The New, Larger '08 Toyota Tundra is storming the fullsize truck market, and the aftermarket isn't far behind with support for those of us who like to modify our 4x4s. We just returned from a trip to Arizona where we took a stock Tundra, added the new Old Man Emu 2.5-inch performance suspension at 4-Wheeler's Supply in Phoenix, and then hit the trails. This is a great low-lift suspension where performance is a priority over added height. Old Man Emu (OME) is the suspension division of ARB, and most OME suspensions focus less on ride height and more on quality springs and shock valving to optimally control the suspension. This ARB ideology originated in Australia due to the more stringent lift laws there than here in the U.S., and four-wheeling is primarily done on long outback touring trips where traveling hundreds and hundreds of miles across rough corrugated dirt roads is commonplace. Because of this, the OME suspensions are very livable for daily use, while still offering a stout ride and enough lift to clear a slightly taller tire.
We found that having the extra-cab truck with a short lift can require an attentive eye on the rocker panels when off road in technical wheeling situations, especially in a truck without locking differentials. The Tundra requires enough wheelspin to engage the factory traction control but without launching the truck into a waiting boulder. However, when rallying down mountain roads or crawling up twisty obstacles with steep side hills, having the low center of gravity makes for a secure driving experience. The 21/2-inch lift also doesn't make using the bed a struggle since it is only slightly taller than stock. We were very happy with the short lifted Tundra as it rode great, looked better than stock, and performed excellently off road. And though we're usually fans of big tires under our 4x4s, with the price of gasoline pushing $4 per gallon, we're sure the 33-inch Goodyears are a bit more economical than a larger, heavier tire.
The front suspension in the...
The front suspension in the new Tundra uses a coilover shock within the IFS A-arms that is replaced when adding the Old Man Emu suspension. Both the coil and shock are replaced, but some of the coil mounting plates must be reused and a coil spring/strut compressor is needed for this step of the assembly.
The Tundra is available with...
The Tundra is available with the 4.0L V-6, the 4.7L, or the 5.7L V-8. Since there are different weights of vehicle depending on the body bed configuration-whether you are running a heavy front bumper and winch, or hauling a camper, trailer, or truck load of pigs-the Old Man Emu engineers offer three different coil springs. We chose to go with the medium-duty coil since this truck has the 5.7 V-8 but won't be seeing a bumper or winch for the test.
Out back there are also heavy-duty...
Out back there are also heavy-duty springs available for added load-carrying capacity, but we chose to go with the standard OME leaves since empty truck wheeling was our goal. (Though we say "empty" it did have our trusty ARB fridge freezer full of freshies in the back seat.) The new OMEs have an additional main leaf in the pack and dual overload/antiwrap springs as compared to the original leaves.
Old Man Emu supplies nitrogen-charged...
Old Man Emu supplies nitrogen-charged twin-tube shocks known as Nitrochargers that have been specifically designed for extended use over rough dirt roads. We had no fade over the rough high-speed roads, and even when this big truck was being hammered mercilessly over the rutted mountain trails the shocks held up excellently and kept the truck riding smooth and under control.
Both the front and the rear...
Both the front and the rear suspensions are very simple to install and the guys at 4-Wheeler's Supply had it done and the alignment set in about half a day. The rear suspension does have some additional brackets for the brake lines, but mostly it's just new springs and shocks in all four corners.
The 33-inch tires are 287/70R...
The 33-inch tires are 287/70R 17 Goodyear MT/Rs from Discount Tire and were shipped straight to our door. They offered great traction, minimal road noise, and a way better look than the boring stock tires. The rims are forged-aluminum 17-inchers from TRD and can be purchased at any Toyota dealership. We really like how they look when mounted. However be sure to have the original wheel-pressure sensors pulled from your factory wheels and installed in the new wheels or you will have a warning light on your dash.
We didn't think 17-inch wheels...
We didn't think 17-inch wheels would fit on the Tundra, but these are made to clear the big brakes on both the '08 Tundra and the new '08 Land Cruiser. The 33-inch-tall tires fit perfectly, and with slight trimming we bet a set of 35s could have been stuffed in the wheelwells. As for ground clearance, our only issue was knocking the massive rear differential on some rocks, but the mid-height pinion location and round bottom of the housing meant we could usually throttle forward with no damage to either axle or driveshaft.
We measured a solid 3 inches...
We measured a solid 3 inches of lift between the center of the wheels and the top of the wheel openings. Because we added the larger mud tires the lifted Tundra has a way more aggressive and appealing look. We mostly drove the lifted truck off road and in street traffic so mileage comparisons are difficult, but the mileage averaged about 12 mpg with the lift and big tires during wheeling and roadway driving versus 14 to 15 mpg with the tame tires and all highway driving.