Opinions Please

[OverhandSugar]

I've been watching this forum since I bought a stock '92 4Runner in March and all I've done to it so far is put 31in Firestone Destination A/T's on it. I'm 18, new to off roading and this is my first car. My question is, what is the best cheap upgrade I can do to improve the offroad capabilities of my truck? By cheap I mean around $500. I can't go fixing up the whole truck just yet.

 

[924runnerSR5]

I've been watching this forum since I bought a stock '92 4Runner in March and all I've done to it so far is put 31in Firestone Destination A/T's on it. I'm 18, new to off roading and this is my first car. My question is, what is the best cheap upgrade I can do to improve the offroad capabilities of my truck? By cheap I mean around $500. I can't go fixing up the whole truck just yet.

for cheap upgrades you could just do like cold air intake, exhaust, front and rear diff fluid (no proformance added....just to be safe) immm cant think of anything else but hope this helps
good luck

 

[SCRunner12]

You've started off good with the AT's. What kind of off-roading are you trying to do? If you are just going to drive around some trails and find the occasional mud hole then you should be fine at stock height. If you are rock crawling, you will need a lift, which will cost a lot more than $500. The 2nd gen 4runners are pretty off road capable stock. I took mine out recently and it handled everything just fine.
You could invest in some new shocks, which will help a lot for ride quality and off road. Forget the intake and look into an ISR mod (Intake Silencer Removal Mod - 2nd Gen 4Runner - YotaTech Forums). Its a lot cheaper than a K&N and I've heard it produces around the same results. I'm putting mine on this weekend, so I can let you know the difference.
I wouldn't spring for a lift just yet because you just bought new tires. Save up for that and get the OME lift. Skid plates might be good depending what you are doing off road.
Really the skies the limit with these things. Good luck with the build.

 

[Tornadom]

Here are my suggestions in order:

1). Spend the $500 on gas to drive you back and forth to the trail, where you can learn from experience 4-wheelers.

2). $500 would go a long way towards a tune-up, fluid changes, new brakes and other maintenance related work to insure your rig is in tip top shape.

3). If you absolutely have to throw parts at it, may I suggest 1.5" ball joint spacers and then relaxing your torsion bars so that after the BJ spacer install there is little to no net lift. Combine this with fresh shocks front and rear, as well as some home made sway bar quick-disconnects for a Cadillac smooth ride on road, with decent flex off road.

4). If you are mechanically inclined you could buy and install an Aussie Locker in the rear differential for under $500. This would be what I consider a hardcore off-road upgrade, as it will lock the rear wheels together under power and severely degrade your on road driving compared to the open differential. Forget about a ratcheting locker if you live in an area that sees snow or ice and you intend to drive in such conditions.

As was mentioned, the 2nd gen is already pretty capable off road, probably a lot more capable than the average driver is. That's why I say spend that money on experience. Parts are cool, but memories of fun trips are cooler!

 

[Awz]

Me personally,would go with the locker. When I bought runner, one of my coworkers walked over with an old diff he had welded up for his rig (lincoln locker, not always the best)(still saving for the elocker) Haven't driven it in the snow yet. But I've showed up a lot Heeps in Moab with it. If you can weld, these are free. If you wanna spend the money, I'd recommend a E-locker, you can sometimes find these online for as a little as $200. If you're doing more extreme stuff, rocksliders and bumpers are a must. Also maintenance, make sure you've got newish fluids and good brakes.

Mike

 

[OverhandSugar]

Thanks for the quick replies. I do agree that even the stock 2nd gen is very capable. I've only encountered one hill that it couldn't climb and that was just stupid on my part to even try it. I don't do very extreme stuff but I have managed to get stuck. But once again that was stupidity. I am in the mountains so if I look hard enough I could find some very intense trails if I wanted but for the time being I'm just taking any trails I can find that won't lead to disaster. The tune up is a great idea which I have been planning to do just haven't gotten around to it yet. I've been thinking about getting some sort of locker but don't know which one to get. The ARB air locker is very impressive but it's so pricey. I have already spent a ton of money gas going to and from the trail and I will spend much more. This off roading isn't cheap but it's so much fun I just can't seem to stop.

 

[Tornadom]

Well, with that said why not continue to take it to the trails and address the weak links as you find them?

 

[OverhandSugar]

Awz, what made you recommend the E-Locker? I'm very interested in getting a locker to completely lock the differential but there are many lockers out there. Is there something special about the E-Locker or is it just cheap?

 

[Awz]

I like the E-lockers because the lock completely when needed. and act like a normal diff, when not needed. The air lockers work the same(and are very cool), but are much more costly, and need a compressor to operate. Which would be more drag on the engine. The E-locker operates off of electricity (obviously ), and only requires wiring. I've seen people go out with the ratcheting type lockers, and have trouble only a few miles into a trail, and other people that have horrible noise when cornering driving around town. That's pretty much MHO on lockers.

Mike

 

[OverhandSugar]

I really like the idea of getting lockers without having to also get an air compressor. Do you have any idea how much it would cost to have an E-Locker installed?

 

[Awz]

No idea sorry! When I finally get mine I'll be doing the vast majority of the work myself. For what I can't do, I've got a friend that just installed one on his Tacoma.

Mike