[Paragon1]

Just a walk down memory lane looking at how the rig evolved over the years, and just wanted to centralize where I post anymore updates. Such a great vehicle, this. Really hoping Toyota states true to the 4Runner history with the next model, but I'd be hard pressed to let this one go especially due to the buyers remorse i got after trading my first one in on an f150...

Gotta thank everyone on this forum though. Whether its information or inspiration, or even ridicule you're looking for you can always find it here. ;)

Gone but not forgotten... Purchased new, Nov 2010, Non KDSS. Back when a Trail was a Trail, not this silly TRD off-road nonsense.

Brand new, 6 miles on the clock. June 2015, bought with the intent of making it a tribute to the previous one. Handles so much better with KDSS. If only it had more travel.


First mod. ;)


Fun with headlights.


**lost pics of painful (because KDSS) bilstien 5100 install, black roof rails from a 2012, and sliding rear tray install**

Had the damndest time finding wheels i liked. I preferred the black fender flares to be honest. Sold this first set because I didnt like the gloss finish and the grooved lip that held water. The mavericks were good, but had a ridge in the center of the wheel so balancing them was a pain in the ass. went thru 4 sets of tires in three months because of it. Discount Tire did an awesome job standing behind their products though.



Next up was talking Southern Style Offroad into fitting a 30” LED Rough Country bar into their Slimline bumper, and also picked up a "Trail" badge for the C Pillar. First time chopping into bumpers, turns out to be fairly easy if you just take your time.





Left it alone for a while, but then the bug for a new stereo and a supercharger bit me last year. Went to Sparks Toyota for the install, gotta say there were some issues which resulted in the mechanic getting fired and me getting it done for free. First, they didnt download the software which is literally step one, and magnuson doesn't work on weekends. Next, the radiator hose was rubbing the serpentine belt and was cut, took two days for that to get fixed, then the knucklehead installed the FJ Hood latch brace causing my hood to bounce at interstate speeds. Fortunately all was resolved, there've been no mechanical issues, and it completely transformed the engine. Love it.




Then the holidays hit, and admittedly i get bored because I do like performance vehicles and was searching something to cover all the bases. Simply doesn't exist, at least, so the 4R got a Stablemate. The cost of it, and potential repairs from modding keep me from doing anything significant to it.


Last December, this is where I got fed up with the old wheels I had. It was also at this point when I decided to go all in on the build to make it how I'd always imagined.
Icon Stg 2 3" lift. Morimoto lights & fogs, hated both of them, returned after a legit 2 week tryout. All I can say is they look awesome until you have to use them at night....


Next, high clearance additions to the Slimline bumper. In hindsight i should've kept the portions I cut out because i had an idea to make removable versions for interstate driving because there's definitely price to pay in the form of wind noise (not bad though.) Victory sliders, ARB Skids and also, after much consideration and even returning a set, I dove back in and added spidertrax spacers. Love the stance now, essentially running a ~-41 offset when factoring in the -12 offset from the Newest set of wheels. Also did one of those DIY “ceramic” coats. Noticeable difference, but nothing can overcome GA pollen...




And finally, yesterday. Prinsu Rack and wiring in the rock lights.


Have a few more things to do still. From here forward i'll have more detailed install information. Feel free to reach out if you have questions on any of the parts.

[papadop88]

Looks great man! Love the SC!

[sleepsontoilet]

Originally Posted by Paragon1

Next up was the Rough Country Slimline bumper, and the "Trai" badge on the C Pillar. First time chopping into bumpers, turns out to be fairly easy if you just take your time.

Searched and can't seem to find any info on Rough Country making a 4runner bumper. Have a link to it?

[Paragon1]

Originally Posted by sleepsontoilet

Searched and can't seem to find any info on Rough Country making a 4runner bumper. Have a link to it?

Oops, brain was moving faster than fingers. It’s a rough country 30” light bar, which actually was the first one installed on the southern style slimline bumper. Thanks for the heads up

[Paragon1]

The COVID spree continues, not cheap but i cant say it isn't fun. Recent projects were installing the Switch Pro & Mount Tray, and after what's now the 5th attempt to find LED fogs I liked, I settled on Rigid 360 Yellow OEM style.

First, the Switch Pro.
Let me begin by saying if you're not electronically inclined, its intimidating. Im always terrified to over-current something and short an expensive component. That being said, the simplicity it provides post-install makes it worth the effort, and saves you from having to run a ton of switch harnesses for your lights (or intended lights as is the case with me.) The most important thing i can say is take your time, plan out how you're going to route your wires, and pre-build as much as you can before installing.

After thoroughly reading the instructions, and also following this build thread: Switch Pro 9100 / Power Tray Install on 5th Gen 4Runner - Full How To it all came together with minimal fuss, save for a minor issue with getting past paranoia in tapping an ign fuse to power the system. And, of course, being supercharged I had to relocate the aux coolant reservoir by bending the original bracket and bolting it to the end of the power tray, and using a couple spacers to clear the fuse box.

Keep in mind, this isn't a "Power Tray", its a "Mount Tray", made by one of our T4R members. Huge thanks to Derek from @SD Offroad for building the tray. Its top quality, and he's on point with the communication. Looking forward to getting the new reservoir bracket we've been working on.




Now, on to the fogs. I've been running the Phillips LED bulbs in the stock housing ever since i got into 4Runners. Last december i opted to do the Morimoto Front-end overhaul but it was to great disappointment. The trip-LED beams sucked, horrible pattern, and the fogs, despite proper aiming, were equally weak. So, back to the phillips bulbs that I thankfully saved. Next it was a set of Rigid Radiance LEDs. The bulbs themselves were great, but the mounts were awful. They didnt seat properly, felt loose once mounted, and the drivers side was crooked.





So those are going to get re-purposed. Finally, I bit the bullet and got the Rigid 360. Yes, expensive. I get it. But you get what you pay for, and that saying holds true with these. Assembly was simple, had everything wired/installed about 45min. Would've been quicker had I not needed to switch polarity. Couldn't be happier.





Got some more goodies arriving this week. Cheers

[Hukler]

Congratulations on your purchase. I'm happy for you. I believe that any Toyota brand car is very cool. I have RAV 4 itself and haven’t found anything better than it yet)

[NaiveTurtle]

Question for ya. Are the buttons on the switch pros tactile (as in they depress and click) or do you just tap them and it knows you touched the button?

[Paragon1]

Originally Posted by NaiveTurtle

Question for ya. Are the buttons on the switch pros tactile (as in they depress and click) or do you just tap them and it knows you touched the button?

Tactile, you get a nice little click when you press it. Looks stock when the lights are on. And i got the panel from SDHQ Offroad. Didn’t wanna chop up/drill the factory one. It’s $100, but worth the time saved in my opinion. I wanted a flush install instead of mounting the switch on top.

[gsla72]

Have you had a chance to drive around with the new Rigid SAE fogs at night? I've had a set in a shopping cart for weeks now but haven't been able to find anyone who's actually driven with them and can provide some real world feedback.

They look like the cleanest mounting solution out there, but the light output needs to match to justify the price point.

[Paragon1]

Originally Posted by gsla72

Have you had a chance to drive around with the new Rigid SAE fogs at night? I've had a set in a shopping cart for weeks now but haven't been able to find anyone who's actually driven with them and can provide some real world feedback.

They look like the cleanest mounting solution out there, but the light output needs to match to justify the price point.

The light output is better than the phillips LED in the stock housing since the beam is focused better. And the yellow offsets the blueish tint from by HID lows. I never thought i'd like yellow fogs, these proved me wrong. Its consistent, no parsing of the beam at all, and the installation was cake. This is the best option out there, and yes its pricey, but you won't be disappointed.

Edit, keep in mind these are SAE, not off-road only. If you're looking for off-road only levels of output then these won't fit your bill. They're WAY brighter than both the stock setup, Phillips LED, and Morimoto. Not sure how they stack up against the Rigid Radiance pods i installed since I was so disappointed in the way they mounted I never ran them at night. The low beams you see in the pic are XD 6000k HID bulbs. Id say the intensity is a close match to those, with the added benefit of yellow throwing more visible light.

[gsla72]

Originally Posted by Paragon1

The light output is better than the phillips LED in the stock housing since the beam is focused better. And the yellow offsets the blueish tint from by HID lows. I never thought i'd like yellow fogs, these proved me wrong. Its consistent, no parsing of the beam at all, and the installation was cake. This is the best option out there, and yes its pricey, but you won't be disappointed.

Edit, keep in mind these are SAE, not off-road only. If you're looking for off-road only levels of output then these won't fit your bill. They're WAY brighter than both the stock setup, Phillips LED, and Morimoto. Not sure how they stack up against the Rigid Radiance pods i installed since I was so disappointed in the way they mounted I never ran them at night. The low beams you see in the pic are XD 6000k HID bulbs. Id say the intensity is a close match to those, with the added benefit of yellow throwing more visible light.

Awesome - thanks for the super thorough reply. I'm definitely after something I can use on-road (lot of highway miles in varying conditions), so these should fit the bill perfectly.

[TheWraith]

where did you get your negative cables ??? And did you used the blue sea fuse block ???

[Paragon1]

Originally Posted by TheWraith

where did you get your negative cables ??? And did you used the blue sea fuse block ???

Negative cable came with the Mount Tray. The connectors you see on the tray are both by Blue Sea. The tray can also accommodate the 12 circuit Blade Fuse block by Blue Sea, but i elected not to go that route. Reach out to Derek at [email protected]. He builds the trays.

[Lost-Again]

Wow! very nice!

Originally Posted by Paragon1

Just a walk down memory lane looking at how the rig evolved over the years, and just wanted to centralize where I post anymore updates. Such a great vehicle, this. Really hoping Toyota states true to the 4Runner history with the next model, but I'd be hard pressed to let this one go especially due to the buyers remorse i got after trading my first one in on an f150...

Gotta thank everyone on this forum though. Whether its information or inspiration, or even ridicule you're looking for you can always find it here. ;)

Gone but not forgotten... Purchased new, Nov 2010, Non KDSS. Back when a Trail was a Trail, not this silly TRD off-road nonsense.

Brand new, 6 miles on the clock. June 2015, bought with the intent of making it a tribute to the previous one. Handles so much better with KDSS. If only it had more travel.


First mod. ;)


Fun with headlights.


**lost pics of painful (because KDSS) bilstien 5100 install, black roof rails from a 2012, and sliding rear tray install**

Had the damndest time finding wheels i liked. I preferred the black fender flares to be honest. Sold this first set because I didnt like the gloss finish and the grooved lip that held water. The mavericks were good, but had a ridge in the center of the wheel so balancing them was a pain in the ass. went thru 4 sets of tires in three months because of it. Discount Tire did an awesome job standing behind their products though.



Next up was talking Southern Style Offroad into fitting a 30” LED Rough Country bar into their Slimline bumper, and also picked up a "Trail" badge for the C Pillar. First time chopping into bumpers, turns out to be fairly easy if you just take your time.





Left it alone for a while, but then the bug for a new stereo and a supercharger bit me last year. Went to Sparks Toyota for the install, gotta say there were some issues which resulted in the mechanic getting fired and me getting it done for free. First, they didnt download the software which is literally step one, and magnuson doesn't work on weekends. Next, the radiator hose was rubbing the serpentine belt and was cut, took two days for that to get fixed, then the knucklehead installed the FJ Hood latch brace causing my hood to bounce at interstate speeds. Fortunately all was resolved, there've been no mechanical issues, and it completely transformed the engine. Love it.




Then the holidays hit, and admittedly i get bored because I do like performance vehicles and was searching something to cover all the bases. Simply doesn't exist, at least, so the 4R got a Stablemate. The cost of it, and potential repairs from modding keep me from doing anything significant to it.


Last December, this is where I got fed up with the old wheels I had. It was also at this point when I decided to go all in on the build to make it how I'd always imagined.
Icon Stg 2 3" lift. Morimoto lights & fogs, hated both of them, returned after a legit 2 week tryout. All I can say is they look awesome until you have to use them at night....


Next, high clearance additions to the Slimline bumper. In hindsight i should've kept the portions I cut out because i had an idea to make removable versions for interstate driving because there's definitely price to pay in the form of wind noise (not bad though.) Victory sliders, ARB Skids and also, after much consideration and even returning a set, I dove back in and added spidertrax spacers. Love the stance now, essentially running a ~-41 offset when factoring in the -12 offset from the Newest set of wheels. Also did one of those DIY “ceramic” coats. Noticeable difference, but nothing can overcome GA pollen...




And finally, yesterday. Prinsu Rack and wiring in the rock lights.


Have a few more things to do still. From here forward i'll have more detailed install information. Feel free to reach out if you have questions on any of the parts.

[SD Offroad]

Originally Posted by Paragon1

..... (so as to not repost all of that.....)

Keep in mind, this isn't a "Power Tray", its a "Mount Tray", made by one of our T4R members. Huge thanks to Derek from @SD Offroad for building the tray. Its top quality, and he's on point with the communication. Looking forward to getting the new reservoir bracket we've been working on.
Got some more goodies arriving this week. Cheers

Hey ! VERY nice clean install of the Mount Tray ! Nice job ! Thanks for the shout out ! Yes, thats the Fuse Block Mount Tray with the Terminal Block installed on it.
Now lets get your reservoir relocation bracket finished up (its in fab) !

Originally Posted by Paragon1

Got some more goodies arriving this week. Cheers