aelarson
New member
I turned the deal down late last night. Woke up this morning happy to see my red TRD!
AELarson TRD Pro OEM+ Update/Mod/Build/Adventure Thread
- Thread starter aelarson
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I turned the deal down late last night. Woke up this morning happy to see my red TRD!
YetiX
New member
You made the right decision in my not-humble opinion. :biggrin2:
(If it was Cement or Inferno tho . . . )
aelarson
New member
Thank you, I think I made the right choice as well!
Inferno doesn't get my blood going, its a cool color, but its mehhh. But if that truck last night was cement, I'd be the proud new owner of a Cement TRD Pro. The reason I got into a TRD Pro is because the first one I saw in person was at the Chicago auto show in 2016. It was Cement. I wanted it so badly, but settled for Barc. Red because I couldn't afford/refused paying $15K over sticker just for a color.
aelarson
New member
Morimoto 2.0 LED Low Beam Headlight Bulbs
Discovered these great little bulbs from this thread. I am not going to do write up, because these are a pretty straight forward install.
The Story Behind The Purchase:
I have always wanted to upgrade these sh!t headlights, but other options haven't been great in my opinion. The Xenon Depot HID kit looks great, and I am certain has better output than the Morimoto/Xenon Depot LED bulbs, but you have to drill a hole in the back of the dust cover for all of the electrical components. I really didn't want to fiddle with the integrity of the seal going into the headlight and have condensation build up.
The real deal would be a whole new housing either from Kustom54 Headlights or the Retrofit source. However, these are in the neighborhood of $1,500. Unfortunately, I cannot justify that kind of money at the moment for some very cool headlights. I am sure they are worth the money, but I'd rather put that money elsewhere in the truck (tires, light bars, etc). So I didn't do a full upgrade.
These Morimoto LED bulbs seem to be a great middle ground, especially for the price. I found mine on the retrofit source for $108. They are absolutely an improvement over the garbage OEM bulbs, but they are not life changing. As you can see from the pictures below, the most noticeable difference is the color. Much more crisp white rather than the yellow OEM bulb. They also shine further. You can tell that the clear defined cut off line from the projector shines further down the road. The proof is in the pudding folks, check out this video for the difference in output (10:23 they start testing on the 4Runner). Great purchase, happy with the test drive around the neighborhood!
Please forgive my horrible pictures. Light and sound are the two hardest thing to capture through pics/video. But, here they are anyway...
Discovered these great little bulbs from this thread. I am not going to do write up, because these are a pretty straight forward install.
The Story Behind The Purchase:
I have always wanted to upgrade these sh!t headlights, but other options haven't been great in my opinion. The Xenon Depot HID kit looks great, and I am certain has better output than the Morimoto/Xenon Depot LED bulbs, but you have to drill a hole in the back of the dust cover for all of the electrical components. I really didn't want to fiddle with the integrity of the seal going into the headlight and have condensation build up.
The real deal would be a whole new housing either from Kustom54 Headlights or the Retrofit source. However, these are in the neighborhood of $1,500. Unfortunately, I cannot justify that kind of money at the moment for some very cool headlights. I am sure they are worth the money, but I'd rather put that money elsewhere in the truck (tires, light bars, etc). So I didn't do a full upgrade.
These Morimoto LED bulbs seem to be a great middle ground, especially for the price. I found mine on the retrofit source for $108. They are absolutely an improvement over the garbage OEM bulbs, but they are not life changing. As you can see from the pictures below, the most noticeable difference is the color. Much more crisp white rather than the yellow OEM bulb. They also shine further. You can tell that the clear defined cut off line from the projector shines further down the road. The proof is in the pudding folks, check out this video for the difference in output (10:23 they start testing on the 4Runner). Great purchase, happy with the test drive around the neighborhood!
Please forgive my horrible pictures. Light and sound are the two hardest thing to capture through pics/video. But, here they are anyway...
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aelarson
New member
DDM Saber 50W LED High Beams
I liked the low beam headlights so much, I decided to pull the trigger on some high beams as well. The talk on the forums were surrounding DDM Saber's, so thats what I got. Install is pretty straight forward, it's literally just swapping a bulb.
My initial impression is WOW. These suckers are bright, light bar bright. There are plenty of pictures floating around of what these can do in dark scenarios. I don't have the photography skills/ability to share what these can do, but I have included some pictures to show how much brighter they are over the low beams. So far, I like them...they are retina searing bright.
I liked the low beam headlights so much, I decided to pull the trigger on some high beams as well. The talk on the forums were surrounding DDM Saber's, so thats what I got. Install is pretty straight forward, it's literally just swapping a bulb.
My initial impression is WOW. These suckers are bright, light bar bright. There are plenty of pictures floating around of what these can do in dark scenarios. I don't have the photography skills/ability to share what these can do, but I have included some pictures to show how much brighter they are over the low beams. So far, I like them...they are retina searing bright.
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DaddyLongToes
New member
Question
Does the cargo area separate from the rear seat portion or is it on big protector? Love the build so far.... I'm somewhat on a budget myself when it comes to mods so I may be copying a lot of these lol
Does the cargo area separate from the rear seat portion or is it on big protector? Love the build so far.... I'm somewhat on a budget myself when it comes to mods so I may be copying a lot of these lol
aelarson
New member
Every panel has its own canvas back protector. The cargo area mat is separate from the seat backs.
Thanks, glad you like it! The house situation has slowed the build down a little more than I would have liked, but I'm slowly saving for some good stuff.
aelarson
New member
A little adventure in the 4Runner:
Picked up a matching toy with the TRD!
1999 Polaris Sportsman 500 with 1,400 miles!
As a little backstory, my family has 3 of these machines from this generation, including: 1997 335cc (Grandpa's), 1998 500cc (Uncle's) and a 2000 335cc (Dad's). I have always wanted my own to add to the collection and Saturday was the day!
A rear storage box, 3.5 gallon Fuelpax, synthetic winch line, and tires are in route. Going to give big red a full detail and service (oil change, air filter, tire change) this spring...so excited!!
Picked up a matching toy with the TRD!
1999 Polaris Sportsman 500 with 1,400 miles!
As a little backstory, my family has 3 of these machines from this generation, including: 1997 335cc (Grandpa's), 1998 500cc (Uncle's) and a 2000 335cc (Dad's). I have always wanted my own to add to the collection and Saturday was the day!
A rear storage box, 3.5 gallon Fuelpax, synthetic winch line, and tires are in route. Going to give big red a full detail and service (oil change, air filter, tire change) this spring...so excited!!
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aelarson
New member
Another adventure last weekend:
Exactly 1 year ago (3/16/18), I closed on a house. 365 days later, my girlfriend and I brought home a puppy...or a meatball, I don't really know to be honest. Her name is Yeti and she is a 10 week old French Bulldog. So far she really enjoys riding in the 4Runner, I think she'll be a great co-pilot! She also likes farting, sleeping, eating, and sleeping! :lmao:
Exactly 1 year ago (3/16/18), I closed on a house. 365 days later, my girlfriend and I brought home a puppy...or a meatball, I don't really know to be honest. Her name is Yeti and she is a 10 week old French Bulldog. So far she really enjoys riding in the 4Runner, I think she'll be a great co-pilot! She also likes farting, sleeping, eating, and sleeping! :lmao:
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MN TRD PRO
New member
Twin Cities
Interesting how we have never crossed paths. Like your taste. Tim
Interesting how we have never crossed paths. Like your taste. Tim
MN TRD PRO
New member
Interesting how we have never crossed paths. Like your taste. Tim
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
aelarson
New member
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That is wild, I have only seen 1 other red TRDP in Minneapolis! Are you on the MN 4Runner Group on Facebook?
MN TRD PRO
New member
Did not know there was a MN group. I’ll look for it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
aelarson
New member
Custom Riser Cross Bars and Thule Cargo Box
Back in 2012 my mom bought a very nice Thule cargo box. It was used once and stored ever since. I had an upcoming camping trip planned, so I really wanted this to work.
I convinced my mom to let me have the box, however, it did not mate up nicely to the Prinsu rack because the bars would not allow the clamps to reach the cross members, the box sat too high.
My neighbor at work owns and runs a very nice machine shop that I like to tinker around in. I showed him what I wanted and he made it for me. Some aluminum brackets and t-slot cut to size. T-slot was tapped for 1/4 x 20 and the custom brackets paired up nicely. Simply bolt it on and throw the Thule on the roof. Absolutly love the outcome, solid as a rock!
Back in 2012 my mom bought a very nice Thule cargo box. It was used once and stored ever since. I had an upcoming camping trip planned, so I really wanted this to work.
I convinced my mom to let me have the box, however, it did not mate up nicely to the Prinsu rack because the bars would not allow the clamps to reach the cross members, the box sat too high.
My neighbor at work owns and runs a very nice machine shop that I like to tinker around in. I showed him what I wanted and he made it for me. Some aluminum brackets and t-slot cut to size. T-slot was tapped for 1/4 x 20 and the custom brackets paired up nicely. Simply bolt it on and throw the Thule on the roof. Absolutly love the outcome, solid as a rock!
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aelarson
New member
Road America Camping Adventure:
A couple friends and myself made our annual trip down to Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI in the 4Runner. Very fun trip as always. There was no shortage of cool cars. Pre-war, can-am, F1, IMSA, every road car imaginable, etc. You name it, it was at Road America.
I included a couple of my favorite road cars we saw (Mclaren 720s, Mclaren Senna, Ferrari F40 LM).
A couple friends and myself made our annual trip down to Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI in the 4Runner. Very fun trip as always. There was no shortage of cool cars. Pre-war, can-am, F1, IMSA, every road car imaginable, etc. You name it, it was at Road America.
I included a couple of my favorite road cars we saw (Mclaren 720s, Mclaren Senna, Ferrari F40 LM).
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aelarson
New member
X-Bull Traction Boards (x4):
Picked up 4 X-Bull traction boards during an Amazon sale. Snagged all 4 for $150.
My T4R is my daily, so I don't plan on keeping these permanently mounted because I'm not a #OvErLaNdEr. I don't want them to weather/fade or get attention and possibly be stolen. I will keep them on in the winter full time and as needed when there isn't snow on the ground. As of right now, I am using tensioning straps to keep them secured on the Prinsu. Looking to make a quick release, more permanent solution for easy removal and install.
I know these aren't MaxTrax, but I can buy 4 full sets of X-Bulls for the same price as 1 full set of MaxTrax. These will be seeing light duty use, so I am not extremely worried about the ruggedness of these boards. If they break in 2-3 years, so be it, I can buy another set and be way ahead of the MaxTrax.
Picked up 4 X-Bull traction boards during an Amazon sale. Snagged all 4 for $150.
My T4R is my daily, so I don't plan on keeping these permanently mounted because I'm not a #OvErLaNdEr. I don't want them to weather/fade or get attention and possibly be stolen. I will keep them on in the winter full time and as needed when there isn't snow on the ground. As of right now, I am using tensioning straps to keep them secured on the Prinsu. Looking to make a quick release, more permanent solution for easy removal and install.
I know these aren't MaxTrax, but I can buy 4 full sets of X-Bulls for the same price as 1 full set of MaxTrax. These will be seeing light duty use, so I am not extremely worried about the ruggedness of these boards. If they break in 2-3 years, so be it, I can buy another set and be way ahead of the MaxTrax.
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aelarson
New member
MN North Shore Camping Adventure:
Spent some time camping up on the MN North Shore last weekend with my 2 ladies (girlfriend & puppy), we had a blast!
We arrived to our campsite at Lamb's Resort in the late afternoon on Friday, setup camp, made dinner, checked out the beach next to our campsite and enjoyed a fire (and S'mores). Temperatures dropped down to 38 degrees on Friday night and about 40 degrees on Saturday night, so it was chilly! Saturday we spent the day hiking and exploring. We saw high falls, shovel point, pebble beach, split rock light house, iona beach, and gooseberry falls. We hiked about 5.5 miles total, I wanted to do more, but our little meatball puppy has short legs, so we called it quits once she started fatiguing.
Truck worked well (as expected) and the cargo box was a life saver. We loaded up the box with all of our tinder, kindling, and wood. It makes a guy want a Tundra with the amount of stuff needed for camping.
Spent some time camping up on the MN North Shore last weekend with my 2 ladies (girlfriend & puppy), we had a blast!
We arrived to our campsite at Lamb's Resort in the late afternoon on Friday, setup camp, made dinner, checked out the beach next to our campsite and enjoyed a fire (and S'mores). Temperatures dropped down to 38 degrees on Friday night and about 40 degrees on Saturday night, so it was chilly! Saturday we spent the day hiking and exploring. We saw high falls, shovel point, pebble beach, split rock light house, iona beach, and gooseberry falls. We hiked about 5.5 miles total, I wanted to do more, but our little meatball puppy has short legs, so we called it quits once she started fatiguing.
Truck worked well (as expected) and the cargo box was a life saver. We loaded up the box with all of our tinder, kindling, and wood. It makes a guy want a Tundra with the amount of stuff needed for camping.
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tylertenny
Member
I can't think of a better campground. We stayed at Lamb's Resort last summer and it was awesome. It sounds like you had a great time!
aelarson
New member
Lambs Resort was fantastic!
Nice clean campgrounds and facilities, cant ask for anything more. Also very cool that they have campgrounds on the water. Next time were up there, we are planning on going a little earlier so it's not so cold and staying on a lake campsite. :rockon:
aelarson
New member
The Next Chapter...
Well, my time with my 5th Gen TRD has come to an end. It is hard to believe!
I am getting tired of making expensive car payments and feeling like I am not getting the value out of it. I am fortunate to have enough equity in the TRD which allows me to move into a nice vehicle that can be fully paid off, which will be a huge financial relief. While I absolutely love the TRD, it is not worth the money that I am paying for it (in my eyes).
The next vehicle you ask? Back into a 4th Gen V8 Limited. It is a very clean NV example with 82K miles on the clock. The worst part is that it is beige, or what I like to call "Hearing Aid Beige". I already threw some TRD wheels and Duratracs on it and have some minor modifications planned in the future. With that being said, I'll be more of a lurker than a poster going forward (in the 4th gen threads of course).
Thank you to everyone on the 5th Gen side, there are a lot of great trucks and people over here!
Here is the last picture I took of the TRD (for selling purposes) and some shots of the new to me hearing aid!
Cheers to a new chapter in vehicle ownership :hatsoff:
Side Note: I already posted a similar spiel about a week ago, but just noticed today that it disappeared. Glitch? Deleted? Lost in Limbo? Not sure, but here it is again!
Well, my time with my 5th Gen TRD has come to an end. It is hard to believe!
I am getting tired of making expensive car payments and feeling like I am not getting the value out of it. I am fortunate to have enough equity in the TRD which allows me to move into a nice vehicle that can be fully paid off, which will be a huge financial relief. While I absolutely love the TRD, it is not worth the money that I am paying for it (in my eyes).
The next vehicle you ask? Back into a 4th Gen V8 Limited. It is a very clean NV example with 82K miles on the clock. The worst part is that it is beige, or what I like to call "Hearing Aid Beige". I already threw some TRD wheels and Duratracs on it and have some minor modifications planned in the future. With that being said, I'll be more of a lurker than a poster going forward (in the 4th gen threads of course).
Thank you to everyone on the 5th Gen side, there are a lot of great trucks and people over here!
Here is the last picture I took of the TRD (for selling purposes) and some shots of the new to me hearing aid!
Cheers to a new chapter in vehicle ownership :hatsoff:
Side Note: I already posted a similar spiel about a week ago, but just noticed today that it disappeared. Glitch? Deleted? Lost in Limbo? Not sure, but here it is again!
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