Desert Dawg build...what a switch!

[Desert Dawg]

DESERT DAWG'S 2014 Toyota 4Runner Trail Edition Build Summary

​

Trail Edition Package:

4.0L DOHC 24-Valve V6, Part Time 4WD with Active TRAC, Locking Rear Differential, Crawl Control, Hill-Start Assist Control, Tow, Navigation, Backup Camera, Bluetooth Audio, etc. and 10-cup Holders….lol.

Factory Options:

Entune Premium with Navigation and App Suite, Voice Recognition, Bluetooth Wireless, Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS), Cargo Cross Bars, Four Season Floor Mat Package

Modifications:

• Toytec BOSS Suspension System
- Red Adjustable Front Coils (adjusted to 3-inches of lift)
- Front Diff Drop (4x4)
- Toytec Superflex Rear Coils
- Bilstein 5100 Rear Shocks (2-inch rear lift)
• Light Racing UCAs
• Body Mount Chop and Frame Reboxed
• Cooper S/T MAXX LT285/70R17 Tires
- 33 inches tall
• Full Sized Spare; Cooper S/T MAXX LT255/80R17
• Fuel Off-Road Boost Wheels 17x9
- 4.5-inches BS with -12MM offset
• n-Fab Wheel-to-Wheel Nerf Sidesteps
• Gobi Stealth Roof Rack with Light Bar
- Sunroof option with removable front load panel
- Rear cargo ladder
- Front spoiler
• Rigid D2 LED Driving Lights
• Night Stalker Curved 40-inch Combination LED Light Bar
• Fabricated Light Bar Mounting Brackets
• Air-on-Board LED Light Switches
• VIAIR 400P Portable Air Compressor
• Maxout Chrome Dry Chemical Fire Extinguisher
• 20% Front Tint Match
• Matte Black Vinyl Wrap (lower front grille)
• Vent Visor Window Deflectors (smoked)
• Vico-Marcus 4 Dash Cam - Video Recorder
• K40 Calibre Remote 360-degree Radar Detection/Laser Diffuser System


==========================================================================================

Original Post:

New to T4R.ORG and to Toyota as well, but after recently purchasing a used 2004 4Runner for my kid and having fun upgrading it, I got the bug.

My recent build: our newly purchased 2004 4Runner Sport 2WD. I added a Toytec 3-inch lift, BFG AT LT275/70R17, MB Chaos 6 17x8.5 with -6mm OS, Rola Roof Rack, KC Driving Lights, AVS Bug Deflector, AVS Window Visors, PIAA Windshield Wipers, and Hobbit "Shire Life" window sticker...lol. He loves it and is working to pay his share and has to take good care of it, but Dad had to have his fun too..lol:



Just sold my 2013 F150 FX4 EcoBoost with a decent build on it including a Fox/Icon suspension and host of other goodies, but then I made the mistake of going to the Toyota dealership and test driving the newest 4Runners.

I have been driving a number of 4x4 Fords and other full sized rigs for quite some time, and have had some Jeeps and Land Rovers too, so not new to being off road. My last build:



But after driving the new 4Runner, I was so impressed I bought a Trail Edition...lol. I thought I wanted the Limited but I couldn't fit it in with the sunroof, and despite the controversial front end, I actually preferred it over the others (love the hood scoop too). I love how this thing drives; quiet, maneuverable, and much more refined and useable than my past Jeeps, yet still very capable off road!

And the best thing; easy to mod...lol!

So first things first, thanks to everyone on this forum for sharing your ideas and builds as it has been a tremendous resource (and just fun spending endless hours searching and looking at pics...lol). Here is my starting point: 2014 4Runner Trail with KDSS, Enture/Nav/Backup Cam, and so on.



First thing I did was order this:


Toyetc BOSS 3-inch Lift

...and this:


Gobi Stealth Roof Rack with front removable panel, rear cargo ladder, and spoiler.

...and more coming soon.

 

[flyboysgt]

Welcome! Subbed for your build

 

[Askaltoy]

I admit that I'm bias, I love the look of my Trail. That F150 rocks btw!

 

[Desert Dawg]

Welcome! Subbed for your build

Thanks flyboy...been enjoying the forum so far! Will be posting more for sure.

I admit that I'm bias, I love the look of my Trail. That F150 rocks btw!

Thanks Askaltoy!

 

[gm350reratliff]

Man, good to see you're on here now. (BTW, I go by Watt-maker on the F150 forums). Your F150 is very nice, did you trade it in? Can't wait to see what you come up with on this new 4runner.

 

[Desert Dawg]

Man, good to see you're on here now. (BTW, I go by Watt-maker on the F150 forums). Your F150 is very nice, did you trade it in? Can't wait to see what you come up with on this new 4runner.

Hey Watt....good to see you here too!

Kind of funny, I just got an email from another Ford forum member because he thought he saw my truck driving around Pagosa Springs...lol. And he did!

I drove the truck up there about a month ago to do some fishing and mountain biking, and we stayed at some cabins right on the San Juan River. When I pulled up, the owners of the cabins came out to check out the truck because they were looking for something and offered to buy it from me at a great price. I was toying with selling it anyway because I am waiting for the new redesigned 2015/2016 Raptors to come out. They are such great people that it felt good to sell it to them (not to mention I got every penny out that I put into it)! So now they are are driving it all around the southern CO area...lol.

In the meantime, I went and test drove the new 4Runners and absolutely love these too. So while I am waiting, I bought mine and will build it up to give to my wife when I get the new Raptor (unless I love the 4runner too much and become selfish and keep it myself...lol).

 

[Desert Dawg]

So I also ordered my wheels and tires late Friday.

I really stressed on this because I really want an aggressive look but have not been totally happy with past tires I have tried.

I love the look of the BFG KM2s and have used them in the past, but living in the high desert and mountains, I have learned they are not confidence inspiring in very wet/icy road conditions and they do get louder as they wear. But dang good looking tire and not bad handling either in totally dry conditions.

I also like the BFG ATs and have also run these on numerous past vehicles, but the outdated design does not fare as well performance wise when compared to the newer hybrids like the Duratracs, MT ATZs, and so forth.

I had tried the Nitto Trail Grapplers a couple of times, but they are heavy and noisy although I think they look really good. Not bad street performance either although I did feel a bit nervous in packed snow/icy conditions.

Most of the other mudders are probably too aggressive and not suited for daily driving and/or slippery mountain driving.

Also had the Nitto Terras but they didn't look very aggressive once mounted and wore fast (albeit on a heavy Dodge 2500 diesel).

My recent set were the Duratracs and overall a very good looking AT with great street and trail performance; I had them with 20-inch wheels (per my F150 shown above) so very little sidewall and thus great turn-in feel with very little sidewall flex. However, I know the Duratracs also have a thinner sidewall and have read on a number of forums where folks have observed the sidewall flex issue especially with smaller wheels during hard cornering, etc. So now that I am stepping down to a 17-inch wheel but keeping a 33-inch tall tire, I am a bit concerned about that some as I do like my occassional "spirited" driving...lol. Also, because of the thin sidewall, folks have also reported punctures/lost beads when trailing. But the Duratracs remained as my default go to tire if I couldn't decide.

So I have been doing a comparison analysis on tire specs (can't help myself as I am an engineer...lol) and think I found what will suite my needs! I wanted something that is more aggressive looking than the Nitto Terras or BFG ATs with good sidewall design, very good wet/dry street performance, very good packed snow/ice performance, very good off road/trail performance, provide decent mileage, and come in a LT285/70R17 size. I think that turned out to be the Cooper S/T MAXX:



I had the Cooper SST on my shortlist but still thought they were too MT derived and would be noisy over time, but never ran any Coppers in the past (not sure why not as I think they make a good looking/performing tire).

Anyone using these or have good experience with them? I only found a couple of folks with 4Runners that had them.

I will make my final decision once I see them in person and get more feedback. But so far, they seem to have pretty good reviews.

 

[Desert Dawg]

Not totally original or daring with the wheel selection, but found a couple of 4Runners running these and thought they would look really good as contrast against my silver 4Runner.

Fuel Off-Road Boosts in 17x9 with -12mm offset:



I think these will match up well with my matte black lower bumper lip that I just had done (will post pics when I get some) along with the matte black Gobi rack.

I have run Fuel wheels in the past and had good luck with them (balanced well and seemd to be of very good quality). I also have had Moto Metals, KMC Xds, etc. I think the Boosts look good with the current 4Runner design; I also didn't want an all black wheel or all machined wheel so was trying to find something would provide some interest/contrast without being too busy and had some machined highlights to tie into the silver truck color on my 4Runner. I also thought about the Methods NV machined face/black rim wheels but it had too much machined facing that doesn't really match well with the Toyota silver (in my mind anyway). But even though I ordered the Fuels, I can't help myself and keep searching anyway...lol.

 

[DigableKid]

Welcome!

Looking forward to seeing the progress.

 

[F1scher]

I have a set of ST Maxxs on order now! From what I have read/heard, they are a pretty comparable alternative to Duratracs, and come in some unique sizes. I like the looks of them, they seem to have pretty good wear/noise characteristics, and seem to be good in the snow like the Duratracs. All of which I was looking for.

 

[Desert Dawg]

Looking forward to seeing the progress.

Me too....driving me nuts that I have to wait a couple of more weeks before I ge the lift installed but guess it'll be worth the wait!

I have a set of ST Maxxs on order now! From what I have read/heard, they are a pretty comparable alternative to Duratracs, and come in some unique sizes. I like the looks of them, they seem to have pretty good wear/noise characteristics, and seem to be good in the snow like the Duratracs. All of which I was looking for.

Cool...if you get them before I do it would be great to see how they look!!

 

[gm350reratliff]

So I also ordered my wheels and tires late Friday.

I really stressed on this because I really want an aggressive look but have not been totally happy with past tires I have tried.

I love the look of the BFG KM2s and have used them in the past, but living in the high desert and mountains, I have learned they are not confidence inspiring in very wet/icy road conditions and they do get louder as they wear. But dang good looking tire and not bad handling either in totally dry conditions.

I also like the BFG ATs and have also run these on numerous past vehicles, but the outdated design does not fare as well performance wise when compared to the newer hybrids like the Duratracs, MT ATZs, and so forth.

I had tried the Nitto Trail Grapplers a couple of times, but they are heavy and noisy although I think they look really good. Not bad street performance either although I did feel a bit nervous in packed snow/icy conditions.

Most of the other mudders are probably too aggressive and not suited for daily driving and/or slippery mountain driving.

Also had the Nitto Terras but they didn't look very aggressive once mounted and wore fast (albeit on a heavy Dodge 2500 diesel).

My recent set were the Duratracs and overall a very good looking AT with great street and trail performance; I had them with 20-inch wheels (per my F150 shown above) so very little sidewall and thus great turn-in feel with very little sidewall flex. However, I know the Duratracs also have a thinner sidewall and have read on a number of forums where folks have observed the sidewall flex issue especially with smaller wheels during hard cornering, etc. So now that I am stepping down to a 17-inch wheel but keeping a 33-inch tall tire, I am a bit concerned about that some as I do like my occassional "spirited" driving...lol. Also, because of the thin sidewall, folks have also reported punctures/lost beads when trailing. But the Duratracs remained as my default go to tire if I couldn't decide.

So I have been doing a comparison analysis on tire specs (can't help myself as I am an engineer...lol) and think I found what will suite my needs! I wanted something that is more aggressive looking than the Nitto Terras or BFG ATs with good sidewall design, very good wet/dry street performance, very good packed snow/ice performance, very good off road/trail performance, provide decent mileage, and come in a LT285/70R17 size. I think that turned out to be the Cooper S/T MAXX:

I had the Cooper SST on my shortlist but still thought they were too MT derived and would be noisy over time, but never ran any Coppers in the past (not sure why not as I think they make a good looking/performing tire).

Anyone using these or have good experience with them? I only found a couple of folks with 4Runners that had them.

I will make my final decision once I see them in person and get more feedback. But so far, they seem to have pretty good reviews.

I'm also thinking of running the ST Maxx. I have Toyo AT2 extremes on the F150 and Hankook ATs on the 4runner. The Toyos are smooth as butter but noisier than some MTs I've had in the past. The Hankooks have been good all around but I want something a little more aggressive. I'm really interested in how you will like the ST Maxx's.

 

[Desert Dawg]

I'm also thinking of running the ST Maxx. I have Toyo AT2 extremes on the F150 and Hankook ATs on the 4runner. The Toyos are smooth as butter but noisier than some MTs I've had in the past. The Hankooks have been good all around but I want something a little more aggressive. I'm really interested in how you will like the ST Maxx's.

I was very curious about the AT2s before I had decided on the Duratracs for my F150. That is really surprising to hear that the AT2s would be that noisy as the tread didn't look that aggressive to me and was the reason I didn't get them.

I am hoping that the tires come in sometime this week. If so, I will take some pics and post.

 

[Desert Dawg]

New window tint to match rear and installed the AVS visors today:

 

[Ducmonsta]

So I also ordered my wheels and tires late Friday.

I really stressed on this because I really want an aggressive look but have not been totally happy with past tires I have tried.

I love the look of the BFG KM2s and have used them in the past, but living in the high desert and mountains, I have learned they are not confidence inspiring in very wet/icy road conditions and they do get louder as they wear. But dang good looking tire and not bad handling either in totally dry conditions.

I also like the BFG ATs and have also run these on numerous past vehicles, but the outdated design does not fare as well performance wise when compared to the newer hybrids like the Duratracs, MT ATZs, and so forth.

I had tried the Nitto Trail Grapplers a couple of times, but they are heavy and noisy although I think they look really good. Not bad street performance either although I did feel a bit nervous in packed snow/icy conditions.

Most of the other mudders are probably too aggressive and not suited for daily driving and/or slippery mountain driving.

Also had the Nitto Terras but they didn't look very aggressive once mounted and wore fast (albeit on a heavy Dodge 2500 diesel).

My recent set were the Duratracs and overall a very good looking AT with great street and trail performance; I had them with 20-inch wheels (per my F150 shown above) so very little sidewall and thus great turn-in feel with very little sidewall flex. However, I know the Duratracs also have a thinner sidewall and have read on a number of forums where folks have observed the sidewall flex issue especially with smaller wheels during hard cornering, etc. So now that I am stepping down to a 17-inch wheel but keeping a 33-inch tall tire, I am a bit concerned about that some as I do like my occassional "spirited" driving...lol. Also, because of the thin sidewall, folks have also reported punctures/lost beads when trailing. But the Duratracs remained as my default go to tire if I couldn't decide.

So I have been doing a comparison analysis on tire specs (can't help myself as I am an engineer...lol) and think I found what will suite my needs! I wanted something that is more aggressive looking than the Nitto Terras or BFG ATs with good sidewall design, very good wet/dry street performance, very good packed snow/ice performance, very good off road/trail performance, provide decent mileage, and come in a LT285/70R17 size. I think that turned out to be the Cooper S/T MAXX:

I had the Cooper SST on my shortlist but still thought they were too MT derived and would be noisy over time, but never ran any Coppers in the past (not sure why not as I think they make a good looking/performing tire).

Anyone using these or have good experience with them? I only found a couple of folks with 4Runners that had them.

I will make my final decision once I see them in person and get more feedback. But so far, they seem to have pretty good reviews.

Not totally original or daring with the wheel selection, but found a couple of 4Runners running these and thought they would look really good as contrast against my silver 4Runner.



I think these will match up well with my matte black lower bumper lip that I just had done (will post pics when I get some) along with the matte black Gobi rack.

I have run Fuel wheels in the past and had good luck with them (balanced well and seemd to be of very good quality). I also have had Moto Metals, KMC Xds, etc. I think the Boosts look good with the current 4Runner design; I also didn't want an all black wheel or all machined wheel so was trying to find something would provide some interest/contrast without being too busy and had some machined highlights to tie into the silver truck color on my 4Runner. I also thought about the Methods NV machined face/black rim wheels but it had too much machined facing that doesn't really match well with the Toyota silver (in my mind anyway). But even though I ordered the Fuels, I can't help myself and keep searching anyway...lol.

This has to be the most intelligent and thought out explanation of why you chose your wheel and tire combo. You explained your choice based on experience and personal opinion without sounding like a fanboy for a particular brand. I commend you on such a thorough explanation without misspelled words.

Welcome to the forum and great build so far.

 

[SlvrV8Rnnr]

Sub'd. Love what you did with the F150.

 

[Desert Dawg]

This has to be the most intelligent and thought out explanation of why you chose your wheel and tire combo. You explained your choice based on experience and personal opinion without sounding like a fanboy for a particular brand. I commend you on such a thorough explanation without misspelled words.

Welcome to the forum and great build so far.

Thanks Ducmonsta! I usually try to share my experiences and decision-making process in case it helps others (or not...lol).

Sub'd. Love what you did with the F150.

Thanks SlverV9Rnnr....I had a lot of fun with that one and one of my more successful builds.

 

[Desert Dawg]

I think what excites me the most of this new 4Runner that in some weird way it reminds me of two of my more favorite SUV builds I had; a 2004 Tahoe Z71 and my 2006 VW Touareg. I know, totally different vehicles but both were pretty good off road. The Tahoe is sort of my "off road" look inspiration while my Touareg's silver/black theme is my aesthetic inspiration.

What is cool about the 4Runner is that I am fitting the same sized tire on a smaller vehicle with a 3-inch lift while my much bigger Tahoe needed 4-inches of lift to fit the same tire...lol.

My old Tahoe:



My old Touareg:

 

[KTMRIDER]

So I also ordered my wheels and tires late Friday.

I really stressed on this because I really want an aggressive look but have not been totally happy with past tires I have tried.

I love the look of the BFG KM2s and have used them in the past, but living in the high desert and mountains, I have learned they are not confidence inspiring in very wet/icy road conditions and they do get louder as they wear. But dang good looking tire and not bad handling either in totally dry conditions.

I also like the BFG ATs and have also run these on numerous past vehicles, but the outdated design does not fare as well performance wise when compared to the newer hybrids like the Duratracs, MT ATZs, and so forth.

I had tried the Nitto Trail Grapplers a couple of times, but they are heavy and noisy although I think they look really good. Not bad street performance either although I did feel a bit nervous in packed snow/icy conditions.

Most of the other mudders are probably too aggressive and not suited for daily driving and/or slippery mountain driving.

Also had the Nitto Terras but they didn't look very aggressive once mounted and wore fast (albeit on a heavy Dodge 2500 diesel).

My recent set were the Duratracs and overall a very good looking AT with great street and trail performance; I had them with 20-inch wheels (per my F150 shown above) so very little sidewall and thus great turn-in feel with very little sidewall flex. However, I know the Duratracs also have a thinner sidewall and have read on a number of forums where folks have observed the sidewall flex issue especially with smaller wheels during hard cornering, etc. So now that I am stepping down to a 17-inch wheel but keeping a 33-inch tall tire, I am a bit concerned about that some as I do like my occassional "spirited" driving...lol. Also, because of the thin sidewall, folks have also reported punctures/lost beads when trailing. But the Duratracs remained as my default go to tire if I couldn't decide.

So I have been doing a comparison analysis on tire specs (can't help myself as I am an engineer...lol) and think I found what will suite my needs! I wanted something that is more aggressive looking than the Nitto Terras or BFG ATs with good sidewall design, very good wet/dry street performance, very good packed snow/ice performance, very good off road/trail performance, provide decent mileage, and come in a LT285/70R17 size. I think that turned out to be the Cooper S/T MAXX:

I had the Cooper SST on my shortlist but still thought they were too MT derived and would be noisy over time, but never ran any Coppers in the past (not sure why not as I think they make a good looking/performing tire).

Anyone using these or have good experience with them? I only found a couple of folks with 4Runners that had them.

I will make my final decision once I see them in person and get more feedback. But so far, they seem to have pretty good reviews.

I just got these tires about 2 months ago. I have a tundra as well as the 4runner. I was in the same boat as you trying to decide. I have Duratracs on my tundra now for about 2years/25k miles. They're awesome offroad and pretty squishy on road if you hit some uneven pavement they are kinda scary. I also have had two sidewall punctures that i have luckily been able to fix. They were not loud at first but as they wear more and more they begin sound like i have mud tires. All in all i havn't been too impressed with them.
So like you not really wanting a mud tire i went with st maxx. They shed mud really well, couldn't ask for a better offroad tire in my opinion. I would say they are on par with the duratrac offroad. On road they barely hum, very quiet as aggressive as they are and much more stable feeling than the dt's. The sidewalls are much much tougher then the duratracs granted the maxx's are an "E" rated tired. My only gripe is they are very heavy i think about 65lbs for 33's and they do like to pick up rocks.
I will be replacing tires on my tundra soon with 35'' st maxx's.

 

[Desert Dawg]

I just got these tires about 2 months ago. I have a tundra as well as the 4runner. I was in the same boat as you trying to decide. I have Duratracs on my tundra now for about 2years/25k miles. They're awesome offroad and pretty squishy on road if you hit some uneven pavement they are kinda scary. I also have had two sidewall punctures that i have luckily been able to fix. They were not loud at first but as they wear more and more they begin sound like i have mud tires. All in all i havn't been too impressed with them.
So like you not really wanting a mud tire i went with st maxx. They shed mud really well, couldn't ask for a better offroad tire in my opinion. I would say they are on par with the duratrac offroad. On road they barely hum, very quiet as aggressive as they are and much more stable feeling than the dt's. The sidewalls are much much tougher then the duratracs granted the maxx's are an "E" rated tired. My only gripe is they are very heavy i think about 65lbs for 33's and they do like to pick up rocks.
I will be replacing tires on my tundra soon with 35'' st maxx's.

Wow...great input KTMRIDER, and love the pic...thanks! Those do look good; however, was curious if you had any side shots as well? If not, no worries as I do appreciate that close up of the tread.

I guess I didn't have the Duratracs long enough to experience the noise issue as mine only about 12K miles on them, but good to know for future reference.

I agree that the Cooper MAXX is a pretty heavy tire considering it's far from the most aggressive looking. I mean, even the BFG KM2s which is a full MT weighs in at 59 lbs. for the LT285/70R17 versus the 61 lbs. Coopers of the same size. But I rather have the confidence and performance of the E rated tire with stiffer sidewalls.

Thanks again for posting!