Requesting Help: Catalytic Converter Protection for the 4Runner

Greeting from MillerCAT!

We've been working hard to develop a theft deterrent Cat Shield for the owners of 4Runners and we've finalized our design for 2015-2022 Toyota 4Runner! Before we release it to the public, we need to know if our Cat Shield will be compatible for the earlier Gen 5 4Runners from 2010-2014. We know there was a refresh on the design for 2014 vehicles but have not yet been able to acquire 2010-2014 4Runners for fitment testing. We'd greatly appreciate the 4Runner community to help us confirm fitment/compatibility of our Cat Shield for the following 2010-2014 years.

We'd greatly appreciate your help with the following:
- State the year of your vehicle (2010-2014)
- Share a zoomed out photo of the bottom of your crossbars underneath your vehicle (This will help us determine the compatibility and fitment of our designed mounting points for your vehicles).

Thank you for having us in this community. Mods - I'd like to be respectful of the rules here and please let me know if this post is in violation to any. We're here to try to help the 4runner Community from catalytic converter theft and would like to request help from anyone here on the fitment of our Cat Shield.

For more details, you can visit our website at www.catshield.com.We cannot wait to share our new product with you! If you have any questions or would like to contact us directly, you can reach us at info@millercat.com.

We will have a special discount code here for the community members when it becomes available!


Respectfully,
Team MillerCAT

 

Hi team,

Welcome and thanks for doing this for us... I personally got your shield kit for our 2020 Tacoma and love it... The install was easy, and again, appreciate you doing this... I'm going to try to extend a hand... This is the only pic i can find from a 2012, and it was posted on the other 4Runner forum...



Here's a link to the original post... I hope this helps...

Cheers,

Sean

 

Howdy and welcome. My 2012 looks like the one above but with a tranny skid. I don’t have a hoist, so I can’t zoom out that far. Hope this helps. I will give you honest and detailed feedback if you send me one.

 

I have your product on my Tacoma and Prius too, they fit like a glove. My 4Runner is too new to be helpful, and I look forward to that discount code when buying this upcoming product

 

Thank you so much for your help!! You guys are amazing.

Can anyone help to determine if these holes (circled in yellow) are threaded or if there are any threaded holes directly behind these holes? This will help to determine if rivet nuts are required for installation! @BionicRandy @brownersd

 

I will definitely check once I get back home mate, in about an hour.

Cheers,

Sean

 

Sorry mate, it has been a busy afternoon. I finally crawled under the truck and verified for ya... The top pic (your post) are the two threaded holes for the front of the cross bars on the drivers side. The bottom pic (also your post) is on the passenger side. These holes on the passenger side are not threaded, and go through to the other side of the frame, decreasing in circumference on the top of the frame.... Here are my pics from a few minutes ago... I hope this helps ya.

 

One more thing... I'm just realising that the other holes you circled (2nd picture) are also for the cross bar. They are threaded as well.
Cheers,

Sean

 

I have the ARB skids pictured here. It would be great to find a solution that drills into that crossmember and allow me to keep my skids.

 

I needed protection now and got Talon's, it's great, thick, beefy, but not for me. I want the shield to be an inconvenience for the thief, and not for me when I install and uninstall for maintenance.

I hope yours is thin and lightweight and easily compatible with aftermarket engine skid plate

 

Any updates?

 

they are available now, I was going to wait for a discount code but figured any moment I wait I risk it so went ahead and bought one full retail at $300 for XREAS compatible aluminum shield, talon's NOT XREAS compatible just FYI.

going to install it this weekend

 

I came looking for something for my wife 4runner. We recently had my son's honda accord catalytic converter stolen. When the detective came over (we had video) they looked at my wife 4runner and asked if that was ours. He said to make sure to park it in the driveway or get something to protect the underside. They have been seeing 4runner(s) converters stolen a lot more than usual. They can get them out in less than 30 seconds since they don't have to lift my vehicle. They took about 40 seconds to take the accorders converter.

He mentioned they were trying to catch a group of 5 organized gangs that doing this in the area. They hit early in the morning when people are just getting up for work and when more people are in the street to not stand out.

Anyway looking at a few options.

 

RCI has them to go W/their skid plate $125-150

 

@millercatcorp, what makes your cat skids incompatible with KDSS? And, do you plan to develop one that is?

 

Thanks. Do you have a link?

*link*
https://catshield.com/collections/t...2014-2022-toyota-4-runner-4-0l-4x4-cat-shield

 

https://catshield.com/collections/toyota-cat-shields?filters=Model,4RUNNER

make sure to order the one that fits your particular 4Runner

 

I keep all my stuff in the garage now always with this cat theft. Have to love our wonderful economy encouraging these thugs.

 

I installed the aluminum one for XREAS 4Runner today on my 2022 Limited

super easy to assemble




these are the areas specifically for XREAS shock fluid lines, perfect clearance

the shield just perched on top of the cross member







I didn't even need to remove the RCI skid plate, just jam this thin piece of aluminum in between



lining up these 2 long screws is a PITA, but after a few tries they threaded in just fine.


I'm so happy that the skid plate didn't have to come off, the screws are exposed with RCI skid plate.

total installation is less than 1 hour.

 

Update:
MILLERCAT Discount Code for Cat shields:
MILLERCATPROTECTED for 5%OFF

 

Any word on this question, @millercatcorp?

 

Never heard anything in regard to the question asked above, but I notice they now have tabs on their 4Runner cat shield page where you select your suspension type before ordering, i.e. X-REAS, KDSS, or Standard. They must have come up with a version compatible with KDSS after all, I presume... @millercatcorp - can you confirm? (full disclosure - @millercatcorp hasn't been on 4Runners.com since the two initial posts on this thread in April 2022)

https://catshield.com/products/mill...er-4-0l-4x4-cat-shield?variant=43274447880441

They also list a version in stainless steel for an additional $100:

https://catshield.com/collections/t...2014-2022-toyota-4-runner-4-0l-4x4-cat-shield

 

I got an email from them confirming the KDSS version is now available.

 

So I guess the website is correct. I wonder what the difference is between the standard and the KDSS version...

With the discount code shown above, + free shipping, the MillerCat version is $285. The Talon's Garage version, while being thicker at 1/4", is now $345 + $35 shipping (to my location), for a total of $380.00. Is that additional thickness worth $95...?

I'm seriously thinking of picking up a MillerCat cat shield. The install photos above seem like there's not much to the process.

 

I emailed Millercat a month ago to ask if the non KDSS version works for off road because it didn't state it in their product info. They said that even if you had KDSS, you would just need to trim the wings on the regular plate. So I'm guessing it's the fitment of the plate wings. I got the steel plate version which is pretty light at 20lbs. Easy to install.

 

Stainless steel version, I suppose? Do you have KDSS, and if so, do you have a photo of where you think the standard version might've needed trimming? Or not, since if they have a KDSS version, they must have made one that accommodates wherever that is...

 

I don't have KDSS. But I think they have KDSS and XREAS versions now. I'm not sure if it's aluminum and/or steel that's available for these versions. You might want to email or call to see what material they have for them and what needs to be trimmed. I got the stainless steel version because I feel it's easier to cut aluminum and cutting steel will be louder.

Edit: checked their website and KDSS version is available in aluminum and steel

 

Screenshot from their website, the SS version:


So it seems they do have one for KDSS. I will contact them for confirmation. Like you, I like the idea of steel vs. aluminum for any number of reasons, especially if we're talking about 20 lbs.

 

A question for anyone who has cat protection plates from any manufacturer:
How hard is it to remove the plates when it’s time for routine maintenance like lubing the driveshaft?

 

The Talons plate seems to mount using the back two bolts on the engine skid, and perhaps just loosening those, and removing the four bolts on the rear would work. I don't know if the 'wings' that are attached on each side will come with that. That'd be a real PITA if you had to remove those to drop the skid.

The Millercat has a plate in the front that slides between the rear of the engine skid and the cross member, with bolts that attach to front of the cat skid above which sits on top of the cross member. The rear seems to attach the same way as the Talons. Again, what about the 'wings'?