Recipe for the best all-around 4runner that wheels hard and road trips.

[honda250xtitan]

Horses for courses. Everyone has different needs or desires. I have a KTM 550 MXC for high speed desert running. I've had seriously upgraded suspension on 4wd vehicles in the past, for the type of driving you're describing.

I didn't buy my 4Runner for racing Baja. It's just for desolate trail exploration, and not exploring it as fast as I possibly can.

It sounds like you've modified yours to suit your needs. Congrats.

i'm still young and dumb. going slow/enjoying the scenery isnt a skill i've mastered:yo:

 

[honda250xtitan]

lol OP changed the title to reflect more specific scenarios because original title was too broad.

to be fair "wheel hard" can be slow forest service roads if youre doing it on stock suspension. so it's not wrong.:gun5:

 

[mrblah]

to be fair "wheel hard" can be slow forest service roads if youre doing it on stock suspension. so it's not wrong.:gun5:

i don't remember what the original title was, but it implied something about the best overall vehicle build for both daily driving and offroading, so of course, it would be stock.

Don't ever underestimate how far meth heads can drive out into the middle of the boonies in a stock hooptie toyota...lol.

 

[mrblah]

Buuuuuuut, THIS thread was started by me because I recognize that there are many who’ve gone before us who might have fun, wisdom-imparting input to give about a 5th built for rough use.

For example, we spent $600 on a tire carrier that is now sitting in our garage because while it offers some trail utility, my family started to loathe opening and closing it on a daily basis.

So we removed and stored it for possible future use. Live and learn. We still absolutely love our strike bumper from Victory4x4, tho.

So, maybe put on your adventure-hat and imagine what you’d build.

yup, build a vehicle according to your needs or "annoyances", not someone else's needs.

 

[TRD PANTHER]

Compromises have to be made in any project, but what sayeth you? What's your opinion on the ultimate 4runner setup, balancing the following:

1. Roadworthiness
2. Off-highway control and stability (fire roads, access roads, sandy soil)
3. Off-road ability (heavy rock-crawling, mud and water crossing or extreme go-fast)
4. Parts durability (shortened life-cycle of wear items, maybe, but no catastrophic breakage)
5. Passenger comfort and multi-purpose suitability (daily grocery getting one day, running the Rubicon trail the next and a month later crossing into the backcountry and doing some "outback" exploration)

Tires (size/style): 33in, All-terrain Agreed. 285/70-17 IMO is the best overall tire size. No BMC or major cutting to fit with the proper offset. Didn't need to do anything on my Pro besides 1.5/1" Cornfed spacers, which have served me well for over 3 years. Fits in the spare tire well, speedometer is right on, availability and selection, no regearing.

Lift (size/brand): 2.5-3" - Dobinson's w/UCA's Agreed. Will probably go this route or something similar in the near future.

Gearing change (Y/N, type): Nitro 4.56's No. Too much money for little return and lost mileage, which by itself is not that big of a deal, but it is compounded with all the other mods for an SUV that is compromised for on road use primarily. IMO

Front locker(Y/N): Y, Eaton or ARB No. Again, too much money for little return and use. IMO

Rear locker (Y/N): Y, OEM E-locker A must. I have been out with the SR5's that struggle badly in certain situations without the rear locker.

Swingaway(for which gear): Nope, not sure we'll end up needing our Victory swingaway, unless we moved to 35's. Agreed. More weight and moment over the rear. Inconvenient

Roof rack (for which gear): light camping gear, spare fuel, Maxtrax, awning, hi-lift Agreed. No RTT. I run 4 LFD wide crossbars with two gun cases for my recovery gear, etc. Maxtrax's upstairs along with a 1.5 gallon RotoPax cylindrical gas tube. I have a 42" Hi Lift which is a PITA and heavy. I think a post jack with a base and extension is more useful in most applications.

Rear loadout (setup/overall gear): food, kitchen, camp furniture, recovery gear, spare parts, tools. Upstairs on my 4 wide LFD crossbars as previously stated. Food, ice chest, camp stove, etc. in back interior.

Spares: nuts/bolts, need to add major components Yes

Camp setup(RTT, Hammock, Ground tent): Ground tent for us. We RTT'd for a while for a few trips - not our jam. I sleep in the back.

Armor(type): All the armor. All of it. I have full C4 steel skids with the Pro integration plate and diff skid with e-locker guard. No gas tank skid yet. Wish I went with aluminum instead.

On-board air(y/n, type): Y, compact compressor Compact compressor with the 4 in 1 SpeedFlate air up hoses. Fast, accurate and easy. A must for me.

winch: Y, Warn Yes, in the future. Installing a Warn Lo Pro at the end of this month. No winch for now. Just wanted to replace my Bull bar for better ingress/egress, recovery and safety.

I think this has turned into a great thread with some great feedback and some good ideas. Everyone has different purposes and builds. I daily drive my 4Runner and have been daily driving Toyota 4WD's for 40 years now.

 

[Humble Leader]

Roof rack (for which gear): light camping gear, spare fuel, Maxtrax, awning, hi-lift Agreed. No RTT. I run 4 LFD wide crossbars with two gun cases for my recovery gear, etc. Maxtrax's upstairs along with a 1.5 gallon RotoPax cylindrical gas tube. I have a 42" Hi Lift which is a PITA and heavy. I think a post jack with a base and extension is more useful in most applications.

how do you mount the max trax on your LFD cross bars with two gun cases up there? the only way I've figured would work is something like this. can bolt right onto the crossbars. haven't tried it, but I haven't found a better way

Rhino-Rack Pioneer MaxTrax Side Mount Bracket : Amazon.ca: Electronics

 

[Toffees]

i don't remember what the original title was, but it implied something about the best overall vehicle build for both daily driving and offroading, so of course, it would be stock.

Don't ever underestimate how far meth heads can drive out into the middle of the boonies in a stock hooptie toyota...lol.

I think the long trips was what got me... if I wanted a headache before I reached my destination, I would have bought a Jeep.

 

[TRD PANTHER]

how do you mount the max trax on your LFD cross bars with two gun cases up there? the only way I've figured would work is something like this. can bolt right onto the crossbars. haven't tried it, but I haven't found a better way

Rhino-Rack Pioneer MaxTrax Side Mount Bracket : Amazon.ca: Electronics

Here are a couple pics. They are actually X-Bull recovery boards. If I don’t mount the Hi-Lift and the small Rotopax, longer, better boards can fit if they are narrow enough. I do not recall the width of the X-Bulls.

 

[Humble Leader]

Here are a couple pics. They are actually X-Bull recovery boards. If I don’t mount the Hi-Lift and the small Rotopax, longer, better boards can fit if they are narrow enough. I do not recall the width of the X-Bulls.

ok thanks for those. you mount them in the middle good idea. I probably need to move mine out a bit to make room

 

[bigdaddy2021]

I'll bet you're amazing at tetris.

Here are a couple pics. They are actually X-Bull recovery boards. If I don’t mount the Hi-Lift and the small Rotopax, longer, better boards can fit if they are narrow enough. I do not recall the width of the X-Bulls.

 

[TRD PANTHER]

ok thanks for those. you mount them in the middle good idea. I probably need to move mine out a bit to make room

Yes. And the cases open up just over 100 degrees and rest against the boards to access. I just looked up the width on the MaxTrax vs the XBull. 13” wide vs 11.81” respectively. I have about an inch clearance on each side of the boards and cases.

 

[TRD PANTHER]

I'll bet you're amazing at tetris.

Lol. I actually still play it quite often to relax after work.

 

[Pedro367]

Just my opinion, but I wouldn't bother trying to turn a 5th gen in to a serious rock crawler short of a SFA conversion. There are just better platforms for that for less hassle.

Exactly what I came here to say. If you are doing anything fairly serious, you bought the wrong vehicle. $20k in upgrades to a $50k 4runner in Kings, racks, lights, wheels, tires, etc. obviously makes a capable vehicle, but will still be outwheeled by a stock rubicon. A JLR/JLUR with $5-$10k in 37s, a small lift and maybe some armor will get you literally anywhere you want to go and drive comfortably enough down the road. It is an AMAZINGLY capable platform out of the box. It's just a shame FCA makes it.

To answer the question, a Stock+ built 4Runner will be a perfect rig for most people. It's why I am here now instead of in another Wrangler. Couple inches of lift, 285's, especially in a TRD with the rear locker. Just get to know your limits.

I don't wheel much honestly. I live in NJ and there is nowhere to go unless I go to PA. I'm at a point where beating up my daily isn't a priority or fun like it used to be with my old Cherokees and pray we get out route 80 back home. But, it's nice to be built to go on some adventures when I want to with the kids. And it makes me happy that they like it......and also the moms at Starbucks.

 

[bigdaddy2021]

Exactly what I came here to say. If you are doing anything fairly serious, you bought the wrong vehicle. $20k in upgrades to a $50k 4runner in Kings, racks, lights, wheels, tires, etc. obviously makes a capable vehicle, but will still be outwheeled by a stock rubicon. A JLR/JLUR with $5-$10k in 37s, a small lift and maybe some armor will get you literally anywhere you want to go and drive comfortably enough down the road. It is an AMAZINGLY capable platform out of the box. It's just a shame FCA makes it.

To answer the question, a Stock+ built 4Runner will be a perfect rig for most people. It's why I am here now instead of in another Wrangler. Couple inches of lift, 285's, especially in a TRD with the rear locker. Just get to know your limits.

I don't wheel much honestly. I live in NJ and there is nowhere to go unless I go to PA. I'm at a point where beating up my daily isn't a priority or fun like it used to be with my old Cherokees and pray we get out route 80 back home. But, it's nice to be built to go on some adventures when I want to with the kids. And it makes me happy that they like it......and also the moms at Starbucks.

“drive comfortably enough down the road.”
Ahhh, but the devil is in the details. You ever roadtripped a Jeep Jk/JL?

We did, and let me tell yah…it was eye-opening. We went from Cali to Moab and back, along with our 8k mile 4runner and a 240k mile FJ Cruiser. So brand new and VERY well-used modern toyota products.

Road miles in a Jeep vs. road miles in a 5th gen/FJ cruiser are not equivalent. Driver fatigue was much more pronounced in the Jeep. And honestly we did everything that the jeep did. (Granted a more highly modded Jeep FOR SURE leaves us in the dust on tougher trails)

But for the bulk of the overall trip the Jeep was Noisier, drafty, bouncier, not to mention, the well-cared-for JL with 40k miles had electrical issues on the way. LOL.

And yes, Jeeps are easily modded for offhighway use and 4runners do take more but let me tell you, having spent $40k on a 4runner and about $10k in mods to date. I’d MUCH rather have to shell out $5-10k more (front locker and gears),pull a winch-line or stack a rock here and there, than have to deal with jeep issues or the fairly terrible on-road ride.

(And just for full disclosure I have had 5 jeeps prior to our 5th GEN - 3 CJ’s, an XJ and a TJ - I definitely appreciate previous gen’s of the Jeep brand.)

 

[Humble Leader]

Yes. And the cases open up just over 100 degrees and rest against the boards to access. I just looked up the width on the MaxTrax vs the XBull. 13” wide vs 11.81” respectively. I have about an inch clearance on each side of the boards and cases.

do you have the cases pretty far on the outside of the rack? since the LFD cross bars work with the stock rails and LFD rails the usable area is the same on each bar. so now that I've seen someone make it work with traction boards in the middle I know it can be done! I have my cases a bit towards the centre so no parts are outside of the faring. thanks for those details

 

[TRD PANTHER]

do you have the cases pretty far on the outside of the rack? since the LFD cross bars work with the stock rails and LFD rails the usable area is the same on each bar. so now that I've seen someone make it work with traction boards in the middle I know it can be done! I have my cases a bit towards the centre so no parts are outside of the faring. thanks for those details

I am using Plano 42” double rifle cases. I placed the outside of the case with handle about flush with the factory rail. I’m not sure if these pics help.

 

[Pedro367]

“drive comfortably enough down the road.”
Ahhh, but the devil is in the details. You ever roadtripped a Jeep Jk/JL?

We did, and let me tell yah…it was eye-opening. We went from Cali to Moab and back, along with our 8k mile 4runner and a 240k mile FJ Cruiser. So brand new and VERY well-used modern toyota products.

Road miles in a Jeep vs. road miles in a 5th gen/FJ cruiser are not equivalent. Driver fatigue was much more pronounced in the Jeep. And honestly we did everything that the jeep did. (Granted a more highly modded Jeep FOR SURE leaves us in the dust on tougher trails)

But for the bulk of the overall trip the Jeep was Noisier, drafty, bouncier, not to mention, the well-cared-for JL with 40k miles had electrical issues on the way. LOL.

And yes, Jeeps are easily modded for offhighway use and 4runners do take more but let me tell you, having spent $40k on a 4runner and about $10k in mods to date. I’d MUCH rather have to shell out $5-10k more (front locker and gears),pull a winch-line or stack a rock here and there, than have to deal with jeep issues or the fairly terrible on-road ride.

(And just for full disclosure I have had 5 jeeps prior to our 5th GEN - 3 CJ’s, an XJ and a TJ - I definitely appreciate previous gen’s of the Jeep brand.)

I've owned multiple other Jeeps (new and "old") as well and truly miss the older ones like you said. IMO, the new Wranglers are incredible vehicles and are really an impressive platform, but I'll find a TJ if I find my way to a Wrangler again as an extra car. One of my recent cars was a 2016 JKU with a 6 speed manual. 2" lift and 33s. The manual trans was the only thing I hated about it. It was PAINFULLY slow and this is from a current 5th gen owner, the second slowest vehicle on the road. Commuting with it in NJ traffic was terrible, but it was so much fun in good weather. Farthest I ever took it was 6-7 hours and although it definitely isn't close to my 4runner in comfort I felt it was fine. The JL is a HUGE improvement in drivability, but as I said I wish it wasn't FCA that makes it or I'd have one now. Too many issues, especially electrical. It's just not as good as a family car either. The 4Runner is hands down the A+ everyday car. A JLU would get maybe a B-. It get's into the Bs because it still always put a big fun smile on my face when I drove it.

My point was just to compare out of the box capability and that a 4Runner will never be able to wheel like a Rubicon can out of the box without significant modification. That can be said about any IFS vehicle honestly. If you want to go serious, the Wrangler is your true choice, but the 4R will get most where they need to go and is hands down the better "do both" vehicle.

 

[Humble Leader]

I am using Plano 42” double rifle cases. I placed the outside of the case with handle about flush with the factory rail. I’m not sure if these pics help.

those help. cases are about the same size as mine. I wasn't sure if I wanted the double cases at first and thought I didn't need that much storage. turns out I definitely did and now I can confirm traction boards also fit up there. nice set up

 

[bigdaddy2021]

Great post, brother. Thanks for sharing your experience!

I've owned multiple other Jeeps (new and "old") as well and truly miss the older ones like you said. IMO, the new Wranglers are incredible vehicles and are really an impressive platform, but I'll find a TJ if I find my way to a Wrangler again as an extra car. One of my recent cars was a 2016 JKU with a 6 speed manual. 2" lift and 33s. The manual trans was the only thing I hated about it. It was PAINFULLY slow and this is from a current 5th gen owner, the second slowest vehicle on the road. Commuting with it in NJ traffic was terrible, but it was so much fun in good weather. Farthest I ever took it was 6-7 hours and although it definitely isn't close to my 4runner in comfort I felt it was fine. The JL is a HUGE improvement in drivability, but as I said I wish it wasn't FCA that makes it or I'd have one now. Too many issues, especially electrical. It's just not as good as a family car either. The 4Runner is hands down the A+ everyday car. A JLU would get maybe a B-. It get's into the Bs because it still always put a big fun smile on my face when I drove it.

My point was just to compare out of the box capability and that a 4Runner will never be able to wheel like a Rubicon can out of the box without significant modification. That can be said about any IFS vehicle honestly. If you want to go serious, the Wrangler is your true choice, but the 4R will get most where they need to go and is hands down the better "do both" vehicle.

 

[mrblah]

I am using Plano 42” double rifle cases. I placed the outside of the case with handle about flush with the factory rail. I’m not sure if these pics help.

that's what i run too when i go camping, and i throw my tent on top of the traction boards (in between the 2 rifle cases). I have a full size roof rack, so my traction boards have since moved towards the front of the roof rack (sideways near the windshield).

I got one for recovery, collapsible buckets, and propane, and water hose (basically dirty shit, or stuff i dont want in the truck like propane). The other one, i put my full size cot in there, some flip flops or random miscellaneous stuff that i need to keep clean.

2 rifle cases is really low profile but i got two of the 52 inch ones since i run a full roof rack.