A few 4th gen Questions I need help with...

[Johns06yota]

Hey everybody so I've been on a mod spree for the past several months and am looking or some info on a few different things.

1) Does anyone know what percent window tint is needed in the front to match the rear windows? Was possibly looking to do that at some point

2) My current toyo tires are still in good shape but once they wear out I would like to go with a more aggressive tire tread. I would prefer to keep the size at a 265/65/r17 if possible. Any suggestions?

3) I am in the process of replacing all of my shocks as well as the sway bar end links both in the front and rear along with poly sway bar bushings for better handling. Does anyone have any other suggestions as far as suspension goes?

4)Has anyone successfully modded the 5th gen mirrors to fit a 4th gen (I know there are threads but didnt see anyone who cut them to fit)

5)Im considering doing the satoshi grill mod and had seen a premade mesh on ebay that would fit. Has anyone used one of those kits or did you just make one yourself?

6) what preventative maintenance should I do at 152000 miles? I have replaced all the fluids except radiator (still looks good) (differentials, transfer case, transmission, greased driveshaft, power steering fluid gonna do oil in the next 500 miles) am replacing the shocks, sway bar bushings and end links as well. new spark plugs, newer air filter, serpentine belt, alternator, idler pulleys, undercoated wheel wells, painted frame, replaced all vacuum lines and rubber gas lines, battery last year....

I think you all get the point I am just trying to see if there is anything else I might be missing that needs to be done.

Thanks!

pic for reference

 

[Johns06yota]

photoshop

just for reference I photoshopped the 2016 mirrors onto my 4runner. Not the best photoshop job but still looks pretty good. Any thoughts?

 

[woodman60]

I am looking forward to the responses. I just picked up a 2005 with 180K and am going through it to repair, maintain, upgrade a number of things. I'm jealous. Under my hood does not look like you could eat off of it.

 

[Johns06yota]

I am looking forward to the responses. I just picked up a 2005 with 180K and am going through it to repair, maintain, upgrade a number of things. I'm jealous. Under my hood does not look like you could eat off of it.

Yeah hopefully some people have some answers haha. And thanks! I try to keep it as clean as I can

 

[riceandpho]

For tires go 265 70. It cost a little less than the small 265 65. Also alot more options.

 

[akcc]

1) I believe the the rear tint looks like 30-35% but on these older trucks they seem to have a different hue of tint and it isn't as charcoal colored like most tints today.

2) I suggest taking a look into the brand Nexen. (If you want an AT tire, go for Nexen rodian pro ra8, I have them and I love them!) And I would go 265/70/17 because of more choices available in the market.

3) go with Bilstein 5100 if you want a decent ride and you have the option to adjust up to 2.5" lift. (Rear you need need larger springs or a spacer in the coils if you use Bilstein 5100.

4) I have not tried, I actually prefer the 4th gen mirror over the 5th gen because it was much bigger and covered a lot more area in vision for me.

5) I have not tried any premade grill, I am a DIY kind of person and I would probably just custom my own to have something unique and different from everyone else.

6) Inspect your cabin air filter, change it if you need to. And grease your drive shaft (or as Toyota calls it.. Toyota propellor shaft) with a pump to prevent the annoying thump from the truck when you take off or come to a full stop.

 

[SHagood]

2008 T4R Urban Runner Edition

I am interested in responses for regular maintenance as well.. When I bought this truck stock 10 months ago it had 116k miles, now i'm just shy of 140k. I drive way too much, so I am eager to hear about the maintenance/shock replacement. I still have the X-Reas system in my suspension, and don't really see a need to replace.

This is my satoshi build. I just finished it two weeks ago with the help of a great friend/neighbor who is incredibly patient and knowledgeable (thanks [MENTION=91393]papabeach[/MENTION]). I ordered the mesh fitting (supposedly pre-cut for 06-09) from custom car grill:

https://www.customcargrills.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Toy_4R_06

It was relatively close to fit, but I definitely spent 30-45minutes bending the mesh to fit better, and if you are up close and look for cosmetic issues on the grill you can see them. I know that SRQ Fabrications makes a badass flush grill for the 3rd gen. I messaged him on Instagram before I did mine and now he's building one for the 4th gen. I looked at the Instagram page and they posted a story last week making one for a 4th gen.. I am eager to see how that turns out because that would be incredibly easy and convenient for you. I drove around for 7 days without a grill on my car.

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[UrbanRunner651]

1. Go darker all around. It's worth it.
2. Depends on type of driving you do. BS Revos (I have the 2s on now), falken and the newer cooper AT tires seem to have a lot of favorable opinions.
I have stock Xreas with the 18" sport wheels but youll be able to get the right size.
3. Again, depends on what youre doing with your ride. Can't go wrong with the classic OME setup. Bilstein have mixed reviews online but are not bad for a budget upgrade over stock.
4. Havent seen any modded mirrors myself. but use the search tool and I'm sure someone has mentioned it on here. Id say leave them alone.
5. MJT 4Runner Grille Fab is your best for a prefab grille option. started by some of the guys on the forum here. otherwise there are some quality write-ups for the DIYer.
6. Sounds like you've already got things covered(more than most people do). Can clean your MAF if youre replacing everything else to get better fuel readings. Maybe check all your grease fittings and the tranny slip joint if you feel it kicking.

 

[Johns06yota]

Thanks to everyone’s responses!
35 percent tint definitely seems to be the closest. The reason I don’t want to go darker is the cops are pretty strict where I live so I don’t want a ticket.

As far as tires it seems a 265 70 tire would be what a lot of people are doing. Does it cause any issues with the speedo being off?

As far as shocks I just got a new kit that’s oe quality but the front has a little higher spring rate plus my spaced lift. I’m happy with how it sits currently just the old parts were somewhat worn out

1. Go darker all around. It's worth it.
2. Depends on type of driving you do. BS Revos (I have the 2s on now), falken and the newer cooper AT tires seem to have a lot of favorable opinions.
I have stock Xreas with the 18" sport wheels but youll be able to get the right size.
3. Again, depends on what youre doing with your ride. Can't go wrong with the classic OME setup. Bilstein have mixed reviews online but are not bad for a budget upgrade over stock.
4. Havent seen any modded mirrors myself. but use the search tool and I'm sure someone has mentioned it on here. Id say leave them alone.
5. MJT 4Runner Grille Fab is your best for a prefab grille option. started by some of the guys on the forum here. otherwise there are some quality write-ups for the DIYer.
6. Sounds like you've already got things covered(more than most people do). Can clean your MAF if youre replacing everything else to get better fuel readings. Maybe check all your grease fittings and the tranny slip joint if you feel it kicking.

I am interested in responses for regular maintenance as well.. When I bought this truck stock 10 months ago it had 116k miles, now i'm just shy of 140k. I drive way too much, so I am eager to hear about the maintenance/shock replacement. I still have the X-Reas system in my suspension, and don't really see a need to replace.

This is my satoshi build. I just finished it two weeks ago with the help of a great friend/neighbor who is incredibly patient and knowledgeable (thanks [MENTION=91393]papabeach[/MENTION]). I ordered the mesh fitting (supposedly pre-cut for 06-09) from custom car grill:

https://www.customcargrills.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Toy_4R_06

It was relatively close to fit, but I definitely spent 30-45minutes bending the mesh to fit better, and if you are up close and look for cosmetic issues on the grill you can see them. I know that SRQ Fabrications makes a badass flush grill for the 3rd gen. I messaged him on Instagram before I did mine and now he's building one for the 4th gen. I looked at the Instagram page and they posted a story last week making one for a 4th gen.. I am eager to see how that turns out because that would be incredibly easy and convenient for you. I drove around for 7 days without a grill on my car.

Let me know if you have any questions.

1) I believe the the rear tint looks like 30-35% but on these older trucks they seem to have a different hue of tint and it isn't as charcoal colored like most tints today.

2) I suggest taking a look into the brand Nexen. (If you want an AT tire, go for Nexen rodian pro ra8, I have them and I love them!) And I would go 265/70/17 because of more choices available in the market.

3) go with Bilstein 5100 if you want a decent ride and you have the option to adjust up to 2.5" lift. (Rear you need need larger springs or a spacer in the coils if you use Bilstein 5100.

4) I have not tried, I actually prefer the 4th gen mirror over the 5th gen because it was much bigger and covered a lot more area in vision for me.

5) I have not tried any premade grill, I am a DIY kind of person and I would probably just custom my own to have something unique and different from everyone else.

6) Inspect your cabin air filter, change it if you need to. And grease your drive shaft (or as Toyota calls it.. Toyota propellor shaft) with a pump to prevent the annoying thump from the truck when you take off or come to a full stop.

For tires go 265 70. It cost a little less than the small 265 65. Also alot more options.

 

[Billynath1988]

Hey everybody so I've been on a mod spree for the past several months and am looking or some info on a few different things.

1) Does anyone know what percent window tint is needed in the front to match the rear windows? Was possibly looking to do that at some point

2) My current toyo tires are still in good shape but once they wear out I would like to go with a more aggressive tire tread. I would prefer to keep the size at a 265/65/r17 if possible. Any suggestions?

3) I am in the process of replacing all of my shocks as well as the sway bar end links both in the front and rear along with poly sway bar bushings for better handling. Does anyone have any other suggestions as far as suspension goes?

4)Has anyone successfully modded the 5th gen mirrors to fit a 4th gen (I know there are threads but didnt see anyone who cut them to fit)

5)Im considering doing the satoshi grill mod and had seen a premade mesh on ebay that would fit. Has anyone used one of those kits or did you just make one yourself?

6) what preventative maintenance should I do at 152000 miles? I have replaced all the fluids except radiator (still looks good) (differentials, transfer case, transmission, greased driveshaft, power steering fluid gonna do oil in the next 500 miles) am replacing the shocks, sway bar bushings and end links as well. new spark plugs, newer air filter, serpentine belt, alternator, idler pulleys, undercoated wheel wells, painted frame, replaced all vacuum lines and rubber gas lines, battery last year....

I think you all get the point I am just trying to see if there is anything else I might be missing that needs to be done.

Thanks!

pic for reference

I can suggest for a few of these.

1. IDK, but darker looks better, unfortunately in my silly state of ny they now make it way too difficult to pass inspection with tints.

2. completely depends on what you want to do, based on you wanting to stay stock size, your cool options are limited, but id go with something like a nitto terra grappler g2, if they have the ridge grapplers in that size go with that and done look back. That said, for cool points and wow factor size upppp.

3. Are you in the rust belt? will you be offroading? Anything is better then a factory worn out suspension. If I were you, Check out dobinsons suspesion parts. seems to get great reviews and they give a lot of options. There is a thread here somewhere for it.

4. Dont know about the mirrors. I like my 4th gen mirrors actually other then the paint thats disappearing on them.

5. if its an 06 grill, people do it themselves and do the trim and headlight upgrade to go with it if its 05 or older. if its 05 or older grill, its possible but the amount of work isnt worth it, do an 06 facia upgrade.

6. As far as maintenance, I keep track of everything on my build page in my sig. I try to do a spring refresh and keep everything on track at the same time thats needed. You seem to be good, stay up on rust prevention, keep it clean.

 

[Johns06yota]

Thanks! Id love to go darker the issue is that where I am at in NC the cops are ruthless so it wouldn't fly with anything darker than 35. Yeah those seem to be some good tires! I saw a good amount of positive reviews about them. The other reason I don't want to size up is with the backspacing of my wheels they stick almost 2 inches further out so even with 265,65 tires they are pretty close to the liners at full lock. Im not in the rust belt luckily. My old ones are in ok condition but I know they haven't ever been changed so I wanted to do that along with poly bushings for the sway bars. In regard to the mirrors I like the 4th gen mirrors but wish they had the turn signals built in to them and the aftermarket ones to me look kinda tacky. And yes this is an 06 grill so I have an Idea of how to do it, I know it will be a lot of work haha. And yeah thats a great Idea. I usually keep all my receipts but I definitely need to make a folder for everything

I can suggest for a few of these.

1. IDK, but darker looks better, unfortunately in my silly state of ny they now make it way too difficult to pass inspection with tints.

2. completely depends on what you want to do, based on you wanting to stay stock size, your cool options are limited, but id go with something like a nitto terra grappler g2, if they have the ridge grapplers in that size go with that and done look back. That said, for cool points and wow factor size upppp.

3. Are you in the rust belt? will you be offroading? Anything is better then a factory worn out suspension. If I were you, Check out dobinsons suspesion parts. seems to get great reviews and they give a lot of options. There is a thread here somewhere for it.

4. Dont know about the mirrors. I like my 4th gen mirrors actually other then the paint thats disappearing on them.

5. if its an 06 grill, people do it themselves and do the trim and headlight upgrade to go with it if its 05 or older. if its 05 or older grill, its possible but the amount of work isnt worth it, do an 06 facia upgrade.

6. As far as maintenance, I keep track of everything on my build page in my sig. I try to do a spring refresh and keep everything on track at the same time thats needed. You seem to be good, stay up on rust prevention, keep it clean.

 

[YetiX]

As far as tires it seems a 265 70 tire would be what a lot of people are doing. Does it cause any issues with the speedo being off?

I found that when I switched to 265/70 tires (Nitto Rdige Grapplers, love them), my speedometer actually became more accurate. According to both my GPS and Waze, when I am going 70 mph according to my speedometer, I am actually going 70.

As others have said, you'll have a lot more options at that size tire and it looks better too.

 

[Johns06yota]

I found that when I switched to 265/70 tires (Nitto Rdige Grapplers, love them), my speedometer actually became more accurate. According to both my GPS and Waze, when I am going 70 mph according to my speedometer, I am actually going 70.

As others have said, you'll have a lot more options at that size tire and it looks better too.

Thanks for letting me know! That was something I had been wondering haha. And yeah I noticed there were a lot more options in that size

 

[riceandpho]

https://www.tinting-laws.com/north-carolina/


dont know if the tint law has change or not, i go atleast 70 if they have that to give yourself a little uv protection, 50 is better.
if you want some privacy, 15 or limo in the back and 30 or 20 in the front. 30 is what most of us have in ca, but 20 is really pushing it here.
also the tint measuring device is not accurate, look for the pro tint installer that do the testing on youtube and it explains it all.

 

[akcc]

Yea 265/70/17 will throw your speedo off a bit, but it's not much of a difference that you would notice.

I think it should be fine if you go 265/70/17 because I have 20x9 wheels with 265/50/20 and 0mm offset, it already sticks out of the fender for me and i can see if I put a 275/50/20 tire it would still clear.

Worst case, minor fender liner manipulation with a heatgun and you push it forward.

Thanks to everyone’s responses!
35 percent tint definitely seems to be the closest. The reason I don’t want to go darker is the cops are pretty strict where I live so I don’t want a ticket.

As far as tires it seems a 265 70 tire would be what a lot of people are doing. Does it cause any issues with the speedo being off?

As far as shocks I just got a new kit that’s oe quality but the front has a little higher spring rate plus my spaced lift. I’m happy with how it sits currently just the old parts were somewhat worn out

 

[Johns06yota]

https://www.tinting-laws.com/north-carolina/


dont know if the tint law has change or not, i go atleast 70 if they have that to give yourself a little uv protection, 50 is better.
if you want some privacy, 15 or limo in the back and 30 or 20 in the front. 30 is what most of us have in ca, but 20 is really pushing it here.
also the tint measuring device is not accurate, look for the pro tint installer that do the testing on youtube and it explains it all.

Yea 265/70/17 will throw your speedo off a bit, but it's not much of a difference that you would notice.

I think it should be fine if you go 265/70/17 because I have 20x9 wheels with 265/50/20 and 0mm offset, it already sticks out of the fender for me and i can see if I put a 275/50/20 tire it would still clear.

Worst case, minor fender liner manipulation with a heatgun and you push it forward.

Thank you guys for the replies!

 

[Anonymous4Runner]

Factory tint is around 27% so 30-35% is your best bet to match factory rear.

I've driven through NC many times and haven't been haggled over tint. Guess it has to do with me being out-of-state. I recommend 50% windshield (not noticeable at all if you're going with 30-35% front windows) for maximum protection against the sun and of course for the cool look of your 4R from afar when you're walking back to the truck!


I currently have the following: 40% windshield & 3% front and rear windows.

 

[Johns06yota]

Factory tint is around 27% so 30-35% is your best bet to match factory rear.

I've driven through NC many times and haven't been haggled over tint. Guess it has to do with me being out-of-state. I recommend 50% windshield (not noticeable at all if you're going with 30-35% front windows) for maximum protection against the sun and of course for the cool look of your 4R from afar when you're walking back to the truck!


I currently have the following: 40% windshield & 3% front and rear windows.

Thanks! Ill probably end up going with 35 percent up front. I just want it to match a little better haha.

 

[Johns06yota]

Suspension

Just finished the full suspension kit today and Couldn't be happier! The car handles almost flat now and there is much less body roll in general. The rear shocks were relatively easy. Ended up sawzalling the top of the shocks off because the bolt was seized. I also installed the new sway bar end links and poly bushings. The front was just as difficult as I remember the last time haha. I got the front struts and sway bar end links in but was not able to do the front sway bar bushings. The rear bolt on the driver side snapped off and am not sure how to replace it as the rest of the bolt is still in there. I am having to get my passenger side cv axle replaced next week. Should I get the shop to do the sway bar bushings and fix the bolt?

 

[ismailkho]

I'm not sure about the current status of tint laws, but I generally recommend going for at least 70% tint for UV protection, though 50% is ideal. For privacy, 15% or limo tint in the back and 30% or 20% in the front works well. In California, most people opt for 30%, but 20% is quite bold. Additionally, keep in mind that tint measuring tools aren't always precise. You might want to watch professional tint installers on YouTube who test and explain these nuances.

North Carolina Window Tint Laws (Last Update 2024) - TintingHub