BlairB's 2008 4Runner
- Thread starter BlairB
- Start date
Thai
Elite Member
My view is this...it is better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it. Although winching and pulls are good, they are nonetheless time consuming and can be difficult in certain situations (no clear cut anchor points or at an angle). ATRAC (esp. the one in the 4runner) is not particularly useful at slow speed where the speed differential between the tires (on the same axle) is not much. This has one bad benefit...you gotta use speed to get up obstacles which will inevitably lead to damage to your vehicle (thus, you needing to upgrade your rear control arms for example). A rear locker allows for slow ascending (and descending) of obstacles, which will help you avoid much damage due to better planning and slower speed of impact to your underbody. Just something to keep in mind.
BTW, your BFG M/Ts are dying to show you what it can do with proper equal traction at the rear!
BTW, your BFG M/Ts are dying to show you what it can do with proper equal traction at the rear!
BlairB
New member
I used Dupli-Color black primer then Rustoleum Satin Black paint for the final coats.
Here is a DIY thread I did a little bit back dealing with painting your wheels:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?t=52200&highlight=black+wheels
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Carbon Blue
New member
that looks awesome Blair, Ive got to ask you, do you think you can give a somewhat in depth review of all the suspension setups you've been through and how they compare to stock, daily duties, off road capabilities?
Id love to have a runner like yours but feel like the fox and bilstein combo would be a little to hardcore on the daily side? I love the feel of the stock suspension but would appreciate more lift and maybe a tad bit more stiffness when it comes to trail running etc.
Also since you have atrac, does it work on all 4 wheels? Im accustomed to the FJ cruiser and when the rear locker is engaged atrac is only for the front two wheels, since you dont have a rear locker does it work on all four??
Thanks for any info man, your 4runner has been my favorite ever since I registered and my hard drive is full of pics of your 4runner! hahaha
Id love to have a runner like yours but feel like the fox and bilstein combo would be a little to hardcore on the daily side? I love the feel of the stock suspension but would appreciate more lift and maybe a tad bit more stiffness when it comes to trail running etc.
Also since you have atrac, does it work on all 4 wheels? Im accustomed to the FJ cruiser and when the rear locker is engaged atrac is only for the front two wheels, since you dont have a rear locker does it work on all four??
Thanks for any info man, your 4runner has been my favorite ever since I registered and my hard drive is full of pics of your 4runner! hahaha
Thai
Elite Member
We have an official stalker on the forum!! :jk:
Yes, 4runner's ATRAC works on all 4 wheels. However, 4runner's ATRAC is less aggressive than the FJ's A-TRAC option. FJ's A-TRAC is for off-road use only (4-LO only) and is more aggressive at clamping down on a slipping tire.
You may also want to look at the 2009 4runner Trail Edition, which is equipped similarly to the FJ in terms of off-road tools (rear locker, A-TRAC, 16" rims).
Carbon Blue
New member
haha, hey there Thai, Ive been "stalking" your very informational posts as well! Since you mention that the FJ's atrac option is only for "off road use only" are you implying that the atrac on the 4runner could be used on road along with 4hi? what would the benefit be if the car already has trac/vsc? Do you mean the FJ's atrac clamps harder on the spinning wheel to send power faster to the gripping wheel? How did you come to the conclusion that the atrac on the FJ is more aggressive than that of the 4runner?
Also I have read tons on FJ's/4runner Trail editions, and I still cant make up my mind, the FJ has a MT6 but the 4R has everything that the fj should have had in the first place. thanks
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HB 4X4
New member
Blair is in Mojave right now.
Stock suspension - squishy
Stock suspension with spacers- stock-like ride but messy off-road. They are susceptible to bottom out, etc.
Spacers with FJ springs- Better control, added height/stiffness. They are firmer than stock.
Foxes- Stiffest of them all, but they are firm, not busy like spacers (overworking every single bump in the road). Then you obviously get all of the added benefits of a coilover with a remote resi. Resistance to fading, adjustable height, able to compensate for weight such as a bumper, etc.
Thai
Elite Member
Honest question to you and Blair...have you guys had problems with shock fading?? Most monotubes would be fade-resistant unless you really do Baja type racing all day long continuously. Even when i had twin-tube shocks in my 4runner, i never did experience much of fading, even when i off-roaded for most of the day. I think that shock fading has more to do with the old old shocks that were hydraulic-based.
Carbon Blue
New member
thanks man, did the v8 4runners ever come with atrac or a rear locker? Or is it only the 09 TE that comes with both??
Thai
Elite Member
ATRAC on 4runner is more like an all-season 4-wheel traction control. Remember, VSC is to correct oversteer and understeer...it does not really deal with going forward (or backward). On the 4runner, there is no difference (that i know of, from a terminology point of view) between TRAC and ATRAC. There are some people that believe that ATRAC/TRAC works more aggressively when you're in 4-LO on the 4runner, but i don't have any data to back up this claim.
A-TRAC on the FJ is much different than the standard TRAC. It works ONLY in 4-LO and is very aggressive...and thus is able to direct torque to the wheel(s) with traction quicker and more efficiently. I have seen both the 4runner's and FJ's system in action off-road...it is a significant difference and thus does lend the FJ with more slightly more capability just from that difference.
Hope this helps.
Thai
Elite Member
All 4th gen 4runners, not named 2009 Trail Edition, have TRAC/ATRAC. Never had a locker in the rear axle.
ONLY the 2009 TE comes with FJ's A-TRAC and rear locker, IN ADDITION to TRAC.
HB 4X4
New member
The back monotube shocks heat up pretty bad, but I haven't had any issues with the fronts fading yet. The SAW's just weren't living up to their reputation and I wanted something better. When I head out to the Mojave, DV, and other places I wont have to worry about the fronts fading after fast runs all day. Especially with the added weight from the bumper, winch, and dual battery.
Thai
Elite Member
Oh yeah, that's right...you guys have a lot of equipment on your trucks. Good point.
HB 4X4
New member
Blair doesn't carry much weight, and he has a V6. But I know at some point he wants to integrate a winch behind his stock bumper and add a battery/fridge. He also picked up his Foxes for a good deal used.
When you are out in the desert, the last thing you want to worry about is your shocks fading on you so I figure it's better to have them than not have them on those types of runs.
Either way, my SAW's weren't going to cut it. I tolerated their stiffness for almost a year because I had the intention of getting a bumper. Then when I finally added the bumper, it was too much for them and I hadn't even added the winch or battery yet.
BlairB
New member
Thanks for all the compliments! Josh was pretty much dead on with most the info but here is my quick breakdown.
Cornfed 2/1- Pretty much a factory ride, it handles pretty well on road and is not horrible off road. I think ride wise this is the best spacer height.
Cornfed 3/1 w/ FJ Springs- I thought this actually handed really well both on and off road. It was a little stiff and busy, so uneven roads were not too fun, but the FJ springs do a great job and I think they are what the 4Runner should have came with.
Fox Resi's- Awesome on and off road. You get a little bit more body roll on road I feel, but its not bad. It is firm, but not stiff and busy, unlike spacers, which were overextending my rear shocks these are meant to deal with this amount of lift. I think resi's are overkill for most uses, but there are definitely times where the added cooling is great. In Mojave today even tmy resi's were so hot that I could not touch them (it took a TON of work to get them to that point, I was even hitting 90mph and ran for many many miles before checking them). Even with that heat they did not fade one bit. The rears may have suffered from a little bit of fade by it was barely noticeable.
Let me know if I missed anything or you have any other questions!
The one thing I disagree with in what Josh says here is saying the foxes are the stiffest of them all. They are firm, yes, but not stiff/busy. They are actually pretty smooth since I have very very little preload on the spring.
I didn't have any problems with fading b/c most my runs were pretty short but A) I got a deal on the foxes and B) wanted to do it right the first time. Today I beat these coilovers INTO THE GROUND (literally, I snapped off a resi mount, thank god for zip ties) and they didnt fade at all. 2.0's probably would have faded, 2.5's- doubtful but maybe depending on the weight of the truck. As I mentioned in the previous post my rears MAY have faded a little bit, but it was not bad at all. One thing worth mentioning is I was running very little weight in the truck today, usually it weighs a bit more.
HB 4X4
New member
That's what I meant. I thought I said they aren't "busy," but they are the firmest. At least they seemed like it to me when I rode in it. They were firmer than my SAW's by a decent amount, but they were less "busy" on the road imperfections.
BlairB
New member
Nope, I think it just may be the fact that any 4Runner near Drew and his 6" of lift looks tiny
