*RickRunner* - Rickashay's 05 T4R

Dmski

Adventurer
Your truck is fantastic! My brother has the exact same model in gold with only a few more miles than you... His truck is incredibly capable and I'm somewhat envious of the looks now that it has a CBI front bumper. Keep up the good work/photos! I clearly need to take some time to go explore up north...
 
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RobD

Member
I must be more ricer at heart than italian. LOL I appreciate the good humor and won't be changing a thing. Not until my faux-wood vinyl shows up at least. hahaha

I recently switched over to my winter wheel/tire setup. I'll be daily driving the 4Runner this winter and using it a fair amount on the highway so I am running a dedicated winter highway tire setup. We actually are required by law in BC to run winter tires over the mountain passes so running a MT or AT all year is hard to do in my location. Because I love Toyo's so much I opten for a set of GSi 5's in the biggest size at 285/70R17. Running them on a set of 17x9 Matte Dark Bronze SCS F5's. Love the change in look for the winter and always have the option to throw the beadlocks on for the weekend when the snow gets deep and I need to get out and play in the truck.

Actually, a couple of years ago ICBC relaxed their requirements for winter tires in the passes, allowing "M+S" designated tires, as well. Stupid, in my mind, but that's ICKY BICKY for you.

I run Duratracs year round. Snowflake rated and good enough for my needs.
 

Hodaka

Adventurer
Hey Addison, finally had a chance to go through your build thread!
I was chatting with Chase on the ferry a couple weeks ago - we should all do a beer or two soon.
 

fwd_josh

New member
What would the vehicle requirements for something like Colossal be? Lockers? Winch? Certain tire size? Love the videos, I dream of being able to go someday!
 

rickashay

Explorer
Hey Addison, finally had a chance to go through your build thread!
I was chatting with Chase on the ferry a couple weeks ago - we should all do a beer or two soon.

Thanks for taking the time to check out my thread! You have one on here for the Subie!? Yes, always down for a pint.

What would the vehicle requirements for something like Colossal be? Lockers? Winch? Certain tire size? Love the videos, I dream of being able to go someday!

The requirements will vary slightly each year depending on the route. However a safe bet is 33" tires, sliders, front & rear frame mounted recovery points, and above all else - proper maintenance. Keep your eyes peeled for info on the 2018 trip!

UPDATE

Been a long time coming, but was able to get out in the snow this weekend. Now being out in BC the winters are glorious for copious amounts of snow and awesome powder days at the ski-hill that is 15 minutes from my door. One downfall of this climate though, is the lack of sunshine in the winter. With a great forecast promised for the weekend and a good buddy of mine from Calgary out visiting (to go snowboarding... go figure!) we decided to go explore and enjoy the sunshine for the day. We chose a simple fire road that switchbacks up above Kootenay Lake in order to have the chance at a good lookout should the conditions cooperate. First time in the pow with the Toyo R/T's and my initial impressions are very good. Wish the sidewall was a little more active/aggressive but overall happy.

Ian took the lead in his 3rd Gen 4Runner on M/T's and 35's in order to break trail. Aired down we started up the trail noticing immediately how sugary the snow conditions were. There was a semi-solid crust but the snow was almost unpackable under the weight of the vehicle, making it very hard to not sink.

_08I8434.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I8418.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

With a helluva lot of wheel speed and momentum, we were able to push up the first 3 switchbacks without too much trouble.

_08I8431.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

Not before long, we reached a fairly long switchback with a steeper grade and greater snow depth. The corner at the end of the run, was quite tight so keeping our speed up for the corner was essential. Chase (my brother in the 1st Gen Tacoma) and I waited at the bottom as Ian pounded the snow ahead. Foreward and back several times until he could get going and have some momentum. With snow flying in the air ahead of us we hear a loud BANG. Ian jumps on the radio stating that he figures he just broke a CV. Chase and I crawl up the now cleared track and get behind Ian to help winch him to a more ideal situation to look at the truck and establish the problem.


_08I8467.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I8444.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

After winching to a suitable spot, we find the CV's still intact. The loud popping sound coming from the front end though is not good, and we decide to sideline his truck while we continue onward to make an attempt at the lookout.

Chase, without a front recovery point or winch takes the lead in the logical sense so that I can still recover him backwards if needed. The sun continues to shine and we remain stoked to be outside despite the mechanical setbacks. Ian's attitude is always positive (even when we suspect his front diff has exploded) and he continually brings the rest of the group up. He's a great guy and one of the reasons I enjoy wheeling and hanging out with him so much.


_08I8463.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I8459.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I8455.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

We pushed onward up the next couple switchbacks but the winch become continually deployed. Luckily we had Blake (a awesome Toyota enthusiast who moved to BC from Australia) and Ian now able to run lines while Chase and I tried to make more progress.


_08I8449.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I8416.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

Eventually we were denied further passage despite me trying to take point and break trail with the V8 power and beadlocks aired down to 5 psi. The snow was just too deep and without base so we turned around satisfied with the day regardless. Sunshine and spending time with good people were the goal, so we definitely hit the mark. There are no bad days in the mountains...


_08I8495.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

Chase's co-pilot Tikka

_08I8479.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I8503.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I8505.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I8534.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

For those curious, Ian texted me a photo of his front diff while I was typing this up. Yah... I don't think he'll be putting this front diff into action again anytime soon!
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vicali

Adventurer
Coffee creek? Or is that above the arm?
I worked right at the back up there one season- most bear poop per step I’ve ever seen.

We’re booking at Kokanee for a week in August, you guys around?
 

rickashay

Explorer
Coffee creek? Or is that above the arm?
I worked right at the back up there one season- most bear poop per step I’ve ever seen.

We’re booking at Kokanee for a week in August, you guys around?

Right above the Balfour ferry basically.

When in August? This is officially boating season (lol) due to the frequent wildfire bans, high temps, and copious amount of road dust - typically I try to spend most of August soaking up the sun and enjoying Kootenay Lake. I'd say there is a very high possibility we'll be around and also a very high possibility we will have to meet up for dinner/pints/coffee or all of the above. Hope you like hats, cause Chase and I are saving you one;)

Oh and one of the Service Advisors at Nelson Toyota is one of the camp attendants at Kokanee for the whole summer. Have you made your reservation yet? Might be able to get you into a good spot.
 

fwd_josh

New member
Thanks for answering my question Addison. I should be all set then. Now to just convince work that I need time off to go!
 

rickashay

Explorer
UPDATE

I have been terrible for updates lately. For some reason I have been getting a lot of questions about tires so I finally was able to sit down and write out some thoughts for a 2017 summer project that really has flown under the radar. Some backstory...

The world is evolving at a rapid pace and its creating very interesting times for young entrepreneurs… but specifically in the media creation world. There are so many players nowadays bearing the popularity and relatively low cost of entry – buy a camera, an extra lens, some memory cards, a drone, and a stabilizer and your off creating “productions” of some level. With me and my brother specifically, we’ve always had a pretty heavy eye on the automotive scene – tuner cars, exotics, 4x4’s, resto-mods, and vintage originals. As the outdoor adventure crowd and automotive modification crowd continues to expand around the globe it makes a valid case for development of a portfolio that showcases some of these types of lifestyles & products.

This year we had an opportunity to run some Cooper tires on both my 2005 Toyota 4Runner and Chase’s 2000 Tacoma. We put our minds together in expectation of creating a video concept that showed the tires offroading and what the capabilities are with a good set of tires. The closer we got to the proposed film date, our mindset become scattered and unfocused. We didn’t want just another 4x4 video. Another video following the trucks and showing them driving down the trail. There is a time and place for that, but we wanted to put our creative twist on the project to make it different and climb out of the box for a project that was pretty well, in the metaphorical box.

Chase works our media company full-time now and it has been amazing to see his hunger and passion for the film industry grow. Not only in a conventional sense, but what the trends and possibilities are. Remember, success in this industry is often based on creativity. Chase had been pushing the idea of “concept driven” marketing campaigns and how much more valuable they are – relating different things together and creating a common theme while simultaneously telling a story. Hopefully one that is remembered. So, for our project with the Cooper tires, we decided to create a commercial or concept driven video that we could later send to Cooper but also use as a creative piece in our portfolio. In our discussions on theme, we came to the realization that grip was essential. How could we relate tire grip and the overcoming of an obstacle or objective to… something else? Thus, the video below was born. Let me make this very clear; this is NOT an official Cooper Tires commercial. Simply our creative spin on a 4x4/offroad video project that would be otherwise routine. Hope you enjoy!

https://vimeo.com/244404230

The Tires.

I had the opportunity to test the Cooper STT Pro in a 295/70R17 variant. The first thing you will notice when looking at the tires is how aggressive the tread pattern is.


_DSC1781.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_DSC0277.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

I wanted a tire that was very aggressive for those muddy days or the deep powder days of the winter. The active side lugs on the STT Pro’s were very appealing to me in this regard. Typically a tire this aggressive is terribly noisy on the road. I was pleasantly surprised by how quiet they were, coming from the last set of Toyo MT’s I had on my old Tundra. We also have a lot of sharp rocks and logs on our trails that can easily damage a sidewall, often at times when you do not expect the tire to be at risk. The ArmorTech sidewalls have a great reputation for toughness. I ran the Coopers for over thousands of highway kms and several weekend wars on the trail. I was happy to report not only excellent traction in all the wet, sloppy, rock conditions I encountered not even a single sidewall mark.


_08I0437 by Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr


_08I0486 by Tamarack Media Co., on Flickr

If I had one complaint, it was that the tires took more weight to balance than my previous Toyo’s. This could be in part due to the beadlock wheels I was running the tires on but a fact worth noting at least. Overall I was very satisfied with the Cooper STT Pro and would recommend them to anyone looking for an aggressive M/T tire that is still suitable for highway use.
 

Blackradon

New member
Looking good buddy! Those cooper STT pro are extremely popular in Australia, I’ll have to give them a look when I need new tires. With so many tire brand/styles out there it can be pretty hard to get real world testing of tires.

How many Km’s have you put on them?
 

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