Search "Raptor" on this forum and see how many times people mention it in various threads. You can start with the Supercharger thread. That's who.
I'm going to HOPEFULLY make this the last post on this thread, but I'll bite...
The reason I compared the supercharger to a raptor is that you're now taking a 42K TRD pro or off road, and slapping an 8K supercharger (which Magnusson is still being reticent to post numbers, both pricing and dyno), adding mechanical complexity and a requirement for premium gas, THEIR warranty and not Toyotas, plus we don't even know the install cost on top of that, all married to a rather anemic gearbox, suspension system, and electronics package, and you're now in Raptor level costs.
Key word is COSTS. Not necessarily package. I have never said to anyone that a pickup truck is better for people than an SUV. There's a reason why so many of us have an SUV, because an SUV was functionally a better fit than a truck.
Where this all spawned from was my posts on MY thread, post Trail of Missions, where we absolutely thrashed the 4Runner playing in the sandbox where the Raptors were designed and test validated.
I consider all vehicles to be like RPG characters, you have attributes that are weighted in certain directions, as compared to other characters or classes. The Raptor shifts the emphasis to power. I don't NEED to have something for tight terrain, as my needs have shifted from thinking I needed that to towing and wanting to go faster off road in the wide open areas of eastern oregon where my parents now call home, and where I plan to eventually move (the region, not with my folks).
So I came back from that trip and said, "Man I think I'm gonna consider getting a Raptor." And people took that as a declaration that I think 4Runners suck. I do not think they suck, not at all. I think they have an application however that makes me think that what Magnusson wants for their supercharger is borderline nuts, because it unfortunately adds some level of power increase, at a cost that's crazy, to a platform that really isn't going to transcend it's original design.
I've slapped race truck suspension on my 4Runner, and it performed far better than a factory suspension, but it didn't ride as smooth as a raptor by comparison, and we spared no expense (suck it, John Hammond!). The goal with my 4Runner was kind of to do both, have an overlander that could perform well off road, and I found the wall at which it ceased being great on paper, and we just had to ride that shit (warts and all) to the finish line.
The whole point of my desire for a raptor is that my requirements changed over the last 2-3 years of ownership, and now I'm faced with the decision by asking "do I want to keep this 4Runner or get something that ticks more of the boxes I need ticking?"
Power was NEVER the issue with us in Baja, it was feature set and drive quality at the speeds that BOTH types of vehicles were doing. I was never like, "guys wait up I have the go fast peddle pinned and I can't keep up!" More like, "holy shit we're shaking the truck to death at these speeds, I can go faster but we will die!"
Anytime you start getting into the price range of performance vehicles, by adding heavy duty upgrades, you have to question the value of the base platform to begin with, hence the supercharger posts.
I very much get that [MENTION=106176]wfo9[/MENTION] doesn't like me. I'm also a realist in saying, I don't really care, and the feeling is mutual. I'd still buy him a beer and have a nice conversation with him in person. I'll continue to ruffle feathers and piss people off, but I'm not sponsored by any companies, and I wrote some very very frank emails to companies about what products failed on that trip. Where I find myself is just asking the questions of "is it better to try to make a bunch of upgraded parts play nice together?" or "should I just get what better fits my needs off the lot?"
Ultimately comparing a mid-sized SUV to a fullsize truck is a bizzarely laughable comparison. If I played into that, I apologize. But if you're spending 5 dollars on a hamburger, but have to throw 20 dollars of condiments on it to make it not gross, you shouldn't be opposed to asking if maybe that 25 dollar Italian meal should have also been a dinner option.
Once you get into the costs of things, don't be opposed to saying, "maybe long term this isn't the right choice...?"
I'm ultimately proud of what I've made out of my 4Runner, but I'm at a cross roads where either I need to fix it up and sell it, or fix it up and keep it (or fix it up and buy a second truck). But I absolutely won't make excuses for what could be better.
