Brush Guards

[SnydersWeb]

I've been lurking on this board for the last week or two.

Back on 2/6/4 I bought a black '04 4Runner Sport. So far I am loving this thing.

I've had her offroad a couple of times and was just amazed what it would climb..seems there are hardly any places this vehicle cannot go!

Anyway, to the question, I am considering getting a brush guard (likely Polar Bear) for the front end of it. Do brush guards help prevent/reduce damage to the front end? What other protections do you recommend along those lines?

I plan to take it offroad during the summer and fall - I didn't want to spend the money and get a great offroad vehicle and never use it for what it is built for! Otherwise I would've gotten a Highlander/or a sport coupe. I realize offroading exposes the truck to MUCH greater potential of damage, so if I can help armor it a bit, I consider that money well spent to help my investment look its best through the years.

There are LOTS of cool mountain trails out here around Glenwood begging for exploration.

 

[toybox]

skid plates and sliders will get you the most bang for your buck as far as protection goes. I personally don't think brush gaurds offer much protection and can adversely affect the approach angle. For front end protection I would go with a new front bumper like a TJM or an ARB. Those will also have the option of mounting a winch.

 

[momo.75]

Welcome to the board.

Yep, a brush guard is only as good as the name would suggest. It is good for brush and light limbs and stuff, but it wouldn't be good for any heavy stuff. I have heard a lot of people say that when they had a minor fender bender, that the brush guard actually caused more damage because it was pushed back into the fenders. They are good for mounting lights, but like toybox said they will hurt your approach angle. As far as I know there are any ARB tyoe bumpers available yet for the 4th gen, but I think there is a company making sliders now. That would be a good investment for Colorado off-roading. Slowly but surely the different companies are coming out with stuff for us.

 

[SnydersWeb]

Uh, Sliders?

Pardon my newbie question here but Sliders? What are those? An under the vehicle type thing?

Yeesh, unfortunately I hurt my new baby on Monday. I was having a blast exploring the trails and vehicle capabilities on some mountain trails close to my place of work.

I was looking for a way back to the street when I turned down a path (was trying to thread my way down to the next town).. didn't like what I saw so I backed up. One thing I didn't see was a small, old, hard, angry little tree hiding right behind the passenger side D pillar (rear most roof piller) and it punched a nasty hole in my spoiler, and left a lovely scatch/scuff just above the window. DOH!

That little incident is going to cost me nearly 1K to get the damage fixed. Wiser yet undeterred I continue!

 

[toybox]

Sliders go where running boards go except that they offer real protection. They are not really a step, just there to protect for the most part. Most of them can support the weight of the truck so you could use a high-lift jack to get out of some stuck situations.

 

[Pribilof]

You can have sliders made that extend away from the body enough to use as a step if you think you really need help getting into or out of your rig.

I always thought brush guards looked cool, even if they don't really do much for you.

 

[Good Times]

Body Armor 101:

Sliders - Metal tubing (round or square) made to fit on the sides of the truck to provide basic side protection from rocks that are present. Also provides excellent pivoting point for narrow trails.

Front Skids - Stock skids are worth crap. 11guage or 1/8-1/4" steel plates are safer when travelling on rocky terrain. Protects Engine oil pan.

Mid section Skids - Not a common mod but a mod that will help give you a longer flat belly and protect most of the bottom except for the gas tank. Covers tranny pan and center diff.

Gas tank Skid - basically an aftermarket skid that'll protect your guts!

Bumpers - unfortunately the stock bumpers are tupperware. Will not last much in any rocky terrain. Expect to see severe loss of parts Aftermarket bumpers help to provide better protection from rocks and also better approach/departure angles.

You can get sliders made anywhere from any machine shop. Slee Offroad (http://www.sleeoffroad.com/) does some work and you might look into that place. Rockware does great work as well (http://www.rockware.net/) Check them out!

If you plan to do any offroading, I highly recommend atleast getting some sliders and some skids. Skids are critical in protecting your bottom as you don't want to end up w/ damaged parts... (lol like me). Lift is always good too btw. But even w/ a lift, make sure you upgrade your skids. Both skids and slipers are relatively cheap so it shouldn't put a big dent in your pocket. The bumper will definitely as that's alot of labor involved.

There are other shops but I can't think up of ones in CO offhand besides those two. Give them a call and see what they can do for ya. I know there are 3-5 other shops that does armor stuff and are high quality so you can't go wrong!

Since you have the sport, i'm guessing you have the xreas. If you want to lift, you'll be limited to spacers (Revtek, Daystar). Both are good stuff and I have seen both on xreas systems so no worries there. Installation is a pita but is possible.

Good luck

 

[.o2 Lost Hiker]

My next mod will be an ARB Bumber and Sliders.