To Mod Or Not To Mod? - '14 TE

[pbcolt]

Pardon the long story but it is necessary to understand my dilemma. I have a feeling I know which way the scales will tip, but I'll ask anyway.

I just picked up a brand spankin '14 TE with KDSS/NAV. I love it, its my 3rd 4runner (had 2 3rd gens and a '12 TRD Taco for my last 3 vehicles). I really do plan on driving this one until the wheels fall off.

My last 3rd gen had 165k on the clock, 3" lift (5100's on tundra coils and OME rear), stock tire size , and I took that thing effing everywhere. I'd put it in places it had no business going and had a heck of a fun time doing it. It felt rock solid and after changing the LBJ's I had no questions about the thing breaking.

My '12 Taco on the other hand was a different story. I got it immediately after college and unfortunately realized that they built the truck "soft". It couldn't hold a load, bottomed out frequently and just felt more timid offroad. I put on a full OME lift, sliders, and +1 Yoko Geolanders. I couldn't help shaking the feeling that the thing wasn't as solid. It made the occasional weird noise and freaked me out that something was going to break. I also had a RTT I tried every which way to put on the truck but after reading horror stories about the occasional composite bed spreading or camper shell cracking, even if one in a million did it, I couldn't bring myself to potentially break a $30k truck. I actually twice took the lift off, sold it, and put a lift back on trying to make myself happy with the Taco. I inevitably sold it two weeks ago for my 4runner.

NOW....

I'm deciding if I want to leave this 4Runner as-is or mod it. I would ideally like to use a RTT. I've thought about a Bajarack and tent on top but wonder if the stock suspension can handle the weight of rack/tent/camping gear and not drive like crap off-road (which for me is mainly fire roads and easy trails). If the answer to that is no, then the decision is do I want a trailer for the RTT or go all out and lift the 4runner. I know want to get rid of the stock tires ASAFP, but don't know if I should go one size bigger or keep the stock size. It depends on if I plan on lifting it or not.

Obviously I have a little bit of paranoia when it comes to my vehicles. I know that a dealer can't deny a warranty claim unless they can provide aftermarket stuff caused the problem, but I would hate to have to fight a dealer for the next 30/60k miles if something goes wrong on my rig.

 

[chmura]

I feel you are a bit paranoid. Selling a fairly new Tacoma because of worrying about mounting a RTT on it with composite bed is very extreme. RTT weights approx. 160lbs this by no means will break the bed.

Your 4runner will hold the RTT just fine stock. Just get a good roof rack but you already are thinking about that so you should be good to go.

Stop worrying and start enjoying your vehicle more.

 

[1engineer]

You want the truth?
The truth is this:

"Every single mod you do will reduce the reliability of the 4Runner with very few exceptions."

There. That is the truth. Now I will explain that statement:
The 5th gen 4Runners have no real history of anything major breaking. It has had no recalls and relatively few TSB's for a vehicle of this type. Sure, there are complaints about "nosedive" and such but any data, such as truedelta or equivalent, will show the 4Runner has one of the best records out there for a true on/off road vehicle. Now YOU want to go and modify it lol.
Want to put a Baja rack on it? Adds weight and reduces efficiency.
Want to add a RTT? Definitely adds weight + increases wind loading which = real efficiency loss.
Want to change suspension? There are very few manufacturers out there of UCA's, shocks and springs that can even come close to what Toyota does with R&D and development. As far as I know none of the boutique shock and suspension guys can come close. Bilstein is much better at development and test but still way far away from a company like Toyota.

With that said those specialty companies like King, Icon, etc make great components FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS.

So now the choice is yours. Are you willing to install a RTT and pay for it by reducing the efficiency of your vehicle and changing the CG? Are you willing to lift it knowing that any kit you install will be higher maintenance than what you have right now? Are you willing to run 285's and again be willing to pay 10-15% more per gallon of gas because they look good? If you are, fine. There is no problems with that and many here do just this very thing.

The most logical thing would be buy a crap off road trailer and put the RTT on it and leave your 4Runner stock with the exception of buying some AT tires. Unfortunately logic goes out the window and passion and style become the driving force when dealing with vehicles. I understand this. I really do because at your age I was lifting my '84 4Runner up and modding every single thing I drove. With age comes wisdom (usually) and believe me, I have learned the hard way throughout the years.
Good luck.

 

[cbielat]

All personal preference. You don't need to heavily mod it to carry an RTT. It will add some weight on top. I don't have one so I can't comment on exactly how it handles with it up on the roof but I'd imagine you would notice a difference. It's really up to you if you want to or not. Just think about how exactly you intend to use the vehicle. Will you be traveling off road to justify a good coil over lift set up? There's some modest lifts out there for decent prices. Maybe go that route. It's all up to you if you want to mod it or not.

 

[Stifler]

DUH! /Thread

 

[pbcolt]

I feel you are a bit paranoid. Selling a fairly new Tacoma because of worrying about mounting a RTT on it with composite bed is very extreme. RTT weights approx. 160lbs this by no means will break the bed.

Your 4runner will hold the RTT just fine stock. Just get a good roof rack but you already are thinking about that so you should be good to go.

Stop worrying and start enjoying your vehicle more.

Haha. Thanks. I definitely did not sell the truck for just that reason. That would be pretty darn extreme. Just never really got into the truck as much as I like the 4runner.

You want the truth?
The truth is this:

"Every single mod you do will reduce the reliability of the 4Runner with very few exceptions."

There. That is the truth. Now I will explain that statement:
The 5th gen 4Runners have no real history of anything major breaking. It has had no recalls and relatively few TSB's for a vehicle of this type. Sure, there are complaints about "nosedive" and such but any data, such as truedelta or equivalent, will show the 4Runner has one of the best records out there for a true on/off road vehicle. Now YOU want to go and modify it lol.
Want to put a Baja rack on it? Adds weight and reduces efficiency.
Want to add a RTT? Definitely adds weight + increases wind loading which = real efficiency loss.
Want to change suspension? There are very few manufacturers out there of UCA's, shocks and springs that can even come close to what Toyota does with R&D and development. As far as I know none of the boutique shock and suspension guys can come close. Bilstein is much better at development and test but still way far away from a company like Toyota.

With that said those specialty companies like King, Icon, etc make great components FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS.

So now the choice is yours. Are you willing to install a RTT and pay for it by reducing the efficiency of your vehicle and changing the CG? Are you willing to lift it knowing that any kit you install will be higher maintenance than what you have right now? Are you willing to run 285's and again be willing to pay 10-15% more per gallon of gas because they look good? If you are, fine. There is no problems with that and many here do just this very thing.

The most logical thing would be buy a crap off road trailer and put the RTT on it and leave your 4Runner stock with the exception of buying some AT tires. Unfortunately logic goes out the window and passion and style become the driving force when dealing with vehicles. I understand this. I really do because at your age I was lifting my '84 4Runner up and modding every single thing I drove. With age comes wisdom (usually) and believe me, I have learned the hard way throughout the years.
Good luck.

That's certainly what I'm leaning towards at the moment. With the stock suspension will I be able to drive 100 in the desert and not feel a thing? No. Can I load up 1000lbs of cargo in and on it and go roam around Australia? No. But I don't do those things. Stock plus AT tires seems to be the best bet. Trailer would be nice because I could just detach/attach it and go when I please.

With my truck I just got so sick of having aftermarket stuff on my vehicle that just didn't do things quite the same that OEM did. I could haul more (the 1% of time I had anything in the bed) but it rode like a horse and buggy.

 

[NoDak]

since I have mostly been OEM fan boi, I would say get a RTT trailer.

look thru this thread

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/gener...f-top-tent-rtt-picture-gallery-bs-thread.html

 

[Maz]

The most logical thing would be buy a crap off road trailer and put the RTT on it and leave your 4Runner stock with the exception of buying some AT tires.

I agree completely. No offense to those who've installed a rack, but for the limited use the OP would get out of one, the trade offs seem to outweigh the positives by quite a bit.

The Trail, especially with KDSS, is so capable that modifying makes little sense, except for some very specific purposes that very few people actually engage in. The only exception would be some good AT tires to make the Trail what it's supposed to be.

 

[phillyd2]

Leave it completely stock. Only losers mod their trucks. Carry on :dammit:

 

[Seatown]

I'm in your same boat dude and I bet most have been too. This question we all ask ourselves as modifying is a slippery slope. I'm on my 6th 4runner and have owned 3 Tacomas...ALL of which have been lifted with bigger tires. Eventually I sold my Tacomas because the driveline shimmy drove me f*k'n bonkers. I have 1000 miles on my 5th gen and did tires/wheels and it transformed the look. I even bought the 5100 lift twice; luckily for me they wre backordered and I canceled my order. not because they were backordered, but because I wanted to try to drive the vehicle stock a while for once. Maybe I'm getting old, but I like the cushy ride going over Portland's pot hole ridden city. Definitely feel sway and nose dive, but it doesn't bother me that much. Long story short...you just got your whip...enjoy it stock for a while before going mod crazy.

 

[alexb]

...enjoy it stock for a while before going mod crazy.

This is what I keep trying to tell myself. Somehow I keep stumbling onto ToyTec and discount tire though pricing things out. When the mod bug bites, it bites hard...

 

[FloridaOccifer]

You want the truth?
The truth is this:

"Every single mod you do will reduce the reliability of the 4Runner with very few exceptions."

There. That is the truth. Now I will explain that statement:
The 5th gen 4Runners have no real history of anything major breaking. It has had no recalls and relatively few TSB's for a vehicle of this type. Sure, there are complaints about "nosedive" and such but any data, such as truedelta or equivalent, will show the 4Runner has one of the best records out there for a true on/off road vehicle. Now YOU want to go and modify it lol.
Want to put a Baja rack on it? Adds weight and reduces efficiency.
Want to add a RTT? Definitely adds weight + increases wind loading which = real efficiency loss.
Want to change suspension? There are very few manufacturers out there of UCA's, shocks and springs that can even come close to what Toyota does with R&D and development. As far as I know none of the boutique shock and suspension guys can come close. Bilstein is much better at development and test but still way far away from a company like Toyota.

With that said those specialty companies like King, Icon, etc make great components FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS.

So now the choice is yours. Are you willing to install a RTT and pay for it by reducing the efficiency of your vehicle and changing the CG? Are you willing to lift it knowing that any kit you install will be higher maintenance than what you have right now? Are you willing to run 285's and again be willing to pay 10-15% more per gallon of gas because they look good? If you are, fine. There is no problems with that and many here do just this very thing.

The most logical thing would be buy a crap off road trailer and put the RTT on it and leave your 4Runner stock with the exception of buying some AT tires. Unfortunately logic goes out the window and passion and style become the driving force when dealing with vehicles. I understand this. I really do because at your age I was lifting my '84 4Runner up and modding every single thing I drove. With age comes wisdom (usually) and believe me, I have learned the hard way throughout the years.
Good luck.

Wise words... Aftermarket wheels/tires = Done

 

[sandcrawler]

my advice: don't actively decide not to mod it—just pace yourself. the mods that are "right" for you will become more certain with the passage of time—and miles.

 

[Loopsb]

Personally, I think the stock Trail is deficient in several areas for actually using it on any "trails". If you idea of "trails " are dirt roads then yes it might be adequate. But I feel an upgrade in contact patch, durability, and traction ( tires )is obviously warranted. I don't feel like making one mistake and ripping something essential apart because the undercarriage is vastly under protected in stock form. So I chose to add sliders and skid plates. I have done this on every tuck I' very owned, cheap insurance in my opinion. Ground clearance and suspension performance is weak to begin with(my neighbors 2wd Tacoma "prerunner" made my trail look like a low rider, and I absolutely can't deal with vehicles I can't crawl under to wrench on. On this front I installed a Toytec Boss lift set at 2.25 " to give my 285/70's some breathing room and provide some much need ground clearance for rocky SoCal and Sierra trails. These are mild mods and I ended up with a truck I felt should have come from the factory that rides great and feels more solid than stock? It will in the near future with the TRD Pro edition but I wasn't waiting around to pay for that.

 

[KidVermicious]

my advice: don't actively decide not to mod it—just pace yourself. the mods that are "right" for you will become more certain with the passage of time—and miles.

This.

I'm a function over form guy too - do what you need to do to make the truck do what you want it to do, and no more. From what you're saying, a stock 4Runner is actually more than enough truck to do most of the driving you're anticipating, so I say throw a good set of tires on and leave it alone.

 

[NoDak]

These are mild mods and I ended up with a truck I felt should have come from the factory that rides great and feels more solid than stock?

for .50% of the 4runner buyers (based on 2013 sales its 258 people) the above would work and that's being generous probably.

look at the new mustang with the new line lock feature (the small print says you void the car warranty if you use it in against another car or a clock, which is the whole point of the feature)


in the end it creates a warranty nightmare for the manufacturer and the bottom line is still the driving force for car makers.

 

[KCcarguy]

Considering your needs, I would do a few mild and easily reversible mods:

-LT 275/70-17 AT tires

-bilstein HD shocks

-consider rear airbags if you're hauling a trailer or loading it up

-consider a mild skid plate upgrade like ARB.

 

[pbcolt]

Considering your needs, I would do a few mild and easily reversible mods:

-LT 275/70-17 AT tires

-bilstein HD shocks

-consider rear airbags if you're hauling a trailer or loading it up

-consider a mild skid plate upgrade like ARB.

New tires are definitely in the cards. Probably stock size 265/70/17.

How would the stock coils hold up to a set of sliders/skids? The front already seems to sit pretty low compared to the rear.

 

[chmura]

At least lift the front and get rid of that horrible 4runner lean that a stock 4runner has.

You are young so why not mod it slowly?

Glad Toyota is coming out with the 4runner Pro that corrects the lower front lean that the 4runners have.

 

[KCcarguy]

New tires are definitely in the cards. Probably stock size 265/70/17.

How would the stock coils hold up to a set of sliders/skids? The front already seems to sit pretty low compared to the rear.

The ARB skids don't weigh much, so they won't affect ride height. Sliders might a little. Why would you need sliders anyway?

It does ride a little lower in front. You can fix that with Bilstein 5100s but now you're going down the slippery slope of modding.....albeit still pretty mild.

You have to decide what little "imperfections" in the stock setup you're willing to put up with to preserve reliability. If you really feel like it needs to be addressed, go ahead and mod it, but just understand there is a trade-off and no solution is perfect.