I wish we had tow hooks

I stated several facts but I love all you guys so don't hate me and yes,I'm a bit of an argumentative guy and I usually jump on the bopard right after work and you guys know how you are after work sometimes.

I'd love a 4th gen but you do need a few mods to get it really ready for a the trails and scratching a 4th gen hurts more than doing it to a 3rd gen.

In '96 Toyota gave a nod to the off road crowd with a locker and then an inch higher lift on most of the '99s and some of the '00s but then the Ford fiasco with the tires blowing out and SUV getting a bad rap for flipping over caused all SUV makers to consider ride heights thus Toyota went with the lowest 4Runners ever in '01.

Toyota also know their bread and butter with the 4Runners isn't really with the off road crowd and they need to market to their main target audience which is the family haulers providing comfort and power and safety;you don't know how much I wish my truck had the ATRAC with my rear locker,4hi on slick hard packed surfaces does leave a bit to be desired.

I'd like to own a used 4th gen in the next 5 years as DD and then I'd park the 3rd gen and throw some more mods on it for weekend warrior trips.

I get into a 4th gen and compared to my 3rd gen I forget I'm even in a 4Runner because it's so nice inside and those seats make my '99's feel like a milk crate. (ok,not that awful)

I know everybody knows my opinions so I'll chill abit and make nice with everybody since I do like this board since it is a bit different than yotatech and I like the varying opinions and experiences with both forums.
 
I can see where it's not really marketed to the off road crowd , although they were running some off road commercials here with that intention about a year ago. Although I think it has the beef for off roading , I can see your point Ron.

My 4th gen has honestly taken me where all my other recent trucks have not. Toyotas baby for that o/r crowd is the FJ , and they will need to make an FJ with 4 doors and a little longer to compete with the other off road suv's on the market. Xterra , H3 , Jeep , people want the 4drs and a little more refinement on the int. can be a deal breaker for Toyota. if they do that then I think the next gen. 4R will be down played as an off road capable vehicle.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring . Like I said before a 2" higher 4R and a slightly wider stance like the Tacoma to keep its stability would be ideal for me .

Although as many of you already know I'm not a gadget guy for a 4wd , Although the Atrac I find a huge strong point with off roading these vehicles.
 
Works for me!
 

Attachments

  • shackle.jpg
    shackle.jpg
    7.1 KB · Views: 713
RonMAIDEN said:
Actually I don't know but I do have a real hook on the right side and a loop on the other but I'm installing a hook on the left side in spring just incase I need it.

Anybody have good pics of the 4th gens hook?
Click to expand...

RonMAIDEN (or anyone else),
Can you shoot a pic of the 3rd Gen hook for us 4th Gen guys? Maybe it will fit.
The 4th Gen loop is probably similar to the 3rd Gen.
 
Falls said:
The guy who yanked them right out ( in reverse ) was the S10 Blazer ( flashback........yikes)
Click to expand...

My Blazer ZR2 had a killer set of front hooks, the bolted directly to the frame horn. They had to be 3/4" thick. H3's have shackles. Either would be a good mod for the front, but the fascia really covers the front up making access inconvenient.
 
Guys,

Just to update this thread, I attached two pics of my 4Runner next to my sister-in-law's 4Runner.

Her 4Runner: Bone stock 97 Limited with 30K miles. It still has the original Michelin tires. She works from home and has a second car, so yes, her 4Runner doesn't get used much. It's in mint condition!

My 4Runner: '04 Sport with 1" front spacer lift. Discoverer ATR tires, stock size (265/65/17)

Sorry for the crappy pictures, but I wasn't expecting to see her 4Runner in my mother's driveway. I just happened to have my camera, so I pulled next to her and snapped a couple of pics. I should have gotten some nose-to-nose pics, but I'll have to do that next time. For now, it may be hard to tell from the pics, but my 4Runner with a 1" front lift actually sits higher than her unmodified 97.

From what I've read on this forum, the 3rd gen 4Runners in '00, '01, and '02 sat a bit lower than the pre '00 models, so hers is one of the "higher" ones. Anyway, I'm not posting this to start a 3rd gen vs. 4th gen war....I'm just trying to prove my point that a simple 1" spacer lift will put the 4th gen 4Runner right back with the 3rd gen in terms of clearance and height in the front end. Judging from what I noticed when they were side-by-side, the 4th gen might even have a bit of an advantage. Take a look for yourself.
 

Attachments

  • 3v4 010-40.jpg
    3v4 010-40.jpg
    42.3 KB · Views: 544
Is that '97 4wd?

'96-'98 springs sit lower than the '99s tall version which also showed up in some of the early '00s but not all '99 even have them.

With my taller tires I'm a bit over 36" from the ground to the bottom of my fender well;my mom's '99 limited sits at just under 35" on stock tires.

This is my truck parked next to an '01

August192006029.jpg~original


August192006028.jpg~original


I'll park next to my neighbors 4th gen for a pic comparison to mine but I do have the not quite 1" taller tires or look at JA's site for the pics link I posted of his '99 vs his new 4th gen and then his lifted pics vs his stock '99.

Here they are again
http://www.top4runners.com/cgi-bin/image.pl?/ja/2007/lift/before_front.jpg

http://www.top4runners.com/cgi-bin/image.pl?/ja/2007/lift/after_front.jpg

All '99-'00 Highlanders sat taller than any other year Runners. Some SR5s non-sports also got the taller coils but not all '99s have them.
 
Last edited:
Yes, her 97 is 4wd. Mine is 4wd too.

I'll have to post better pics (nose to nose) when I get a chance.

Honestly, I didn't know that there were so many differences in the height of the 3rd gen 4Runners. I definitely think adding a very small spacer lift to the 4th gen puts my 4Runner's nose back where it belongs!
 
I refuse to get into this 3rd Gen VS 4th Gen pissing contest, but as others have said the 3rd Gen does have a beefy tow hook on the passenger side front of the truck. I'll post a pic of it when I get home and snap one.
 
It's not a pissing contest. If anything, it's an informative discussion. Nothing more, nothing less.
 
Even Steven said:
It's not a pissing contest. If anything, it's an informative discussion. Nothing more, nothing less.
Click to expand...

If that's what you want to call 3rd Gen owners talking crap about 4th Gens and vice versa. This was supposed to be a discussion about tow hooks.
 
Even Steven said:


Honestly, I didn't know that there were so many differences in the height of the 3rd gen 4Runners. I definitely think adding a very small spacer lift to the 4th gen puts my 4Runner's nose back where it belongs!
Click to expand...



Here's JA'S write up with his lift and bigger tires vs his stock '99 with 265/75s and my truck is identical to his.

Scroll down to "vehicle and setup" and check out his exact before and after measurements. There's considerable diff between the two stock vs the '99s with 1" taller tires.

http://www.top4runners.com/ja/2007/lift.html


I personally don't think I'm talking crap with solid facts and this is a civil discussion and informative and giving help to 4th gens to get their missing height back for a reasonable price and JA's write up is the best on the net I've seen.

I think we made the point of the tow hook thing and this thread evolved which is really common on these forums.
 
Last edited:
This is the post I was refering to about taking pics of the 3rd Gen tow hooks and posting them.

Kmvreter said:
RonMAIDEN (or anyone else),
Can you shoot a pic of the 3rd Gen hook for us 4th Gen guys? Maybe it will fit.
The 4th Gen loop is probably similar to the 3rd Gen.
Click to expand...

And I know all about threads "Evolving" into other things. I've been on web forums for many years. Things were just getting heated there for a minute.
 
BTLFED said:
This is the post I was refering to about taking pics of the 3rd Gen tow hooks and posting them.



And I know all about threads "Evolving" into other things. I've been on web forums for many years. Things were just getting heated there for a minute.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that was mostly my fault. Everything is fine though. Nobody seems to be pissed, so the thread just evolved into a discussion. The intention wasn't to hyjack the thread, but as you know, sometimes the discussion gets off the original topic a bit.

So go ahead and post some pics of the 3rd gen tow hook.
 
RonMAIDEN said:
Here's JA'S write up with his lift and bigger tires vs his stock '99 with 265/75s and my truck is identical to his.

Scroll down to "vehicle and setup" and check out his exact before and after measurements. There's considerable diff between the two stock vs the '99s with 1" taller tires.

http://www.top4runners.com/ja/2007/lift.html


I personally don't think I'm talking crap with solid facts and this is a civil discussion and informative and giving help to 4th gens to get their missing height back for a reasonable price and JA's write up is the best on the net I've seen.

I think we made the point of the tow hook thing and this thread evolved which is really common on these forums.
Click to expand...

Yes, but it is hard to get a true comparison, especially if you consider that his (and your) 3rd gen has "taller" springs that seem to be pretty rare. Plus the fact that the bigger tires add another 1/2" of lift. Even more so when you compare the '06 4Runner, because it seems a bit lower than the '03 - '05 models. I believe the suspension is the same, but it looks like the '06 and newer models have a slightly lower chin with the new fascia.

As soon as I have the opportunity, I'll take some nose-to-nose pics of my 1" lifted '04 with the stock 97 that will really show an accurate view of both.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 452 (members: 3, guests: 449)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,316
Messages
3,554,110
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top