FWC Hawk on '07 Tundra: best mods for stability and offroad?

erod,
Thanks for posting the shots of the 7 leaf pack, I've been curious about the layout and structure of the added springs so it was nice to finally get to check 'um out.
 
Hey guys, based on some of your comments and further thinking about center of gravity/handling issues and increased rollover risk when putting the FWC on a lifted 4WD truck, I am starting to lean towards NOT doing the ToyTec 3" lift and bigger tires and instead just living with the '07 Tundra's factory clearance (which is not that great, but I can't honestly expect to do really intense off-road in a big truck like this anyway IMO).

Realizing 90% of my miles are on pavement getting to and from the rugged road locations in the West plus daily street driving locally, I'd probably be better off in handling and safety to stay pretty much stock with the TRD package and keep the new tires the same size as Toyota included (275/65R-18). I have ordered Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo's which were spectacular on my Nissan 4WD in overall on-road handling especially in rain which we get a lot of in the PNW, yet still were rugged enough to get me where I needed offroad, and they will be a significant improvement over the OEM BFG Rugged Trails which get near-universal criticsim from owners.

I'll most likely add the Ride-Rite airbags for extra stability with the loaded Hawk.

Your comments are welcome if you think I am heading in the right direction, or making a mistake :)

EDIT: Honestly, I would love the look of the 3" lift with large & meaty BFG T/A KO or Toyo M/T tires and knowing I had that extra clearance on bad roads, but I am trying to do what is best practically with a loaded pop-up camper in the bed...

Cheers,
Ross
 
Hey Ross

I've been letting the guys on the forum handle this topic for you.

Them seem to have good experience and will give you many different points of view to consider.

Most of our customers so far haven't needed to add many suspension upgrades when putting a camper on the new 07' Tundra trucks.

But if I were to do something, I would be leaning more towards just a simple helper spring or over load springs. Maybe the Hellwig or SuperSpring.

www.hellwigproducts.com

www.supersprings.com

I added a set of the SuperSprings to our Ford F-150 and set them at the loosest setting. It seemed to help the last time we had a camper on the truck, and I haven't noticed much of a difference in ride when the truck is empty. I think the SuperSprings actually took some of the body roll (side to side sway) out, which I like for around town driving.

I guess I am a big fan for simplicity -- I don't like stuff that can break. I don't want to be out and about and have to worry about an air bag leaking on me or forgetting to check the air pressure and have one totally fail on me. I just put a helper spring on there, and done -- no need to think about it again.

Just my 2 cents worth.


Here is a classic picture of someone getting too wild and crazy.

You think a 3" lift kit and a four wheel camper is too much ?

Check this dude out :)


.
 

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Hey Ross

Most of our customers so far haven't needed to add many suspension upgrades when putting a camper on the new 07' Tundra trucks.

But if I were to do something, I would be leaning more towards just a simple helper spring or over load springs. Maybe the Hellwig or SuperSpring.


Holy cow, talk about high center of gravity! :eek: I don't think I'd have the confidence to drive a rig like that...

Great to see you here Stan, and thanks again for being great to work with on the Hawk order! I just checked out the link for the SuperSprings and it looks like a very cool solution...I am intrigued by the set-it-and-forget-it simplicity.

Cheers,
Ross
 
Supersprings

Hi Ross,

I like Stan's thinking. I also like supersprings. I recently put a set on my 1977 Chevy pickup and it took about 30 minutes or so to install. They don't affect the unloaded ride or ride height....and they are simplicity at its best. However, I don't plan to do serious off-roading.

Buzz
 
Hi Ross,

I like Stan's thinking. I also like supersprings. I recently put a set on my 1977 Chevy pickup and it took about 30 minutes or so to install. They don't affect the unloaded ride or ride height....and they are simplicity at its best. However, I don't plan to do serious off-roading.

Buzz

Hey Buzz, thanks for the feedback, the SuperSprings are looking like the way to go for me.
 
Just wanted to chime back in after taking the camper out for the first time with the airbags on. Also the first time I got to take it off road.

First, this rig is so stable (even without the bags), that I seriously doubt you would want a sway bar. I drove through the CO mountains and through hours of 2 lane, mountain roads last week and it felt very comfortable. The bags do make it a stiffer ride and handle better, but honestly are not 100% necessary. Offroad, the bags did prevent the sensation of "about to bottom out on the stops". Overall, I am pleased with the bags. I had only 23# of air in them and that raised it up 2" (3" sag without, only 1" with 23# air). Cost? About $550 installed. Personally, I think Toyota seriously underestimated the payload of this truck.

Given my experience with it so far, I am inclined to go with a 2" lift in the front and maybe a 1" shackle when available in the rear. Even without the shackle, it ought to ride nearly perfectly level with the front 2" lift. Without changing to bigger tires, I expect that to ride pretty stable and close to stock. And clearance would no longer be an issue. I am reluctant to go with bigger tires as it messes with the computer traction nannies (need to be zeroed at dealer), hurts fuel economy, etc.

Did some light offroading. Rarely needed 4wd with the weight of the camper over the rear. Compared to my landcruiser, the rig seemed to roll right over deep ruts and humps no problem. The cruiser always seems to want to go into things and then out of them, where the tundra wants to roll over them. The wider stance and longer wheelbase tended to stabilize the offroading (but makes sharp turns hard). Of course, this is my first p/u, so they probably all do this compared to the cruiser. Felt very comfortable out there.

Anyway, just my opinion so far.
 
Thanks for the update Brett, your comments about the handling of the '07 Tundra have got me really looking forward to getting out with mine. Sounds like the airbags are working great for you. I decided to go with the simplicity of the Super Springs and they are in transit to me now and will be installed next week along with new tires (just slightly larger) and most likely the ToyTec 2.5" or 3" front spacer and 1" rear block, although I'm considering just the 2.5" front and no rear block. I am still concerned about losing travel and ride quality in my front Bilsteins since the spacer adds preload, and I might be talked into Camburg coilovers with Total Chaos UCA if I could be convinced that the extra money spent would result in rear-world performance gains on the light to moderate 4WD roads I travel.

Wow, hard to believe I will be picking up my FWC Hawk in just over a week! I have dreamed of owning this for so many years and now it does not seem real yet. I will attempt to contribute to the forum by posting pics of my setup and some trip reports with scenic photography in the future. I really appreciate the info you all share and the great resource this group is.

Cheers,
Ross
 
Ross,

Let me get this straight.

You get the "oh what a feeling!" , and the "holy crap, I got a smokin' new FWC!" at almost the same time..Cool.
Be careful you don't hit the moon when you jump for joy!

Congrats! Can't wait to see the pictures..
 
Ross,

Let me get this straight.

You get the "oh what a feeling!" , and the "holy crap, I got a smokin' new FWC!" at almost the same time..Cool.
Be careful you don't hit the moon when you jump for joy!

Congrats! Can't wait to see the pictures..
Thanks! I almost feel guilty with the abundance of blessings :eek:. My wife has been very good to me this fall :).

Today I finally placed my order for the tires and suspension components, went with the ToyTec 3" front/1" rear lift and Nitto Terra Grappler LT275/70R-18 load E tires which will be 1.37" taller and .25" wider than current and will have install next week along with the Super Springs before loading the FWC on. Will definitely post pics when we get back from picking up the camper after Thanksgiving.

Thanks again to everyone for sharing your helpful ideas and experiences in this thread!

Cheers,
Ross
 
Whatever way you end up going you can't go wrong with your truck/camper combo. Oh, and good call on the Revo's, best tire out there!
Yes, the Revo's are terrific, but in my 18" rim size Bridgestone only makes them in a Passenger version and no bigger than what I already have from the factory, so I switched to the Nitto Terra Grapplers so I could get a more rugged/stable load E tire and something a little bigger for added ground clearance. The Nitto is made by Toyo and is nearly identical to the Open Country A/T I've been running on my Nissan truck and it is another great tire with excellent wet traction, good highway manners, and quite good in most of the offroad situations I encounter.
 
Add a leafs should be about $200. Air shocks would be nice but I'm "cheaping it out". Going to spend 6 weeks in Baja and need to save my money. The 2004 Tundra 4x4 rides fine with about a 3" lift to the rear of the truck. Will let you know in January whether the AAL's were enough.
 
Yes, the Revo's are terrific, but in my 18" rim size Bridgestone only makes them in a Passenger version and no bigger than what I already have from the factory, so I switched to the Nitto Terra Grapplers so I could get a more rugged/stable load E tire and something a little bigger for added ground clearance. The Nitto is made by Toyo and is nearly identical to the Open Country A/T I've been running on my Nissan truck and it is another great tire with excellent wet traction, good highway manners, and quite good in most of the offroad situations I encounter.

Thanks for the info, I'll give the Nitto a look. I go through tires pretty quickly, so I am always on the look out.
 
Hawk has been installed!

Hi all,

Tuesday I met up with an FWC employee and had my Hawk installed - wow, it looks amazing and I can hardly wait to get out camping in it! I do not have any truck mods or new tires installed yet so I know the ride and control can be improved, but it's not too bad now, and getting around 14.5mpg on the freeway seems decent.

We opted for the furnace, 3c.f. fridge/freezer, extended cabover plus full slideout (= king size bed), two power roof vents, auxiliary battery, hot water and outside shower, screen door, awning, rear wall steps, roof rack, rear flood lights, front sliding window, camper jacks, porta pottie (wife insisted for emergencies), and CD stereo. I really like the tan/gold fabric and white walls. A few exterior pics are posted below, taken by the Rogue River in Southern Oregon where we are visiting in-laws.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Cheers,
Ross
 

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Truck and camper are lookin' very good. Congratulations on the install and look forward to some more pictures of your great rig. Good choices on the option package.
 
Great looking rig! Can you post some pictures of your interior? I'd like to see what it looks like with the white walls.
 
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