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I have lost track as to why you have concerns about a lifted AWD. Would you please re-explain?
Thanks.
yes to the tires, they work great

tire carrier
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yes to the tires. They fit and work great. Drive well, quiet, maybe a 2 mpg impact. Hard to tell as the on board computer isn’t accurate due to the larger tire size.

As for the lift. My biggest concern is being stranded in the middle of nowhere without service or repair. To want extent does the lift compromise the integrity of the Sienna. The Sienna in stock form is pretty much bullet proof. Would you be comfortable driving the van through the Canadian outback. When i asked mike at overland and traxda, I detected a pause to my question. Its one thing to drive into the mountains for a weekend its another hitting the road and trekking the Canadian hinterland while putting 20k on the Van. I’d love to do it, but i have concerns, And haven’t found anyone that could answer my question with a strong yes
 
You have to go with what makes you the most comfortable. If you don't a little voice will nag at you throughout your whole trip.
I know the fear of being stranded somewhere. For me it is with a flat tire, dead battery, fuel pump failure, serpentine belt, etc. So I have slowly been gathering the stuff I need to mitigate my concerns. A decent 12V air compressor, tire repair kit, jump starter, jumper cables. I always carry a decent tool kit with me. Probably should carry a spare serpentine belt come to think of it. If my fuel pump goes out, well, I am just screwed. Axles, if that is your concern, are rarely catastrophic failures in my experience. My assumption is that I can make it to a repair shop if a critical component begins failing. Mike's pause could have been his time to consider the question. Maybe he wouldn't want to take any van through the Canadian outback. Another fear I have is locking my keys in the van. So many worries.
 
Tires. My dad and I had great luck with Uniroyal Laredo's in our 4x4 Blazers. I had good a experience with Michelin Defenders in a 4x4 Explorer of mine. The Defenders are pricey but the Laredo's are less than the Falkens I think.
 
My issue with the Journey’s lift is there are numerous reported CV joint failures and/or serious driveline vibrations with the 3.5” lift. I believe that much lift is too much for the minivan. The Traxda 1.5” lift worries me a lot less.

My other point was that a lift is completely unnecessary for the Dalton and Trans-Lab highways.

-Mike
 
Mike, Point taken. As the journey lift has become more common, i too have read about some the issues as well. A lot of people think the vibrations will work themselves out, not the way it works.

Back in the day, I did some foolish off road adventures with a ford freestar, not an elegantly designed van by any means. With care you can do a lot. I think your right about the Dalton hwy as well, I’ve seen several YouTube videos of people driving it with decidedly less robust vehicles. I can say the falken tires worked, their taller than stock, a lot better bite and about 5lbs lighter. I’m Finally off the journey quest, the traxda option or taller springs is still an option. I continue to regularly check the forum for updates.

thx Mike your voice is helpful, as are the rest.

great forum and perspectives
 
I've had the JOR lift for a few months now and like it EXCEPT for the loss of travel for the front struts. It's pretty easy to hit the bump stop on road imperfections. Coming down a hill at normal travel speeds and if the road flattens out a bit abruptly, you can hit the top mount with force. Not pleasant. Other than that, it's great. Love the extra clearance, no more scraping my hitch or anything underneath for my activities and great in deep snow!
I've noticed hitting the bump stop pretty good as well, in situations where it doesn't seem like I should have..
 
I've noticed hitting the bump stop pretty good as well, in situations where it doesn't seem like I should have..
Sorry to hear it but maybe there can be a solution found that benefits all of us? Would love a shock with longer travel or remote reservoir :)

Any ideas on where to look? Most sites I have searched have no "approved" options for the Sienna but I wonder if there is something that would work.
 
As I dig into this for my own sake, I'm finding some useful information on the web. Maybe this will save someone some pain.

Even TrakMotive (a CV axle manufacturer) acknowledges that lifting a vehicle puts additional strain on the CV joints. They state that it voids their warranty: 04/19: CV Axle Issues on Vehicles with Altered/Lifted Suspsensions | TrakMotive

It has come to our attention that vehicles with altered (lifted) suspensions experience higher CV axle failure rates. This is because the high lift angle puts the wheel further away from the differential, increasing the operating angle, which puts more strain on the CV Axle joint.
Tearing up CV joints appears to also be a problem with lowered vehicles because of larger angles.

According to these guys, the natural suspension travel and the steering angle contribute to the problem. They also mention lift kits at ~2:40.


Though I'm no expert, I interpret all of this as supporting evidence that the 3.5" lift puts more strain on the CV joints than the 2" lift does.

I would guess that this is exacerbated as the suspension extends, such as when driving over a pothole or rut.
 
As I dig into this for my own sake, I'm finding some useful information on the web. Maybe this will save someone some pain.

Even TrakMotive (a CV axle manufacturer) acknowledges that lifting a vehicle puts additional strain on the CV joints. They state that it voids their warranty: 04/19: CV Axle Issues on Vehicles with Altered/Lifted Suspsensions | TrakMotive



Tearing up CV joints appears to also be a problem with lowered vehicles because of larger angles.

According to these guys, the natural suspension travel and the steering angle contribute to the problem. They also mention lift kits at ~2:40.


Though I'm no expert, I interpret all of this as supporting evidence that the 3.5" lift puts more strain on the CV joints than the 2" lift does.

I would guess that this is exacerbated as the suspension extends, such as when driving over a pothole or rut.

I would have to agree with you. So far the 2" Traxda (about 2500 miles) hasn't been a problem compared to the 3.5 Journey's I started with.
 
The driver side rear wheel bearing is failing in my Traxda lifted Sienna. This doesn't seem as to be lift related. The CPO warranty is covering the repair. I have unfortunately have only 4000 miles on the lift so far. The rear axles look to be more horizontal with the differential than before the lift imo.
 
I dispersed camped in Pisgah National Forest last weekend. No issues to report. Van ran fine and my MPG seems to not have been impacted. Got 27mpg+ cruising on the interstate on my way there and 28+ on my way back. Climbing up mountains always sucks the fuel so I didn't include that portipn in my calculation. Ran into a snowstorm while on Mt Michell.

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Wow Oldwolf! How are you getting 27+ mpg?! I'm only getting about 19!
 
I've only had the JOR kit for about a month, but I'm very happy with it. I was too low and the rear driver's tire was getting cut by the body. I put on the JOR and still got a little rubber cut, so I rolled it with a wooden kitchen rolling pin. Seemed to be good so I switched out the cut tire with my spare and did the GA Traverse for a few days: no rubber cuts. Did switch out the CV joint at install, time will tell whether this issue pops up. If you need/want the extra clearance, JOR is the tallest I've found.
 
I've had the JOR lift for a few months now and like it EXCEPT for the loss of travel for the front struts. It's pretty easy to hit the bump stop on road imperfections. Coming down a hill at normal travel speeds and if the road flattens out a bit abruptly, you can hit the top mount with force. Not pleasant. Other than that, it's great. Love the extra clearance, no more scraping my hitch or anything underneath for my activities and great in deep snow!

Just following up on this post for anyone who might be interested.

The slamming I was experiencing was not a worn strut but rather a failed control arm bushing that had separated from the control arm. Had them replaced a few weeks ago and all is well. Additional noise was coming from the Godspeed sway bar end links that had rusted at the ends and slipped, allowing play and clunking. Shop tightened them and the clunk is gone.

Good luck with your lifts!
 
I have a 2019 AWD w 20K miles and recently did my lift. I did a 2" traxda strut spacer up front and 1" taller, 15 percent stiffer CCS springs in the rear. CCS nailed it and was able to build exactly what I asked for. My van is now level at the trim height (same height from the ground to the top of the wheel wells). I purposely avoided using the rear traxda spacer because I didnt want the near 2" of lift most are getting. My theory with only lifting the rear 1" is for a couple of reasons. First, by doing 1" of lift I am able to use the stock rear shocks with spacers (3 5/8" washers) and so far I'm not having any top out issues. I prefer the OEM shocks as they are stiffer and offer more dampening then the monroe 37301. Second reason was to avoid rear alignment or tire wear issues. The rear tires of the sienna are set up stock with negative camber. The more you lift the rear of the sienna, the more the negative camber turns to positive toe or toe in. After getting my aligntment done post lift, everything was still in spec to toyotas alignment allowances.

When I do front struts down the road Im definitely going to consider using the front stock AWD springs with SE front struts. I like the idea of the sportier dampening to help control the front of the lifted sienna. Im not sure if the SE Struts have the extension and stroke length as the AWD struts. If someone knows that answer please let us know...
Thank you for sharing - did you do the work yourself - any issues replacing the rear springs? Also where did you source the spacers from.
 
I have a 2019 AWD w 20K miles and recently did my lift. I did a 2" traxda strut spacer up front and 1" taller, 15 percent stiffer CCS springs in the rear. CCS nailed it and was able to build exactly what I asked for. My van is now level at the trim height (same height from the ground to the top of the wheel wells). I purposely avoided using the rear traxda spacer because I didnt want the near 2" of lift most are getting. My theory with only lifting the rear 1" is for a couple of reasons. First, by doing 1" of lift I am able to use the stock rear shocks with spacers (3 5/8" washers) and so far I'm not having any top out issues. I prefer the OEM shocks as they are stiffer and offer more dampening then the monroe 37301. Second reason was to avoid rear alignment or tire wear issues. The rear tires of the sienna are set up stock with negative camber. The more you lift the rear of the sienna, the more the negative camber turns to positive toe or toe in. After getting my aligntment done post lift, everything was still in spec to toyotas alignment allowances.

When I do front struts down the road Im definitely going to consider using the front stock AWD springs with SE front struts. I like the idea of the sportier dampening to help control the front of the lifted sienna. Im not sure if the SE Struts have the extension and stroke length as the AWD struts. If someone knows that answer please let us know...
Thx Mike my thoughts as well, still not sure about a lifted AWD sienna though. With care and a shovel you can go many places with a stock height sienna. I see more 4x4 trucks than I can count stranded on the road in a Minnesota snow /ice storm. I’d love to lift mine a bit, stranded in the boonies of Alaska or the dalton hwy is the noise that rumbles in my head though. I updated to falken AT 235 60 tires, no rubbing. Their a marvel in a Minnesota snow storm, i can climb snowy steep hills where crossovers struggle with relative ease. I gained just short of 3/4” in height and they ride like a dream, lost some MPG though. Now, a good skid plate that would be great. I added a full size tire mounted to a Wilco tire carrier, not cheap but very well made

Anyone in the group truck the Dalton HWY
I have a 2019 AWD w 20K miles and recently did my lift. I did a 2" traxda strut spacer up front and 1" taller, 15 percent stiffer CCS springs in the rear. CCS nailed it and was able to build exactly what I asked for. My van is now level at the trim height (same height from the ground to the top of the wheel wells). I purposely avoided using the rear traxda spacer because I didnt want the near 2" of lift most are getting. My theory with only lifting the rear 1" is for a couple of reasons. First, by doing 1" of lift I am able to use the stock rear shocks with spacers (3 5/8" washers) and so far I'm not having any top out issues. I prefer the OEM shocks as they are stiffer and offer more dampening then the monroe 37301. Second reason was to avoid rear alignment or tire wear issues. The rear tires of the sienna are set up stock with negative camber. The more you lift the rear of the sienna, the more the negative camber turns to positive toe or toe in. After getting my aligntment done post lift, everything was still in spec to toyotas alignment allowances.

When I do front struts down the road Im definitely going to consider using the front stock AWD springs with SE front struts. I like the idea of the sportier dampening to help control the front of the lifted sienna. Im not sure if the SE Struts have the extension and stroke length as the AWD struts. If someone knows that answer please let us know...
Yota, its been a while since you did your lift. Any news to report, issues, bumps in the night or is everything working out. Did you need to make any modifications, frequent alignments or suffered any premature parts failures
 
Other than the Traxda kit - the only extra parts were-
2x MOOG K90344 Stabilizer Bar Link
1x Specialty Products Company 81290 EZ Cam XR 17mm Adjuster Bolt - Pair

The installer was able to use the shock spacers so I did not have to install the longer Monroe shock absorbers (yet). I haven't felt them topping out so far, but if they do I will know what to do.

Results:
Left Front +2.5
Right Front +2.375
Left Rear +2.175
Right Rear + 1.925
the number that you put in there,what kind a number is that?alignment camber number or something else? Try to resolve my alignment issue specifically camber because it's register around -2.6°. So try looking for answers here. TIA
 
I have 2011 AWD with 95K miles, with last 2 years and 25K miles on a JOR lift and 225/55-18 Toyo Open Country. Most of that 25K is freeway of course but plenty off pavement that I definitely would not been able to do without the lift.

I had JOR put the lift on at their Prescott location. Both my son and I agreed the van drove better after the mod. I’ve had no mechanical issues from the lift. The CV joints are certainly in a different ’neutral’ angle with the lift but noise so far. If the CV joints go bad I’ll replace them certain it was well worth the fun I’ve had off pavement.
 
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