Oh, I know why people like to change things, trust me. You want the truth?
People want "special." If there are three hundred blue ones then somebody is gonna paint one black. I totally understand the cosmetic and "form" aspect of individuality.
Now where people get in trouble is "fixing" the "function" aspect lol. In any enthusiasts forum on ANYTHING, there are guys who think they are smarter than the design, marketing, engineering and manufacturing guys at any given OEM, or are just too dumb and lazy to figure out what the OEM guys really did in their designs and marketing. You know what though? There usually IS a guy or two (not 10, not 50 and definitely not 100) who actually has a "better idea" and that's why the engineers and marketing guys go to shows and forums. The vast majority of true "mods" (actual functional changes, not floor mats or window tint) that are done in the various driveways across America only give the OEM engineers something to laugh about on their trips home. The "best" (worst?) ones immediately become legends and will be repeated in break rooms, cubicles and at water coolers throughout the OEM world. The best ones however get added to the vehicle!
Case in point: Wheel spacers. Many guys choose to run them to "improve" the "stance" of the 4Runner. In their minds moving the wheels out makes their ride look "tougher" and more "trail ready." Some guys do it because they think it will add lateral stability to their vehicles. It does... in extremely specific situations and even then only adds a miniscule amount, kinda like unloading the groceries and touting horsepower gains amounts.
I have been reading posts here for four years and read many posts on axle failures. Somehow I must have missed the failures that occurred on stock vehicles as most have failed on vehicles with wheel spacers or higher offset wheels. Sure, it could be they failed because those guys "wheeled" harder than the stock vehicles but would they have failed if they would have kept the stock offset and no wheel spacers? And then some are mad when the bearings fail? Anyone with half a brain and a rudimentary knowledge of simple loads will know they are loading heavier than the initial design.
I do not mean to pick on the guys who do these mods. Seriously, and I know they DO look "cooler" and more "rugged." Is it worth it? How many guys come here who know nothing about anything, see a picture or read about a mod and do it because somebody else did. Then they get pissed when something screws up. I just used the wheel spacers as an example because there are cases where spacers and higher offsets are used that have not resulted in failures. I can guarantee you every single one who does will have a shorter bearing life than a stock vehicle though. To some people, the deem it important enough of a mod to do it even though it could shorten bearing life and I applaud them for doing it and going in with "eyes wide open" because this is how innovations are created. Most are not like that though.
Converting your engine to run a spin on filter can of course be done. There are several guys here who could do it and do it correctly. However, just thinking that all you need to do is machine an adapter and that's it is pretty much like saying "Here, hold my beer and watch this." In order not to mess something up you need to EXACTLY re create the OEM canister performance with your spin on mod. If you can't do that then it will be a "bad idea mod."
There are some sharp guys here. There are also some "not so sharp" guys here who will get butthurt over this post, thinking it was directed at them. As some of you know I really don't care. I just try to open eyes.
