The Ultimate 4runner

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Figital

New member
Hey, this is a replica of the mod's i'm starting on my 04' 4Runner. The one pictured was done by my friends over at SafariGard for the OLN show called Global Extremes that follows contestants rock climbing, ice climbing, trailing, etc. The car pictured was used for the media crew. Basically, it will look exactly like this one minus the decals and those hardcore offroading Wrangler tires. I will use it offroading upstate NY and also like crazy in the winter snow of Rochester, NY where i attend R.I.T. The mod's are:

* Safari Gard Inc. front bumper
* Safari Gard Inc. winch mount
* Safari Gard Inc. rear bumper
* Safari Gard Inc. rock sliders
* Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 265x70R17 tires
* Allied Wheel beadlock wheels
* Hella Rallye 4000 lights
* Hella FF300 lights
* Yakima roof rack and net
* Pelican cases
* Superwinch X9000
* Odyssey battery 1700
* Possibly a lift if needed for the tires

Wish me luck with the mod's, if time permits i'll have them done by the end of april. Also, the Bridgestone Revo's are probably THE best tires around for light trucks like 4runners who like to offroad but need a quiet, stable, ride on highways and roads. They also perform amazingly well in the snow according to my friend who has them on his tacoma. Check them out at 1010tires.com
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Good luck with that!!! I'd like to see it when it's all finish. Where are you getting all the parts from??

On a side note, I gradutated from R.I.T.
 
If you plan of doing some semi-serious off-roading, I would say a lift is a must for a 4rth gen.....

Other than that, the plan looks great! Would love to see the finished product :)
 
Sweet! There is a member that actually owns the real Global Extremes 4Runner so yours would just be an awesome compliment :D
 
Imitation is the highest form of flattery right. I would be getting the parts direct from Safari Gard Inc. I am in the process of talks with them and if we can work it out i might even go out to Cali. to get it done, if not their shipping me the parts direct.
 
Figital said:
....Wish me luck with the mod's, if time permits i'll have them done by the end of april.....
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Any updates? If they are in another thread, please provide a link.
 
I thought Safari Gard wasn't going to produce this stuff because the demand wasn't there?

Then again you could do all of that with similar parts from various companies.
 
toybox said:
I thought Safari Gard wasn't going to produce this stuff because the demand wasn't there?
Click to expand...

I think they'll do it as a "one-off" and for lots of $$$. I'd be interested to hear what sort of deal ya get worked out, Figital...
 
Just wondering if any of you guys know how much the safari guard in the pic above goes for. I would love to throw that on the rig

But, here is the thing. I went to the website and they don't even have a listing for it. Anyone know why
 
chunderboy said:
Just wondering if any of you guys know how much the safari guard in the pic above goes for. I would love to throw that on the rig

But, here is the thing. I went to the website and they don't even have a listing for it. Anyone know why
Click to expand...

The parts were custom done for the specific 4runners. If you want them, you'll have to pay the "custom" price if you know what I mean.
 
Now that is just bullshit. If they mass produced them, i would be all over it like a cheap suit. I might as well try to find the measurements and have my fathers metal worker take care of it.

I wonder how many other guys would take part in it if i could get a custom set made?


MMMMMMMMMMMMM
 
Safari Gard once considered mass producing each of the items they made for the global extreme 4runners (I believe there are 3 in circulation) but the demand was not there at the time so they abandoned the project.

Unfortunately without adequate demand, custom projects usually fall through the cracks. Safari Gard had the right idea in mind but I think it was too early in the time frame for anyone to want to destroy their new 03 4runner. Since then, the demand is slowly picking up so maybe they'll change their tunes?

Personally speaking though, if you plan to do any moderate to difficult offroading, the stock bumpers are going to have to come off. The approach and departure angle is just horrible that it will definitely make offroading miserable (you'll hear lots of stuff scraping which doesn't sound pleasant at all). I would say save your $ on the front and rear guards and get a real steel bumper for better approach/departure angles.

The sliders look fine so there's no concern there but also look into a real skid plate and dump the stock one. It's worthless and won't hold up much of a battle on the trails.

Lifting it is a must and get bigger tires... Don't even bother sticking to stock. Try moving up to 285's if possible as it'll make a world of a difference when you deflate your tires to get a bigger tread patch.

Btw, those steel wheels are a pita to balance. FirstToy (on yotatech) had them for a few months and ended up returning them as they were horrible on the road so if you plan to use this vehicle as a daily driver, consider some other alternative.

Winch... get synthetic.. (safety first).

Other than that enjoy the trails!

Good luck!
 
Another question. What is with the studded tires. By that i mean, what are they used for and why are they on offroad rigs.
 
chunderboy said:
Another question. What is with the studded tires. By that i mean, what are they used for and why are they on offroad rigs.
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huh? are you talking about the rivets on the wheel? If so, those are just fake beadlocks. The real beadlocks will prevent the tire from separating from the wheel when you deflate your tires.

if you're talking about tread pattern on the tire surface itself that's for the ultimate grip on the rocks/sand/mud/water/snow etc etc.
 
chunderboy said:
Good Times

Yea, i was talking about the beadlocks. Never knew what they were for.
Click to expand...

Many hardcore offroaders use beadlocks to prevent tire separation since they are accustomed to driving w/ almost zero psi!!! Pretty crazy I'd say. So the chances of tire separation is obviously higher so thus the beadlocks become a necessity for them.

There's only a few wheels that are beadlock that are actually DOT approved (but come at a hefty price of course).

Good stuff but not required by most.
 
Info on the Safari Gard

Chunderboy,
I wanted to give you some clarification on my truck, since I am looking at in "in person" right now. The Safari Gards have held up extremely well to rocks, stumps, etc. The approach angle is more than adequate given my lift and I rarely scrape and have never had a "problem" with approach and departure angles. I guess if I were rock crawling Moab every other weekend, I would setup differently, or buy a real rock crawler. Check out pirate4x4.com. I use the truck to access the deep backcountry in the Rockies, nothing as extreme as the Rubicon in the Sierras. I go to Baja every year, and Southern Utah (Capitol reef, Moab, Escalante) mostly to surf or mountain bike. The truck has taken me further in, to access the untouched trails and breaks. So far it has been bulletproof. The tires are great, but I may go up to 275's next tire change. They add a little more clearance under the pumpkin without requiring gear changes, major fender carnage or a big drop in gas mileage.

As for the wheels, they are real beadlocks, not "Fake" beadlocks. Beadlocks allow you to do a few things. With only a 10mm socket and a torque wrench you can completely remove/replace the tire from the rim. Helpful in remote areas far away from your suburban Les Schwab. Yes, they can also be "aired down" very low to @ 5lb psi. Mine are perfectly balanced and are easy to balance even without tire weights if you are carefull to center the tire on the rim before clamping the outer bead. As far as the wheel weight , they are comparable to even the stock wheels give or take a lb. or two. Actually my tire/rim combined weight is far less than the combined weight of any rim with a tire, say...as big as 33inches.

The point I am making I guess is that a truck should be set up for its intended purpose. If you want to take your truck long distances over rough roads, desolate 4x4 trails, sand, and still live at least 50% on highways and city streets, I wouldn't set it up for Moab rockcrawling. I guess the other opinion is that 95% isn't anywhere as good as 98% and besides bigger tires are cooler, right?But, just in case you're not a trust-funder, consider if the guy you may be selling your vehicle to one day, thinks he wants to look that cool or maybe not? Hmmm, can you hear that sucking sound? That's your money flying out the window.

I understand the frustration of some members in not having access to Safari Gard as they are not mass produced and the company will only make "one offs" for Big $$$. However, they do work great, look even better, and I can take them off when/if I want to sell the truck to anyone without taking a huge hit because of radical off-road mods. Again, personal preference I guess. Everyone has to balance the "real world use" of their truck with the cost of mods and depreciation. Of coarse there is no real world equivalent for the ego boost of really big tires and metal all around. If you want gards like my truck, I suggest getting in touch with Steve from CBI Offroad of Rigby, Idaho. Tell him I sent you. He's a master fabricator and he is VERY reasonable. He is fabing some skids for me soon. I'd love to help you more and I will be available from time to time via PM. I am "out" most of the time but I do check out this site whenever I get back to home base.
Happy Trails,
Tory

P.S. Lance, I love your truck!
 
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I like the winch setup and the rims, but I couldn't find any info in Internet about "Safari Guard Inc" and those rims. :(
 
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