Loki_4Runner
New member
Hello all. I'd like to introduce myself. I've recently purchased a 2006 SR5 V8 4x4 in Galactic Grey. My previous vehicle (2002 M5) was fantastic, but I got tired of $600/month in maintenance on the vehicle.
Anyway, I'm a third year law student, and I wanted something that wasn't going to leave me stranded (as certain previous vehicles did again and again). I also decided that an upgrade in cabin space was demanded by my two young'ns (110lb Black Russian Terrier and a 90lb Bouvier). So, given a 4Runner's history of reliability and bullet-proof dependability, I think I'm in love. Starting about mid december, I started reading every post on the 4th gen forum dating back until last May. I made my 4Runner purchase on the 3rd of January.
With that said, I'm not one to leave well-enough alone, so I've made a few additions to the '06 (27,000 miles, genuinely MINT condition). They are as follows (along with a mini-review of each).
Katzkin leather seat covers:
First of all, my dogs really demand non-cloth seats. And by "my dogs" I mean "my feelings regarding black hairs all over a light grey cloth back seat." So one of my first changes was to install Katzkins into the vehicle. I had the "stone" interior, which meant that the plastic fittings and seatbelts were also that color. As a result, even though my preference is for a darker color of leather such as "dark graphite," that really just wasn't going to work unless I wanted to replace all the fittings. But I really don't like the maintenance that can happen with a lighter color of leather (it just gets dirty and I can't. get it. clean.), so I went with the Katzkins color called "light grey." Installed, it is almost exactly on the spectrum between the stone interior and the dark graphite. As a result, the plastic fitments don't look out of place, but one doesn't have to live with the problems of a lighter color.
The Katzkins themselves are the upgrade "premium" leather package. The base version includes quite a bit of vinyl, and wasn't that much cheaper through my installer, so I went with the premium package. The fit and finish of the leather is fantastic. I would easily put it up against the leather in my mother's E500. The leather isn't quite up to the standards of the M5, but it's close. Actually, it made the seats a LOT more comfortable for my taste. Not sure why--and it could be the placebo effect in action--but that's how it feels.
Highly recommended.
Kenwood DNX8120:
I'm an electronics geek. So of course I wanted a head unit with Nav, Bluetooth, and an iPod interface. Well, the consistent theme top end head units was that the Pioneer AVIC-Z3 was full of features but a bit buggy, and I'd read some so-so reviews of the Eclipse 6620. Plus, I really liked the Garmin nav integration in the 8820.
I like it a lot. The iPod integration is fantastic, and the audio quality is way above OEM. The interface is quite intuitive. The Bluetooth interface was initially a nightmare with my iPhone 3G, but after upgrading the Bluetooth firmware to 1.61, the call quality is perfect.
On the down side, as great and fast as the iPod interface is, the USB interface (for a memory stick, for example) sucks. I haven't found the ability to browse by artist ID3 tag information or anything of that nature. It would be find if you only have a few folders. But I tried to make it function with my 32GB memory stick--that was a mistake. Also, the graphics are a bit... 8bit. They're just not up to modern standards as far as icon design. Not a game breaker by any means, but it makes you realize how great the iPhone UI (along with other modern phone UIs) really is.
All in all, I'd recommend the DNX8120. It's a good balance of a full featured head unit, the ipod integration is great, and the nav--as one one expect from Garmin--is amazing.
Goodyear Silent Armor 265/70/17:
The stock tires were Dueler HT/S tires. I'm probably going to doing 95/5 highway/offroad driving... but I took the 4Runner out to my dad's ranch, and the Duelers just didn't quite cut it. So after a bit of research, I went with a tire that's a good combination of AT and good highway behavior. I went with the silent armors and--because of purely cosmetic reasons--went with the upsized 70 instead of 65s. So far I'm very happy with the tires. Running 37psi, they're very grippy, and my mileage has dropped only about 1/2 an mpg. Meanwhile, the car LOOKS tremendously better--those extra 48 square inches of real estate per tire make all the difference in the world. The ride is very nice, comparable to my HT/S tires, and the GY SAs behave themselves very well on the highway. They're actually much more grippy than the stock tires (after 30k miles on stocks, obviously). I can't speak toward their offroading abilities yet, but, so far, I'm pleased.
Whew. Okay, if any one has any questions, please let me know. Otherwise, thanks for being such a great forum and a wealth of information. I'll do my best to give back where I can.
-L
Anyway, I'm a third year law student, and I wanted something that wasn't going to leave me stranded (as certain previous vehicles did again and again). I also decided that an upgrade in cabin space was demanded by my two young'ns (110lb Black Russian Terrier and a 90lb Bouvier). So, given a 4Runner's history of reliability and bullet-proof dependability, I think I'm in love. Starting about mid december, I started reading every post on the 4th gen forum dating back until last May. I made my 4Runner purchase on the 3rd of January.
With that said, I'm not one to leave well-enough alone, so I've made a few additions to the '06 (27,000 miles, genuinely MINT condition). They are as follows (along with a mini-review of each).
Katzkin leather seat covers:
First of all, my dogs really demand non-cloth seats. And by "my dogs" I mean "my feelings regarding black hairs all over a light grey cloth back seat." So one of my first changes was to install Katzkins into the vehicle. I had the "stone" interior, which meant that the plastic fittings and seatbelts were also that color. As a result, even though my preference is for a darker color of leather such as "dark graphite," that really just wasn't going to work unless I wanted to replace all the fittings. But I really don't like the maintenance that can happen with a lighter color of leather (it just gets dirty and I can't. get it. clean.), so I went with the Katzkins color called "light grey." Installed, it is almost exactly on the spectrum between the stone interior and the dark graphite. As a result, the plastic fitments don't look out of place, but one doesn't have to live with the problems of a lighter color.
The Katzkins themselves are the upgrade "premium" leather package. The base version includes quite a bit of vinyl, and wasn't that much cheaper through my installer, so I went with the premium package. The fit and finish of the leather is fantastic. I would easily put it up against the leather in my mother's E500. The leather isn't quite up to the standards of the M5, but it's close. Actually, it made the seats a LOT more comfortable for my taste. Not sure why--and it could be the placebo effect in action--but that's how it feels.
Highly recommended.
Kenwood DNX8120:
I'm an electronics geek. So of course I wanted a head unit with Nav, Bluetooth, and an iPod interface. Well, the consistent theme top end head units was that the Pioneer AVIC-Z3 was full of features but a bit buggy, and I'd read some so-so reviews of the Eclipse 6620. Plus, I really liked the Garmin nav integration in the 8820.
I like it a lot. The iPod integration is fantastic, and the audio quality is way above OEM. The interface is quite intuitive. The Bluetooth interface was initially a nightmare with my iPhone 3G, but after upgrading the Bluetooth firmware to 1.61, the call quality is perfect.
On the down side, as great and fast as the iPod interface is, the USB interface (for a memory stick, for example) sucks. I haven't found the ability to browse by artist ID3 tag information or anything of that nature. It would be find if you only have a few folders. But I tried to make it function with my 32GB memory stick--that was a mistake. Also, the graphics are a bit... 8bit. They're just not up to modern standards as far as icon design. Not a game breaker by any means, but it makes you realize how great the iPhone UI (along with other modern phone UIs) really is.
All in all, I'd recommend the DNX8120. It's a good balance of a full featured head unit, the ipod integration is great, and the nav--as one one expect from Garmin--is amazing.
Goodyear Silent Armor 265/70/17:
The stock tires were Dueler HT/S tires. I'm probably going to doing 95/5 highway/offroad driving... but I took the 4Runner out to my dad's ranch, and the Duelers just didn't quite cut it. So after a bit of research, I went with a tire that's a good combination of AT and good highway behavior. I went with the silent armors and--because of purely cosmetic reasons--went with the upsized 70 instead of 65s. So far I'm very happy with the tires. Running 37psi, they're very grippy, and my mileage has dropped only about 1/2 an mpg. Meanwhile, the car LOOKS tremendously better--those extra 48 square inches of real estate per tire make all the difference in the world. The ride is very nice, comparable to my HT/S tires, and the GY SAs behave themselves very well on the highway. They're actually much more grippy than the stock tires (after 30k miles on stocks, obviously). I can't speak toward their offroading abilities yet, but, so far, I'm pleased.
Whew. Okay, if any one has any questions, please let me know. Otherwise, thanks for being such a great forum and a wealth of information. I'll do my best to give back where I can.
-L
