLY nice to have, makes air up/down such an easy thing. Rago dash/phone holder parts are holding up well and provide good convenience.

The truck turned over 100k miles somewhere on this trip, too! All in all, she takes a lickin and keeps on tickin!

 

Our big roadtrip this year was out to Wisconsin. Oh yea, Wisconsin! Out for 2 weeks and about 3k miles of open road. We went pre Memorial Day and the weather was pretty good. No crowds to contend with. We drove east on I80 and stayed in the Green Bay region for a few days, then worked back west on the I90 corridor. Went through NE, IA, WI, MN, and SD. Super fun to spend a lot of time with the kids and they loved just about everywhere we went. The vegetation is so lush in the midwest, I sort of forget that things can get green after living in CO for so long and just being used to the super dry climate. Got some cheese curds and some great sunsets on Lake Michigan.

Stops included:
- Buffalo Bill's ranch in NE
- Two rivers state rec area in NE
- Governer Dodge state park in WI
- Peninsula State park in WI
- Flandrau State Park in MN
- Ingall's homestead in DeSmet SD
- Badlands Nat'l Park in SD
- Nebraska National Forest in NE

Right before we left, I had the OTT tune installed. I really like the way the truck shifts now and doesnt hunt for gears as much. Throttle response is definitely improved. No telling about the mpg increase, but there's probably a little. A quick figuring tells me we burned about 475 gallons of fuel on this trip. No other mods to document, just more trouble free miles on the odometer.

 

Did another quick trip this past week, just me and the boys. Went down to a spot near Jefferson, on the west side of Kenosha pass. It's easy to get to and provides some pretty fun spots. My buddy with the raptor was up and so we hammered on the trucks pretty good. Nothing broken, so it was a good trip! Boys had a blast chopping wood, shooting BB guns, and building fires. Did a little hiking and tried some fishing, too. Gotta get back up soon!

 

And here's a fun one...When your tundra weighs 9040 pounds that's bad...Mkay?! The Deavers handled it like a champ, but I was definitely on the bumpstops on my way home from the landscape yard! Even my "unloaded" weight is getting a bit hefty at 6660. This girl is only gonna get fatter, too.

 

Summer is cruising by. Still using the truck all the time in our life! Here's one of a recent range trip. My girls can shoot!

 

Took a trip to Paonia State Park back in June for my oldest son's 9th birthday. It was a great place. That area of CO is really nice and we had a great time. Got a spot in a campground right on the river that runs into the N end of the reservoir and the kids had a blast by the water. It was like 50 feet from our camper door to the sandy little riverbank beach at our site. I also got a chance to explore some 4x4/forest roads out there that have been on my list for a while. Nice country and great times spent with the family!

 

My birthday is at the end of July and everyone makes a bigger deal of it than me, so this year I decided to capitalize. I inaugurated the yearly boy's camping trip on dad's birthday trip. I loaded me and the boys in the truck with the bare essentials and left the camper in the driveway. We just roamed and hit as much dirt in 5 days as possible. It was awesome! I think we got 12 passes in, 6 or 7 of them being dirt. A few had some real wheeling in them. Red Cone pass was by far the trickiest. A 5.29's and lockers would have made that one a lot easier, but I got her through! All the guys in the RZR's were surprised to see me at the top after they passed me while I struggled through this obstacle that consisted of 4-5 deep, staggered offset holes just after a tight switchback. It was a phenomenal trip with my boys and I was so grateful to have the time with them.

Just prior to the trip I picked up a soft topper and ditched the husky toolbox. So far I like the softopper. It really does a good job of keeping weather out of the bed and it sets up/breaks down really quick once you have the hang of it. Definitely got some new scratches, dings, and pinstripes in the paint on this trip. RCI Sliders are holding up good and I definitely used them on this trip. I banged a couple big rocks into my rear diff housing and the leaf spring brackets on the bottom side of the rear axle. I'll probably add some more armor to the bottom side of this thing sometime. It's been great running onboard air with the twin ARB compressor mounted under the hood. Makes air up/down pretty quick and easy. On this trip, one of the mounting bolts for the compressor bracket pulled through the fender well while I was hammering on some rough sections of trail. Compressor and mount are solid, but the fence sheet metal just wasnt up to the punishment. I'll need to put in a new bolt with a nice big washer on the inside of the fender to keep it secure.

I continue to tinker with the bypass tubes on the rear ADS shocks to find the best settings. With the U748's and an empty bed, rebound damping is important. Those deavers are pretty stout and the rear still kicks out on big hits. The 748's are super plush with a load on them, but stiff with the empty bed. Maybe I just need to put another 500 lbs of "overlanding" gear back there and it'll get smoother, but I wonder if the K37's would have been better for my purposes. Either way, the ADS/Deaver setup continues to perform awesome. I need to dedicate some time to tuning/adjusting and I'll bet it would get even better.

 

Well the winter was pretty quiet in terms of truck stuff. New baby boy arrived in September (Yep, that's 5 for those of you counting!) so we've been back in baby mode. I've gotten out with the older kids a few times in the past month or so to do some camping and wheeling as springtime arrives in the Rockies. Romped with my buddy in his Raptor a few weeks ago. Fun as usual!

It's a bummer that the Tundra only seats 6 because now I can't take everyone along! Baby and Mama aren't much for off roading at the moment, but I'm sure they'll want to go soon enough. Sort of a dilemma as to how that's going to work but I'm sure we'll figure it out. We also needed a tow rig that would hold all of us when we travel with the camper so we picked up an expedition max back in October. It's a 2019 with about 65k miles on it, stealth package. Pretty sweet ride except for the fact that we've already replaced the transmission! It was warrantied so only $100 deductible out of pocket, but time will tell if it will be good to us. Probably not going to get 2nd gen tundra reliability, but it sure is comfy for travel.

I just ordered a new RCI bumper and skid package since my stock splash guard finally tore through it's mounting bolts I may have RCI freshen up the powder coat on the sliders while I'm at it, since they're local to me. I cleaned up one of the sliders and spray bombed it, but I don't think it'll last. Probably better to just pull them and have them redone the right way so I can get another 10 years or so out of them. I have plans for a 5.29 regear in the near future, as well. I just need to figure out if I'm going to go with lockers or LSD devices.

 

Looks great!

Always nice to see that I’m not the only one that has more salt than pepper in his hair; obviously directly related to (only 4 in my case) the kiddos!


I think you’re really going to love the 5.29 gears. I still grin every time I get on it or pull out to pass someone on the highway. With your elevation, I bet you’d also super love a blower though…

You wheel yours a lot more than I do. I’d be really looking at selectable lockers if I were in your shoes. My Grip Pro is awesome, but we’re in a different use group. I’ve had front and rear lockers in my wheelers, and there is no comparison for trail use.

 

This is AWESOME !!!! and inspiring !!

 

5 kids and running a custom remodeling company has added some gray hair for sure! Wouldn't trade any of them though. It's a sign of my superior wisdom

I appreciate your input on the lockers vs LSD. I've started to lean lockers for the exact reasons you stated. My understanding is that LSD's dont really "lock up" until you get into the throttle pretty good. I've never had a problem with obstacles going fast, even with open diffs. I need more grunt for the slow, steep stuff.

Is there a setup that's an LSD and also a locker? seems like that would be the best of both worlds. I'd love the benefits of an LSD on road then be able to lock them up off-road.