Cup holder insert mod idea. Thoughts?

[ZebRuaj]

So the cup holder insert in our T4R is almost close to useless. The bottles and cans I use don't fit any of the 2 predetermined positions the insert opens up to. So I put on my engineering hat and tried to be bright.

[URL=http://s134.photobucket.com/user/ulrblitzer/media/cars/20161020_154949.jpg.html][/URL]

The insert's position is predetermined by slits under the middle "bar" and a prong on the swing arm. (This image is flipped upside down.) Side note, it gets pretty nasty under there!

[URL=http://s134.photobucket.com/user/ulrblitzer/media/cars/20161020_155617.jpg.html][/URL]

I was thinking about trimming the prong so it no longer locks the arm into the predetermined slots and adding a compression spring to give the arms an infinite degree of opening/closing, using the compression spring as tension to hold a bottle/can tight.

[URL=http://s134.photobucket.com/user/ulrblitzer/media/cars/spring.jpg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://s134.photobucket.com/user/ulrblitzer/media/cars/20161020_155530.jpg.html][/URL]


The doubts I'm having before chopping away:
1) Irreversible
2) Depending on how long of a spring I get, bigger bottles/cups may no longer fit.
3) Tension of the compression spring will depend on each arm and what is in the other cup holder (think of a V with spring in the middle).
4) The arms will be in the "open" position full time.

Thoughts?

 

[J-Roc]

Great idea....I have not found anything that fits into the holder nicely at any of the pre determined spots....Biggest issue I'd have would be the "open" all the time.....
But you can't have everything I guess!

 

[sr3tlaw]

Creative. love the idea

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[techno]

Worth a try, you can't really make it much worse. Securing the spring in place might be tricky, you don't want it popping out under compression. Are you going to take a guess at the optimum spring rate or do even more engineering and figure it out? To loose and the containers might overpower it, too tight and it will be a pain to put things in.
The big Gatorade bottles actually fit perfectly btw...

 

[ZebRuaj]

Worth a try, you can't really make it much worse. Securing the spring in place might be tricky, you don't want it popping out under compression. Are you going to take a guess at the optimum spring rate or do even more engineering and figure it out? To loose and the containers might overpower it, too tight and it will be a pain to put things in.
The big Gatorade bottles actually fit perfectly btw...

I was thinking of hot gluing the spring in, or scoring the arms a bit to hold the spring in place.

I was dinking around the hardware store when I stumbled upon random compression springs and that got me thinking about modding the cup holder insert. I might just buy a few and see which gives the best spring rate. I usually carry 20oz bottles or soda cans so I'll be leaning on the tighter/higher spring rates.

Or I might just have to start putting everything into big Gatorade bottles. Haha.

 

[techno]

You can grab a sacrificial unit from ebay if you want a spare to mess around with....
2005-2007 Toyota 4Runner OEM Cup Holder | eBay

 

[Inv4drZm]

I was thinking one of these might fit nicely. Need to find a larger one though.


https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Fashion-Durable-Universal-Vehicles-Car-Drink-Beverage-Cup-Beer-Coffee-Bottle-Can-Dual-Stand-Holder-Mount/32660897102.html?spm=2114.40010708.4.132.NquwgW

 

[adkfinn]

Good idea, let us know how it turns out and share the details of the spring size and rate.

 

[grave]

ugh, the 4th gen cupholders are such garbage. the whole cockpit makes me pine for my '09 frontier. perfectly sized DEEP cupholders with removable inserts. my coffee tumbler fit perfectly in the insert, nalgene or hydro flask fit perfectly with it out. the armrest and window button placement irks me, too, but i digress...

 

[adkfinn]

ugh, the 4th gen cupholders are such garbage. the whole cockpit makes me pine for my '09 frontier. perfectly sized DEEP cupholders with removable inserts. my coffee tumbler fit perfectly in the insert, nalgene or hydro flask fit perfectly with it out. the armrest and window button placement irks me, too, but i digress...

I always get a chuckle out of watching passengers fumble around and fail to find the window switch. :nono:

 

[vanion2]

Just out of curiosity but you do know you can change the off set of the center divider? This is how I got my cup holder to hold a can just fine. Of course the other side is now larger but my wife always parks her water bottle there so no big deal. I will have to post up a picture later (unless you already knew that).

I do agree about the window controls though. It seems Toyota realized they forgot to design that in and just stuck it where they could. And not backlighting the buttons means fumbling in the dark trying to find them. Of course I've only had mine for just over a month so that just might be me.

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[techno]

I always get a chuckle out of watching passengers fumble around and fail to find the window switch. :nono:

haha, or they try to store their cell phone in the handle pocket, only to discover there is no pocket and the phone falls right through and down into the bottom pocket.

 

[grave]

haha, or they try to store their cell phone in the handle pocket, only to discover there is no pocket and the phone falls right through and down into the bottom pocket.

ha! my wife has done this at least a few times. my frontier had perfectly iphone-sized door pulls in the armrest and she always put her phone there (and her hair ties & bobby pins & gum wrappers). now it just falls through and i get a laugh every time. the storage space in the doors are garbage, too! do they really expect us to put a cup in there? the frontier's were great... had a cupholder in the door, right next to my leg that was the perfect size for an empty starbucks iced venti cup that i would use as my trash can. nothing like that in the runner :\

 

[vanion2]

I bought one of those trash containers you hang on the back of the front seat. Keeps my 4 year old from throwing trash every where and since they made the pouches next to useless size wize on the back of the seats it was no big sacrifice.

I do love my 4th gen but whoever laid out the interior features was completely lacking in common sense for the US market.

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[adkfinn]

I bought one of those trash containers you hang on the back of the front seat. Keeps my 4 year old from throwing trash every where and since they made the pouches next to useless size wize on the back of the seats it was no big sacrifice.

I do love my 4th gen but whoever laid out the interior features was completely lacking in common sense for the US market.

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Hello friend, you've seen this yes? http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/2457-what-thing-back-center-console.html

The seat pouches are useless.

 

[ZebRuaj]

^^ lols.

Maybe vanion2 wanted the trash containers hanging behind his seats? Or he doesn't have enough plastic trash bags to use them in the T4R?

 

[vanion2]

Hello friend, you've seen this yes? http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/2457-what-thing-back-center-console.html

Yes. Already knew that because I read the manual but discarded it as another useless feature when you consider a 4 year old child is constantly getting in and out of the back seat and would be tripping over it and most likely breaking it.
Again, whoever thought that idea up didn't think it through.

And my response to ZebRuaj:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A78EBNG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
$15 fix for a poor design that is easy to handle, remove, and doesn't get in the way. Sorry that you find a common sense solution something to laugh at. :naughty:

 

[vanion2]

So getting back on topic I spotted these on eBay:
2011-2016 TOYOTA TACOMA OEM (LEFT) FRONT CONSOLE CUP HOLDER INSERT 66991-04012 | eBay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Toyota-Tacoma-Front-Console-Cup-Holder-Inserts-Genuine-OEM-OE/272410145182?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D39798%26meid%3D22d9f6c056c449a598c5e0bc3da51729%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D401175177138
The seller claims you can use these in a 2005-2009 Tacoma if you remove the center divider....I wonder if they have the same as ours? I looked it up and it looks identical.

Does anyone know a 2005-2016 Tacoma owner so you can compare a 4th gen cup holder setup to theirs? If so then you can ditch the center piece and use a set of these to solve the problem. Just a thought.

 

[eviele]

So getting back on topic I spotted these on eBay:
2011-2016 TOYOTA TACOMA OEM (LEFT) FRONT CONSOLE CUP HOLDER INSERT 66991-04012 | eBay

Toyota Tacoma Front Console Cup Holder Inserts Genuine OEM OE | eBay
The seller claims you can use these in a 2005-2009 Tacoma if you remove the center divider....I wonder if they have the same as ours? I looked it up and it looks identical.

Does anyone know a 2005-2016 Tacoma owner so you can compare a 4th gen cup holder setup to theirs? If so then you can ditch the center piece and use a set of these to solve the problem. Just a thought.

There's a Dorman 41000 Cup Holder Insert on Amazon that may work too.
I see in the questions portion that someone with a 2005 4runner bought and installed two of these.
It's the second question.
I might give it a go.

 

[vanion2]

There's a Dorman 41000 Cup Holder Insert on Amazon that may work too.
I see in the questions portion that someone with a 2005 4runner bought and installed two of these.
It's the second question.
I might give it a go.

I looked that up but didn't see any 4Runner questions. In fact, every Toyota question was answered no. Did a 4Runner search through the reviews as well with no responses. The design is round so unless it's a really tight fit I don't see well it would do in our square shaped holders.

Be sure to post up your results if you do get it.

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