My plan, advice or comments

[Vinsil]

I'm not going to do a build thread. Plenty here and no offense but I'm going to copy a lot of builds so why cookie cutter this?

Here is my plan please feel free to criticize and give advise. I'm a big boy, don't hold back. I'm not a rich man so this will be in stages. I've done what feel is necessary as first mods for a part time off-road toy, see signature.

Now my steps should enhance my off-road ability without compromise of on road ability TOO much, I know everything is a compromise so there is that.

My next steps is to add a front bumper and recovery points. I planned on a metal-tech but my wife is not king on the full bumper treatment so this might yield a compromise. We both acknowledge a winch and recovery points are important. A hybrid is in order, maybe SSO, her favorite or Relentless which is mine. I'd rather have better approach angles but she right, we have three young boys and a dog and do snow runs, milder trails, dunes and fire roads so the rock garden is not going to happen.

Rear bumper....dual swing out and it will haul most of our stuff. CBI is high on the list but SSO is a contender as well. Thinking of skipping a roof rack now...no need for a RTT as our trips are day runs and putting five of us and a dog will require more anyway.


Adding OME or similar springs and upper CA's to my shocks will happen with bumpers.


Smaller drawer system so my dog has room is a must as well. I have recovery gear, OBA and other " essentials covered. Do you have advice or see flaws in my plan? This is a next 6 month thing so I have time to change, add, subtract, etc at this point.


:thumb3:


I've read a ton on here and some of you have through the process so I'd like to not make mistakes or buy twice if I don't have to. TIA.

 

[delloro]

Bumpers cost $$$ and add weight. Sure you need them? With 3 kids and a dog, your money may be better spent on a rack.

 

[wfo9]

While the bumpers are great and all... The ones you are looking at don't really add all that much in terms of capability and bang for your buck if that is your top priority. In fact, the weight hurts. And it won't hurt to tear the stock covers up a bit if you plan to eventually build it up more. Swing outs tend to vibrate and cantilever a bunch of unnecessary weight off the back.

I would personally start with quality suspension lift + full skids (engine, trans, transfer, gas tank, rear LCA).

However, if you explore alone.. the winch can give great peace of mind, but.... if you typically go with other vehicles... its not really necessary. There are plenty of other recovery options you can get by with. I still don't have a winch on mine and have been lucky enough to never need it (and I push mine into situations most would not even consider) I have been pulled out of situations plenty of times.. but I would have never been alone in those situations in the first place (and a snatch strap is typically easier anyway).

Now the downside of starting without the bumpers is you would probably not end up with beefy enough springs in the rear for the bumper if you end up adding it later. But you may find you don't need it.

There is not right answer...BTW

 

[Vinsil]

True. I do need a front even if hybrid for a winch and recovery points for sure.


Now the rear...that is a toss up for me. Do we need it? It adds more departure angle. Now I'm not much into the spare and fuel and can put the high lift and traction boards on my factory rack.

My thinking was the fuel mileage hit with a gobi or front runner rack and crap on top...we average 17 mpg now, her drive requires hills so...


I don't mind bad mileage but coming from lifted 80 series...it would be nice to do better than 10 mpg!


Maybe the roof is a better spot.....thoughts?

 

[Vinsil]

While the bumpers are great and all... The ones you are looking at don't really add all that much in terms of capability and bang for your buck if that is your top priority. In fact, the weight hurts. And it won't hurt to tear the stock covers up a bit if you plan to eventually build it up more. Swing outs tend to vibrate and cantilever a bunch of unnecessary weight off the back.

I would personally start with quality suspension lift + full skids (engine, trans, transfer, gas tank, rear LCA).

However, if you explore alone.. the winch can give great peace of mind, but.... if you typically go with other vehicles... its not really necessary. There are plenty of other recovery options you can get by with. I still don't have a winch on mine and have been lucky enough to never need it. I have been pulled out of situations plenty of times.. but I would have never been alone in those situations in the first place (and a snatch strap is typically easier anyway).

Now the downside of starting without the bumpers is you would probably not end up with beefy enough springs in the rear for the bumper if you end up adding it later. But you may find you don't need it.

There is not right answer...BTW

Good point. ALL my winches...were always used for others for sure.


Maybe skids and better suspension is a worthy investment. I only venture into extreme places with others, maybe the $1200 on a winch is better spent on other items now. :thumb3: thanks!

 

[1engineer]

You have kids and a dog and a wife.... and you want to add a bumper to use every now and then that gets in the way 90% of the time loading all the stuff in the back 15 times a day? No.

Get some tires and wheels. From your story you don't even need skids or a lift. For cargo get a hitch mount carrier. Can use only when needed.

Just enjoy your 4Runner!

 

[FourEyedWilly]

Why don't you go with a hidden front hitch, then have a removable winch, or one that you can use front and rear? I too am a fan of the SSO hybrid as you stated. Just throwing out an option.

 

[Vinsil]

You have kids and a dog and a wife.... and you want to add a bumper to use every now and then that gets in the way 90% of the time loading all the stuff in the back 15 times a day? No.

Get some tires and wheels. From your story you don't even need skids or a lift. For cargo get a hitch mount carrier. Can use only when needed.

Just enjoy your 4Runner!

My wife said the same? lol. She is right...and so are you. This the purpose of the thread..ground me in reality.

Tires are bought, very happy with our purchase. Wheels..would love love some VTX wheels but again....$900 for wheels..while I love them mine work and the tires don't rub.


Have a aluminum hitch carrier that we use with our Ram and truck camper when camping.



I guess I can save a ton of cash being real!

Thank you so far.



As for a multi mount winch. Good idea but never......never needed one in the rear and if I did things alone maybe. But...the hassles just are not worth it in the end.

 

[JSparky]

I'd take maxtrax over a winch in your situation. A proper roof rack can hold all sorts of gear, cargo boxes, gas and water cans, etc. good tires and some sliders will get you really far.

 

[Titanpat57]

As others have stated...

Wave the rear/front bumpers...but i like the security of the winch, so a SSO winch plate.

Suspension upgrade, roof rack, RCI aluminum skids...youre good for 98% of stuff you run in to.

 

[jrandom]

I'll pitch in a nickel

Throw are roof-top-box (Yakima, Thule, whatever) on your factory rack to put all of your bulky light goods in, you should still have room for treds and a hi-lift. Full racks are useful if you are carrying a ton of extra shit, a RTT, or if you just like standing on your roof, else I would skip over that in leiu of other upgrades.

A hi-lift, come-a-long, static bubba rope or strap, and time will get you out of most anything a winch would. Me, I prefer a winch but you need other upgrades like a mount and battery.

I am with the others; tire/wheels, suspension, and some if not all under armor (I would pitch for aluminum unless your a bash monster) besides underside armor is "good" extra weight, low center of gravity (way better than high like a full rack and RTT) if you like or need to drive off camber a lot.

Save all that bumper dough and buy a fridge :biggrin1:

Now the downside of starting without the bumpers is you would probably not end up with beefy enough springs in the rear for the bumper if you end up adding it later.

Sure but springs are cheap and you can usually sell them to recoup some cost.

 

[wfo9]

For the rear bumper... there are some serious departure challenges, but I found them to mostly only be in the corners (after much experimentation). And none of the aftermarket bumpers improve the straight on departure much at all besides the 4x4 labs (which requires that you cut out the stock frame cross member/bumper). So I fabricated my own solution by simply trimming the stock bumper cover and welding in tubes to protect the corners. I then tucked and bolted the cover up to the underside of the cross member so it won't ever rip off... And if there is a severe scenario... I also run something called a skidmark (it is basically a skid plate for the rear hitch that works fantastic) Total spend was about $200 to have a guy bend the tubes for me. Weight is maybe 20lbs and has worked great in every situation so far. Don't understand why more people don't do something similar. The pictures are from when I first did it... I now have it covered in bed liner, but it looks about the same. Dropped the corner on a few big rocks and nothing but minor scrapes... Probably one of the best bangs for the buck I have done to the truck. It's not for everyone... but just thought I would throw it out there...

I may still do a swing out some day, but only because I would like to possibly carry a full size 35" tire and run an anti-rock swaybar in the rear and long travel up front. But the weight it would add is what stops me.

 

[Vinsil]

I'll pitch in a nickel

Throw are roof-top-box (Yakima, Thule, whatever) on your factory rack to put all of your bulky light goods in, you should still have room for treds and a hi-lift. Full racks are useful if you are carrying a ton of extra shit, a RTT, or if you just like standing on your roof, else I would skip over that in leiu of other upgrades.

A hi-lift, come-a-long, static bubba rope or strap, and time will get you out of most anything a winch would. Me, I prefer a winch but you need other upgrades like a mount and battery.

I am with the others; tire/wheels, suspension, and some if not all under armor (I would pitch for aluminum unless your a bash monster) besides underside armor is "good" extra weight, low center of gravity (way better than high like a full rack and RTT) if you like or need to drive off camber a lot.

Save all that bumper dough and buy a fridge :biggrin1:



Sure but springs are cheap and you can usually sell them to recoup some cost.

I like this idea. My neighbor has a Thule box on his fifth gen and he is happy with it. I'll check this out.

I wish I would have had the extra cash for the arb fridges that 4wheelparts had for a one day only sale of $599....sigh. What a deal!





Thanks again all. I have some good advice and direction to head in now. :thanks:

 

[Vinsil]

For the rear bumper... there are some serious departure challenges, but I found them to mostly only be in the corners (after much experimentation). And none of the aftermarket bumpers improve the straight on departure much at all besides the 4x4 labs (which requires that you cut out the stock frame cross member/bumper). So I fabricated my own solution by simply trimming the stock bumper cover and welding in tubes to protect the corners. I then tucked and bolted the cover up to the underside of the cross member so it won't ever rip off... And if there is a severe scenario... I also run something called a skidmark (it is basically a skid plate for the rear hitch that works fantastic) Total spend was about $200 to have a guy bend the tubes for me. Weight is maybe 20lbs and has worked great in every situation so far. Don't understand why more people don't do something similar. The pictures are from when I first did it... I now have it covered in bed liner, but it looks about the same. Dropped the corner on a few big rocks and nothing but minor scrapes... Probably one of the best bangs for the buck I have done to the truck. It's not for everyone... but just thought I would throw it out there...

I may still do a swing out some day, but only because I would like to possibly carry a full size 35" tire and run an anti-rock swaybar in the rear and long travel up front. But the weight it would add is what stops me.

Very nice and well thought out. Thanks for sharing, I a similar setup on my first gen but had bash plates instead of tubing coming up the sides.

 

[delloro]

OP, wheels look nice, but add no functionality for 90% of us. Unless you intend to chop your body mounts and move some fender around, the stock wheel is all you need. The $750 - $1000 not spent on wheels will get you things with tangible benefits. I mean, wheels look really nice but my money is better spent on things that make a useful difference. Aluminum skids, for example. I already bent my stock ones a little, so I got aluminum RCI front and gas tank skids.

For well under the cost of wheels you can get HID lights, good LED fogs, and LED hibeams. Those are things you will notice while driving. I have the HID lowbeams and did the halogen upgrade to the hibeams, money well spent. Next upgrade is the morimoto fog lights.

 

[Cymon]

I like this idea. My neighbor has a Thule box on his fifth gen and he is happy with it. I'll check this out.

I wish I would have had the extra cash for the arb fridges that 4wheelparts had for a one day only sale of $599....sigh. What a deal!





Thanks again all. I have some good advice and direction to head in now. :thanks:

I have done 2 cross country trips with a dog and two kids under the age of 4 with nothing but a Yakima skybox 16 on top of a Subaru. Check into them. REI always has them on sale or if you are not a member become one and get 20% off during their semiannual member sales. At least that's what I did for mine.

 

[KingTaco]

I'd take maxtrax over a winch in your situation. A proper roof rack can hold all sorts of gear, cargo boxes, gas and water cans, etc. good tires and some sliders will get you really far.

[MENTION=140851]Vinsil[/MENTION] I would agree with this. I don't go many places where I may need extraction, but I'm usually alone when it happens. I've often wanted a winch for peace of mind, but I think maxtrax and a good shovel is probably all the insurance I really need.

I do have a flat utility rack, and use it often for bikes/kayak. That doesn't mean I couldn't get the job done via other methods. I'm willing to pay a little extra sometimes for things just because I like them. That's a good enough reason Good luck, and kudos for the open mind! This thread will probably walk me back down to earth on a couple mods also.

 

[Vinsil]

I have done 2 cross country trips with a dog and two kids under the age of 4 with nothing but a Yakima skybox 16 on top of a Subaru. Check into them. REI always has them on sale or if you are not a member become one and get 20% off during their semiannual member sales. At least that's what I did for mine.

I'll check that out, great idea!

 

[Vinsil]

[MENTION=140851]Vinsil[/MENTION] I would agree with this. I don't go many places where I may need extraction, but I'm usually alone when it happens. I've often wanted a winch for peace of mind, but I think maxtrax and a good shovel is probably all the insurance I really need.

I do have a flat utility rack, and use it often for bikes/kayak. That doesn't mean I couldn't get the job done via other methods. I'm willing to pay a little extra sometimes for things just because I like them. That's a good enough reason Good luck, and kudos for the open mind! This thread will probably walk me back down to earth on a couple mods also.

True. I've used my winches in the past for others but...snatch straps were always the go to for us and that was when I was in WAY more hardcore stuff than I do nowadays. I've never used traction boards but have watched videos and they make complete sense and your right, a shovel and those boards will get it done. Spending $600 on boards is a tough hit!


Yeah I spend cash on things I don't need all the time, but with bigger purchases like racks and bumpers....it's like I can do one or the other this year so not a easy decision. Hence this thread and I do hope it helps others as well. I see some of the rigs on here and just drool over how cool they look, and have built my proper landcruisers because of forums and other people's rigs....in the end while they turned out badass, I ruined the driveabilty as well and this runner IS a daily driver and family hauler.

Thanks again for grounding my thoughts and processing.

I do like the idea of better lighting as well. That is a useful mod!

RCI aluminum skids are high on my list now too. :thanks:

 

[KingTaco]

I've never used traction boards but have watched videos and they make complete sense and your right, a shovel and those boards will get it done. Spending $600 on boards is a tough hit!

FWIW:
https://www.amazon.com/Innovations-...=UTF8&qid=1482178144&sr=8-1&keywords=max+trax

Mine is a budget operation too. I was able to scoop up the rack via craigslist thanks to a member here that pointed it out. I made my sliders, and have just now bought Bilsteins because I was waiting for a sale. It will all come together. Besides, what fun would it be if you just dropped it off at an off road shop, gave them $12k, and waited a couple weeks?