4Runner is looking good. Just went through most of the thread. Looks like you have done a lot!

Nice to see another Pierce county resident with a built 4Runner. I only seem to see built 5th gens around Tacoma.

Here's a few better shot of the new rack.

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noice.

any particular reason you did not mount the rear-most cross bar on the rear-most mounting position?

The mounting bar is forward of that position due to the OEM roof rack rails being situated where they are. After the 3 main mounting rails, and fairling mount are in position, you have three others to play around with. I just put them where i thought i would use them most. We'll see when i start putting it to use. But, I might order a couple more rails for more mounting options down the road.

is that the half-fairing, or full?

can you take some close-ups of the top of the fairing area and the fairing mount cross bar?

thanks my dude. lookin' sharp!

I got the half fairing in case I decided to add a light bar later on. I was hoping it wasn't going to make noise, and so far, so good. I will try to snag some pics tomorrow if the weather is cooperating.

How have your coopers been doing in the rain compared to your ko2s?

The new Cooper's are great. They have been great in heavy rain. Not great on compact snow or ice, but hey... It's an MT... Only noticable issue on the hardball is they are louder, (doesn't bother me), and due to the larger width, they tend to want to follow road grooves made by semis a bit more. I cant really fault the tires for that. That is more if a size issue.

I have yet to put them in too much mud yet as they missed a lot of the rainy season. If I live somewhere where ice was a constant issue I might consider another tire though.

A lot of my friends have and really like the Milestar Patagonia tires. That might be another good one to research. And, they are probably one of the cheapest off-road tires right now.

Here are a few more close ups. It's pretty much mounted to one of the bars. There is a fair amount if adjustment built in. There is a little wiggle room for the overall rack position front to back of the vehicle. Of course, the rear hatch and it's open position is one of the main limiting factors for how far back you would like to go. But how far forward has a bit more adjust to taste options. But I think I have mine about as far forward as they go. This also matches the front windshield angle with a front angle of the Fairlane and the angle of the side support.

Hope that helps.

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Did your KO2s do any better on snow/ice?

I can't say that they did. Maybe it was just last winter that accentuated it. We had some particularly bad weather for a stretch that iced all our roads for a while. The greater Seattle area doesn't do well with snow or ice driving conditions.

I think the worst was when it had started to melt, then started to snow again. The interstate wasn't bad, till the snow started up again. So my 20 minute trip home on I-5 was a white-knuckled adventure. It wasn't bad really if you could just stay in your own lane and drive straight. But... Some were going 60+ mph, like it was normal driving conditions, while others decided to go 30 mph. So I was trying to avoid people on the two extremes. But anything that wasn't in an already established groove had to break through 3-6" of sloppy sloshy ice to make a lane change. It got a little squirrely there. But, to be fair, I am trying to break a new path with 12.5" wide tires. Not really ideal. I learned to try to change lanes where others had already risked it. Hahaha..

Here's another question about your Coopers. Do they flat spot in the AM? or after sitting for any extended period of time? I'm running the same tire in a 33" and man it feels like I'm on Mythbusters trying to drive on square wheels when I first start out in the AM. They smooth out after a couple of miles, but its a little dynamic until then.

Ya know.. I can't say that I have notice that. However.. Not news to you, but our streets suck. Sometimes my rear spare starts moving up and down slightly, (maybe due to tires...), or maybe just wavy street. For instance, I was thinking about making a bunch of noise when they were repaving I-5 North from Kent, Des Moines Road to Seatac because even after brand new asphalt being laid, I seemed to notice that if felt like the pavement equivalent to a Ruffles potato chip. I thought that my, then KO2s were out of balance. But it is the road.

I would say, that IF I get flat spots, it is barely noticeable and / or disappears very quickly. Maybe that is due to running the larger 315/75/16s? No idea. I might try the Milestar Patagonias next time just to change it up a bit. We'll see how all my friends Patonias hold up over time. Hard to beat for the money though, at least as far as aggressive tires go.

first, thanks for taking those pics. looks killer, man!

second, on your rear spare, do you hear a rhythmic "THUNK THUNK THUNK" in the back that is likely your rear spare moving up and down? there's a certain stretch of interstate down here where my truck does it without fail. scared the shit out of me the first time it did that.

No problem with the pics. However... The Matterhorn MKII (1996-2002 4Runner) — Sherpa Equipment Company has recently changed their design. The new Matterhorn is the Mark II version. Looks like I got one of the last ones before the redesign. I got it mounted on the weekend, and saw the redesigned Mk II on their website a few days later. They changed pretty much everything a bit. Same mounts, different front Adjustable Leveling Mounts >> Adjustable Leveling Mounts — Sherpa Equipment Company and it comes with 9 crossbars instead of the 7 like mine. The whole rack looks like it sits lower including the fairing.

As far as rear 4xInnovations bumper noise, yes. If it starts to shake enough, it will create a worrying sound. clunka, clunka, clunka... My vehicle isn't exactly noise free, but new noises get my attention. And oddly enough, that rear end noise doesn't ALWAYS sound like rear end noise. I know I have undiscovered front end noise, but the tire carrier can make it hard to pinpoint. Certain sections of roadway like to get it moving more than others. Sometimes if I brake, it will interrupt the shake cycle and quite down.

I originally had a fold down table that I took off because of the crap clasps that come with it wouldn't hold it in place for shit. I just said screw that, I don't need it... Hahaha.