TexasEagle
New member
I was super excited to pick up my new 2020 Off Road Premium this week. My sales guy was able to snag one while it was on the boat so I was able to avoid all of the unnecessary (to me) stuff that Gulf States Toyota would have wanted to bolt onto it. The only options were the "Keep It Wild Savings" (which I will never understand why it is an "option), and the moonroof. No port- or dealer-installed options, other than the a great deal on black emblem overlays and the all-weather floormats from my friendly local parts guy (you know you are!).
I had also ordered some SCS Stealth 6 wheels (gunmetal) and had them mounted with Falken Wildpeak A/T3W's in LT265-70R17 (load range E) at my local Discount Tire. There's some slight rubbing, even with the stock tire size, due to the wider wheels and different offset & backspacing. Looks fantastic though, and I'll do the fender mod this weekend along with installing the RSG sliders I have sitting in my garage. Then I take it to my tint shop (Sunbusters in Austin, TX--I have used them for several vehicles over the years and highly recommend them).
I can't wait to see how this looks once all that is done. I'm pretty thrilled with how it looks at this point already, LOL. Then off to the Ouachita National Forest next Friday to get this thing dirty!
The only issue so far is that I need to take it back to Discount Tire as one of the TPMS sensors didn't survive being transferred to the new wheels. Not sure if the tech wasn't careful or what caused it to fail, but they're getting a new one from Toyota and will make it right (you'll certainly hear from me if they don't). It's just annoying that I have to go back next week to get it sorted out.
Also, would it have been possible to have them use flexible / rubber valve stems with the TPMS sensors? It's minor, but the silver metal valve stem (aluminum?) sticks out like a sore thumb to me against the darker wheels. Also, flexible ones seem less likely to get snapped off if I'm off-roading. I had them swap the chrome caps they'd put on for regular black ones, and that helps. Maybe I'll pick up some gunmetal colored touch-up paint (or nail polish) and just paint them, LOL. My daughter thinks I'm crazy and says nobody will notice.
My main vehicle for the last several years prior to this has been a 2012 Ford F150 FX4 SuperCrew. How would I compare the two? Well, as many have complained about, the 4Runner is a decade behind the rest of the world on several features. I miss the remote engine start, cooled/ventilated seats, and even auto on/off headlights that I had on the F150. I miss the incredible range that the 36 gallon fuel tank gave me. I really liked the display screen that showed the vehicle incline and body angles. I don't miss the rear wheel spin on wet pavement that the F150 had. The 4Runner just feels very "planted".
The stock suspension on the 4Runner is overly plush, with lots of body movement (roll with turns, nose dive on braking, etc). While I appreciate how it just soaks up potholes and such, I'll need to do something to address the boat-like handling. Lots of reading for me to do there so I can choose the right setup for what I do. Daily driver commuting into the city (Austin), weekend drives going to my favorite (and looking for new) barbecue joints, family roadtrips, and a few trips a year to somewhere like Big Bend or NM or Arkansas where I can get my truck dirty. I don't need 4WD often, but when I get away I like to get AWAY.
Anyway, if you're still reading this far, I owe the board a big thanks for all the information I got that helped me decide that this was the right vehicle for me, as well as being a great resource as I research how I plan to modify the vehicle to work best for me.
Thanks!
I had also ordered some SCS Stealth 6 wheels (gunmetal) and had them mounted with Falken Wildpeak A/T3W's in LT265-70R17 (load range E) at my local Discount Tire. There's some slight rubbing, even with the stock tire size, due to the wider wheels and different offset & backspacing. Looks fantastic though, and I'll do the fender mod this weekend along with installing the RSG sliders I have sitting in my garage. Then I take it to my tint shop (Sunbusters in Austin, TX--I have used them for several vehicles over the years and highly recommend them).
I can't wait to see how this looks once all that is done. I'm pretty thrilled with how it looks at this point already, LOL. Then off to the Ouachita National Forest next Friday to get this thing dirty!
The only issue so far is that I need to take it back to Discount Tire as one of the TPMS sensors didn't survive being transferred to the new wheels. Not sure if the tech wasn't careful or what caused it to fail, but they're getting a new one from Toyota and will make it right (you'll certainly hear from me if they don't). It's just annoying that I have to go back next week to get it sorted out.
Also, would it have been possible to have them use flexible / rubber valve stems with the TPMS sensors? It's minor, but the silver metal valve stem (aluminum?) sticks out like a sore thumb to me against the darker wheels. Also, flexible ones seem less likely to get snapped off if I'm off-roading. I had them swap the chrome caps they'd put on for regular black ones, and that helps. Maybe I'll pick up some gunmetal colored touch-up paint (or nail polish) and just paint them, LOL. My daughter thinks I'm crazy and says nobody will notice.
My main vehicle for the last several years prior to this has been a 2012 Ford F150 FX4 SuperCrew. How would I compare the two? Well, as many have complained about, the 4Runner is a decade behind the rest of the world on several features. I miss the remote engine start, cooled/ventilated seats, and even auto on/off headlights that I had on the F150. I miss the incredible range that the 36 gallon fuel tank gave me. I really liked the display screen that showed the vehicle incline and body angles. I don't miss the rear wheel spin on wet pavement that the F150 had. The 4Runner just feels very "planted".
The stock suspension on the 4Runner is overly plush, with lots of body movement (roll with turns, nose dive on braking, etc). While I appreciate how it just soaks up potholes and such, I'll need to do something to address the boat-like handling. Lots of reading for me to do there so I can choose the right setup for what I do. Daily driver commuting into the city (Austin), weekend drives going to my favorite (and looking for new) barbecue joints, family roadtrips, and a few trips a year to somewhere like Big Bend or NM or Arkansas where I can get my truck dirty. I don't need 4WD often, but when I get away I like to get AWAY.
Anyway, if you're still reading this far, I owe the board a big thanks for all the information I got that helped me decide that this was the right vehicle for me, as well as being a great resource as I research how I plan to modify the vehicle to work best for me.
Thanks!
