Upgrade Questions

I wanted to start this forum because I didn’t see a forum where users can go and just ask upgrade questions. Usually the forum is specific to them and figured it would be nice to have a central spot where people who are doing upgrades can ask questions. (If there is a forum already just like this then what my wife says is true. I am blind)

So I have quite a few things on my upgrade list. One of the items that I would like is to be able to see via a camera is my front approaches and my rear departure. Wouldn’t mind seeing more like clearance shots and stuff like that.

I found a kit that plugs into factory but not sure this is the best option and figured I would take it to the forum...

Option 1 most affordable

$560 Brandmotion SummitView Wrangler JK Quad Camera DVR System - SMTV-2421V2

Option 2 more costly

Just trying to see what options you all may have implemented yourself or recommendations on things I haven’t tried.

 

I got Beat Sonic front camera. Here's my video if that's any help;

https://youtu.be/g7fwDo1XCTg

 

Option 1 most affordable yeah that's great Now you got me looking at something I did not even consider thinking about and now that I add that on to the other Most affordable Items on my list that I am looking at just added up to a crazy $4,900 worth of Most "affordable" items on that list so now I am wondering should I "love" this Forum? or Hate it?

 

Love it!!!

 

Okay so I am looking at upgrading the following items in my 5th gen 2020 4Runner

5.29 great ratio
ARB front and rear air lockers
315/70/17
New rims with a -12 offset
3” stage 3 lift from Ironman.

my question would be...
Is there anyone running a setup similar to this?
What is your experience thus far?

 

Plan on some major wheel well work I think a positive offset wheel would be easier to work with at that size. My two cents.

 

Positive offset??? That would bring the wheel into the wheel well more. Causing more wheel well work. I understand that the fender might be an issue going negative and I will be trimming my fenders or buying wider fenders.​

 

Sorry let me rephrase, a 0 offset wheel. At 35’s you’ll need to do quite a bit of work to where I’m not sure if offset would really affect rubbing/movement very much. Just make sure you carry spare front suspension components if you’ll be doing trails often! 35’s will definitely have the potential to break something if you’re off roading your rig on mild terrain trails.

 

I should have mentioned this...

I am also looking at having a long travel front suspension. but kinda concerned it will look like the guy who goes to the gym and only works his upper torso
Then has the tiny legs. (If someone reading this is like that please take no offense. I don’t like working out my upper or lower torso so I look more like a blob). Don’t want the front to look nice and the rear to be questionable.

All in I think I am right around $10-$12k. I bought the sr5 premium knowing it was at least $10k cheaper than TRD Pro (also needed the 3rd row) with the intention of putting on my own desired performance parts.

All the options. Now how to unwisely spend the money.

 

RE: The ARB lockers
Do yourself a favor and get a couple of extra bonded seals to replace the bonded seals that come in the lockers. ARB had a bad batch of bonded seals in their lockers going back to 2017 and I’m sure there are still plenty of units out there that have them. Replacing the bonded seals will save you time, money and headache. Ask me how I know.
You can thank me later.

 

Now I have more research to do but better to find out now before paying all the money and having to rip it all back apart. Thank you!

Just to clarify... are you saying that you would get the factory seals replaced and put on new ones before installing? From the sounds of it this is something that fails multiple times. Is that your experience? If so they have such a high rating if there is a high fail rate on that part.

 

You can call up ARB and order the newer bonded seals and replace before installing the lockers or, better yet, get your lockers direct from ARB and confirm they have the newer seals in them already. Good peace of mind either way.

Once you develop the air leak the seals are shot and won’t hold the air pressure needed to keep the locker engaged, causing the compressor to recycle every so many seconds to maintain the necessary amount of pressure.

The older bad batch of seals were prone to premature failure. ARB’s newer seals solve the air leak issues caused by the older ones. No issues since replacing mine with the newer version.

 

After taking a step back I feel as though I designed/planned out a rig that that I would want but would be overkill for what I would do. Yeah I would love to rip through the desert at a high rate of speed and feel as though I am in a cloud. But in the end I am only throwing hard earned money at something that will not be fully utilized.

So back to the drawing board I went. I thought long a hard about this and here is my newly suggested upgrades.

1. I bought Ironman 4x4 foam cell pro suspension stage 3 (constant load) 2.5 inch lift
2. Ironman winch
3. lil b’s custom fab front bumper
   
4. Lil b’s body mount chop

Those 3 bigger items should be here before the end of March. I decided 35’s would look lovely but honestly for the less than 1/2 inch clearance that the tires will provide I decided it would be better to go with 34” tires. Planning on getting 285/75 r17 tires. I was looking at Hutchison internal beadlock wheels but back to my point of over engineering and spending money on something I won’t use. I found it would be better to go with another off-road wheel. Still looking for ideas and here is why I am posting. I could use some positive suggestions on wheels. I have read countless forums and countless topics on different types of rims. Here is where I am at:

I know the difference between steel and Aluminum. I know the different types of aluminum (cast and forged). I am on the fence between steel and forged aluminum (honestly cast is not even a consideration because of how they are made). I know I probably made someone not happy but honestly to each his own. I am only taking 2 options.


So here is my question for the forum. I am looking for a good off-road wheel and would like your input. These are the specs:

17 in wheel
7.5-8.5 inch wheel width I heard smaller has less chances of popping a bead.
~-10mm offset
~4.5 inch backspacing

I am interested in your thoughts. Less costly the better.
Here is one wheel I am looking at to give you a sense of an idea of my taste.

• Kansei | Part Number: RLWK14MB-78560-10