1.5 Year Update

Coming up on one year of ownership. Purchased December 2023. I wanted to share some progress I have made with it and some current problems. Also a good demonstration of how drastically buying a 4runner will drain your wallet.

1/1/2024 175 miles
Tint 35% Front; 5% Rear
Blackvue Dash Cam - Front and Rear
BF Goodrich Ko2 275/70R17
ARB Dual Compressor - I made my own on board air system with Schrader valves in each wheel well.
Rago Air Compressor Mount to mount the ARB Compressor - This mount blocks the firewall and it becomes difficult to run wires once installed.
Pedal Commander Throttle Controller - Does great regulating throttle input when on trails or rock climbing.
Center Console Safe - Keep things safe
Wireless Android Auto - I don't like plugging my phone in to access maps
LED Interior Lights - Can't stand the dim lights inside

2/21/2024 4,000 miles
Fumoto Oil Drain Valve - Makes oil changes a lot quicker and easier
Method 105 Beadlocks - Have aired down to 5psi in deep snow and did not lose the bead
Auto Venshade Rain Guard - Favorite part is the low profile shape
Tinted Mirror Turn Signal - Not a fan of chrome, on a mission to swap it all out.
Spotter Mirror Side View Mirrors - Helps when off roading. Adds adjustable blind spot mirror. Expensive but I am not a fan of the ones you glue on.
4/4/2024 7,150 Miles
RCI Rock Slider - I have put the full weight of the car on these and they have held up.
CBI Skid Plate - These have endured a tremendous amount of torture due to the lack of lift at this point. There is a large dent in the front skid plate due to a very hard hit.
RCI Gas Tank Skid Plate - No problems so far. One thing to note, the front-inner part of the fuel tank (nearest the driveshaft) is not protected. Haven't had a problem so far but it is a big vulnerability.
Yota Xpedition Grille

At this point in time, I was going to start a 6,000 mile road trip. This included 4-500 miles of off-roading. 23 days of driving, 17 nights of camping. I needed to prepare.

6/15/2024 12,000 Miles
Fox 2.5 Coilover with adjustable compression reservoir
Dirt King Upper Control Arm
Fox Rear 2.0 with a 2+ Icon coil
RCI Shock Skid Plate
CBI Front Bumper with a 12K Superwinch and some lights I found in the garage. To install this I needed to relocate the Toyota Safety Sense with a custom mount I made and to relocate the windshield washer tank with a Snowbound Customs tank.
Victory Rear Bumper with blind spot relocation
C4 Rear Differential Skid
ScanGauge SGII - To monitor temperatures
MIDLAND MXT275 GMRS Radio - To communicate. I mounted the antenna onto a ditch light bracket.

Currently, I have 22,000 Miles. I am dealing with the Toyota Safety Sense light being on, I can't find the right angle to aim it. Any advice on this would be appreciated. The TPMS light is also on, I likely damaged one when I had low tire pressure off road.
The biggest problem is my steering. It is very heavy and the steering does not turn when the car is stopped. I changed the fluid, reservoir, then pump. None fixed the problem so I am guessing it is the rack and pinion. Any advice as to what else it could be?
I am planning to buy a custom tundra rack so that this doesn't happen again when I upgrade to larger tires.

If anyone is wondering, I have added roughly 750lbs of weight with modifications. I get 17-18mpg on the freeway.

 

Nice rig! Although the toyota racks are not known for being over-engineered, it’s a bit surprising that you smoked your steering already. Especially since you don’t have a huge tire size. But I guess it depends on how aggressive you are on the steering wheel when you’re crawling around.

I tend to go nice and gentle with mine, since I’ve noticed the steering can get a little stiff as things get hot after long periods of crawling. I avoid forcing the steering into rocks, especially when stopped, and hold on tight when rocks want to move the steering when rolling along.

Any chance of bent tie rods or other physical damage to the steering system that would explain your problem? (for example, related to the hard hit on the skidplate, or to the tire hit that disabled your TPMS? )

 

welcome

 

great pics!

 

I was also surprised that it went out already. I am not hard on the steering, but maybe everything I have done with it has weakened the internal seals? I went on some pretty intense trails following my brother in a gladiator on one tons and 40's. I checked for physical damage on the rack, tie rods, column and could not not see anything that stuck out. Nothing binding on it either. Even poked holes in the bellows to see if it was leaking from the inner tie rods. I had several of my buddies do a visual inspection, and they couldn't see anything.
To avoid any potential problems, I am going to add an oil cooler and filter when I install the new rack.

Thank you!

 

An oil cooler is not a bad idea. Hopefully you can get the rack sorted as painlessly as possible. You planning on doing it yourself?

 

I appreciate the detailed info!

 

Lookin good brotha!

 

I'm having a similar issue with my TSS grille sensor. I have the C4 relocation bracket, and I can't seem to make the sensor happy. There's no rhyme nor reason to what makes the light come on. I did stumble upon something recently. The TRD Pro sensor is a different part number than the TRD Off-Road. I have no idea if that has anything to do with it, but it was curious. I found a used one on eBay and ordered it. I haven't had the opportunity to swap it out, but I really hope that somehow that's the issue.

 

35,000 Mile Update

4/13/2025 28,279 Miles
TOYO-Steering Tundra Rack Kit - This uses a Tundra rack and pinion, modified inner tie rods, and outer tie rods from a 2008 Land Cruiser. It is massive compared to the stock rack and tie rods. Install was not easy. Also note that this is going to reduce your turn radius. I'm happy with how it turned out and the steering feels much more capable.

6/7/2025 30,000 Miles
Four Cam Cabin Filtration System - My flaps ripped off of the original spot. Dust was flying into the cabin because the rear bumper does not have coverage in that area.
Cali raised LED Aspire G1 Tail Light - Broke my original tail light on a trail. I prefer the smoked look to the original chrome and the LED sequential indicators are pretty cool.
Cali raised LED Roof Rack - This rack includes a cool feature that hides a light bar when not in use to minimize wind noise. I don't have a light bar yet.


I added larger tires and this is where things became interesting.
TOYO TIRES Open Country R/T Trail 315 70/17 - Road noise is apparent but not as bad as an M/T. Grip on rocks and sand has been amazing. Will test it on mud/snow later this year.

To make this work:
Minwin Rocker End Cap
Body mount chop
Trimmed fenders
Pinch weld folded
Fire wall hammered in

To make it more reliable, because of the added stress of the tires:
Iconic Fabrication Offroad Transmission Cooler Mount
Derale 698 Transmission Cooler
Mishimoto 10 inch fan
4x4 Labs Power Steering Cooler - This redirects the power steering lines that drop down beyond the front bumper. I always saw that as too vulnerable. Also gets rid of the stock "power steering cooler" which was in the way of the winch and required repositioning.
Total Chaos Spindle Gusset
Decided to rebuild my upper control arm with Dirt King Bushings and Total Chaos uniballs
Front Bump Stops extended
I had to make a bump stop spacer for the rear. 2 inches made of steel I had laying around.

Coming Soon:
A regear. 4.88 are a must with the tires and added weight.
Adjustable rear control arms. The rear tire must be pushed back a small amount due to the larger size contacting the door. The bump stop had to be made longer, 2 inches, in order to avoid body damage.

I still have problems with my TPMS randomly malfunctioning and haven't gotten to adjusting the TSS. Still get that light too.

I am at 13-14 mpg on flat ground with no headwind.

Let me know if you guys have questions!

 

Very very coold build sir!

 

How hard was going up hells gate? Going there next month. 4Lo, atrac ON, and slow up?

 

Very nice unit, sir, very nice!