2016 Trail upgrades info

I do all my 4x4'in with just my wife. Getting stuck somewhere would be a real drag. We travel desert terrain around Arizona trails on the weekends but mainly stay on the road the rest of the week. I carry rescue boards, shackles, rescue ropes, compressor. I am looking to up my odds of not getting stuck or a flat with everything being stock. With my use listed, what would you suggest? I don't want to put a winch on it as of yet. Perhaps better tires? Any recommendations? Also, can I use the same stock 2016 wheels with a larger tire. I would assume to put a larger tire a 3" lift would be in order. If anyone has gone down this path and can suggest direction and what they know already looks good I would appreciate it. Sorry for the long post..

 

With what you are telling me I would 100% suggest something for you. Get a Hi-Lift jack. Not a knock off but a real 100% Hi-Lift. It can do so many things. I used it to pull with a few times and was glad I had it. It's slow but it works. It will get you home for sure. I have the Extreme.

 

Our '16 Canadian Trail came standard with kdss, locker and all mod cons but the dealer threw in a set of Goodyear Duratrac 265 70R 17s. I figure that with those tires, the self rescue gear we carry, similar to yours, we are good to go. But the 4R is our only dd, and I'm 84, so we stick to the forest service roads and trails here in British Columbia and the Yukon and certainly don't tackle any extreme off-roads. - Ted

 

I don't really plan on going to places that most of this forum tackle. I just recently picked my 4runner up and I'm not going to mess it up other than brush scratches. Most of my travel is on desert terrain. Not so much sand, but more of a sand/rock consistency. Sharp rocks at times. The 2016 doesn't have any points that you can use a high-lift jack except for a tire lift accessory which after researching the rescue boards should seem to handle the desert better. I also don't have any trees around that I could use a winch or anything to pull me out. Hopefully I don't cut/punture a tire and all will be great. Everyones wish I would imagine.

 

Turk: You should be fine. I've done a lot of off-roading in a variety of 4x4s (US, British, Japanese) since 1964 and only got stuck once, when I drove into a mudhole on an abandoned logging road in Maine. It was a nice day during hunting season, so the walk out for help was no problem. - Ted

 

I can only answer from limited experience. I owned a 2016 Trail with 4000+ miles. My upgrades are wheels and KO2 (stock size) tires. I've been off-road a hand full of times, including a large off-road park (AOAA) in PA and lots of sand in MD and VA. The tires made a tremendous difference, but I wanted to stay away from the much stiffer ride that comes with LT (truck) tires. I purchased the C-load KO2s and am very happy I did.

My rescue kit sounds like yours and includes first aid and tools. I may next add a Wyeth-Scott More Power Puller in place of a winch and will also use it around the yard. I have portable FRS/GMRS radios for now and rarely am away from cell reception. I find the best tools are my brain and a riding partner. This truck is so capable that simply knowing how and when to engage the technology is a huge benefit. Practicing before needing the fix on a trail is important.

My 2 cents.

 

A shovel.

 

a flint, dry wood, fishing hook, MREs, hmmmmm...beer.

 

I would agree with what has been stated with an all-terrain tire. There is a fitment guide on toyota-4runner.org for sizing/rub/lift needed etc. If you search on their page it should pop right up. It sounds like steel skids or rock sliders aren't really necessary for your type of driving and don't directly contribute to your desire of not getting stuck.

You could always spend towards the more luxurious items such as arb awning/fridge roofrack/rooftop tent (although pricey).

 

After reading Safetyrunner's blog about the Wyeth-Scott M.P. Puller I checked it out on Google. Ours will be on order tomorrow, but I hope we never have to use it.- Cheers, Ted

 

I go to gatherings with some off roaders and have off roaded in 4 different parks in a 800 mile radius, and a few beaches, ditches, and malls. I've seen guys with less built vehicles go up stuff I balked at and did fine. I've seen guys with more built rigs have trouble where I didn't.

My recommendation is select new tires, the stock ones are pretty decent, but they are P rated. If you're alone, spring for more plys on the sidewall, a flat out there by yourself is a bigger problem than the hole you likely will avoid since you don't have anyone to help you out.

Rely on your experience. If you don't have much, find a nearby offroad park (ours are all 250 - 500 miles away, but we still go to meet friends and have fun). Think of it as a training course, and figure out what the vehicle does well, and where it needs help. Upgrade those things.

People make a lot of statements about E Load / C Load / P - rated tires. They are all different. I find the P rated AT20 Grandtreks performed pretty well off road, rode quiet on road, but the Falken Wildpeak AT3 (that are load range E) are just a quiet, ride just as good, and are 3 ply sidewalls. I got to use them today for the first time at a park and they hooked up to every rock, pawing up without question. Meanwhile, in the cabin, I had confidence I wasn't putting my faith in a tire that was mean for the road...even if the AT20's I had used at 3 other parks haven't let me down yet anyways. I stuck with factory +1 size LT265/70/r17 so I don't have issues rubbing.

I'd say most upgrades weren't necessary, and that's why I offroaded stock so long, I wanted to make sure I needed it before I spent it.

I have a scrape on my rock sliders (that means my door is fine). I didn't hit my skid plates as much (that means that 2" lift is working). I scrabbled up everything with my new tires, and slowly. No need to gun it hard in rocks, that's not usually productive. Tires did great.

I don't have light bars and roof racks and custom rims. Those aren't gonna get me out of a sticky situation, so I'll buy those later, when I feel this thing is as good as I need it to be.

Evaluate your needs. Test. Then buy what didn't make the cut. I have spent very little on the upgrades in relation to most people who lift, and this truck easily kept up with a Rubicon who was with me this weekend.

 

Do you have the URL for that Blog? Tried searching on my own and wasn't able to find it. Cheers...-Ovrlandnoob

 

I went on Google and searched for 'Wyeth-Scott More Power Puller' and ordered the one with the 2 ton lift and Amsteel synthetic cable, #2-20-A-SLT, plus a P7 Extension handle, total $385.53 US incl shipping.Apparently it will be on its way in a day or so. I won't see it until late spring though as it's being shipped to my daughter's in Omak, Wash.

 

The best upgrade BY FAR for off roading is... skilz. Plain an simple. Just go drive. The more you drive, the better you'll get an idea for what you need that fits your driving style and where you drive. Don't just go throwing money at tires, lift, and $2000 worth of recovery gear and tools just because some bloke on the internet (like me, lol) said to. Like someone already said, I've seen stock rigs COMPLETELY out class rigs with $6000 in suspension and recovery gear simply because of driver skill.

That said, maybe a shovel, high lift, tow strap, a basic tool set of wrenches, ratchets, screwdrivers, hammer, and of course duct tape and bailing wire, zip ties, etc... Also think about navigation (maybe a SPOT). A fairly extensive first aid kit is also essential. Trucks and rocks are heavy and can mess you up pretty good, so those tiny kits with band-aids and asprin ain't gonna suffice.

If you do end up getting bigger tires, don't just got for a 3" or bigger lift. All you'll do is get that bro/mall crawler look. For actual off roading, you want the *minimum* lift possible that will fit your tires. Sometimes that will include some cutting and trimming of fender wells, etc... Unless you're a serious rock crawler, you don't really need more than 33's (285's for us metric folks) , which also means you probably don't need more than a couple inches of lift and some trimming.

 

For those that have high lift jacks where do you mount it on the roof or back? I have a gobi rack and hefty fabworks spare tire carrier, deciding where to mount and do you guys know which brands of the mounts are compatible? I could not find many reviews on the speedmaster lift but ebay was running some deal on it yesterday I got a 48 inch jack, wheel lift mate, ground base, handle keeper and holder brackets (not sure if I can mount with this or not) all for $105 shipped so I jumped on it.

 

I'd just take the thing and start sticking it different places and see where it fits for your needs. If you're short, the roof might not be the best place, lol. But also consider how often you think you'll need to use it, it's usually not that often, so you could stash it up top or bury it inside is you wanted.

If you can handle a little fabrication, (doesn't have to look pretty...) I'd focus on making your own mounts, or modifying existing ones if you can. That way you place it *exactly* where you want it, not where some designer thought you should put it. Heck, some people just toss them in the back.

Also, there's plenty of off road picture threads, so lurk around there for ideas, too.

 

Really happy to find this discussion. I was feeling a little inadequate about my simply mods. TRD Rims, KO2s, 2.5" leveling lift, Husky Liners, N-Fab nerf/steps, and a collapsible shovel. I am 90% on-road, but off-road does take me to some unbelievable places in Colorado above 10,000'. Prior to the rims/tires upgrade, we got 'the look' from a bunch of decked out jeepster's who didn't think we should be where they were. We KNEW we were going to Love the 4R for many more trails to come. I see more snow than off-road, and am not disappointed one bit. Bring on another 3' dump so I can go play. Since I just got mine in Oct, I am looking forward to Summer for more adventures.

Thanks for tips above, and those to come.

 

There are 2 very different types of offroading in the offroading community.

There's people who offroad, and then we have the showoff road guys. I'm sad to see a jeep on 35's with 22" rims. There's not enough meat on that thing to air down and hit the trails. It's like buying a Harley and putting training wheels on it, it will never know it's true potential. Jeeps are great vehicles, I currently own a 1989 YJ I have been working on. Jeep owners fall in the two categories (and let's be honest, so do some of the Toyota owners...but not nearly as man). The Elitism of the Jeepers who give you "the look" don't know that driving up and down the beach with their shirts off blaring music isn't offroading. It's not their fault, they just don't know any better.

Go to an offroad park, you won't see a bunch of 12" lifted Chevy's there. They don't fit on the trails. They are all at the mudding parks, with their shirts off, blaring music and rocking the most obnoxious exhaust you can find.

People buy Toyota's to go see the world, check out that mountain, explore beautiful terrian and spend time with friends and family camping. It's a tool to get us where we really want to be.

There are plenty of Jeep guys like that, but the majority of them are giving Jeeps a reputation for being an amazing off road vehicle that's never used for it's intended purpose. The 4Runner might not look like much to those guys, but I really don't care what they think about my truck. It's gonna be on the road long after theirs have returned to the earth.

P.S. A good friend of mine has a Jeep Rubicon and I was going up stuff he refused to go up. Ironically, I KNOW he could do it, he was just too scared. He's gotten better, however, and is finally exploring what the Rubicon can really do, and he's never had as much fun as he did before he went wheeling with us. It's a whole different world.

 

I'm not sure I'd put the showoffroaders within the "offroad" community. More like they're in line at the club, but not on the bouncer's list.

 

Haha true.

 

Got similar looks from Jeeps on the train and just continued on while they turned around and went down the trail.

 

Just shows you can't buy skills.

Heck even my old 86 4Runner with Nissan leafs, 32" m/t's, and open diffs made it into some pretty hairy spots, only to have to pull out some guy with $10k+ in suspension/drivetrain mods.

If fact, IMO, it's pretty dangerous when you throw that much money into a rig (any rig), it gives the owner the (false) sense of security and they think because they have a giant rig, they can hit a double black diamond. Just search youtube for videos for why that's not a good idea.

Start stock. Just drive it. Start on the forest roads, and work your way up and mod as you either break stuff or reach the limit of your equipment.

I went out wheelin a month or so ago with a friend who just bought a lifted jeep. The thing is set up pretty nicely on 35's, bumpers, all that stuff. I'm in my mostly stock 2004 Tacoma doublecab TRD with Bilstein 5100's (oooh, fancy!). Heck, I never even took off my swaybar... Anyhoo, he's doing it right by just going out and driving forest roads, and playing around at offroad parks etc... He kept remarking how I was willing to take my truck out in the same places he was going. There were a few steep hills with some rocks, but nothing super technical. I lead the way up this one hill we both thought was going to be tough, but I didn't even break traction.. To be honest, both of us were impressed...

 

Right here
https://youtu.be/nKekXzEMwxc

 

Yea agree with the rest just got to gain experience getting out there I've been stuck so many times...lol...after digging for hours with jack tools or jacking up rides and stacking rocks over and over to get the vehicle high enough to put something under tires to get traction I learned a lot and haven't been stuck in years.

 

I don't necessarily agree with you. We have a 16 4Runner TE with KDSS, and I wouldn't dare take it where I take my 1986 Toyota BJ74. The 4Runner has too much wheel base, poor angle of attack and departure, and it doesn't have the wheel drop reach that other vehicles do. Fun truck for moderate trailing, but not anything I'd do any serious off roading with... If you do, leave space in the back to put your plastic bumpers after they get ripped off. Don't get me wrong, I love the 4Runner. It's a great full frame truck that has some off road ability, but to suggest that a relatively stock 4Runner can do what a Rubicon or a front and rear locked Yota BJ seems ludicrous to me.

 

Get a winch, a snatch block and a tree strap. There is a winch mount you can buy for a 5th Gen 4R that hides behind the faring on the lower front bumper. They're not that expensive (like the one shown below). If you're adventuresome, it's worth the investment.

 

Instead of a Hi-Lift jack you might consider one of those big blow up balloon type lifters that can be inflated by either exhaust or a compressor.
I don't remember what they are called but my son has one in his 4Runner and it seems to work well for him.