Recent content by chrisp

I would like to drop mine as much as possible. It's both a headroom and position to the steering wheel issue. Has any looked into this?

It's all about engine blow by and the quality of the oil. The 3k mile change is a product of the 70's when engine tolerances were very loose compared to today's motors. So with tighter tolernaces has come less blow by and thus cleaner oil after a given amount of miles. The issue with short...

I think Consumer Reports is a joke except for their reliability ratings. Their product rankings are not based in reality. Don't get me wrong, I still consider CR a valuable piece of information but no less valuable than Car and Driver...just a different set of data points. If you're an...

Look for the Car and Driver SUV shoot out published some time last spring. I got my '05 in March and I recall that shortly thereafter (May issue?) the shoot out was on the stands. It's the one that selected the Hemi powered Jeep as #1. I think the 4Runner was 4th or 5th out of 5. I think 0-60...

Thanks guys. How does the factory Toyota system work?

I've seen a kit (performanceproducts.com) made by Air Lift and a kit on a sponsor of this site (truckspring.com) made by Firestone. Does anyone have experience installing either of these or what life is like with a system like this? I want something to support the rear end and level the...

I should have also mentioned that the other Wheelskin color I am considering is "charcoal". Which is the best match to a 4runner wheel? Thanks.

They do but I am thinking about going with the single color. I meant to list the color as black and not grey...for some reason I thought the wheel was grey but it's black. Can anyone confirm that if I buy Wheelskins "Black" color it'll be a close match?

My 4Runner is titanium metallic with the grey interior. For those who own a Wheelskin, which color most closely matches the stock wheel color? (grey??)

Trailer weighs 1800 lbs. Car weighs 2500 lbs. I usually take 300-350 lbs of spares, wheels, tools, etc with me. This gets stashed in the back of the 4Runner. Total weight is around 4600-4700 lbs. My 4Runner is a 2005 SR5 V8 and tows much better than the 2002 Dodge Ram1500 (4.7l) I used to own.

Thanks...perhaps when the racecar is done I'll put some money into making the 4Runner (daily driver and tow vehicle) a better noisemaker. First time I've had a V8 worth doing this to...so maybe it'll be sooner than later.

What are the hp and trq increases and/or the benfits to the curves? Does it fit '05 with spare in place? -Chris

Not sure if it's on earlier model years but on my '05 SR5 V8 when I turn the ignition switch it activates the starter and then it runs itself until the truck starts. What I mean is that if you twist the key and realease it fast the truck will continue to spin the starter until it fires up. Also...

I have 5k miles on my '05 V8 SR5. My computer is off by about 2 mpg. I thought I was getting 20+ MPG but because I was still a little skeptical I began to log gallons and miles. I calc the real mpg and write it on each receipt after I get it. I have now tracked 5 receipts (all are 20+ gallon...

On Toyota's website there is no call out for larger rotors on any one trim level or engine size. I also don't recall it in the '05 brochure. I found a parts site that had a pretty good parts algorithm and for '05 rotors the only point of differentiation is V6 or V8. The V8 rotors were about...