ATRAC on 4runner is more like an all-season 4-wheel traction control. Remember, VSC is to correct oversteer and understeer...it does not really deal with going forward (or backward). On the 4runner, there is no difference (that i know of, from a terminology point of view) between TRAC and ATRAC. There are some people that believe that ATRAC/TRAC works more aggressively when you're in 4-LO on the 4runner, but i don't have any data to back up this claim.

A-TRAC on the FJ is much different than the standard TRAC. It works ONLY in 4-LO and is very aggressive...and thus is able to direct torque to the wheel(s) with traction quicker and more efficiently. I have seen both the 4runner's and FJ's system in action off-road...it is a significant difference and thus does lend the FJ with more slightly more capability just from that difference.

Hope this helps.

All 4th gen 4runners, not named 2009 Trail Edition, have TRAC/ATRAC. Never had a locker in the rear axle.

ONLY the 2009 TE comes with FJ's A-TRAC and rear locker, IN ADDITION to TRAC.

The back monotube shocks heat up pretty bad, but I haven't had any issues with the fronts fading yet. The SAW's just weren't living up to their reputation and I wanted something better. When I head out to the Mojave, DV, and other places I wont have to worry about the fronts fading after fast runs all day. Especially with the added weight from the bumper, winch, and dual battery.

Oh yeah, that's right...you guys have a lot of equipment on your trucks. Good point.

Blair doesn't carry much weight, and he has a V6. But I know at some point he wants to integrate a winch behind his stock bumper and add a battery/fridge. He also picked up his Foxes for a good deal used.

When you are out in the desert, the last thing you want to worry about is your shocks fading on you so I figure it's better to have them than not have them on those types of runs.

Either way, my SAW's weren't going to cut it. I tolerated their stiffness for almost a year because I had the intention of getting a bumper. Then when I finally added the bumper, it was too much for them and I hadn't even added the winch or battery yet.

Thanks for all the compliments! Josh was pretty much dead on with most the info but here is my quick breakdown.

Cornfed 2/1- Pretty much a factory ride, it handles pretty well on road and is not horrible off road. I think ride wise this is the best spacer height.

Cornfed 3/1 w/ FJ Springs- I thought this actually handed really well both on and off road. It was a little stiff and busy, so uneven roads were not too fun, but the FJ springs do a great job and I think they are what the 4Runner should have came with.

Fox Resi's- Awesome on and off road. You get a little bit more body roll on road I feel, but its not bad. It is firm, but not stiff and busy, unlike spacers, which were overextending my rear shocks these are meant to deal with this amount of lift. I think resi's are overkill for most uses, but there are definitely times where the added cooling is great. In Mojave today even tmy resi's were so hot that I could not touch them (it took a TON of work to get them to that point, I was even hitting 90mph and ran for many many miles before checking them). Even with that heat they did not fade one bit. The rears may have suffered from a little bit of fade by it was barely noticeable.

Let me know if I missed anything or you have any other questions!

The one thing I disagree with in what Josh says here is saying the foxes are the stiffest of them all. They are firm, yes, but not stiff/busy. They are actually pretty smooth since I have very very little preload on the spring.

I didn't have any problems with fading b/c most my runs were pretty short but A) I got a deal on the foxes and B) wanted to do it right the first time. Today I beat these coilovers INTO THE GROUND (literally, I snapped off a resi mount, thank god for zip ties) and they didnt fade at all. 2.0's probably would have faded, 2.5's- doubtful but maybe depending on the weight of the truck. As I mentioned in the previous post my rears MAY have faded a little bit, but it was not bad at all. One thing worth mentioning is I was running very little weight in the truck today, usually it weighs a bit more.

That's what I meant. I thought I said they aren't "busy," but they are the firmest. At least they seemed like it to me when I rode in it. They were firmer than my SAW's by a decent amount, but they were less "busy" on the road imperfections.

....and here are a few teaser pics from today in Mojave!

Did you lower your coilovers?

Nope, I think it just may be the fact that any 4Runner near Drew and his 6" of lift looks tiny

Also, my rear was a little higher since Drew had my spare.

I noticed it in the ones of just your truck. Must be the angle.

How did he blow out a tire?

Not sure exactly, we were running fast and it blew. Probably just a sharp rock. The crazy thing was it was not a sidewall puncture or even through the tread, it went through the entire lug and straight through all the plys. It took about 3 seconds to deflate.

Did you recover the sharp rock? Or is this an assumption? Is the Nitto P-rated or LT-rated. If LT, then what was the Load Range? No, this is not a dig at Josh, but honest questions. This goes back to a point i made on another thread...be careful of tire selection. If you're going to make these desert runs in high heat or over obstacles with sharp rocks, then you better equip your 4runner with proper tires. If your 4runner is heavy, then Load Range C may not be enough...forget about P-rated tires! The off-road instructor that i talked to had a Load Range C blew on him on a FJ because the guy carried a lot of heavy equipment and the tires simply overheated and blew. So, if you guys have this much equipment on your 4runners, then you may want to use Load Range D and up. Again, Josh, you need to get rid of your P-rated Nittos and get a proper tire for YOUR needs. If you're going to be serious about off-roading, then do the right thing...just like how you're changing suspension components to get it right...well, you need to do the same for tires, which is probably the MOST important factor of all your mods!

BTW, this is not the first pic of a Nitto blowing while off-roading...call me bias or not, but i am simply not a big fan of them because of such stories and pics.

They are LT, and as far as I know all of Nitto's LT's are E rated (the reason I did not buy them). I will get MT's next, but for now my tires have held up perfectly well.