While nearly no amount of money is too much when you are stranded in the middle of nowhere with a stuck 4X4, we all have to live within some sort of budget. After wasting $1000 on a NE lift that now has to be replaced, I will be reminding myself that I could have had an ARB rear diff locker with that money.

In what situations would the 4Runner require a locking rear differential? When I watched the TrailLex video in Moab, it seemed that it and the 4Runner did just fine without one. However, I now see that the TrailLex has one installed.

He quoted me $150.

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. How about a hand held winch? I know they are not cool looking, but when/if you get stuck, it can pull you out just as well as a $1200 Warn. For me, spending $800 on a locker is out of the question.

You gotta ask yourself how often you think you will get stuck. And at what cost are you willing to play?

Probably because it was free.

You spent $1000 on a lift, what did you get for that kind of money? As far as the lift is concern ask Goodtimes, his rig is setup with an ARB rear locker. I think its always worth it if you plan to do any kind of offroading.

Rear lockers are an added bonus but just remember that this just means you'll get farther on the trail and quite possible get even more stuck ;)

I've done alot of trails w/o the use of my rear locker so I'll be the first to say that our newly redesigned ATRAC works wonders!!! I think I would have been happy w/o the rear locker but as evolution goes, it's just another mod to do when you want to go farther.

For the most part, I'd say build up your 4runner accordingly to the terrain you drive on. Of course a rear locker would be nice but as long as you're going with others, if you get stuck, it's just a matter of getting someone to pull/push you out. If you plan to drive alone, look into getting ALOT of recovery gear and build accordingly.

My installation on the locker was $$ as it was the first to be done so the shop raped me. Out the door for the parts and install just on the rear costed me around $1500 (but keep in mind it was the first so I took a big beating on my rear pocket). I"m sure when I do the front it'll hurt just as much... ugh (guess I"ll be regearing at the sametime as these figures are too much to handle)

Best thing to do is just go out on the trails and learn the limitations of your 4runner. Figure out what you're capable of doing and go from there. The more you drive out there, the more you will learn about your 4runner and be very surprised on how well it does on the trails. Remember that it's 90% driver skill and 10% vehicle so don't limit yourself short.

GOod luck!

You are right about the usual 90/10 rule. I have thousands of hours off road by myself on 4 wheels as I used to work on a 162 square mile project with no paved roads. In all weather too. Your advise is sage though, as I need to spend more time with my 4Runner to see its limitations before spending more on it. The reason I wanted the lift was because of my experience on the slickrock of Moab. The approach and departure angles needed improvement. Let alone the hitting of the front skid plate jumping off curbs at an angle here at work.

I will be replacing the NE lift with the Revlok kit. The $1000 spent on the NE kit was $395 for the kit and $605 for the install and alignment. The Revlok kit will have a total installed price of $880. It's not that the NE kit has failed to where a wheel has fallen off, it's just that I have lost confidence in the product. Changing out the front bolts to the newer ones is as expensive as starting over with a new install. Anyway the past is just that.

I'll be in Moab again this March with my motorcycles and 4Runner. This year I plan on some more of Fins & Things and even some Hell's Revenge with the 4Runner. No Mall Maid for me as my 4Runner gets off-road every week.

WOW!!! those are heavy install cost. Its almost worth flying someone in to help you install the kit yourself. I know how hesitant I was to install my front lift kit. You can't install the kit yourself?

Sorry for the thread drift but Damn Biff your Avatar is driving me crazy

Who will you have install the Revtek?

A Revtek dealer here in DFW, Mike's Off Road. Remember there is an alignment in both install numbers. I wanted to install the kit myself, with local help, but that is not an option. I weighed the cost of tools I would use once, against the immediate gratification of having someone else install it right away. March was, and remains, fast approaching and I want the 4Runner ready to go, and safe to drive. Thus the delima I am in now. Spend $600 to restore the 4Runner to factory, or $880 to replace the kit. Seeing how the poly front spacer has affected the reaction of the front end, I feel more comfortable with using steel. Revtek appears to be a reputable firm, with no negative comments that Google has turned-up. There have been too many negative comments for me to keep the NE kit. Safety is critical to me as I drive over 3000 miles a month.

Anyway, I have pissed away much more than the $1000 discussed here many times. The sting of this loss will pass in a month or two.

What reaction have you experienced with the front end using the poly spacer?

Daystar also uses poly, Revtek is steel, which will eventually rust. Would be nice if there was an aluminum or stainless spacer offering.

I am experienceing a shudder, significantly greater than I did before. A shudder that is a suspension reaction to bumps. Before the lift, I only encountered this shudder in a modest way when crossing RR tracks at a diagonal at moderate speed. This may have been a normal body on frame sensation, I wouldn't know as my comparison is rally type driving in a Subaru which never had any of those sensations, regardless of speed.

Rust? I have discussed this with Revtek. They say they are powdercoating the parts now. They use "blued" grade 8 bolts. They have sold thousands of kits which are installed at Toyota dealers as well as other places. The steel appeals to be because of the solid connection between the factory steel plate and the stamped steel shock tower. My opinion is that a steel on steel connection will prove more solid over time.

Again, my decision to switch-out the lift kit is driven by confidence in the product. If I did not off-road so much, I would probably go back to factory. While I do not understand why, the lift yields a stiffer (less compliant) ride on the road. The increased ability off-road makes the loss acceptable.

In my dream world, I would replace the shock and springs with an airbag suspension system. Low for the freeway and tall for off-road. For double the cost of my 4Runner, I could have purchased a Toureg with a V8 and air suspension. Toyota's proven reliability and off-road capability, as well as the price, kept me from the VW purchase.

If you want to compare reliability between the 4Runner and the Toureg have a look here: http://forums.vwvortex.com/zeroforum?id=39 I spent months comparing the vehicle owners before making my purchase. My desire to modify my 4Runner for better performance is motivated by my increased off-road use. For real off-roading I still ride motorcycles, but the 4Runner has opened a whole new-to-me experience.

You'll be fine in moab with a lift. the rear locker in moab is not necessary as i didn't use it as much as thought i needed too... hell's revenge isn't that bad as long as you don't do any of the more difficult trails. there are plenty of bypasses that you'll have no problem at all. when I was there back in August, i saw a group of H2's (stock) do hell's revenge so I'm sure you'll be fine

Lift it and then work on replacing both from and rear if you really want a better approach/departure angle.

good luck and kick some arse on the trails (pics pics pics!)

Intsead of paying to have the revtek installed, and the NE taken out, why dont you ask 4route if she can help you. She is in DFW area and has now pulled and replaced her suspension probably 10 times with XREAS. WIll save you a bundle and it is always nice to do it yourself as then you get to appreciate what it can and can't do more. I think GT helped Biff out with his, well after looking at Biff's avatar we knew what GT's motive was (some eye candy)