Looking for advice..

I bought a 2024 4Runner TRD ORP last year.

In my mind there are a few things I'd like to do to it:
- lift it
- skid plates
- front bumper

From this, I'm looking to do minimal body changes. I don't mind some minor cuts on the plastic bumper to fit in a front bumper (Looking at what Southern Style Offroad has) but I'm not going to cut it to give it more clearance on the tires. I'm off in the woods with this, sometimes on rutty roads but I'm not rock-crawling. Looking to keep the OEM sized tires on it (or whatever will fit within OEM range without rubbing or cutting). I'll go with the KO2s on this.

Lifting it: I was thinking 2" but I don't really know if the TRD ORP is already lifted and if that would put things out of spec. I also am a bit overwhelmed by the various kits I see. I saw one from Toytec that was recommended by a YouTube channel I've followed over the years and they reviewed it and said it was good. It was a husband-wife team who seemed pretty middle of the road to me (Wanderlust Overland, I think was the channel). Again, I'm not sure what to get here or what to stay away from. I think I would like to level it.

I had aluminum skid plates on my last vehicle (Outback) and they worked fine. Again, not rock crawling but offering some protection against hitting the odd rock on the trail.

Front bumper - I'm pretty sure I'll go with Southern Style Offroad for this one. I know there are others that can be put on that don't require any cutting, however. I'm concerned with those bending under pressure whereas the SSOR front bumper looks like it has a bracked that backs it up that goes through the grill section.

Any thoughts?

 

Welcome aboard!

A few things:

1) Do you really need a lift or do you want a lift? The 4Runner is a highly capable vehicle in stock form. I think the stock ground clearance is over 9 inches. Which is pretty substantial. Since you aren't rock crawling or doing hard wheeling, I wouldn't recommend it. But if you do, 2inches is the max I'd go. Anymore than that and you'll put a lot of stress on the drive drain components. Leveling may be what you really want. Know this though, if you do any towing you'll sag a lot more in the back because of the level. Toyota put the "rake" in your vehicle for a reason.

2) Tires! First off, you'll be chosing K03's because the K02's are obsolete. They're a fine tire. If you stick with no lift, you can slap a 265/70/17 on with an agressive tread. Some tires with an agressive tread give the "look" that the 4Runner has a lift over stock.

3) I've heard quite a few bad stories about Southern Style. I had a Body Armor brand in the past and loved it. It was the same style/material as the SSO; but cheaper. RCI is another good company to check out. You could get the full skid plate package and low profile/slimline front bumper from them.

4) Before you cut anything do a lot of research. Mainly from guys who have done BMC's and viper cuts before. A lot will tell you what they regret doing. I reached out a few months back because I wanted to do a viper cut. After getting feedback (and I'm glad I asked) I didn't proceed and never want to get one.

 

SSO get my vote. Check out my info page for my DD set up

 

I haven’t gotten to the bumper and skid plate stage yet myself, but there’s a recent thread with a lot of good discussion on mild lift options that I found quite helpful.

https://www.4runners.com/threads/planning-a-lift-on-2024-trd-orp.45427/

 

I would not lift more than 2.5 inches on the Off-Road trim. I’d aim for 2in as a goal, since it seems people are often surprised that things end up higher than expected. I’d also aim for 2 inches in front if you plan on keeping the same size tire, otherwise you might think the tires look too small. On the rear, I was pleased with raising it a half inch less than the front. It results in a slightly leveled look, but it still has some functional rake.

There’s not much reason to go super expensive on the suspensions. Bilsteins are fine from lot of experiences shared on here. I personally got the Dobinson IMS setup, it’s pleasantly firmer and and gives a ride that has a very “premium” feel. But it may be more money than you need to spend. On top of that, they are rebuildable…which is code for “they probably won’t last as long as non-rebuildable shocks”. I have no regrats with my IMS as I’ve already gotten over 65k miles on mine and they’re still good, but I know they won’t go forever.

Consider the Warn winch mount bumper with hoop, especially if you have any plans for mounting a winch in the future. It has access holes that provide direct access to a winch clutch, and they might help with cooling. I made little covers for mine to close them up in the winter months to keep things warm and to prevent salt spray from getting in. It’s stout and it’s bolted to the frame as well as it can be. The shackle mounts are pretty much in line with the frame rails, so no weird angled forces during recoveries. I’ve had the hoop-less version since 2021 and the powder coating is still perfect on it, which is impressive in my eyes. I’m not sure if it’s made in China though, so it might be out of everyones price range pretty soon. Although, most bumpers from US fab shops have always cost a good deal more than the Warns, probably because they aren’t mass-produced.

As far as tires, I considered K03s since they just released them when I was about to buy my current K02s. They are a different type of tire, and heavier if I recall. I would not consider them a continuation/development of the K02s, as they seemed more street oriented. That said, I haven’t kept up on the reviews now that they have been out a while. But I haven’t seen much clamoring for them on the forums either. Regardless, it seems like the Mickey Thompsons are pretty well regarded, so those are another possibility.

I agree with Boracho’s thoughts on the 4runner being capable in its stock form. If you’re not planning on crawling or desert running, it’s very easy to “over-modify” them. Classic example is getting very high-end suspension components…most are designed for the extremes of performance, which make them require MUCH more maintainace than stock, and have a very short life between rebuilds. Rebuilding suspension components every few years would get old real fast. The other trap is weight. If you’re going to add lots of permanent weight, you really should plan that along with all the suspension changes you’ll need to handle the weight.

 

Another vote for SSO, they are good to go.

 

I ride in 2 locations, the Rocky Mountains north of Boise, Idaho; and the Owyhee desert of Idaho and Oregon, to the south of Boise. I'm not a rock crawler either, and my fully stock 2024 TRD ORP could handle the mountain roads just fine with newly installed stock size KO2 tires. I did not encounter a situation where I wished that I had a lift. However, in the Owyhee desert, that was not the case at all. I was hitting rocks often, and dented the crap out of my stock skid plate, so I built my ORP to handle the Owyhee desert roads.

With that said, here is a photo of mine with stock size KO2. I have a 2.7" lift in front, and 1" in the rear. I've since upgraded to 285s and if you're interested in pics of that, check my profile. Like someone mentioned above, sometimes you end up with a higher lift than planned, my plan was 2.5. lol I also have KDSS.

 

Slides and tires, then see where things are after that.

 

Careful. Tires today and before you know it, super charger.

 

Regarding rock rails I found OEM take offs for good price thru classified on this site. Seem plenty strong for my needs. Round tube 1/8" wall, brackets 1/4" thick steel. I like they are up and tucked under for rocker panel protection, my legs do not contact them getting out/in. They bolt into existing frame threaded holes.