Thinking of a mild 4 runner build

[jgallo1]

Expo,

We have always kept my wife's vehicle stock. We are bouncing around the idea of doing a mild build on her 4runner. It is a 2018 4runner. We just put a new set of General grabber atx's on the truck.

I am looking for recommendations on a low pro or hidden winch bumper, roof rack, and suspension.
I have never built a 4runner and have not paid much attention to them.

I was thinking of going Icon for suspension but I am open. The lift will be mild 1-2" Mainly just want to increase ride quality.

Thanks

 

[Tex68w]

No love for Icon over here, there are lot's of great options out there from Dobinsons, to Ironman, OME, Toytech and beyond.

Roof racks are tricky, the modular models like the Prinsu, Victory, SSO, Sherpa, and LFD are better looking in terms of how they flow with the lines of the truck but they aren't as user friendly during install or with aftermarket accessories as those one piece units like the Frontrunner, Rhino and Eezi-Awn and they have far too much hardware. My only gripe with the latter is that they are heavier, cost more, and sit up higher off of the top of the roof which isn't ideal for looks or wind noise and fuel economy.

In terms of the low pro and hidden winch options, again there are many. C4 and SSO would get my vote there.

 

[jgallo1]

I have always just used OME for all my trucks. Glad to hear they work well for the 4 runner.
I did have and SSO bumper on a Tacoma, it looked really good, I found it a bit annoying when getting to the winch control.
Thanks for the info Tex68w

 

[jgallo1]

just saw that elka has a 4runner kit, looking into that. I have heard great things about Elka.

 

[Over The Silent Planet]

C4’s lo pro winch bumper would be the one I’d get.

Big fan of the LFD crossbars for the stock roof rails. Very strong. Easy to strap lots of stuff to and then remove when you want to go through a car wash (or when you just don’t want to have a sail on top of your vehicle sucking your mpg).

I did Bilsteins all around. Up front, they are necessary to cure the nose dive (when it happens, you’ll know). I have had great luck with the OME/Bilstein combo on my 4Runner, but if I were in the market, I’d be giving Dobinsons a hard look for springs.

I also can’t say enough good things about the LT version of the Nitto G2s on my 4Runner. That surprises a lot of people because the P-rated G2s that come on the Pro and Off Road models from the factory are crap. The LT G2 is the lightest weight LT I could find. I’ve never had a problem in almost 50k miles. They balanced perfectly right away, and they’ve been great for airing down to 18psi on trails.

Make sure you relocate the rear axle breather. The breathers for the front axle and transfer case have been run up the firewall, but the rear axle breather is still on the rear axle. The kit from ARB is great and only like $70, but you can do it cheaper if you know what to buy. I went with the ARB and have had no complaints.

 

[Plannerman]

I’ve been in a 5th gen 4Runner for a few years now. I’ve had a chance to test several suspension set ups on my 4Runner, my Tacoma, and my buddy’s 4Runner: stock, Rancho, OME, and various flavors of Icon. Before you choose, make sure you know what you’re buying for. If you just want ground clearance, are going to keep the truck mostly stock, just get what’s cheapest. If durability is important, go with OME, Bilstein, or Rancho. Rancho shocks are surprisingly good and offer slight valving adjustment. Otherwise, those three perform about the same. Dobinsons and Iron Man will be about the same as well. I found that these shocks ride better than stock, but only marginally. I second @Over The Silent Planet recommendation on Dobinsons springs; I like them a lot.

Kings, Icon, and Fox (and similar brands that are fully rebuildable) are going to focus on performance over durability. All three brands essentially use the same seals and valves, etc. That said, my buddy got 100k miles out of his Icons before rebuilding them. I landed with Icons because I have found their customer service to be AMAZING and I really like the adjustability of their CDC reservoir shocks. My 4Runner takes rough terrain frighteningly well now.

at last year‘s Overland Expo, I had a chance to check out most low pro style bumpers up close (SSO, C4, Warn, etc.). I ended up purchasing the Victory Off-road bumper because I found it the best fit with the lines of the stock bumper.

I have had experience with the LFD bars, the Gobi rack, Front Runner, Baja Rack, and Prinsu. Prinsu is, by far, the best value. Gobi has the best aesthetic, but is the heaviest and loudest of all of them. Baja started getting rust fairly soon after install. Front Runner is very well built and has great accessories. The LFD bars suit all my needs, but are surprisingly loud.

 

[smokeysevin]

Rebuilding shocks is really not that hard. The parts to do it are cheap and really its just oil and seals that go bad. I picked up my Donahoe Racing (now icon) shocks for $150 shipped, replaced both shafts, all the seals, the oil, and the fill valves for under $200.

Sean

 

[Tex68w]

I have had experience with the LFD bars, the Gobi rack, Front Runner, Baja Rack, and Prinsu. Prinsu is, by far, the best value. Gobi has the best aesthetic, but is the heaviest and loudest of all of them. Baja started getting rust fairly soon after install. Front Runner is very well built and has great accessories. The LFD bars suit all my needs, but are surprisingly loud.

I've had Gobi, Baja Rack, and Prinsu and I have friends with LFD, Rhino Rack, and Front Runner. I agree that Gobi has the best classic look but they rust quickly and the expanded metal doesn't make for the most secure or repeatable platform to to secure things. Prinsu is the best looking modular rack but their hardware oxidizes quickly, the hardware is undersized and the design of the feet and how they secure to the roof is nothing short of awful. There are many similar makes on the market doing it better now, but surprisingly none of them look as good as the Prinsu. I am leaning Frontrunner this time simply for strength and accessories but I am not keen on the look or the noise. I love the way the LFD racks look and they claim to be offering one for the GX460 later this year so I might just wait.

 

[Plannerman]

I haven’t seen those issues with Prinsu or Gobi. I have also found Front Runner to be surprisingly quiet.

 

[BrewsterII]

My Front Runner roof rack does not make any more noise than the factory roof rack on my FJC.

Quiet in my opinion!

 

[Tex68w]

I haven’t seen those issues with Prinsu or Gobi. I have also found Front Runner to be surprisingly quiet.

Just because you haven't seen them yourself doesn't mean they don't exist and aren't well documented, just do a google search and see for yourself. I have owned both of those racks, multiples of the Gobi in fact so I am speaking from first hand experience. The Prinsu mounting system is utter crap and that is blatantly obvious.

I have ridden in multiple Toyotas with Frontrunners and I have friends with them all of whom have reported more noise with their Frontrunner than with prior racks. I am not trying to start a pissing match here, I am just stating facts based off of first hand experience.

 

[Tex68w]

My Front Runner roof rack does not make any more noise than the factory roof rack on my FJC.

Quiet in my opinion!

You mean to tell me the factory rack made of 2.5" tubing stacked up 10" off of the top of the roof isn't quiet? Of course the factory FJC rack is loud lol.

 

[BrewsterII]

You mean to tell me the factory rack made of 2.5" tubing stacked up 10" off of the top of the roof isn't quiet? Of course the factory FJC rack is loud lol.

Actually, it was not loud. It's when people put the crossbars in backwards that they make noise. I drove with the OEM rack on for over a year.

And if the Front Runner rack is making noise, "your friends" need to adjust the wind deflector on the front of the rack. It's all in the installation instructions.

With that said, ALL roof racks make a certain amount of noise, but neither of the two I've mentioned make excessive noise ........... not by any stretch of your imagination.

Oh, and the Front Runner is not a one piece roof rack. After I put mine together, I confirmed it with a "friend". He had to put his together too.

 

[Plannerman]

Just because you haven't seen them yourself doesn't mean they don't exist and aren't well documented, just do a google search and see for yourself. I have owned both of those racks, multiples of the Gobi in fact so I am speaking from first hand experience. The Prinsu mounting system is utter crap and that is blatantly obvious.

I have ridden in multiple Toyotas with Frontrunners and I have friends with them all of whom have reported more noise with their Frontrunner than with prior racks. I am not trying to start a pissing match here, I am just stating facts based off of first hand experience.

Maybe you don’t mean it, but... it kinda seems like you’re trying to start a pissing match. It’s okay that we might have different experiences. It doesn’t invalidate others’ experiences. Hell, I’ve had different experiences with brands across different platforms. I have found the Prinsu mounting system to be very effective. There were no blatantly obvious deficiencies with my rack. And it’s okay that my experience was different from yours. I’ll pass on any Google searches, but I do hope that my experience might help others trying to decide which equipment to purchase.

 

[Tex68w]

Maybe you don’t mean it, but... it kinda seems like you’re trying to start a pissing match. It’s okay that we might have different experiences. It doesn’t invalidate others’ experiences. Hell, I’ve had different experiences with brands across different platforms. I have found the Prinsu mounting system to be very effective. There were no blatantly obvious deficiencies with my rack. And it’s okay that my experience was different from yours. I’ll pass on any Google searches, but I do hope that my experience might help others trying to decide which equipment to purchase.

I am glad that you are happy with your rack but you are the exception to the rule. I just try to warn others of an inferior product so that they can avoid the shortcomings and common issues that myself and many other owners have experienced. If we are here to make suggestions to another enthusiast about products he's interested in wouldn't I be remiss if I didn't point out issues with said product?

Prinsu was the first to market with that style of rack and it's still one of if not the best looking due to its low profile, but there are better ways of building that style of rack and multiple other manufactures have brought a similar product to market in recent years and they've all improved upon its shortcomings for a reason.