I got home two days ago after spending a week in DV. This was the first time I drove the 4Runner after going there with the 80 series. Leading up to the trip involved MANY hours of prep and a lot of $$$$. DV is like the final exam after months of studying for it. Once you're on those famous washboards and your rig is just skipping along happily at 50 mph, you can't help but have an ear to ear shitty grin 
ound:
My buddy's '14 Trail is bone stock running BFG AT KO2 tires and it did great. At some point on the Racetrack road, he experienced shock fade which is expected from the pounding we received. We took our IR temp guns and measured the temps of our shocks. His were smoking hot but mine were not nearly that hot. I experienced zero shock fade and the 6112s stayed cool no matter how rough the roads were. With the RTT on top, the cornering was still relatively flat, no appreciable lean were felt by me. This impressed me to no end given that 100+ weight was on top at all times.
My vehicle now has 320xxx miles so I did everything I could do to update/upgrade the suspension. So, here's my recipe for surviving Death Valley and hope it helps others. My vehicle has no poly bushings and I have ZERO squeaks after the trip. Those of you who have been there, you know how dusty that place can be.
The Falken Wildpeak tires were simply AWESOME at 25 psi. There were no cuts, bruises, gashes or chunking of the tires. I am very pleased with these tires and at $130, they're a good bang for the buck. The ride home was quiet and still well balanced. I abused the absolute shit out of those tires and they kept asking for more!
We went through a CAT scale on the way to see how heavy they are. My '03 is 5800 lbs with me in it. My buddy's '14 Trail was 5400 w/o him in it. So, subtract 160 lbs from 5800 lbs and you get a net weight of 5640 lbs. This is fully loaded to the gills with everything, including water and fuel.
Cargo management:
I started to cut out a 1/2" plywood for a rear cargo shelf when my GF said just to use the factory dual shelf thing on this trip and figure what I really need. Damn it, she's so right:thumb: So, I used that and it worked out well. Things moved around quite a bit w/o using any straps to keep things secured. Two five gallon NATO gas cans and two water cans were inside and strapped down. The sloshing weren't as bad as I thought they'd be.
Suspension:
6112s up front set at 1.5" lift
Icon rear shocks + springs 2" lift
Front UCA from a 40,000 miles FJC
Front LCA has new Moog bushings and Moog BJs
Rear UCA & LCA from 40,000 miles FJC
Rear LCA modified to not bend on impact. 1/4" thick angle iron stitch welded.
Tires:
Falken Wildpeak AT3W 265 70 17s
ound: My buddy's '14 Trail is bone stock running BFG AT KO2 tires and it did great. At some point on the Racetrack road, he experienced shock fade which is expected from the pounding we received. We took our IR temp guns and measured the temps of our shocks. His were smoking hot but mine were not nearly that hot. I experienced zero shock fade and the 6112s stayed cool no matter how rough the roads were. With the RTT on top, the cornering was still relatively flat, no appreciable lean were felt by me. This impressed me to no end given that 100+ weight was on top at all times.
My vehicle now has 320xxx miles so I did everything I could do to update/upgrade the suspension. So, here's my recipe for surviving Death Valley and hope it helps others. My vehicle has no poly bushings and I have ZERO squeaks after the trip. Those of you who have been there, you know how dusty that place can be.
The Falken Wildpeak tires were simply AWESOME at 25 psi. There were no cuts, bruises, gashes or chunking of the tires. I am very pleased with these tires and at $130, they're a good bang for the buck. The ride home was quiet and still well balanced. I abused the absolute shit out of those tires and they kept asking for more!
We went through a CAT scale on the way to see how heavy they are. My '03 is 5800 lbs with me in it. My buddy's '14 Trail was 5400 w/o him in it. So, subtract 160 lbs from 5800 lbs and you get a net weight of 5640 lbs. This is fully loaded to the gills with everything, including water and fuel.
Cargo management:
I started to cut out a 1/2" plywood for a rear cargo shelf when my GF said just to use the factory dual shelf thing on this trip and figure what I really need. Damn it, she's so right:thumb: So, I used that and it worked out well. Things moved around quite a bit w/o using any straps to keep things secured. Two five gallon NATO gas cans and two water cans were inside and strapped down. The sloshing weren't as bad as I thought they'd be.
Suspension:
6112s up front set at 1.5" lift
Icon rear shocks + springs 2" lift
Front UCA from a 40,000 miles FJC
Front LCA has new Moog bushings and Moog BJs
Rear UCA & LCA from 40,000 miles FJC
Rear LCA modified to not bend on impact. 1/4" thick angle iron stitch welded.
Tires:
Falken Wildpeak AT3W 265 70 17s
