Hello everyone.
My name is Myke, I've just recently purchased a 98 Limited with 77k miles, and I'm new to the 4Runner/SUV world. I've always driven smaller sports cars, specifically BMW's, but I've always had a thing for the 3rd gen 4Runner. When my daily started to have issues that were costing me too much to fix given the car's age, I decided to finally take the plunge. From what I've read, these 4Runners are about as reliable and problem free as you get, so I'm excited to finally be an owner.
The trade in:
Here she is:
....or should I say was:
Not even 2 weeks had passed with my new-to-me 4Runner, when some guy, without papers I might add, runs a red light and ruins it. Very sad. The grille guard took the greatest amount of the impact and the car will be fine, but its still very upsetting. She is in the shop now and I hope to have her back soon.
So here is what I wanted to know:
1) This car is my daily driver and it will never see the likes of the offroad. The primary reason I wanted a 4Runner was for its reliability and good looks, but I also for the 4wd in the bad weather (mostly rain) and the convenience of the added ride height around town. That being said, I don't really want to ride too terribly high.... so I have no plans to lift the car. Rather, I want to drop it by approx. one inch front and back. This will give me enough ground clearance for most obstacles I might encounter on the road, while providing me a little more comfort and stability. I know that this is sacreligious to many off-road fanatics, but I just want a slight drop to compliment the larger wheels I plan on getting sometime soon. From what I've read, dropping is bad if you have the 4wd. Why so?
2) From what I've read on here, people recommend upgrading the brakes if you get larger wheels. Why is this the case? The added weight?
3) Also in regard to brakes: I know I have front discs and rear drums. Can I upgrade to discs at all 4 corners?
4) Is there anything I should be aware of/be looking out for? I've only been looking around the site for a few days, so I haven't had time to absorb much info yet, but I've read that the 96-98 models had a recall on the rear shocks or something....
Thanks in advance for you guys help. I hope to keep her til she hits 200k+, so plan on seeing me here for awhile.
Lastly, here a my planned mods:
-crystal headlights (OEM)
-crystal side marker lights
-clear bumper lights
-crystal LED tails
-cupholder mod
-K&N intake
-dual exhaust
-larger wheels with good all-season tires
-1" drop
-double din nav + sub
:biggrin2:
My name is Myke, I've just recently purchased a 98 Limited with 77k miles, and I'm new to the 4Runner/SUV world. I've always driven smaller sports cars, specifically BMW's, but I've always had a thing for the 3rd gen 4Runner. When my daily started to have issues that were costing me too much to fix given the car's age, I decided to finally take the plunge. From what I've read, these 4Runners are about as reliable and problem free as you get, so I'm excited to finally be an owner.
The trade in:
Here she is:
....or should I say was:
Not even 2 weeks had passed with my new-to-me 4Runner, when some guy, without papers I might add, runs a red light and ruins it. Very sad. The grille guard took the greatest amount of the impact and the car will be fine, but its still very upsetting. She is in the shop now and I hope to have her back soon.
So here is what I wanted to know:
1) This car is my daily driver and it will never see the likes of the offroad. The primary reason I wanted a 4Runner was for its reliability and good looks, but I also for the 4wd in the bad weather (mostly rain) and the convenience of the added ride height around town. That being said, I don't really want to ride too terribly high.... so I have no plans to lift the car. Rather, I want to drop it by approx. one inch front and back. This will give me enough ground clearance for most obstacles I might encounter on the road, while providing me a little more comfort and stability. I know that this is sacreligious to many off-road fanatics, but I just want a slight drop to compliment the larger wheels I plan on getting sometime soon. From what I've read, dropping is bad if you have the 4wd. Why so?
2) From what I've read on here, people recommend upgrading the brakes if you get larger wheels. Why is this the case? The added weight?
3) Also in regard to brakes: I know I have front discs and rear drums. Can I upgrade to discs at all 4 corners?
4) Is there anything I should be aware of/be looking out for? I've only been looking around the site for a few days, so I haven't had time to absorb much info yet, but I've read that the 96-98 models had a recall on the rear shocks or something....
Thanks in advance for you guys help. I hope to keep her til she hits 200k+, so plan on seeing me here for awhile.
Lastly, here a my planned mods:
-crystal headlights (OEM)
-crystal side marker lights
-clear bumper lights
-crystal LED tails
-cupholder mod
-K&N intake
-dual exhaust
-larger wheels with good all-season tires
-1" drop
-double din nav + sub
:biggrin2:
