OK, who is NOT mod'in', liftin', and crawlin'???

A lot of guys like me, especially new to the TR4, are in aw of you guys who take these rigs and turn them into incredible vehicles, able to climb mountains, traverse impassable snow, and travel across any environment inbetween. you guys do some incredible things to your rigs...some the DIYers, some with great local shops near your location. It shows the great potential that is attainable with just a little imagination, motivation, and disposable income.

But what about us non-moders?

Can i get a witness to some of us guys who bought our trucks, yes-because they are tough as nails and can handle most anything, but also because their basic ruggedness will easily translate to fun, secure, safe, relatively comfortable, and reliable daily transport for yourself and your family through todays pot-hole stricken, snowy-unplowed, kid-beaten, bad-driver-accident occuring world that we call normal urban and suburban driving.

I started wanting a GX460, but the 'air suspension with age' thing had me back away...and lead me into the arms of a 2014 superwhite SR5, with exactly one bell, and two whistles. I needed it because i live in at the back of a neighborhood with a half mile 50 degree hill that is almost unclimbable with just an inche of snow on it. My neighbor has an FJ that he swears by, and i needed the family room. Now i get the runner, and my next sensation is amazement. not only can it climb that hill, but being a toyo (wife had a corolla previously that gave her 200k miles) i know it will last, it is far more comfy than any mag review gave it credit for, everyone fits, the 3rd row aint that bad, and i have even had the pleasure of a nickles worth of off-roading it in a foot of snow to see, this thing can do all that i ask it to and much much more. I am confident that i will probably never need the full potential of what this vehicle can do. But its nice to know that i have that in my pocket...and that is without ever needing to mod it...

ok, whos next...

I'm right there with you.

All the things that make 4Runner so capable off-road translate to durability and longevity. I'm never going to rock crawl but the roads around Chicago are notoriously bad, which sometimes feels like off-roading, we get a ton of snow, etc.

I don't know if I count. I put a hidden winch and sliders on, but that's it. I have a dedicated trail rig land cruiser so the 4runner isn't really going to see hardcore trail time. Maybe down the road I'll do some suspension and tires, but for now it's my daily driver - and stock is pretty capable.

And these are pretty difficult vehicles to build more serious trail rigs out of. It's hard to get more than incremental gains in performance without cutting out all of the suspension and starting from scratch. The bones just aren't there for an economical offroad build. I'd start with something 1500lbs less weight and $30,000 cheaper - like an FJ40/mini truck, 1st or 3rd gen 4runner etc. or even a nice clean FJ80 for $5k is going to be better stock than a built 5th gen 4runner. Just my .02.

My 4runner for now is 100% utility vehicle.
Hauling stuff

Life in Montana

Attached Images

 

I would say out the box the 4runner is a very capable rig.... better tires are a must though!

The only thing I'm planning to do to mine is add vent shades on the windows and running boards / nerf bars / steps. (That is becoming way more of a decision than I want to make! Haha)

I was so happy when I picked mine up. That's why I got the TRD. So I don't "have" to do anything. Sure, there's always room for improvement, but for $40K, I'm going to trust the Toyota engineers and just sit back and enjoy. That being said, at some point, that godforsaken radio HAS to go. It is just awful. I miss my radio from my old 4-Runner. Should have taken it out.

My 4Runner is mostly stock too. Why? Many reasons:

1. Over the years I have built many many off road vehicles and spent tons of money and time on them. For what? Sure, I could say better capability and performance right? Sorry. What I gain in off road ability I have to give up somewhere else and usually that is in on road ability and reliability and if you were honest you would say the same thing too. I am with @Jetboy in saying for $5K you can build a vehicle that will run circles around the 4Runner on a trail.

2. Let's face it... most build their vehicles for 90% looks and 10% capability. Some of you guys reading this are going for a "look" that defines who you are, much like wearing a "Nike" shirt to show you are athletic. You fix up your vehicle to show you are "rugged" and "outdoorsy." There's nothing wrong with it (as long as you admit it) but I am way too old to play into that crap anymore. I really don't care what people think. With that said the 4Runner, in my mind at least, looks great right out of the box.

3. I drive 99% of my 25K/yr miles on the HIGHWAY. That is 24,750 miles on the highway and 250 miles off highway. With that said that's probably more miles off highway a year than 90% of those reading this! I am a realist which is why I bought my 4Runner. In stock form it does great on the highway and for those 250 miles a year it does great off road. I could probably get by with a Highlander or a RAV-4 but for work I need a vehicle that can have a steel cable attached to it and be dragged through the mud by a log skidder or a dozer. Sort of need a frame for that lol.

4. The 4Runner is stock form will go places even I am not willing to take it. It is not a beater trail rig with a full roll cage and I don't treat it like that. If you do then great because that means you have much more money than I do.

5. Reliability and durability of a stock versus a modded vehicle. Mine is a daily driver and it needs to be reliable.

Lastly, vent shades, tires, running boards and floor mats are not mods. When you go to a double shock setup or weld in a new crossmember or design a swaybar disconnect (@wfo9) then you are modding. If you have to cut, beat or otherwise change the shape of your vehicle then you are modding.

I respectfully disagree on some of your points. The bones are there for a moderate off-road build. Everyone's definition of an off-road build is different.. And yes, the 5th gen is not ideal by any stretch, but nothing ever is ideal for all situations.

I understand the desire for a dedicated rig... but those almost always require a trailer to get to far away places. The 5th gen is a great overland platform to build on and big gains in off-road capability are available without investing too much. And yes, there are also downsides to each of those modifications (mpg, hwy comfort....) Everyone can speculate, but don't be so sure of yourself about anything until you try it.....

I hear many people preach about how incredibly capable a stock tr4 is offroad, but yet when I ask people to come run a trail with me in their stock rig (even though I think it might be able to do it), They say "hell no", I would never try that. What gives? I think in real world scenarios everyone starts using actual logic, vs pure speculation.

It comes down to individual preferences and use cases. Nothing wrong with keeping it stock and nothing wrong with modifying it for more aggressive off-road scenarios. The only time it gets stupid is trying to turn it into a dedicated trail rig that can keep up with buggies..... and even then, it would be a fun project to watch unfold. Most cool builds of any type are rooted in ridiculousness and creativity.

People who modify their 5th gens are not all idiots. I know you are not implying that, but it could be interpreted as such. ;-)

I was exaggerating. I meant to put "modding" in quotes. The above is about as extreme as I plan to get.

Certainly not my intent. Modify away! It's a perfect base vehicle for 99% of the trails people actually travel and can haul a family and gear for a road trip to and from the trails. I was merely commenting that if the harder trails are the goal, the 5th gen isn't an ideal vehicle to start with. You're going to spend a lot more in modifications to get a 5th gen up and down pritchet canyon or similar than you'd spend on a dedicated trail rig. For the $7k ish I've got in my FJ40 including the base vehicle I couldn't come close with $7k in mods to a 5th gen. OTOH, if I had $20k to spend on my 5th gen and another $40k for a new daily driver, I'd be all about a hardcore 5th gen on portals and chop the top off.

Maybe down the road. Alas not today. Today she's a utility vehicle to get me and my shit around where I need to go. And I'm pretty happy so far with the road manners and quiet interior plus capability on the ranch roads.

I would bet that close to 99% of 4Runners on the road are stock.

Read my Ouray, CO trip report link at the bottom of my sig. My only vehicle mod was BFG AT tires aired down to absorb the roughness. These were not powder puff trails. With good tires, a decent driver, your rig will take you to and return you from places you'd not dream of going.

This is my 3rd 4Runner. I lifted my '03 because it "needed" it to keep from leaving parts behind on the trail. My '14 TEP does not "need" it. Sure I'd breath a bit easier and could go a bit faster with a small lift, but it really does not "need" it even with tires aired down. Sure there are some trails I couldn't do safely without the lift, BUT I probably would not have been ruining them anyway.

I typically don't mod just for looks, but I do mod for functionality and only to the point that I don't degrade other aspects while doing it. My rig has to get us there AND back. I also have to drive serious miles to do the runs we enjoy. I don't want a rig I have to trailer to get it there and back.

I'm NOT knocking any of the other gorgeous rigs on here. They're great. My point is, you don't HAVE to go that far to do some of the same adventures if you don't WANT to. These rigs will do a heck of a lot in stock mode as long as your tires are up to the task.

I spend about 30% of my mileage off-road. My truck is absolutely stock with the exception of some E rated LT265-70-17 MTs.

It will go everywhere I want to go. Once you get to be as old (mature) as I am you find a better line around those obstacles that when I was 25 I would have just bashed through or over.

Nothing wrong with mods though - Been there done that.

I'm keeping mine stock.

I ain't saying that you have to flog your 4Runner on the rocks every weekend to be legit or anything like that, but the way some of you talk you'd think you lived in Mogadishu. Pretending that you need a 4Runner because OMG A POTHOLE AND SOME SNOW!!!!11!!!eleventy! is fawking precious and makes you look like a ninny, because that single mom living down the street gets around just fine in her FWD minivan. Nut up and admit that you bought the 4Runner for the image.

My vehicle is a transportation appliance for me. It is already more rugged than I am, so more appearance stuff matters not. I drive an SUV for utility and to see AND be seen mo bettah. I prefer it be 4WD so I can select it only when I need it (snow belt). Reasonable comfort, reasonable performance and mileage, plus basic modern features are appreciated. If dead-bang reliability can be had, it's absolutely huge to me.

I can afford most others, but nothing meets all my criteria better than a Toyota 4Runner.... which will never leave the pavement.