cgrigsby79
New member
Just picked this up a few months ago and am slowly but surely getting it dialed in. 2018 4Runner TRD Off-Road with KDSS. First order of business was blacking out the dorky silver front and rear valences. They are just plasti-dipped for now, but seem to be holding up pretty well. Will likely upgrade to a hybrid front steel bumper and replace the rear at some point as I would really like a swing-out.
Next, I got an insane deal on new 275/70/17 BF Goodrich K02s as part of the bi-annual Discount Tire sale and managed to sell the OEM Dunlops for $300 on local craigslist. I went with 275s instead of 285s to ensure proper fitment on stock suspension, but now I wish I would have gotten the 285s as I think they would have fit just fine...plus they come in a C rating which would have saved some weight over the E rated 275s. Still, they are very nice riding both on and off-road.
A few weeks later I jumped on a $100 off discount for some RSG angled sliders. RSG is local to me and so far I'm extremely impressed with their shop. I got the sliders for just a hair over $500 with tax and no-shipping in the bare metal, so they were a no-brainer as far as bang for the buck. I painted them satin black using Rustoleum and installed them with one end balanced on a laundry basket, lol. The passenger side was pretty straightforward, but the driver side took some work due to the KDSS lines. Would highly recommend an impact wrench as I think I'm still sore from hand ratcheting all the bolts in!
After much deliberation, I went with the 3" Old Man Emu suspension kit (light springs in front, medium in back) with the SPC Upper Control Arms. My good friend did most of the install while I assisted, which was a great learning experience. After settling a bit, I ended up with around 3" of lift in all four corners, so the factory rake is largely unchanged...it really looks great! The ride is a little stiffer for sure, but I expect that will change as I add more weight to the vehicle over time. I also considered the Toytec Boss, OME BP-51, on up to the King OEM 2.5 shocks, but went with the Old Man Emu given their rock solid reputation for longevity and their extremely low price. I would have loved to do the Kings and still may upgrade down the road, but I really didn't want to wait upwards of 2 months to have them built...not to mention they would have cost about 4x as much as the OME. RSG did the alignment and had no problems getting ample caster with the SPC UCAs.
Finally, emboldened by my aforementioned plastic-dipping and slider painting, I decided to paint the factory TRD alloy wheels in a satin black. I prepped the wheels by sanding them with 320 grit paper and also used Duplicolor prep spray, then about 3 coats of Duplicolor black primer. Finally, I did 4-5 coats of Duplicolor satin black wheel paint. Hardest part was getting the wheels back on the lugs! Gotta say, I'm digging the upgrade for $20...hell of a lot cheaper than buying new wheels!
Next, I got an insane deal on new 275/70/17 BF Goodrich K02s as part of the bi-annual Discount Tire sale and managed to sell the OEM Dunlops for $300 on local craigslist. I went with 275s instead of 285s to ensure proper fitment on stock suspension, but now I wish I would have gotten the 285s as I think they would have fit just fine...plus they come in a C rating which would have saved some weight over the E rated 275s. Still, they are very nice riding both on and off-road.
A few weeks later I jumped on a $100 off discount for some RSG angled sliders. RSG is local to me and so far I'm extremely impressed with their shop. I got the sliders for just a hair over $500 with tax and no-shipping in the bare metal, so they were a no-brainer as far as bang for the buck. I painted them satin black using Rustoleum and installed them with one end balanced on a laundry basket, lol. The passenger side was pretty straightforward, but the driver side took some work due to the KDSS lines. Would highly recommend an impact wrench as I think I'm still sore from hand ratcheting all the bolts in!
After much deliberation, I went with the 3" Old Man Emu suspension kit (light springs in front, medium in back) with the SPC Upper Control Arms. My good friend did most of the install while I assisted, which was a great learning experience. After settling a bit, I ended up with around 3" of lift in all four corners, so the factory rake is largely unchanged...it really looks great! The ride is a little stiffer for sure, but I expect that will change as I add more weight to the vehicle over time. I also considered the Toytec Boss, OME BP-51, on up to the King OEM 2.5 shocks, but went with the Old Man Emu given their rock solid reputation for longevity and their extremely low price. I would have loved to do the Kings and still may upgrade down the road, but I really didn't want to wait upwards of 2 months to have them built...not to mention they would have cost about 4x as much as the OME. RSG did the alignment and had no problems getting ample caster with the SPC UCAs.
Finally, emboldened by my aforementioned plastic-dipping and slider painting, I decided to paint the factory TRD alloy wheels in a satin black. I prepped the wheels by sanding them with 320 grit paper and also used Duplicolor prep spray, then about 3 coats of Duplicolor black primer. Finally, I did 4-5 coats of Duplicolor satin black wheel paint. Hardest part was getting the wheels back on the lugs! Gotta say, I'm digging the upgrade for $20...hell of a lot cheaper than buying new wheels!
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