Hey guys,
I recently got my 2005 Limited 4Runner about 1 month ago and bought it to go off-roading. It is bone stock v8 with 176,000 Miles and has XREAS w/RAS and some new A/T tires that came with the truck. I live on Maui and took it to a minor trail the first day I got it. Since buying it I took it through a muddy/rocky trail (no big rocks as I did not hit any skid plates), Drove it on the beach (Got stuck but that was user error since I am new to driving in sand. Eventually got out with a lot of gas and the center locker on.), I took it up to the mountains on a pretty good trail, took it to the beach several times, camped in it with my 2 kids, and have taken it off-road at least 3times a week since buying it and here are my thoughts so far.
1. The front is VERY LOW. On the mountain trail, I could not stay on the tracks as I would scrape on the skid plate and had to ride up on the edges. Annoying as it was a tight trail and got some scratches on my paint from bushes and branches. So I would at least buy a 1 inch spacer for the front to get a little more clearance on a budget. (I ordered a daystar front lift kit off Amazon used for $24 bucks but they shipped me the wrong part so waiting on the right part to come in)
2. Tires is very important. I have some random A/Ts that work well so far in mud, rocks, gravel, sand, and dirt. I do want to upgrade to KO2s but these tires are brand new and work for me so holding off for now.
3. I have not done any crazy rock crawling or anything too crazy so I have not needed rock sliders. I do want them bad as I don't have running boards there and it's exposed but not a priority for me as I have not needed it so far.
4. Seeing as stock our trucks are low, I would definitely recommend getting aftermarket skids plates underneath. That is going to be my first set of armor purchase.
5. Having XERAS and RAS is not ideal for off roading. For one, having RAS makes it more expensive and time consuming to lift up the rear. Having XERAS makes it a tiny bit more work to upgrade the suspension as you have to remove the lines. And replacement parts are expensive. So unless you are towing, I would not go with RAS.
6. Last thoughts are just go out and have fun. Take it stock and see what parts you need as you NEED it. For me, I scraped the front skid plate multiple times on multiple trails, so I need to lift the front up. I also have a leaky XREAS systems and suspension is getting bad, so I will be replacing suspension soon. Future plans, is also buying full skid plate protection as that is my main concern when off roading. Besides that, this truck is VERY CAPABLE for me and where I go here on Maui. You just got to see what works for you.
7. Final thoughts that I just remembered. If you are planning on off-roading, invest in floor mats, seat covers, dash covers, and cargo mats. I went budget with this and got front seat covers from costco fro $25 bucks, Generic SUV HEAVY SUV Rubber Floor mats from Amazon for $30 bucks, and a dash cover from Ebay for $40 bucks. The floor mats I got fit perfectly and fully protect all areas. I think they are motor trend brand on Amazon. It's NOT made to fit the 4runner specifically but a generic fit to fit SUVs. And it works great!
Hope this helps others looking to off road their 4runners. I LOVE mine and can't wait to continue to push it's limit and build it out!
Posted on the Beach
At the beach with my Daughter
Kind of Buried Tires
Front Floor Mats and Seat Covers
Rear Floor Mats
This is how my cargo area looks on the daily.