4Runner

[1911nerd]

Right before the world shut down last March, I had plans to rent a 4runner and spend some time in western Utah with a handful of friends. Fast forward a year and I'm thinking seriously about buying one. I've more or less settled on a new TRD Offroad Premium with KDSS but am looking for advice on tires and/or minor lift and after market additions such as bumpers, additional lights, rear and top racks, and basic recovery gear. Goal is to have something that I can take off road and camping, but still useful around town; not looking to do rock crawling or Instagram modeling My experience is limited mostly to old beat up ranch pickups, so I don't know what I don't know.

[OlongJohnson]

Nevermind.

[LittleLebowski]

I’d much rather have a newer 4Runner than a newer Tacoma because of the engine in the Taco.

[Suvorov]

Quite a few of us driving 4Runners around here.

I own a 05 SR5 with a 3 inch lift and Bilstein shocks. The 5th Gen like you are looking at have better ground clearance than the 4th Gen and in my opinion will do most anything you would ask of it based on your post. This is especially true of the TRD packages. If you have your heart set on an aftermarket suspension I would buy an SR5, but honestly I think the 2 TRD packages are really good.

As for tires, even the TRD rigs come with street biased tires as the give you a couple more mpg. They will however handle light off road driving as long as you don’t get into sharp rocks or mud. If you need more tire from the get go, then I would look at an AT tire to start. The BFG AT and Falken Wildpeaks are kind of the “cool” tires but there are a lot of other decent tires out there. I ran a set of Firestone Destination ATs which honestly I liked better than my current Wildpeaks.

The roof rack that comes with the TRD line is pretty good and will allow you to put a lot of stuff up there. The Gobi racks are really nice and allow you to put a ton of stuff on them or even a tent, but they are overkill for most people and $$$ with a long wait. I have a Yakima basket which fits my needs fairly well but does hurt the gas mileage.

Metal bumpers look sexy as hell, and I miss the swing out spare tire of my Bronco. That said - they are heavy and cost you mpg. They are also expensive.

You may notice that the issue of mpg has come up a lot. 4Runners ask a lot of their not so big motor and as a result get 15-20 mpg real would. Add a lift kit, 33” tires, and metal bumpers and you will be lucky to see 15mpg. That may sound OK for a dedicated off road rig, but you still have to get to the mountains and it sucks getting there with an empty tank. I have tried to make all my build decisions with fuel efficiency in mind. At the end of the day, I drive 100 miles on roads (or more) than every mile I drive off road.

Recovery gear is a HUGE topic and can be as involved as anything. I would suggest Overlandbound.com and the YouTube videos by Ronnie Dahl to give you an idea on where to start and where to go.

My basic attitude towards overlanding/off-roading is the same as with buying an AR. Start with a good basic model, buy a couple basic accessories, and then get out there and use it! As you use it you will get an idea on what you need out of your rig and modify it to suit your needs. There is no “one size fits all” build out there. If you want to spend a lot of $$$, this certainly will be a money pit but you really don’t need to just to get out there and enjoy the joys of a 4Runner.

I live in an area where there is no shortage of awesome 4Runner and Wrangler builds running around. The funny thing is that about half of these rig have ZERO scratches in there clear coat. Basically they are the truck versions of the $5000 precision rifle builds, that never shoot past 100 yards.

So in short - buy a TRD and hit the trail. Modify as needed.

Oh - and I absolutely love my 4Runner!

[blues]

2016 Trail Edition Premium. Great rig. I'll leave recommendations to others with more knowledge.

[Oldherkpilot]

I have a 2016 SR5 which I sold a bunch of my coolest guns to afford. I have never taken it off road but am confident that it will handle whatever problems might arise. Best vehicle I've ever owned.

[GJM]

[Suvorov]

That’s the model and color I lust after......

[Maca]

Just bought mine 6 weeks ago.

For recovery gear, consider starting with essentials such as a rear receiver, snatch strap, 2 soft shackles, foldable shovel, and an air compressor or a power tank to air back up.

[shane45]

How tall are you guys with 4runners? Sat in a few at the dealership and my head was brushing the cieling. Im 6'2".