The AT/s do great in the snow. Up in here MI, I had a set on my previous pick-up and rarely "needed" to use 4wd to get through say up to 6". I immediately put a set on my, new to me, 2001 runner. Best all around tire, IMO.
CYi5's '99 4Runner Buildup
- Thread starter CYi5
- Start date
The AT/s do great in the snow. Up in here MI, I had a set on my previous pick-up and rarely "needed" to use 4wd to get through say up to 6". I immediately put a set on my, new to me, 2001 runner. Best all around tire, IMO.
CYi5
Explorer
The plastic handle on my Edgestar finally snapped after being used as my main tie down point. I'm just thankful it didn't break while I was attempting to move it; anyone who owns this fridge knows you hold your breath when picking the thing up. I swapped in metal chest handles following theksmith's writeup and it turned out pretty well. I didn't need to do the metal spring portion of it, but I did anyway just for fun. i had to trim a little off the ends of each spring, but they work as advertised. The added piece of mind for durability is worth the silly amount paid for shipping.
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CYi5
Explorer
The Yakima bars were a little tall for the RTT in my opinion, and needing a project as always I set about making some low profile crossbars. I'm not sure why I hadn't thought of the idea earlier, but it's a super easy task on these 3rd gen roof tracks. One can save a ton of time making the track anchors by just buying a set of eight Yakima replacement anchors for $8.00. The bars are 1"x2" rectangular tubing. They do whistle a little on the freeway with no RTT, I imagine that will be reduced when surfboard pads are applied.
Because the RTT now sits so close to the roof, the stock mombasa tracks with bolts are no longer accessible. It is also a terrible design to begin with as the bolts that mount through the platform wallow out the bottom of the tent. To remedy this, bolts go through the ends of the crossbars directly through the aluminum frame in the tent floor.
I also finally got smart when it came to the hi-lift rattling issue. Disassembling the unit and keeping the mechanical pieces stored in the truck not only eliminates all noise, but it keeps the components in working order. If there was ever I time I desperately needed height, I could probably spare the five minutes it would take to reassemble it. The bar itself is also not very heavy, so it's not as much of a chore to store up high.
Dropping the tent nearly 3-4" made the highway manners much better. There is less wind noise and the truck doesn't seem to be pushed around quite so much. It feels more like part of the vehicle.
With the crossbars the same width as the tent, a new exterior shovel storage plan had to be devised. I eventually ended up with extended bolts through the modified ARB license plate frame bracket. I've had quickfists fail in the past, nearly separating me from my shovel forever, so a hard mount solution was preferred. It doesn't seem to impede the passenger headlight so that's a plus.
Another modification recently was upgrading the wiring to the fridge in the rear of the Runner. I picked up the ARB wiring harness for simplicity and completeness and was satisfied by the quality of fittings.
A big difference in wire size to the OEM rear 12V outlet.
A Hella type plug was purchased to compliment the new ARB loom. 360 degree electrical contact! This thing will never work its way loose like the edgestar plug! Wrong...it still looses contact on occasion
. A jiggle of the plug and connection is restored. So that was a little frustrating after the investment, but at least the gauge of the wire increased..
Because the RTT now sits so close to the roof, the stock mombasa tracks with bolts are no longer accessible. It is also a terrible design to begin with as the bolts that mount through the platform wallow out the bottom of the tent. To remedy this, bolts go through the ends of the crossbars directly through the aluminum frame in the tent floor.
I also finally got smart when it came to the hi-lift rattling issue. Disassembling the unit and keeping the mechanical pieces stored in the truck not only eliminates all noise, but it keeps the components in working order. If there was ever I time I desperately needed height, I could probably spare the five minutes it would take to reassemble it. The bar itself is also not very heavy, so it's not as much of a chore to store up high.
Dropping the tent nearly 3-4" made the highway manners much better. There is less wind noise and the truck doesn't seem to be pushed around quite so much. It feels more like part of the vehicle.
With the crossbars the same width as the tent, a new exterior shovel storage plan had to be devised. I eventually ended up with extended bolts through the modified ARB license plate frame bracket. I've had quickfists fail in the past, nearly separating me from my shovel forever, so a hard mount solution was preferred. It doesn't seem to impede the passenger headlight so that's a plus.
Another modification recently was upgrading the wiring to the fridge in the rear of the Runner. I picked up the ARB wiring harness for simplicity and completeness and was satisfied by the quality of fittings.
A big difference in wire size to the OEM rear 12V outlet.
A Hella type plug was purchased to compliment the new ARB loom. 360 degree electrical contact! This thing will never work its way loose like the edgestar plug! Wrong...it still looses contact on occasion
. A jiggle of the plug and connection is restored. So that was a little frustrating after the investment, but at least the gauge of the wire increased..
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Would you mind posting some pictures of the yakima replacement track anchors? I assume you just through bolted the sqaure tubing into them?
Loving the new setup!
Mike
Edit: might this be what you used?
http://www.orsracksdirect.com/yakima-8810074-plate-a-spare-part.html
Loving the new setup!
Mike
Edit: might this be what you used?
http://www.orsracksdirect.com/yakima-8810074-plate-a-spare-part.html
CYi5
Explorer
Maybe...i'm not sure how it even loses contact, you have to pull it somewhat hard for it to disengage.
shmabs, yes those are the plates, replacement anchors A. For the mounting I used 1 1/4" flat plate I believe, and used allen bolts with plastic and metal washers. The same setup that Yakima uses. then just a little upright of 1"x2" welded between plate and crossbar.
The Yakima bars were a little tall for the RTT in my opinion, and needing a project as always I set about making some low profile crossbars. I'm not sure why I hadn't thought of the idea earlier, but it's a super easy task on these 3rd gen roof tracks. One can save a ton of time making the track anchors by just buying a set of eight Yakima replacement anchors for $8.00. The bars are 1"x2" rectangular tubing. They do whistle a little on the freeway with no RTT, I imagine that will be reduced when surfboard pads are applied.
Because the RTT now sits so close to the roof, the stock mombasa tracks with bolts are no longer accessible. It is also a terrible design to begin with as the bolts that mount through the platform wallow out the bottom of the tent. To remedy this, bolts go through the ends of the crossbars directly through the aluminum frame in the tent floor.
I also finally got smart when it came to the hi-lift rattling issue. Disassembling the unit and keeping the mechanical pieces stored in the truck not only eliminates all noise, but it keeps the components in working order. If there was ever I time I desperately needed height, I could probably spare the five minutes it would take to reassemble it. The bar itself is also not very heavy, so it's not as much of a chore to store up high.
Dropping the tent nearly 3-4" made the highway manners much better. There is less wind noise and the truck doesn't seem to be pushed around quite so much. It feels more like part of the vehicle.
With the crossbars the same width as the tent, a new exterior shovel storage plan had to be devised. I eventually ended up with extended bolts through the modified ARB license plate frame bracket. I've had quickfists fail in the past, nearly separating me from my shovel forever, so a hard mount solution was preferred. It doesn't seem to impede the passenger headlight so that's a plus.
Another modification recently was upgrading the wiring to the fridge in the rear of the Runner. I picked up the ARB wiring harness for simplicity and completeness and was satisfied by the quality of fittings.
A big difference in wire size to the OEM rear 12V outlet.
A Hella type plug was purchased to compliment the new ARB loom. 360 degree electrical contact! This thing will never work its way loose like the edgestar plug! Wrong...it still looses contact on occasion
Great looking Runner. I had the same issue with my ARB wiring loom. Check out my fridge install http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/96310-ARB-fridge-install. I used a trailer trailer plug because the loose connection kept blowing the fuses.
CYi5
Explorer
Thanks for the compliment
. I love the Hellas. For the price you can't get a more solid light; the all metal housing is very nice. The Euro-beam pretty much splits a 4000 fog and 4000 pencil, so it's a nice compromise. They come with 100w bulbs, but I would suggest doing the HID conversion ($40 DDM Tuning 4500k temp) to bring the wattage down (PnP, super easy and worth it). I've had mine on the truck for at least 6-7 years, never had an issue.It might be cool to do one euro, one fog Ausi style.
The lightforce lights are nice, but I think there's a lot of hype surrounding them too.
AlexJet
Explorer
Thanks for the compliment
It might be cool to do one euro, one fog Ausi style.
The lightforce lights are nice, but I think there's a lot of hype surrounding them too.
In addition to CYi5 comments.
I have 4000s on both of my 4Runners and on Land Cruiser. Those are the best lights on the market from my perspective. We have a guy with 240 and we compared the light outputs. I like the Hella for more solid light. I have Euro beam. Ausie's usually do driving + fog. In this case Euro beam duplicate both pattern in one. I have another pair of Hella fogs on the vehicle and they do not any significant benefit when 4000 are on. I have 3 lights, so I aimed center slightly higher then outboard one, so I have full coverage.
CYi5
Explorer
Good to know about the light spread, will save me some money in the future!
extrmsob293
New member
What size is your rear icon shock?