Has anyone done any modifications to 5th Generation 4Runner Limited?

I live in NYC so I went with the limited(not crazy about the front). I like to do some off roading and I want to do some modifications like suspension, lifting, rims and tires? Any suggestions? Also, planning on driving to Alaska this July and I'll definitely go off roads in Canada... Any tips?

 

sounds like fun, I guess the only thing really holding you back is whatever budget you choose.

 

Ive got a 2015 limited. Put a pelfreybilt front bumper on it. Looks amazing, is functional, and gives much better approach angles. Plus it eliminates that front chrome piece that I didn't like. Also have a warn m8000 winch on it and rigid industries d-series SAE fog lights. Ordered a baja flat rack and tepui RTT that I'm waiting on. Currently saving up for a suspension lift as the weight on the front end is sagging and causing brake droop. Ill eventually get around to a build thread and uploading pictures, just been super busy. I also wasn't a huge fan of the chrome when i got mine, but the upgraded audio package and full time 4wd were a big factor in my decision. Once you start modifying, a limited will look just as mean as all the other runners out there.

 

I would love to see pictures. Trying to decide how/when/with what to upgrade from stock bumpers on my Limited to protect better off road but still look nice mall crawling.

 

Sounds like you don't have a ton (if any) experience off-roading. If that's the case, just run it stock for a while. Go out on some forest roads, or take it to a nearby off-road park and stick to the green trails. Just drive it. You'll be surprised how capable the thing is completely stock, even with those pizza cutter racing slicks they call tires...

Sure, you could go out and spend a couple grand on bumpers, 35" tires, winch, rock sliders, adjustable coilovers and a 6" lift. Or... for free, you could just go out and drive the crap out of it. You can go down a serious rabbit hole or mods people here could suggest for you, but quite honestly, most of those are personal preference and budget oriented.

Figure out what kind of trails you like to drive on. I've known several people over the years that get intimidated by the trails their highly mod'd truck is actually capable of, so in essence, they wasted all that money on 35's and 4 links, etc... Because you can afford it, doesn't mean it's necessary.

That said, probably one of the more popular "starter" kits would be a set of Bilstein 5100 adjustable shocks and rear lift springs (reuse your stock front springs all for $400-$500). This would give you up to 2.5" lift and a decent gain in performance over stock, and allow for 32" tires pretty easily (maybe 33's with some trimming). Make no mistake, though, 33's are hardly required even though "most" people run them. I speak from experience that 32's ar eperfectly capable, *especially* when you're just starting out. That extra 1/2" of ground clearance doesn't give you much, if any advantage in the type of trails your driving skills can take you.

IMO, you should focus on recovery and safety first (tow strap, highlift jack, shovel, CB radio?, first aid kid (a GOOD one!), basic tool set, duct tape, zip ties, etc...). Make sure you can get yourself out *before* you get yourself in. If you go solo a lot, add a come-a-long to your recovery gear. Yeah, a poor man's winch and a PITA to use, but damn they beat walking out...

And here's my thought on bumpers. Don't run out and buy one before ever getting dirty. Run what you brung until you either bash it in or find that you are seriously limiting yourself or afraid to touch some trails because of it. Who knows, you might not ever hit anything on it, in which case that 400 pound, $1000 bumper was superfluous, and you could'a spend that money on beer! (So far) the only time I've hit anything with the (stock) bumper of my Tacoma was when I accidentally backed in to my wife's car in the driveway... Granted, my taco doesn't have these silly plastic "bumpers" the newer trucks have on them now...

 

Paint or derp the chrome piece on the front - you know, the one that inspires vomit, consider better A/T tires, and drive the shit out of it.

Side note, I am going to Alaska for 3 weeks camping in August. Yes, there will be ample off road opportunities between here and there, and then once there. Get thee a 'Milepost' atlas. But don't forget you gotta get home.

 

Enjoy your trip to Alaska. My advice would be to take US highways to Glacier National Park, then nip north and get on the TransCanada Hwy 1 west through the Rockies to Cache Creek; absolutely beautiful!. Then Hwy 97 north to Prince George, and there get on 15 West to 37, and north to Watson Lake, Yukon. Then west on Yukon 1 to White Horse, north on 2 to Dawson City (truly unforgettable history), take the old cable ferry across the Yukon R. and then 9 into Alaska. Follow on down into Chicken, AK (a really unbelievable hoot!) and down to pick up the Alaska Highway. We did it all about 10 years ago and will never forget it, seeing deer, moose, elk, Canada lynx, black and grizzly bears, wolves, caribou, buffalo. Fantastic, I envy you. - Ted

 

And, before I forget, while in Watson Lake, visit Signpost Park, with signs and souvenirs from thousands and thousands of visitors from all over the damned world. It is a hoot! - Ted

 

Same boat as you. I also live in NYC (Queens). Waiting for the call to pickup my 2017 Limited at dealership. The more I research through the forums, more I notice that modification parts are for SR5 and Trail Edition. But we wanted all the features that came with it. Luckily I've found a posting for the list of parts to do Limited to SR5/Trail Edition conversion.

As mentioned by others here, we are going to drive it for a bit. Get a better understanding of what it can and can't do. Based on what I see, it is very capable as it is.

The first modification for us is more than likely a roof rack. Got my sight on the Gobi Stealth rack. Probably the best rack out there to maintain a low height profile which is needed for these parking and mall garages in and around NYC. Tires and wheels to follow after that.

Good luck on yours.

 

I have a Baja roof rack and find it a bit noisy. You may want to look into the Ecotchne option.

http://www.ecotechne.com.ve/ecotechneweb/saciproductos.php?id=&na=bFFcGBgEgDFEgCd

 

Thank you for your tips and advices. I decided not to change my bumper but I would definitely want to do a lift/rims/tires and a full rack with a 40 inch LED light bar.

I stopped by a shop that works only on SUV Trucks, OK4WD in NJ, They gave this suggestion, What do you think of this combination?

OME lift kit with ARB suspension,
18inch tires and rims maybe 285/55R18/10,
Rack w/ Ladder,
40" Rigid LED light bar - Spot/Flood.

What do you think of OME lift kid and ARB suspension

Why Gobi racks are noisy? Wind noise? I want to put a tent on top and probably fuel jerry cans.

Any thoughts on these racks:

https://www.frontrunneroutfitters.c...r-slimline-ii-2010-current-roof-rack-kit.html
or
http://www.bajarack.com/?id=racks_list_inside&idRack=54

Also, I have seen some pictures of optional closure for roof racks with sunroof opening, that would be useful to.

I appreciate any help

 

I actually purchased my Baja rack from OK4WD. I am very happy with their customer service. As far as the rack being noisy, I went with the other version that includes the full basket. I imagine the one you selected would be somewhat quieter.

Someone posted racks by Echotechne......check out their stuff if you want to at

http://www.ecotechne.com.ve/ecotechneweb/saciproductos.php?id=&na=CfFEFfaHBbacHGE

My input regarding 285 tires is that I don't want to have to trim away fender parts on a $40K + vehicle to accomodate bigger tires if I am not going to be doing much off-roading. That said, not sure if the Limited can accomodate 285s with cutting something. Other people will surely know and chime in.

 

"OME lift kit and ARB suspension"? That seems redundant...

Maybe it's just because I'm not familiar with the ARB suspension components they showed you, but typically the "lift kit" *IS* the suspension... OME makes complete lift "kits" where you have springs and shocks. Some people get OME springs, then go and get Bilstein 5100 shocks (IMO better than the OME shocks) or other shocks. If you end up with a full 3" lift, seriously think about a diff drop kit to keep your CV angles in check.

I also feel that for offroading, 18" wheels are too big, or at least *close* to being too big, and add unnecessary expense. If your primary focus is a daily driver that look cool, go with whatever size you like, but if you want it to perform well offroad, I'd stick to something like 285/75-r16s, or even 265/75's (32's), as the 285's *might* end up needing some additional fender clearancing, even with the lift, and the 32's I lave on my Taco (my primary off-roader) are perfectly capable.

 

I won't be doing extreme off roading but occasional outings. I'm looking for half performance and half looks. Also I want the 4Runner be "more" capable specially for my road trip to Alaska...
Right now Limited comes w 20" which I'm not a fan of so I thought maybe 18". I was told the front rotors on Limited are too big for 17", is that right? Also I wouldn't want to do any trimmings so 285 is too much. What size rim/tires do you recommend for something aggressive but not extreme?

PS. Another shop told me I should mess around with the suspension, I should just level the front and play around with the rims/tires.

 

It didn't dawn on me that you have a Limited... I honestly have no idea if the brake rotors are so big that you can't fit 17's. That would be weird since 17's are standard on all other 4Runners, but weirder things (like putting 20" rims on a 4x4 in the first place, lol) have happened... Any step away from those 20" rims is a step in the right direction, IMO. But to be sure, find a friend with a 5th gen (and 17's) and bribe him with a 6 pack to let you switch wheels for 10 minutes. I'm sure there's a member nearby that needs some beer...

I just realized I was saying that 16" rims are "ideal" for offroading, not even thinking about the fact that I have 17's on my 4Runner, which I'm fairly sure wouldn't fit 16's, but who knows... I know with Tacomas (1st gens) there are a lot of guys putting 15's on their trucks (early 1st gens had 15's), and usually get them to fit depending on the offset of the rims, etc... But even then, some guys end up filing a bit of the rotor down to get another 1mm of clearance.

For 17's, Something around a 275/70r17 (essentially a 32") would be a good place to start. Like the BFG KO2's. I've been running these meats (265/75-r16's) on my 2004 Taco and they're great tires for multi-use (trail and road). I'm contemplating keeping them even now that my Taco is dedicated off-road.

I hate the metric tire sizes, makes it hard to figure out overall diameter, so here's a I found. See what's available in 18's at a place like tirerack.com, then punch in the converter to stick to around 32" diameter and you should be good.

If you did 5100's (front and back) and some OME lift springs in the back for 1.5-2" of lift, those 32's will more than likely fit without any problem, but I've never personally done that, so don't sue me if I'm wrong...

Especially for the "occasional" off-roader, the 5100's are more than enough of a performance gain to keep you happy (even a stock height, they are WAY better than the stock shocks). The added ground clearance of the lift/tires will be all you need.

 

Well, I like the looks and functionality of full basket but you mentioned it's noisy so I have to think more about it. I want to install a 40" LED light. I'm not sure if the flat rack can support that the LED bar without modification... I have to call and ask...

 

Any tips on what's the best GPS or maps for off roading/ backroads/ forest roads and etc.

 

Do you know much about Wilco Tire carrier? https://www.wilcooffroad.com/?gclid=CLPy-J67wdQCFZmCswodVUUCNw

 

not sure, there was a thread on this over on TW:

from this thread if you want to read through it, looks like previous gens the limiteds had larger front brakes but it looks like they are the same on the 5th gen YMMV

 

Thank you for sharing the thread.
The front look larger than the back for sure.

 

that is normal, most of your braking on cars is done via the front