One More Mod
Won’t Hurt.
Honest buying guides with real specs, load ratings and fitment for Jeep, Tacoma, Bronco and 4Runner builds.
Specs side by side
Tire sizes, load ratings and weights set out in tables, so the numbers that decide fit are easy to compare.
Fitment by vehicle
Wrangler, Gladiator, Tacoma, Bronco and 4Runner each get their own page: what you get stock and the known gotchas.
No paid placements
No brand can buy its way into a guide, a position or a rating.
Every mod changes the next one
A lift makes room for bigger tires, and bigger tires change your gearing. Decide the tire size first and plan all three together, or you end up buying suspension twice.
01 · Lift
Lift or level
Past ~2.5–3 in → arms, track bar, driveline
A leveling kit raises only the front to cancel factory rake; a lift raises both ends and, past a few inches, changes the geometry.
02 · Tires
Tire size
285/70R17 → ~32.7 in, sold as a 33
Wheel backspacing decides whether a tire hits the suspension at full lock; lift decides whether it hits the fender at full compression.
03 · Gearing
Re-gearing
3.73 × (35 ÷ 32) = 4.08 → 4.10s
One tire size up is usually absorbed; three inches or more over stock is where re-gearing becomes a real question.
Start with what you’re building
Each part of the build has its own page: what actually matters, what it costs you to live with, and where to start.
Rooftop Tents
Your roof’s dynamic load rating decides more than the tent does, and the rack comes before the tent.
Browse rooftop tents
Lift Kits & Suspension
Spacers, coils and full kits are three different products, and shock valving is what you actually feel.
Browse lift kits
Wheels & Tires
The size you pick sets the clearance you need, the weight you add and the gearing you lose.
Browse wheels & tires
Bumpers & Armor
For most builds: sliders first, skids second, and a steel front bumper much later than the internet suggests.
Browse bumpers & armor
Lighting
Beam pattern is the whole product, lumen claims tell you least, and wiring is worth doing once.
Browse lighting
Recovery Gear
Recovery points are not tie-down points, and every item in the chain must be rated.
Browse recovery gearAlso: Interior & Storage
Built around your vehicle
The same part behaves differently on a solid front axle and on independent front suspension. Each platform page covers what you get stock, the first mods that make sense and the known gotchas.
Jeep Wrangler
Solid axles at both ends and a parts catalogue deeper than anything else on the road, with a short wheelbase and steering geometry that gets worse the higher you lift it.
Browse Wrangler mods
Jeep Gladiator
A Wrangler with a bed and roughly 19 more inches of wheelbase than a four-door, plus a payload figure a bumper, winch and tent can eat.
Toyota Tacoma
Independent front suspension and rear leaf springs set hard limits on how it can be lifted.
Ford Bronco
Sasquatch brings 35-inch tires and lockers at both ends; independent front suspension makes a tall lift expensive.
Toyota 4Runner
A coil-sprung solid rear axle and an interior you can sleep in. On trucks with KDSS, a lift needs a kit and procedure that account for it.
Latest guides
New explainers and buying guides as they publish, newest first.
Hardshell vs Softshell Rooftop Tents: The Trade-Offs That Actually Matter
Body Lift vs Suspension Lift: What Each One Actually Does
Best Lift Kits for the Toyota 4Runner
Cascadia Vehicle Tents (CVT): The Full Lineup Explained
Light Bar Wiring Harnesses: Relay Sizing, Fusing and High-Beam Triggers
Are Wheel Spacers Safe? The Engineering Case For and Against
Read this before you spend
Plain answers to the questions that decide a build, before the money goes on parts.
What size tires fit my Jeep?
How tire sizing works, what typically clears a stock JK, JL or TJ, and why backspacing matters more than lift.
Lift kit or leveling kit?
A leveling kit cancels factory rake; a lift raises both ends and changes the geometry.
Do I need to regear?
The math for bigger tires, the signs of being under-geared, and when you can safely skip it.
Does a lift void my warranty?
Under US federal law a dealer must show the lift caused the failure before denying a claim.
What does a 3-inch lift really need?
The driveshaft, track bar, control arm and brake-line work the box price leaves out.
Mud-terrain or all-terrain?
What open tread buys in deep mud and rock, and what it costs you day to day.
Are hybrid terrain tires worth it?
The third category between A/T and M/T, and the trucks that justify the extra noise.
Do I need load range E tires?
Why most Wranglers, Gladiators and Tacomas never need the stiffer, harsher-riding E rating.
What is death wobble?
A self-reinforcing steering oscillation on solid-axle vehicles, and how to find the cause in order.
Will my build get me pulled over?
Height, headlight, tire coverage and aux lighting rules, and how to check your own state.
Hard shell or soft shell tent?
Setup speed against sleeping space, and the roof load rating that decides it first.
How much can a Tacoma roof rack carry?
Toyota’s roughly 165 lb dynamic limit, not the static rating, sets the ceiling while driving.
What does an overland build cost?
Three honest budget tiers, and the running costs most people forget.
Do I need beadlock wheels?
True beadlocks solve a rock-crawling problem; most on street trucks are cosmetic rings.
Which air compressor do I need?
Duty cycle matters more than the PSI on the box when airing up four tires in the heat.
What does a snatch block do?
It roughly halves the load on the winch or changes the pull angle, and it is sized to the rope, not the winch.
Common questions
Does lifting a truck void the warranty?
Not the whole warranty. In the US, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act stops a warrantor denying coverage just because aftermarket parts are fitted, but a specific claim can still be denied when the failed part is plausibly downstream of the lift, such as the driveline, wheel bearings or steering. How warranty claims actually work.
Will 35-inch tires fit a stock Jeep Wrangler?
Sometimes, with work. It typically takes wheels with much less backspacing than factory, trimming the plastic inner liner and lower air dam, and often bump stop extensions, and you should expect rubbing at full lock. What size tires fit a Wrangler.
Do I need to re-gear for 35s?
Frequently, if you came from 32s or smaller: that is the jump where transmission hunting, heat and sluggish acceleration typically show up. Front and rear ratios must match, so there is no rear-only re-gear. Re-gearing after bigger tires.
How much weight can my roof carry with a rooftop tent?
Go by the dynamic load rating, which is what the roof and rack can carry while moving. Factory roof ratings commonly land somewhere in the 100-165 lb range, and a hard shell tent plus an aftermarket rack can use all of it before you add anything else. Roof load and rooftop tents.
Should I run mud-terrain or all-terrain tires?
For most people, all-terrain. Mud-terrains buy self-cleaning and bite in deep mud and sharp rock, but cost you noise, tread life and wet braking on pavement; if a third or more of your driving is off pavement in soft terrain, the mud-terrain earns its keep. Mud-terrain vs all-terrain.
What causes death wobble?
It is a self-reinforcing oscillation in the steering and front suspension of a solid-axle vehicle, not one failed part. Check in order of cost: tire balance, then the track bar and its mounting, then ball joints and tie rod ends. A steering stabiliser only hides the symptom. How to find the cause.
Do I need load range E tires?
Usually not on a Wrangler, Gladiator, Tacoma or 4Runner, where load range C is the stock spec. E-rated tires belong on 3/4- and 1-ton trucks running near their GVWR, and on a lighter rig they mostly add a harsher ride. Load range E explained.
Will a 2-inch lift and 33s get me pulled over?
In most places, on its own, no. What draws attention at that size is tires poking past the flares and auxiliary lights left switched on, both cheap to fix. Rules vary by state, so check your own vehicle code. What actually gets you pulled over.
Planning a rooftop tent setup?
Start with your roof’s dynamic load rating. Many factory roofs are rated somewhere around 100–165 lb while moving, and a tent alone can use all of it.