Advice for 2014 Black TE w/KDSS

[Nerves]

Hello to all!

I purchased my first 4runner this pass summer (2014) and now I have CFO (Wife) approval for some add-ons. I'm soliciting advise from this base of vast knowledge in hope I can make my decision process easier.

Here are my plan upgrades:
Wheels and tires--As I have read (as much as I can understand) I believe that going Gloss Black rims (17") with 265 or 275 would be my preference. but, as I understand it as well, in order to get to 275's I would need to "lift" my 4R.

I'm vacillating between the Bilstien 5100's or a full Icon upgrade (not sure on the Icon Stage/product yet). My first thought was to just lift 1.5"-2.0" max but, 3" looks really good. I've also read, that the full complete ICON package will provide (might be mistaken) better overall on road and off road capability. (Feedback and suggestion requested).

Roof Rack:
narrowed it down to Baja and Gobi Stealth (spoke with Gobi Sales-live in Jacksonville, Fl.) and Gobi quoted me $1525 (delivered) with the ladder. I eventually will add a 40" center LED and 2x4"-6" side lights (I'm leaning tours Rigid, unless otherwise advise to look at other brands). and a single 4" in the rear.

Front Bumper:

I need the air bag sensors to work and as I've learned it seems that ARB might be the only one that provides this.
Winch (Open to suggestion) I think nothing less than 7000LBS should be my target.

With regards to HID upgrade kit...Totally open to suggestions.

Thank you in advance for any feedback/response.

 

[soze]

Conventional formula for winch rating based on GVWT for your truck would be 9500 or 9000. 7000 could be used but would prove limiting in certain recovery situations.

 

[Lexusbstrdchild]

Lift all depends on what you will be doing with it. Mild trails and such, I would do Bilsteins for front lift, bilstein shocks in rear, and find do either a spacer in the rear, or do SAW springs, or similar in place of spacer. If you think you need it, get the Icons. If you do the front bumper you will need to go stiffer springs in front to keep your lift, so hell why not do Icons now that Ithink of it. So you see it depends on what you want to do, and what you plan to do. From what ive been told, Gobi has better powdercoating than Baja, other than that its a pissing match. Good luck, I'm sure others will chime in as well.

 

[Wookiemonster]

I ran bilsteins on my last 3 yota's and you can't go wrong with the build quality, affordability, and the availability. They did everything I asked them to do and more. Just recently bit the bullet and upgraded to an Icon stage 2 kit with Camburg UCA's and couldn't be happier. While I really wanted to purchase the remote resi's, I came to the realization that I would never use them to their full potential, so I saved the money and put it towards a GOBI rack, which I use the hell out of. The GOBI is pricey, but very well made, and if you use and abuse it like I do then it will pay for itself. This is just my 2 cents so hope it helps...

 

[Nerves]

Thank you all for you feedback, suggestions and answers so far. I'm not heavy into trails yet but, that's more on the goal to protect the vehicle than desire to hit the trail ( the bug has hit me). The geography is mostly southeast as I have a home in Jacksonville, Fl. And Atlanta, Ga. ( and frequent TN as well).

With regards to the ICOn complete packages I'm looking stages 3 or 5. Not sure what I would gain with stage 7. On wheels, width is an open question in my mind as some of the terrain is sand (beaches). I neglected to mentioned that I'll be adding a air compressor, and lastly "roll boxes" ( phase III of the build). Again thank you all.

 

[Nerves]

Thank you all for you feedback, suggestions and answers so far. I'm not heavy into trails yet but, that's more on the goal to protect the vehicle than desire to hit the trail ( the bug has hit me). The geography is mostly southeast as I have a home in Jacksonville, Fl. And Atlanta, Ga. ( and frequent TN as well).

With regards to the ICOn complete packages I'm looking stages 3 or 5. Not sure what I would gain with stage 7. On wheels, width is an open question in my mind as some of the terrain is sand (beaches). I neglected to mentioned that I'll be adding a air compressor, and lastly "roll boxes" ( phase III of the build). Again thank you all.

Just wanted to follow up. I pretty sure I've made up my mind on suspension brand with ICON. I'm soliciting feedback on the 4Runners owners who have purchased their products (which Stage) and their experiences.

With Regards to the Light bars. Is Regid the "market defacto" ? Living in the southeast, rain and humidity (Florida and Georgia) is almost a way of life; So durability to these elements are a must.


Lastely (can't promise that). As I move to 285's has anyone recalibrated (Not sure it's possible) their speedo?

Thanks,

 

[Greenamphibious]

not sure why anyone here in the southeast would need anything beyond a stage 1/2. You cant go wrong with Icon either way.

 

[1engineer]

Is nobody going to tell this poor guy that you don't have to lift to fit a 275 and to fit a 285 lifting is not enough? He will have to do a BMC too? That you can't pick just any wheel because of BS and Offset?
Is nobody going to tell him that while Icon is a good shock it will have to be taken off, sent back and be rebuilt? That Bilsteins will do the job just fine and last pretty much forever?

Is nobody going to tell this guy that it's not how much you spend on something but how well you choose for your application?

OP, you need to do research based on your specific needs. If you just ask for opinions you could end up spending $10K on components and making it WORSE to drive down the highway like you are going to do 99.5% of the time, not better.

Be realistic with yourself because:
There are mods that will let you drive through the desert at high speed.
There are mods that will let you rock crawl up ledges in Moab.
There are mods that will let you go through deep water and mud and over small downed trees back east.
There are mods that will help you handle better on the road.
There are mods that will make you look tough at the mall but do little else.
There are mods that will let you go several days off highway on an overlanding trip.

And more. While a few of these scenarios above that share components many do not!

Are you gonna race through the desert or is the worst thing you will face is a grass field while parking for a soccer game? Mall curb? Thorns on a trail deep in Texas?

They are all different. Choose wisely or you will waste your money.

 

[Jetboy]

Is nobody going to tell this poor guy that you don't have to lift to fit a 275 and to fit a 285 lifting is not enough? He will have to do a BMC too? That you can't pick just any wheel because of BS and Offset?
Is nobody going to tell him that while Icon is a good shock it will have to be taken off, sent back and be rebuilt? That Bilsteins will do the job just fine and last pretty much forever?

Is nobody going to tell this guy that it's not how much you spend on something but how well you choose for your application?

OP, you need to do research based on your specific needs. If you just ask for opinions you could end up spending $10K on components and making it WORSE to drive down the highway like you are going to do 99.5% of the time, not better.

Be realistic with yourself because:
There are mods that will let you drive through the desert at high speed.
There are mods that will let you rock crawl up ledges in Moab.
There are mods that will let you go through deep water and mud and over small downed trees back east.
There are mods that will help you handle better on the road.
There are mods that will make you look tough at the mall but do little else.
There are mods that will let you go several days off highway on an overlanding trip.

And more. While a few of these scenarios above that share components many do not!

Are you gonna race through the desert or is the worst thing you will face is a grass field while parking for a soccer game? Mall curb? Thorns on a trail deep in Texas?

They are all different. Choose wisely or you will waste your money.

We were waiting for you

^he's right on all accounts.

As far as winches go - you need to decide what you're wanting to do. I have a hidden winch mount (I fabbed my own) - and as far as I know only HWMS has one right now. SSS has a nice partial bumper/winch mount. The problem with a winch is it's putting more weight up front. The more weight, the harder it is on your front suspension. And if desert racing is the goal, you probably don't want a big heavy front bumper or a heavy winch.

8 or 9k lb winches should be adequate. Add a snatch block just as part of your winch kit because they are cheap enough and very handy for lots of things - one of which is doubling your pulling force if you really need it.

Also if you're doing a lot of actual offroading the 4runners are pretty low and some skid plates can offer a bit of protection. The crossover exhaust pipe and transfer case are particularly vulnerable.

I'm not aware of any cheap speed re-calibration options. The signal as i understand it is taken from the ABS sensors at each wheel. So to modify the signal you'd need a set of 4 in-line speedometer calibration modules. They are about $2-300 each, so it's $1k or so if you go that route. There has been another option done on 4th gens, but I don't know of it being used on a 5th. http://www.toyota120.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4369

 

[RedStripeRanger]

Ive got Icons on my 2014 (Stage 2) and never had to do a body mod for my 285s to fit. I had to cut some plastic but other than that no rubbing or issues so far.

 

[Mooney]

Is nobody going to tell this poor guy that you don't have to lift to fit a 275 and to fit a 285 lifting is not enough? He will have to do a BMC too? That you can't pick just any wheel because of BS and Offset?
Is nobody going to tell him that while Icon is a good shock it will have to be taken off, sent back and be rebuilt? That Bilsteins will do the job just fine and last pretty much forever?

Is nobody going to tell this guy that it's not how much you spend on something but how well you choose for your application?

OP, you need to do research based on your specific needs. If you just ask for opinions you could end up spending $10K on components and making it WORSE to drive down the highway like you are going to do 99.5% of the time, not better.

Be realistic with yourself because:
There are mods that will let you drive through the desert at high speed.
There are mods that will let you rock crawl up ledges in Moab.
There are mods that will let you go through deep water and mud and over small downed trees back east.
There are mods that will help you handle better on the road.
There are mods that will make you look tough at the mall but do little else.
There are mods that will let you go several days off highway on an overlanding trip.

And more. While a few of these scenarios above that share components many do not!

Are you gonna race through the desert or is the worst thing you will face is a grass field while parking for a soccer game? Mall curb? Thorns on a trail deep in Texas?

They are all different. Choose wisely or you will waste your money.

1E brings up some good points, however I never had issues running 285's with ICON lift. No rubbing, no body mods. Keep in mind results may vary based on offset and tires.

The dealer who installed my ICON is also certified to rebuild them while I wait. Obviously this isn't going to be an option for everyone and you may prefer a disposable shock that can be replaced.

S7 included a load of adjustable links reserved for the the hardcore off road crowd and probably way beyond your needs. S5 has remote resi's that can offer the flexibility of adjusting your ride on the fly. However if your not off road for long stretches your really not generating enough heat to justify the addition of the resi's.

Make sure to purchase the shock covers for rear to protect shafts from debris wear.

 

[1engineer]

1E brings up some good points, however I never had issues running 285's with ICON lift. No rubbing, no body mods. Keep in mind results may vary based on offset and tires.

The dealer who installed my ICON is also certified to rebuild them while I wait. Obviously this isn't going to be an option for everyone and you may prefer a disposable shock that can be replaced.

S7 included a load of adjustable links reserved for the the hardcore off road crowd and probably way beyond your needs. S5 has remote resi's that can offer the flexibility of adjusting your ride on the fly. However if your not off road for long stretches your really not generating enough heat to justify the addition of the resi's.

Make sure to purchase the shock covers for rear to protect shafts from debris wear.

Exactly. But do you think this guy (based on his post) knows that if he runs a + offset or spacers he is gonna rub?

Good info on the different models!

I just read his post this AM and was like "Hmmm, this guy needs the 101 class and not the 400 level classes."

 

[RedStripeRanger]

Exactly. But do you think this guy (based on his post) knows that if he runs a + offset or spacers he is gonna rub?

Good info on the different models!

I just read his post this AM and was like "Hmmm, this guy needs the 101 class and not the 400 level classes."

Great point.

To help, my wheel offset it 0 with a 4 1/2" rear spacing. Icon recommends a backspace of no more than 5". Hope that helps.

 

[Engineer]

Exactly. But do you think this guy (based on his post) knows that if he runs a + offset or spacers he is gonna rub?

Good info on the different models!

I just read his post this AM and was like "Hmmm, this guy needs the 101 class and not the 400 level classes."

I agree with [MENTION=66316]1engineer[/MENTION] here (surprised anyone?). Nothing against the OP as honestly I am around the 150 level class myself but as an overall thought on S7 Icon suspension (or really any high end suspension/mod) if you have to ask is it worth it then you are not doing the kind of driving that suspension was built for nor have the experience level to use it. That is not a knock against the OP or anyone with such setups, I myself have the "entry" level setup of Radflo 2.5" shocks front and rear without adjustability. While I love it, was it worth the additional cash over 5100's or OME, not for me in terms of performance/use. I would have been better served by spending the extra cash on a winch etc but I do get a smile every time I see the shaft size.........yea I said it. Same with the rigid lights, are they the cream of the crop, yes, are they awesome to have, sure, are they the best "value" to most users......likely not but value is highly situational and opinion based. I run Mud tires on my 4runner and yet have spent less then 100miles off road in the 10,000 that are on the truck (makes no sense as it handles worse, is load on the highway , they wear fast etc).......there is little doubt that was a poor value choice in many people’s eyes but I love em, love the way they look, love the way they performed off road (yes a less aggressive AT tires would have likely gotten me around on the trails I have been on just fine) and will likely stuck with them or an aggressive AT for the life of the 4runner.

Last thought to the OP, If you enjoy it and have the finances there is nothing wrong with going all out. Just be careful around here of saying you “need” something the 4runner is much more capable in stock form them likely 99% of the forum members here (including myself!) – Minus the stock tires which I am not a fan of  Best of luck to you and enjoy learning everything you can on this forum.

 

[Mooney]

I agree with [MENTION=66316]1engineer[/MENTION] here (surprised anyone?). Nothing against the OP as honestly I am around the 150 level class myself but as an overall thought on S7 Icon suspension (or really any high end suspension/mod) if you have to ask is it worth it then you are not doing the kind of driving that suspension was built for nor have the experience level to use it. That is not a knock against the OP or anyone with such setups, I myself have the "entry" level setup of Radflo 2.5" shocks front and rear without adjustability. While I love it, was it worth the additional cash over 5100's or OME, not for me in terms of performance/use. I would have been better served by spending the extra cash on a winch etc but I do get a smile every time I see the shaft size.........yea I said it. Same with the rigid lights, are they the cream of the crop, yes, are they awesome to have, sure, are they the best "value" to most users......likely not but value is highly situational and opinion based. I run Mud tires on my 4runner and yet have spent less then 100miles off road in the 10,000 that are on the truck (makes no sense as it handles worse, is load on the highway , they wear fast etc).......there is little doubt that was a poor value choice in many people’s eyes but I love em, love the way they look, love the way they performed off road (yes a less aggressive AT tires would have likely gotten me around on the trails I have been on just fine) and will likely stuck with them or an aggressive AT for the life of the 4runner.

Last thought to the OP, If you enjoy it and have the finances there is nothing wrong with going all out. Just be careful around here of saying you “need” something the 4runner is much more capable in stock form them likely 99% of the forum members here (including myself!) – Minus the stock tires which I am not a fan of  Best of luck to you and enjoy learning everything you can on this forum.

Rarely have I seen "best" and "value" accurately used to describe one product.

 

[Intruder]

Buy recovery gear first - straps, shackles, air compressor, tire patch kit, shovel, hi-lift, etc. Wheel it stock for a while and you'll find out what you need for mods.

 

[RCFJ]

Buy recovery gear first - straps, shackles, air compressor, tire patch kit, shovel, hi-lift, etc. Wheel it stock for a while and you'll find out what you need for mods.

Listen to this cat ^. At least here in CO i would say a close second is sliders, skids and tires.

But again what is your intended use?

 

[brian0128]

Hello to all!

Front Bumper:

I need the air bag sensors to work and as I've learned it seems that ARB might be the only one that provides this.
Thank you in advance for any feedback/response.

ARB doesn't currently make a bumper for the '14-'15 TE.

 

[Nerves]

To All:

A Very sincere Thank you! if the knowledge pool starting point is level "101" then I'm at 001. My experience is more with "light sports cars". I caught the "bug" from a prospect (now customer) and purchased my New 2014 TE at a fantastic price (as the Distributor not the dealer ) from customer of mine.

As mentioned previously, I live in north east Florida and Atlanta but, frequent TN. (chat. knox, Talico, etc.) very often. The prospect (now customer) took me on his 2012 TE off Road and I made a "b-line" to get me one.

Since my Purchased I've be planning my upgrade path; so I very appreciate everyone's comments/advice. I do plan to do trails in this region ASAP (done a few already) but, don't want to go beyond the capabilities pf the "completely stock" TE. Looks are important but, functionality trumps.

Again, thank you all!

 

[1engineer]

To All:

A Very sincere Thank you! if the knowledge pool starting point is level "101" then I'm at 001. My experience is more with "light sports cars". I caught the "bug" from a prospect (now customer) and purchased my New 2014 TE at a fantastic price (as the Distributor not the dealer ) from customer of mine.

As mentioned previously, I live in north east Florida and Atlanta but, frequent TN. (chat. knox, Talico, etc.) very often. The prospect (now customer) took me on his 2012 TE off Road and I made a "b-line" to get me one.

Since my Purchased I've be planning my upgrade path; so I very appreciate everyone's comments/advice. I do plan to do trails in this region ASAP (done a few already) but, don't want to go beyond the capabilities pf the "completely stock" TE. Looks are important but, functionality trumps.

Again, thank you all!

My friend, you are much more likely to go beyond your capabilities before you go beyond the 4runners lol. My advice? Buy you some good tires and spend a few hundred buying what [MENTION=66300]Intruder[/MENTION] recommended above. Go on about 20 off road excursions and you will know what you need by then.