Asheville, NC6 posts · joined Dec 2025Rig2014 Grand Cherokee Laredo, for now
as promised in the Bronco thread. i am 26, i live in Asheville, i drive a 2014 Grand Cherokee Laredo that has been fine but is not built for the forest service roads up near Mount Mitchell in winter. i have been looking at repos on conaway's for a while, mostly 2020 and 2021 4Runner SR5s and a few Broncos.
everybody who buys a 4Runner seems to lift it and put 33s on it within a month. my username is literally that. before i do it to a repo, three things i do not understand:
first, every one of those comes with a limited warranty, six months or 10,000 miles. if i put a 2 inch lift and 33s on it in month one and then something breaks, is that warranty gone? i have not asked the conaways people yet, i wanted to understand it first.
second, do i need to tell my insurance company?
third, North Carolina has a yearly safety inspection. will a lift fail it?
Boise, ID88 posts · joined Nov 2025Rig2017 4Runner TRD Off-Road, 2 in lift, 285/70R17
warranty first, as somebody who handles warranty claims at a dealer every week.
federal law (the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act) does not let a warranty provider deny everything just because you added aftermarket parts. what they can do is deny a claim if the part you added caused the failure. so a lift and bigger tires will not touch a claim on, say, a power window. a failed CV axle, a ball joint or a wheel bearing on a lifted rig on bigger tires, that is where the argument happens, and it is a fair argument.
my advice: read the actual warranty document from conaway's auto sales before you buy any parts, and email them asking how a lift is treated, so you have the answer in writing. or wait until the 6 months are up. that is what i would do.
on a 5th gen 4Runner, a 265/70R17 is about 31.6 inches tall and a 285/70R17 is about 32.7. most people call that a 33. it fits with a small lift and some trimming of the body mount pinch weld. your speedometer will read about 3 percent low, which matters if you get pulled over.
Rapid City, SD102 posts · joined Nov 2025Rig2009 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, 2.5 in lift, 33s, Warn VR10
insurance: yes, tell them. an insurer finding out after a claim that the rig had a lift and bigger wheels they did not know about is the worst way to have that conversation. most companies just want a list of what you added and what it cost. some will want photos. some cover aftermarket parts only up to a set amount unless you add coverage for them, so ask about that specifically. a 2 inch lift and 33s on factory wheels usually barely moves the premium.
Truckee, CA73 posts · joined Nov 2025Rig2019 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon JL 3.6, 35s
California has no yearly safety inspection, so i am no help there. the thing i have seen trip people up in states that do inspect is headlight aim. lift the front two inches and your lights are aimed at the oncoming drivers' eyes, and that will fail. a 10 minute adjustment fixes it.
a lot of states also have bumper or frame height limits by vehicle weight. i do not remember North Carolina's numbers. look them up before you buy anything bigger than a small lift, a 2 inch kit is nowhere near the limit on anything i have seen.
Austin, TX34 posts · joined Nov 2025Rig2016 GX460 Premium, stock height, 265/70R18
Texas dropped the yearly safety inspection for most cars at the start of 2025, so down here people stopped asking about this. North Carolina has not.
the other thing i would watch for on a repo is whether it already has a lift. a lot of the 4Runners on lots have been lifted by the previous owner. if the conaway's listing photos show a lift or bigger tires, ask what brand and whether there are receipts. a cheap spacer lift that somebody did in a driveway is a different thing from a coilover kit installed by a shop.
Asheville, NC6 posts · joined Dec 2025Rig2014 Grand Cherokee Laredo, for now
that answered all three. thanks.
i am going to wait the 6 months before i lift anything. tires can go on sooner, and i will email the warranty question in writing before i do that too. my insurance agent said 2 inches and 33s on factory wheels would be about 40 dollars a year if i list them, and a local inspection station told me a 2 inch lift with aimed headlights passes. nobody at either place blinked.
i also bid on my first one last week, a 2020 4Runner SR5 on conaways. lost it. no idea by how much, since it is blind. i sulked until lunch the next day, then got glad i had my credit union approval sorted first, so i am ready for the next one.
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