Hi all,
I recently been doing some upgrades to my 2004 4Runner. My 4Runner didn’t come with the JBL system and still had the factory setup. It's been a bit tough, because I'm living in between houses while waiting for our new construction to be complete; which means that I don't have normal tools and a garage to work in. So I'm stuck doing all the repairs and installation on the street. Anywho ..
I decided I wanted to have a completely integrated stereo, speakers, backup camera, and Apple CarPlay for navigation and music.
Here is a link to all the parts that I used:
I went through several head units, speakers, and backup camera before I found the combination that worked best for me. I can walk you through some of the thought process.
In terms of the head unit, the Sony XAV works out-of-the-box and was very responsive with Apple CarPlay. I made a conscience decision to keep the installation simple, which means I didn’t want to install an amplifier or subwoofer. So I chose a head unit that had enough power and speakers with 3ohms resistance so they’re sensitive enough to sound amazing. I also wanted to use 6.5” speakers all the way around so that I could get a good bass response as well. That’s how I ended up with the JBL GTO series speakers. In the rear I used an integrated 6.5” speaker with both tweeter and mid-range in a single unit. However, in the front I used the JBL GTO component setup with separated tweeter and mid-range, and used the included JBL cross-over. It's also very important to get the Metra DDIN dash kit, because it will fill out the gaps on the left and right of the head unit, so that it looks nice and factory when complete.
I spent a lot of time with the backup cameras. I originally tried the
aSATAH Full HD Car Rear View Camera for Toyota 4Runner, because I thought it would give a nice factory look and it had good reviews. However, after installation the fitment wasn’t that great and the included cables wasn’t even long enough to reach back to the head unit without splicing. I’m really picky on such things, and if it didn’t fit right and required modification to get it working, so I decided to go with another solution. The NATIKA Backup/Front View Camera was absolutely amazing, because it looks factory when complete, and it includes all the necessary tools and enough wires to reach all the way to the head unit without having to splice it.
All of the speaker brackets and Metra cable harnesses I linked work without modification. You simply plug-and-play. The only exception is the front doors, because you have to remove the factory tweeters and crossover, and install the JBL crossover. The easiest way to do it is use the original factory pair of wires going into the tweeter, and bring that into the JBL cross-over INPUT -/+. From there, simply use the JBL cross-over TW +/- and SP +/- to go directly into your JBL tweeters and speakers. I used the Metro wiring harness to tap into the speakers. You can use the existing Toyota connectors from the speaker and bring it back into the cross-over, to avoid having to do additional wiring.
In terms of the sound deadening, many others here have said that you don't need 100% coverage at all, and you actually just need to have around 30% coverage to reduce all the vibrations and such. Here's an example of the lift gate:
I actually used the Dynamat to help keep down the wiring inside the tailgate. One word of caution is that you need to leave enough slack in your backup camera wiring inside the tailgate, so that the window can still roll down. Ask me how I found this out... So basically run the wire around the outside perimeter of the tailgate, and I used the Dynamat to keep the wires stuck to the metal and not move around.
You will have to drill about a 1/4" hole in the lift gate garnish to accommodate the backup camera, but it's well worth it and looks great.
While I was inside the console and installing the head unit, I decided to upgrade the switches to include the Apple CarPlay USB port, as well as additional Quick Charge (QC) ports to quickly charge my phone.
I'm really happy with the way it turned out. The sound system sounds much, much better and has no problems going up loud and clean. I'm also surprised with the bass response from the (4) 6.5" setup. I'm also very happy with the integrated backup camera into the head unit and how it all works with Apple CarPlay. And when you look at the tail gate from outside, it simply looks stock and factory.
Hope that helps, just incase you were looking to upgrade your own 4Runner one day. Definitely worth it.
I recently been doing some upgrades to my 2004 4Runner. My 4Runner didn’t come with the JBL system and still had the factory setup. It's been a bit tough, because I'm living in between houses while waiting for our new construction to be complete; which means that I don't have normal tools and a garage to work in. So I'm stuck doing all the repairs and installation on the street. Anywho ..
I decided I wanted to have a completely integrated stereo, speakers, backup camera, and Apple CarPlay for navigation and music.
Here is a link to all the parts that I used:
- Sony XAVAX5500
- CRUX SWRTY-61S Radio Replacement with SWC Retention (for Select Toyota Vehicles 2003-2011
- Metra 95-8202 Toyota DDIN Multi Dash Kit
- MOTONG Male to Female USB Power Port Socket Adapter for Toyota
- Dynamat 10455 18" x 32" x 0.067" Thick Self-Adhesive Sound Deadener
- JBL GTO629 Premium 6.5-Inch Co-Axial Speaker - Set of 2
- JBL GTO609C Premium 6.5-Inch Component Speaker System
- REAMTOP 6.5" Aftermarket Plastic Black Speaker Adapter
- Speaker Adapters For Tweeters
- Metra 82-8147 6"-6 3/4" Speaker Adapter
- Metra 72-8104 Speaker Harness Adapter 2 Pairs
- Metra 72-8104 Speaker Connector for Select Toyota Vehicles
- NATIKA Backup/Front View Camera
- Cllena Dual USB Port Charger Socket Quick Charge 3.0 & 2.4A for Toyota
- Tesa's Most Advanced High Heat Harness Tape 51036
I went through several head units, speakers, and backup camera before I found the combination that worked best for me. I can walk you through some of the thought process.
In terms of the head unit, the Sony XAV works out-of-the-box and was very responsive with Apple CarPlay. I made a conscience decision to keep the installation simple, which means I didn’t want to install an amplifier or subwoofer. So I chose a head unit that had enough power and speakers with 3ohms resistance so they’re sensitive enough to sound amazing. I also wanted to use 6.5” speakers all the way around so that I could get a good bass response as well. That’s how I ended up with the JBL GTO series speakers. In the rear I used an integrated 6.5” speaker with both tweeter and mid-range in a single unit. However, in the front I used the JBL GTO component setup with separated tweeter and mid-range, and used the included JBL cross-over. It's also very important to get the Metra DDIN dash kit, because it will fill out the gaps on the left and right of the head unit, so that it looks nice and factory when complete.
I spent a lot of time with the backup cameras. I originally tried the
aSATAH Full HD Car Rear View Camera for Toyota 4Runner, because I thought it would give a nice factory look and it had good reviews. However, after installation the fitment wasn’t that great and the included cables wasn’t even long enough to reach back to the head unit without splicing. I’m really picky on such things, and if it didn’t fit right and required modification to get it working, so I decided to go with another solution. The NATIKA Backup/Front View Camera was absolutely amazing, because it looks factory when complete, and it includes all the necessary tools and enough wires to reach all the way to the head unit without having to splice it.
All of the speaker brackets and Metra cable harnesses I linked work without modification. You simply plug-and-play. The only exception is the front doors, because you have to remove the factory tweeters and crossover, and install the JBL crossover. The easiest way to do it is use the original factory pair of wires going into the tweeter, and bring that into the JBL cross-over INPUT -/+. From there, simply use the JBL cross-over TW +/- and SP +/- to go directly into your JBL tweeters and speakers. I used the Metro wiring harness to tap into the speakers. You can use the existing Toyota connectors from the speaker and bring it back into the cross-over, to avoid having to do additional wiring.
In terms of the sound deadening, many others here have said that you don't need 100% coverage at all, and you actually just need to have around 30% coverage to reduce all the vibrations and such. Here's an example of the lift gate:
I actually used the Dynamat to help keep down the wiring inside the tailgate. One word of caution is that you need to leave enough slack in your backup camera wiring inside the tailgate, so that the window can still roll down. Ask me how I found this out... So basically run the wire around the outside perimeter of the tailgate, and I used the Dynamat to keep the wires stuck to the metal and not move around.
You will have to drill about a 1/4" hole in the lift gate garnish to accommodate the backup camera, but it's well worth it and looks great.
While I was inside the console and installing the head unit, I decided to upgrade the switches to include the Apple CarPlay USB port, as well as additional Quick Charge (QC) ports to quickly charge my phone.
I'm really happy with the way it turned out. The sound system sounds much, much better and has no problems going up loud and clean. I'm also surprised with the bass response from the (4) 6.5" setup. I'm also very happy with the integrated backup camera into the head unit and how it all works with Apple CarPlay. And when you look at the tail gate from outside, it simply looks stock and factory.
Hope that helps, just incase you were looking to upgrade your own 4Runner one day. Definitely worth it.
