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

[1Louder]

I decided to powder-coat the rims off of my 2011 FJ Cruiser and put them on the 4Runner. Super happy I went this route vs buying new rims. They will also always remind of the FJ.

Lots of mods to go but round I will be complete once the sliders arrive and are installed.

 

[jmswts]

Installed some Method 701s this past weekend. Love the look now that they are mounted.

Which 701's did you go with? 17x.8.5 or 17x9 w -12 offset? Looks really good!

 

[NOYOTA19]

may i ask How much did you pay for the set? thanks

sorry for the late reply, it was $688 for the wheel, $96 for the center caps. $784 with tax. Had a small discount from the dealership.:thumb3:

 

[NOYOTA19]

I like the red highlight in the center cap. Maybe I'll get these wheels for my barcelona red 2020.

DO it! it wold complement your color :yo:

 

[NOYOTA19]

Nice, the flow-formed ones! How wide are they?

17x7 +4 offset, same as previous which sucks alot. but oh well.... :cowboy:

 

[utctscanr75]

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.

Don't know about the Tacoma models, but my Alpharex lights are a vast improvement over stock. No regrets whatsoever and give plenty of good light.

 

[ElectroBoy]

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.

Tory, sometimes it seems like you’re talking to the deaf. Science and qualitative measurements don’t seem to matter to them, only personal perception from the driver’s seat.
On my latest road trip I did 2-4 hours of highway driving each night on two lane roads. With the opposing traffic of dozens of cars, trucks, and and semis in a row you can really see the difference in headlight quality and aim.
What I saw was an epidemic of crap headlights out there. It’s exhausting and dangerous to be blasted with the glare of aftermarket and poorly adjusted lights.
As a side note I noticed that almost all big rigs have proper headlights, whether halogen or LED.

 

[patkelly4370]

Crawled underneath and changed the rear diff oil (black) and transfer case oil (not nearly as black, still brownish).
Bought this 2017 last year with 20k miles on it. Now 30k.
I don't mind working on my own vehicles, actually prefer it. But it sucks at our new home. I REALLY want a shop. Dirt and gravel just doesn't cut it at 60+ years old.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[Max Wonder]

Day one with my new Venture. My first 4Runner, but I've admired them from afar for as long as I can remember.

 

[DougR]

I decided to powder-coat the rims off of my 2011 FJ Cruiser and put them on the 4Runner. Super happy I went this route vs buying new rims. They will also always remind of the FJ.

That looks great! I'm in Phoenix, where did you have this done? Did they mask the center hubs to reveal the emblem, or did you buy them and powder-coat the wheels to match? How durable is powder-coat over aluminum? Will it flake when a tire is changed?

 

[ElectroBoy]

Day one with my new Venture. My first 4Runner, but I've admired them from afar for as long as I can remember.

Congrats. 4Runners are a blast in the snow. You’ll have fun.
Suggestion for your first “mod”: Get rid of the dayglow dealer paper plate. They’re not paying you anything to advertise for them. And the plastic frame too. A plain black one will look better. :thumb3:

 

[Max Wonder]

Congrats. 4Runners are a blast in the snow. You’ll have fun.
Suggestion for your first “mod”: Get rid of the dayglow dealer paper plate. They’re not paying you anything to advertise for them. And the plastic frame too. A plain black one will look better. :thumb3:

Solid advice! I knew I joined the right forum.

 

[JeuTheIdit]

I decided to powder-coat the rims off of my 2011 FJ Cruiser and put them on the 4Runner. Super happy I went this route vs buying new rims. They will also always remind of the FJ.

These look great in black! I will be doing the same for my 2013 TE set next summer. Are those the OEM FJ center caps? I like the look of those a bit better.

 

[JeuTheIdit]

Got the truck dirty during the Michigan rifle season opener this weekend! Great to get out on some trails. On another note I already miss my scooped hood so I will definitely be putting it back on once I repaint it or raptor line it.

 

[A10MileHusker]

Took it to Les Schwab for a Tire Balance. Done with Discount tire, I've had too many issues getting my tires balanced and every time I take it elsewhere they seem to not have any issues with it.

 

[Jpilot]

Added a bumper. Pretty easy job. I had my 14yr old son help, and he did a great job.

 

[mynameistory]

Don't know about the Tacoma models, but my Alpharex lights are a vast improvement over stock. No regrets whatsoever and give plenty of good light.

Every picture I've seen posted so far shows that the Alpharex headlights may be fun to look at, but poor in terms of actual performance.

See how they are brighter, but they don't reach as far as the stock halogen bulbs? That's actually REALLY important for driving.

Here you can see some terrible quality control (hint: your high beams shouldn't look like this because they aren't independently aimable).

 

[sn_85]

Every picture I've seen posted so far shows that the Alpharex headlights may be fun to look at, but poor in terms of actual performance.

See how they are brighter, but they don't reach as far as the stock halogen bulbs? That's actually REALLY important for driving.

I need to look into this as well. What performance halogen bulbs do you recommend?

 

[SpeedyKevin]

I need to look into this as well. What performance halogen bulbs do you recommend?

According to the numbers these are the highest performing H11s

GE (now Tungsram) +120s
Tungsram H11 Nighthawk Xenon Halogen Bulb, 2-pack - Walmart.com - Walmart.com


I believe the H9s put out about 100 -150 more lumens than them.

 

[mynameistory]

I need to look into this as well. What performance halogen bulbs do you recommend?

For halogen headlights, use halogen bulbs. There are performance recommendations with data to back it up here:
3rd Gen HID vs LED vs Halogen H11 projector headlights | Tacoma World

Personally I use and recommend standard H9 bulbs from Philips. You have to trim a few tabs, very easy to do with a sharp pair of small tinsnips.