Hello everyone,

My name is Dereck and I'm new to the forum. I recently purchased a 2004 V6 4Runner SR5 with 97k miles, and while it is my daily driver, I need help with light wheeling/weekend warrior mod suggestions on what to tackle first.

I have Blizzak tires on now (came with the truck) and plan to run them till spring, then I am considering KO's or Duratracs for my tires. Next, perhaps a small front spacer lift 1.5/2" or so. Then, considering options for armor, but I don't know to what extreme I want to go. Obviously the looks are stellar for fully equipped rigs, but what I don't spend on a $1,200+ dollar bumper can go to fuel costs for more CO trips this summer, and I am not yet sure if my needs dictate needing any kind of armor.

My wheeling consists of roads less traveled, snow, occasional mud, but no rocks or radical bouldering terrain. Being in the Kansas City area, armor honestly appeals to me more for poor parallel parker protection and texting drivers in rush hour than trail protection. Anyone have any pointers for what I might consider first?

Please point me to any build threads that might parallel my build concepts to save anyone's time. Appreciate you guys.

So you're planning for basically dirt roads, all-season, daily driver duty? Going on any of the FJ Summit trails in CO or just scenic dirt road campsite trails with the occasional muddy ditch crossing?

You definitley dont need a steel bumper and probably not any aftermarket skid plates if this is all you are doing. Sliders maybe for door dings from lower cars and an extra step, or a front bumper for front end collisions or stray deer is all you might need if you like the looks and have the money.

You summed it up, and yes I am considering attending the FJ Summit shindig this year with some friends. The worst terrain I may encounter (outside of FJ Summit) is the muddy type crossing on camp trails as you mentioned. I am wondering about a hidden front bumper hitch for a winch (where to start with recovery gear?) and carrier, and also about comm systems. To be frank, I have been researching mild overlanding and have been ghosting this forum for too many hours a day, and still don't know where to take a bite first. If mods, due to financial constraints, are months apart, which shall I prioritize?

For general purpose awesomeness... a good lift would get you the most mileage in terms of value for $ spent.

Not a spacer lift, but some respectable after market shocks and springs.

After my modest lift using 6112 in the front and 5100 in the rear with about 2" of lift the ride has really improved both on and off road.

It drives great feels agile and almost sports car like considering it is a truck framed SUV. I did scrape a lot before and the clearance improvements from the lift put my needs/wants for armor on the back-burner for where I go the most...

Even if you dont push the truck to its limits, a suspension refresh can give you some overhead and driver confidence.

The only thing I did to save money was install it myself, but for $1200 in parts it was well worth it and compared to a of other mods like armor, you really get more value for the dollar here.

So... start with suspension, and do it right... it really is that much better.

With the wheeling experience I have had on the FJ Summit trails and some local rock crawl trails, I've never thought to myself, "I need a steel bumper". Unless you are 3ft deep in a mud pit, the stock recovery points on the front frame are easy to access and have done the job for me anyway. The looks, winch capacity, and stupid driver protection are the biggest reasons I would need a steel bumper IMO.

As far as recovery gear, wheeling with someone else that has a winch is about 80% as useful as having a winch yourself. As long as you don't mind a few jokes from your buddies or paying for lunch for towing you out/over. (The winchee surrenders his rights to the wincher for the day). The opposite is true if you are the only one with the winch in the group, so it may pay for itself. Other than that, you'll want a couple shackles in the group and a couple tow/snatch straps.

For comms I would recommend the Cobra WX ST if others are using a CB in the group. Easy to install, store, and doesn't take up much space.

Skid plate wise, I'm not sure. I would be nervous tackling some of those trails without aftermarket skid plates with a lower lift amount. I would at least use the stock front skid plate with an aftermarket transmission and transfer skid behind it. (I think that is possible). I made my skids for next to nothing before taking it wheeling so it was a no-brainer for me.

I would encourage bilstein 5100's or similiar lift shock in the front over a spacer lift for wheeling use. Not that I've had experience with either, but most aftermarket shocks will increase your wheel travel, dampening ability, and maybe even ride quality vs the OEM shocks. At the very least they will be a durability upgrade over your old shocks, especially old shocks + spacers.

What you buy first will be up to you I guess. A few decision to weigh to say the least.

A few suggestions - Old Man Emu lift (2" to 3") - sliders are a basic requirement, snatch strap, Cobra WX ST as already mentioned and RCI steel skids and BFG KO2's. (Spacer lift is not recommended for off-road)

That's pretty much what I have excluding the bumpers & winch which I like simply because I break some rules and wheel solo so I need to get myself out of any mess I get in to.

I think you'll hear that the skids aren't needed but my experience showed me they save more than they cost.

Good luck with your decisions!

Since communications came up... That is also something I would consider essential kit.

Many options... from CB, MURS, FRS, Amature/Ham Radio...

I very much like being a licenced ham... even in some very sketchy off-grids camps I was able to maintain contact with various repeaters... really gives you some piece of mind for when it comes to a get-home/recovery/disaster plan. Really high performance communications can be obtained as a ham.

For group communications without the fuss of licencing the other above options would work just fine too but I wouldn't rely on them to actually hail help if stranded.

Welcome!
Looks like the mod suggestions are well covered.
Here is link to a maintenance item discussion, if you want to make sure you T4R is up to date on maintenance: Opinion and advice welcomed...

Good information here. Comms, mild lift, tires, and skid plates seem to be repeat mentions... Thanks!

Welcome! Looking forward to see it progress