What did you do to/in your 5th Gen today?!

[76qtrd]

Put new tires on my stock Pro Bilstein suspension before my King Coilovers arrived :lmao:

They rub a little xD

 

[ElectroBoy]

Just finished an 11 day 2200 mile trip from CA to southwest UT, off-road exploring and hiking canyons and mountains. Incredibly beautiful scenery. Stayed away from the crowded National Parks. Saw very few people, especially in remote areas only accessed by hilly, deep sand 4WD roads, some places the sand was up to the hubs. Exciting driving. I used various 4WD settings but decided that in the bumpiest deepest slowest sandy areas I got the best performance from 4LO, Rear Diff locked, ATRAC On. In faster sandy areas I used 4HI in the Mud/Sand Terrain Select.

I tried a couple of tanks of non-ethanol gasoline, but did not notice any performance or MPG difference. But this was mixed highway, dirt road, 2WD, 4WD, fast, slow, etc, at high elevation 5000+ feet. So it’s hard to discern any possible ~15% difference.

Weather was 60-70F during days and 30-40F at night. Two days of light rain and 3 inches of snow, which melted in a couple of days. A great trip.

BTW, [MENTION=457035]patkelly4370[/MENTION], I noticed some TPMS anomalies also. After driving off-road I re-inflated to 32PSI, the temp was 60F. Overnight the temperature drops to 30F and the TPMS is On. I checked all tires and they are at 29PSI. The TPMS is supposed to detect a drop of 25%, so I’d expect the light to come on around 25PSI instead of 29. I guess it’s better to be safe.

 

[76qtrd]

Aren't those the same tires in pics you posted on 11/05?

No those were BFGs! and those were 265's lmao they look bigger in those pictures for some reason. these are 295s

 

[2016 4Runner SR5]

No those were BFGs! and those were 265's lmao they look bigger in those pictures for some reason. these are 295s

Go big or go home. I love my 295s

 

[cmilviper]

Just finished an 11 day 2200 mile trip from CA to southwest UT, off-road exploring and hiking canyons and mountains. Incredibly beautiful scenery. Stayed away from the crowded National Parks. Saw very few people, especially in remote areas only accessed by hilly, deep sand 4WD roads, some places the sand was up to the hubs. Exciting driving. I used various 4WD settings but decided that in the bumpiest deepest slowest sandy areas I got the best performance from 4LO, Rear Diff locked, ATRAC On. In faster sandy areas I used 4HI in the Mud/Sand Terrain Select.

I tried a couple of tanks of non-ethanol gasoline, but did not notice any performance or MPG difference. But this was mixed highway, dirt road, 2WD, 4WD, fast, slow, etc, at high elevation 5000+ feet. So it’s hard to discern any possible ~15% difference.

Weather was 60-70F during days and 30-40F at night. Two days of light rain and 3 inches of snow, which melted in a couple of days. A great trip.

BTW, [MENTION=457035]patkelly4370[/MENTION], I noticed some TPMS anomalies also. After driving off-road I re-inflated to 32PSI, the temp was 60F. Overnight the temperature drops to 30F and the TPMS is On. I checked all tires and they are at 29PSI. The TPMS is supposed to detect a drop of 25%, so I’d expect the light to come on around 25PSI instead of 29. I guess it’s better to be safe.

Great pictures man, and it sounds like it was a great trip!

 

[WalkingDude]

Just finished an 11 day 2200 mile trip from CA to southwest UT, off-road exploring and hiking canyons and mountains. Incredibly beautiful scenery. Stayed away from the crowded National Parks. Saw very few people, especially in remote areas only accessed by hilly, deep sand 4WD roads, some places the sand was up to the hubs. Exciting driving. I used various 4WD settings but decided that in the bumpiest deepest slowest sandy areas I got the best performance from 4LO, Rear Diff locked, ATRAC On. In faster sandy areas I used 4HI in the Mud/Sand Terrain Select.

I tried a couple of tanks of non-ethanol gasoline, but did not notice any performance or MPG difference. But this was mixed highway, dirt road, 2WD, 4WD, fast, slow, etc, at high elevation 5000+ feet. So it’s hard to discern any possible ~15% difference.

Weather was 60-70F during days and 30-40F at night. Two days of light rain and 3 inches of snow, which melted in a couple of days. A great trip.

BTW, [MENTION=457035]patkelly4370[/MENTION], I noticed some TPMS anomalies also. After driving off-road I re-inflated to 32PSI, the temp was 60F. Overnight the temperature drops to 30F and the TPMS is On. I checked all tires and they are at 29PSI. The TPMS is supposed to detect a drop of 25%, so I’d expect the light to come on around 25PSI instead of 29. I guess it’s better to be safe.

Awesome! I hope to spend some time in Utah this summer, super psyched to let the new T4R show her stuff.

 

[Ray Dunakin]

Drove it 902 miles nonstop (except for fuel/restroom) AZ to OR.
First issue was tire pressure. TPS light came on, no flat tires. Stopped to check and all were 30 psi. This has happened before where I was "sure" I had them all at 35 (4-tire inflation hose) and I haven't been offroading. Anyway, paired them back up and kept on trucking. So this is twice now that all four are losing pressure equally.
The other issue was fuel. I was driving a route I've never been before. Following the GPS there was a turn from one highway to another "107 miles ahead". I figured I'd get fuel there. A minor detail, there's no town there. I have ¼ left on the fuel gauge. Dash says cruising range 103 miles (for example), GPS says next turn (shouldn't there be a town at every 20 miles in America?) is 123 miles. Ok, 20 mile buffer. Supposedly.
Rolling along at the speed limit of 70 mph, headwind, no other vehicles at all, no farms, no nothing. Including no cell service. Next turn (and hopefully gas) 60 miles. Cruising range 66 miles. Still no cell service to call AAA. I slow to 60 mph and my buffer begins increasing slightly. It increased to 10 miles.
I did get gas at a tiny c-store/diner/farm that has a single pump out front. This was 30 miles before my turn where there was a town.
The 4runner ran great. Dash shows 17.6 mpg with the tire pressure debacle.
Now which route to take back? On on vacation until Thanksgiving.

1. Never trust a GPS. They are a great tool but not perfect. Some people have died following GPS instructions. Always check your route on a map.

2. In the vast expanse of the western states it is not uncommon at all to go great distances between gas stations. Many towns are too small to support even a single pump, and don't get enough traffic to make up the difference. Small, off-the-beaten-path gas stations used to be more common but environmental regulations have made them unsustainable -- especially in California and other coastal states. So it's best to research where gas will be available -- and even then, you may find that a one-pump outfit in some Podunk town has gone out of business. Also, thanks to pay-at-the-pump technology you can often get gas after hours, not everybody has that yet.

3. The range that your 4Runner gives is an estimate, and tends to show less range than you actually have. (Better to underestimate than overestimate.) If the range gets too low but you still have gas it may adjust upwards.

 

[Crikeymike]

1. Never trust a GPS. They are a great tool but not perfect. Some people have died following GPS instructions. Always check your route on a map.

2. In the vast expanse of the western states it is not uncommon at all to go great distances between gas stations. Many towns are too small to support even a single pump, and don't get enough traffic to make up the difference. Small, off-the-beaten-path gas stations used to be more common but environmental regulations have made them unsustainable -- especially in California and other coastal states. So it's best to research where gas will be available -- and even then, you may find that a one-pump outfit in some Podunk town has gone out of business. Also, thanks to pay-at-the-pump technology you can often get gas after hours, not everybody has that yet.

3. The range that your 4Runner gives is an estimate, and tends to show less range than you actually have. (Better to underestimate than overestimate.) If the range gets too low but you still have gas it may adjust upwards.

I'll 2nd all of this!!

I drove to California from Florida the long way this summer and back and almost ran out of gas 3 times, just didn't judge the distances between fill ups well enough. One 5 gallon jerry can would be a life saver.

Oh, and one of them was on I-10 between CA and AZ, just wasn't expecting such long distances between gas stations (40-50 miles or so) and my range was screwing up.

 

[Mudhorn]

The other issue was fuel

I ran into this issue when I lived in eastern NM. A lot of the small town gas stations closed. I started carrying a gas can after that unexpected camp on the side of the road waiting for help. Learned 911 works most places even if you don’t show having a signal.

 

[ElectroBoy]

I'll 2nd all of this!!

I drove to California from Florida the long way this summer and back and almost ran out of gas 3 times, just didn't judge the distances between fill ups well enough. One 5 gallon jerry can would be a life saver.

Oh, and one of them was on I-10 between CA and AZ, just wasn't expecting such long distances between gas stations (40-50 miles or so) and my range was screwing up.

I had a scare on CA I-5 once when the fuel light goes on and I’m over 50 miles to the next station. Slower speed got me there and when I filled it up I reached the specified max capacity for the tank.
Now I stop every 3-4 hours for breaks and top it off if there’s a nearby gas station.

 

[SpeedyKevin]

I'll 2nd all of this!!

I drove to California from Florida the long way this summer and back and almost ran out of gas 3 times, just didn't judge the distances between fill ups well enough. One 5 gallon jerry can would be a life saver.

Oh, and one of them was on I-10 between CA and AZ, just wasn't expecting such long distances between gas stations (40-50 miles or so) and my range was screwing up.

Sometimes I like to be risky and skip fueling up on the 10 and pretend im driving in Le Mans and have to conserve fuel haha. Keeps me awake and makes the driving more tense! Nearly bite me in the ass a few times though lol

 

[rhadam]

I had a scare on CA I-5 once when the fuel light goes on and I’m over 50 miles to the next station. Slower speed got me there and when I filled it up I reached the specified max capacity for the tank.
Now I stop every 3-4 hours for breaks and top it off if there’s a nearby gas station.

Nothing like going south on 5 headed towards Bakersfield and realizing your quarter of a tank might not make it. Valley of the Dead I call that area.

 

[PretzelCann0n]

Put this fat cow on a weight loss program. With the ultraswing I was carrying around 2 spares for a couple weeks until I got around to pulling the stock spare.

Also got a rack for mountain bikes in preparation for a cross country trip.

 

[kmeeg]

Installed GTR Ultra 2 LED Low beams today

This is the video I did today installing GTR Ultra 2 LED Low beams. Light output testing at 8:10 on the time line.


GTR Ultra 2 LED on 4runner - YouTube
GTR Ultra 2 LED on 4runner - YouTube

 

[mynameistory]

This is the video I did today installing GTR Ultra 2 LED Low beams. Light output testing at 8:10 on the time line.


GTR Ultra 2 LED on 4runner - YouTube
GTR Ultra 2 LED on 4runner - YouTube

Would advise returning those for a refund and use performance halogen bulbs instead.

Reasons here: Why Most LED Headlight Upgrades Don't Really Work: An Expert Explains

And here: 3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights | Tacoma World

 

[jimday1982]

Finally got to go off-road at a local lake. I wanted to see just how far I could go in 2wd and it did great until I got to a rather steep, leaf-covered hill. As soon as I felt tire spin, put it in 4wd and then we were easily on our way.

Spent some more time fishing and exploring the area and then proceeded to mysteriously back into something that took off a bit of paint off the rear hatch. First of many battle scars to come I suppose.

 

[ap19948]

Got the RSG flat sliders installed today.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ElectroBoy]

Would advise returning those for a refund and use performance halogen bulbs instead.

Reasons here: Why Most LED Headlight Upgrades Don't Really Work: An Expert Explains

And here: 3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights | Tacoma World

Good info. I see that Daniel Stern gives a shout out to crashnburn80 in Tacomaworld, which you provide in the second link. :thumb3:

 

[SpeedyKevin]

Would advise returning those for a refund and use performance halogen bulbs instead.

Reasons here: Why Most LED Headlight Upgrades Don't Really Work: An Expert Explains

And here: 3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights | Tacoma World

Not entirely similar, but here's the post where Crashburn explained why the Alpharex's (tacoma) aren't ideal. Shows how bright flood like/foreground lighting doesn't really help.

AlphaRex Headlight. | Page 4 | Tacoma World

 

[mynameistory]

Not entirely similar, but here's the post where Crashburn explained why the Alpharex's (tacoma) aren't ideal. Shows how bright flood like/foreground lighting doesn't really help.

AlphaRex Headlight. | Page 4 | Tacoma World

Agreed. The Alpharex headlights go through the trouble of actually using LED projectors and/or reflectors in their assemblies, but they suck for the same reason drop-in LED bulbs do: poor hotspot placement and increased foreground lighting. Both work in combination to constrict your pupil and draw your vision closer to the front of the truck, completely limiting your distance vision at night. At best, they are cool to look at on instagram. At worst, they are dangerous to actually use on the road- and this is what everyone should care about when it comes to headlight performance.

The Morimoto full replacements, even though they have their faults (many complain of DRL chips burning out and having narrow high and low beam patterns), are decent headlight units.

If there is a way of doing it, 4Runner owners might consider swapping in the new OEM LED assemblies. If they are anything like the Tacoma ones, they are excellent: 3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights | Page 184 | Tacoma World

Everyone, pay attention to how Crashnburn80 uses the H9 halogen bulb (in a 3rd gen Tacoma projector headlight, nearly the same as the 5th gen 4Runner) as a measuring stick. That headlight bulb has nearly the same performance as the OEM LED headlight, and they cost $12 each. There's the reason I advocate for H9 or performance H11 halogen bulbs over any of this "drop-in LED" junk.