UtahRnr’s build

First official poser shot some place in Kansas after leaving KC...



We took turns driving, taking naps, and playing DJ. The speakers sucked, but the music was the best.

My turn to drive... Dave is a WAY better DJ than me.



We slept in the back of the 4Runner again that night at some rest area in Kansas. We purposefully tried to drive Kansas mostly at night because... well... it's Kansas.

Although, that next morning I was back driving again at 6AM and was rewarded with this incredible sunrise (driving West, obviously, the sun was behind us):



Checking the weather ahead of us online, we could see a massive storm approaching the Rockies from the west. Knowing we planned to go over the 14,000 foot peaks via I-70, that pass by Vail could get gnarly. As we approached on the East side, snow was sparse, and it looks deceivingly warm. It was NOT.

The sky looked blue. We called ahead to our pal in Grand Junction just on the other side of the mountains... he said the sky was BLACK and armageddon was headed our way... This is what we were looking at:

As we went through the mountain towns, the storm hit. On the west side, it got gnarly for sure.

A massive chunk of granite fell from the rock cliff to our right, smashing into the concrete guard rail on the shoulder and exploding into multiple boulders large enough to obliterate a car...







I slammed on the brakes, discovering that they work incredibly well even in icy conditions at high speed. Averting danger, thankfully, we didn't see anyone get hurt and we immediately called the CHP to let them know. Our brake check started a chain reaction that caused a massive slowdown/traffic jam which was a very good thing.

We got through the worst part of the storm, and visibility got better. If you haven't been through this incredible stretch of road before, you need to make this drive. Here is the section of I-70 that is double-decker in order to accommodate the traffic in both directions squeezed inbetween tight mountains and a river.



Safely through with the storm behind us... on our way to see our buddy in Grand Junction, CO.

Quick stop in GJ to see our pal, who is a great dad and had taken his boys to The Monument to go bouldering.



After catching up, we grabbed some killer legit Mexican at a total dive called Polla Azado. AMAZING!

Back on the road, making great time... it's about 4 hours from Grand Junction back to SLC.

Home sweet home! I love my home state!



This is how Utah says hello:



The 4Runner is a blast. The road trip was gorgeous. But the best part was being with friends.

Utah

I've only seen one of the cement pros here in Utah. I'll keep an eye out for you. Super jealous. I'll definitely follow your build. I'm interested to see if you come up with a solution for individual tire TPMS readouts.

UtahRnr said:

[*]TPMS w/display

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What's your setup? I'm thinking scangauge II will be the cheapest and easiest way to have active readouts.

Utah!

Nice road trip summary dude! That's a great looking rig. Let me know how the Magnaflow works out.
Spring is coming; it's almost time to head South...

I'll keep an eye out for you. Not many Cement Pro's running around here. I would be incognito with a Super White, but the rod case that looks like a 105mm on top gives me away.

UtahRnr said:

Refueling somewhere in Kentucky, I think. This is how she looked the day after I bought her. Unfortunately, I don't have any pics from the day I bought it because it was dark.

On through Illinois...

...and then Missouri into Kansas City to Joe's BBQ. Now I spend a LOT of time in Kansas City for work, and every time I go I ask people what the best place for BBQ is in KC. You do get multiple answers, but by far the most common answer is Joe's. And having tried all these places now, I can say, Joe's is, hands down, the best. You haven't had real KC BBQ until you've had it in a gas station...

Just a few of the sauces and rubs Joe's has for sale while you wait for the line to move. This place is always packed.

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Good call on Joes! I work on the plaza so we frequent it often. I'd recommend checking out Q39 next time you are in town. Out of curiosity what part of KC do you come to work at?

arehman11 said:

Good call on Joes! I work on the plaza so we frequent it often. I'd recommend checking out Q39 next time you are in town. Out of curiosity what part of KC do you come to work at?

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Thanks for the tip! As coincidence would have it, I am on a flight to KC right now. It’s delayed and I’ll be arriving at 1:30 am.

I’ll check out Q39 while I’m there and report back. I work/stay at the plaza when in KC. Small world!

peakbaggerwolf said:

I've only seen one of the cement pros here in Utah. I'll keep an eye out for you. Super jealous. I'll definitely follow your build. I'm interested to see if you come up with a solution for individual tire TPMS readouts.

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Mutant138 said:

What's your setup? I'm thinking scangauge II will be the cheapest and easiest way to have active readouts.

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I got a TPMS solution installed about a week ago now and I’ve been testing it. VERY satisfied. I’ll be posting pics and video tomorrow. Work’s been kicking my butt this week. Stay tuned.

Are you going to run the 1.25" wheel spacers with the factory suspension and tires?

Tejas said:

Are you going to run the 1.25" wheel spacers with the factory suspension and tires?

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Yeah. I want to see how I like the stance with the spacers. I haven't ruled out a lift but I want to give the Pro setup a shot. Lifts cost a lot of coin and I'd rather put that money into other gear.

TPMS Upgrade (inexpensive)

TPMS Upgrade

I just can't believe that 4Runners still don't have TPMS individual tire pressure readouts in the dash computer. Much less expensive cars have this standard. I want to monitor pressure at each tire to get better fuel mileage, better tire wear, and spot issues quickly. Plus, super helpful when off-roading and airing up and down.

Our 4Runners do have TPMS but all we get is a yellow TPMS indicator on the dash if pressure falls outside of the setting in the ECU. I didn't want to replace TPMS sensors inside each wheel, and wanted something that required little or no maintenance, and displayed the pressure at each wheel.

The Zeepin TPMS package on Amazon had what I wanted, $49.



I opted for the TPMS1. I like how it looks better than the other option.

Package contains:

• Display unit with integrated solar panel
• Install wrench
• Tool to open sensors and replace battery
• 4 lock washers
• 4 TPMS sensors
• Adhesive mounting pad
• Install guide

Installation takes about 3 minutes. Just replace your tire valve stem caps with the 4 sensors, and put the display on your dash with some double-sided mounting tape. The included adhesive mounting pad is garbage. I used double-sided 3M mounting tape instead.



The display is good. It gets brighter in full sun and dimmer in cloudy conditions. It doesn't seem to be adjusting the display's brightness to the day or night time lighting, but rather solar rays hitting the charging panel.

There is a micro USB charging port, but I haven't used it yet. No charging cable is included, and I haven't needed one. The battery came with 2/3 charge, and after a two days of heavy cloudy and stormy skies, it had reached a full charge. I was impressed. The display has never turned off that I have noticed - it is on all the time. Since reaching a full charge, I have not seen the battery charge diminish at all.



The display comes by default configured in BAR and Degrees Celsius units, but is easily switched over to PSI and Degrees Fahrenheit.

The acceptable tire pressure range is configurable by the user. If tire pressure goes above or below the range, an audible alert beeps at you, and the tire pressure in question flashes on the display. Pressing one of the three buttons on the top immediately silences the beeping. If you don't silence it, it stops after a few seconds. The pressure range is user-configurable.

The display also shows the air temp inside the tire, at each wheel. In this photo, you see that one side of my vehicle has lower temps than the other. I'm guessing this was because the left side was in direct sunlight and the right side tires were in the shade. Once I began driving, temperatures equalized at all four tires in a few minutes.



There are 4 individual sensors that replace your valve stem caps. You just screw them on. There are also 4 hexagonal washers that you can thread on first, then thread on the sensors, and back-thread the washers up snug to the sensors. Honestly, I'm not sure that the "lock washers" are doing anything helpful.



Sensors have user-serviceable batteries. There is an included proprietary tool that allows you to open each sensor so you can remove and replace the batteries.



This is the back of one of the sensors. You can see how it's got a proprietary shape. You remove the cap and then use the included tool to take it apart and access the battery.



That's it. I absolutely love it. Have had it in for a week now. It's awesome.

I like the individual TPMS! How has the battery life been for the main unit?

UtahRnr said:

That's it. I absolutely love it. Have had it in for a week now. It's awesome.

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Very nice to see a working kit like this. I've seen some terrible reviews of some similar ARB kits.

Two days ago I pulled the trigger on a Scanguage II used for about 90 bucks. With the proper update from Scanguage themselves it will give an active readout of the OEM TPMS sensors. Only downside is you don't get the ability to set an alarm at a pre set psi. But the scanguages advantage over these kits is the ability to read and clear codes, Manifold Absolute Pressure, Miles Per Gallon ,Kilometers Per Gallon, Miles Per Liter, Liters Per 100Km, Kilomteres Per Liter, Miles Per Hour, Kilometers Per Hour, Revolutions Per Minute, Throttle Postion Sensor, Water Temperature, Average Fuel Economy, Trip Fuel Cost, Cost Per Mile, Battery Voltage, Intake Air Temperature, Fuel Pressure, Gallons Per Hour, Liters Per Hour, Ignition Timing, Engine Loading, and Horsepower. Prob some other stuff I'm missing.

Let us know how your setup holds up! I would be worried about ripping the sensors off doing hoodrat stuff with my friends.

Riverfisher said:

Nice road trip summary dude! That's a great looking rig. Let me know how the Magnaflow works out.
Spring is coming; it's almost time to head South...

I'll keep an eye out for you. Not many Cement Pro's running around here. I would be incognito with a Super White, but the rod case that looks like a 105mm on top gives me away.

Click to expand...

I am really liking the Magnaflow. I'll be posting some pics and probably video once I get back to SLC and can do it on my desktop PC.

Are there any groups meeting up in our area for offroad trips? Would be fun...

arehman11 said:

Good call on Joes! I work on the plaza so we frequent it often. I'd recommend checking out Q39 next time you are in town. Out of curiosity what part of KC do you come to work at?

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I had my team in KC arrange for Q39 to cater our lunch today. It is great! Thanks for the recommendation. I did hit Joe's again last night. Couldn't help myself.

Next time I'm being told I need to check out Smoking Guns... We should do a meet up!

genesis712 said:

I like the individual TPMS! How has the battery life been for the main unit?

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Absolutely perfect. It started with 2/3 battery charge, and I installed it during stormy weather. It was completely stormy and overcast for the first several days and still the main unit hit full charge from solar after 2 days. It has stayed full charge ever since, even though the display never turns off.

Mutant138 said:

Very nice to see a working kit like this. I've seen some terrible reviews of some similar ARB kits.

Two days ago I pulled the trigger on a Scanguage II used for about 90 bucks. With the proper update from Scanguage themselves it will give an active readout of the OEM TPMS sensors. Only downside is you don't get the ability to set an alarm at a pre set psi. But the scanguages advantage over these kits is the ability to read and clear codes, Manifold Absolute Pressure, Miles Per Gallon ,Kilometers Per Gallon, Miles Per Liter, Liters Per 100Km, Kilomteres Per Liter, Miles Per Hour, Kilometers Per Hour, Revolutions Per Minute, Throttle Postion Sensor, Water Temperature, Average Fuel Economy, Trip Fuel Cost, Cost Per Mile, Battery Voltage, Intake Air Temperature, Fuel Pressure, Gallons Per Hour, Liters Per Hour, Ignition Timing, Engine Loading, and Horsepower. Prob some other stuff I'm missing.

Let us know how your setup holds up! I would be worried about ripping the sensors off doing hoodrat stuff with my friends.

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I've looked into ScanGauge II. Very cool unit. Could be helpful, especially for diagnosis/reading codes, and also since you can use it on more than one vehicle. Right now I'm saving my pennies for a RTT and rack. How do you like the SG so far?

UtahRnr said:

I had my team in KC arrange for Q39 to cater our lunch today. It is great! Thanks for the recommendation. I did hit Joe's again last night. Couldn't help myself.

Next time I'm being told I need to check out Smoking Guns... We should do a meet up!

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Glad you liked it. I'd be up for that. You can send me a PM about where on the plaza you are working at to see how close we are.

UtahRnr said:

Absolutely perfect. It started with 2/3 battery charge, and I installed it during stormy weather. It was completely stormy and overcast for the first several days and still the main unit hit full charge from solar after 2 days. It has stayed full charge ever since, even though the display never turns off.



I've looked into ScanGauge II. Very cool unit. Could be helpful, especially for diagnosis/reading codes, and also since you can use it on more than one vehicle. Right now I'm saving my pennies for a RTT and rack. How do you like the SG so far?

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Haven't got it yet. In the mail still. I only read good things about it. Pretty well used across many vehicle platforms.

arehman11 said:

Glad you liked it. I'd be up for that. You can send me a PM about where on the plaza you are working at to see how close we are.

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49th and Main.