My new 4Runner.....What did I get???

[expatoz]

Well I can tell you you have a Sport Edition. This comes with bigger brakes so you cannot downsize wheels without some mods. You can increase tire size to 275 x 70 x 17 without too much drama but will need a mild lift 1.5" or so. The Gibson exhaust can be rather noisy. I prefer Magnaflow 22" for a daily driver. The air box kit gets you nothing other than maybe more noise and less filtration. The suspension will be XREAS which means you are limited to a spacer lift unless you disconnect the system, and then you can go to coilovers etc. If your in SoCal and want to meet up sometime, pm me. We can chat and discuss topics in relation to mods, or just ask away here. My truck is the same model as your BTW. Enjoy.

Thanks for all the info guys! I couldn't find anything on the documentation from the dealer regarding model, but I did look under at the shocks and did notice the "brake line" looking things coming out of them. Also noticed the new insurance paper and it says Sport on it. At this point, I think I'm just going to plan on doing the 1.5" body lift. Regarding the tires, I'll look into the larger 275x70x17 expatoz mentioned and see how close it gets. Either that, or I'll stick with the 265x70x17 that are on them now.

So expatoz, what part of SoCal are you in? I live in Chino.

kafene.

Other side - Oak Park, which is on the Ventura/LA county line.

I ran 275's first with a spacer lift on the XREAS, then with a 2" suspension lift (OME). Only rubbing was on the plastic triangles in front of the tires (front wheel well) which most people just trim off with a knife. I am not sure how you would go with 275's and a body lift. It might work but not heard of anyone going that direction as a first step. If you do a body lift be aware that anything bigger than a 1" will cause some minor problems with body mouldings - eg the rear bumper will flex around the rear crossmember. I cant recall (been too long) but are the running boards are mounted to the frame or the body? If mounted to the frame a BL will leave a gap which will look pretty nasty.

Here's my recommendations for mods on a progressive scale:

CB radio and some basic recovery gear
GPS
New tires (AT or better)
Sliders
Spacer lift
Coilover front suspension and lifted rear suspension
Front bumper - winch, spot lights
Advanced recovery equipment
Ham radio
Body Lift - only if needing to fit 34+ tires

Cheers
Mark

[expatoz]

PS - in case you haven't found this out yet - those lines from the shocks are you XREAS suspension. Basically the shocks are cross linked to the shock on the other side by oil filled lines and provides a firmer ride on road around corners. It has little to no effect offroad. They really work quite well on road. With this setup, you are limited to spacer technology to give a mild lift (around 2"). Spacers are very cheap and provide a nice look with little effect to the operation of the suspension.

Many people eventually move on to a higher lift requiring more expensive technology and removing the XREAS (which is pretty easy). I know Lance has done a good job of detailing this in other threads, but basically you either choose to go to stiffer and longer springs and matching shocks or up another level to coilovers. Some people go as far as coilovers and remote or piggy back reservoir shocks and coilovers but honestly - a VERY SMALL percentage of drivers need this. The main advantage being the oil in the shocks stays cooler thereby avoiding fade after extended fast hard use. Thing is most resi's are not really that large and cooling is pretty negligent.

Big bore (2.5") shocks and coilovers are plenty large enough except the Baja pre-runner style truck and then most of the resi's on the market are insufficient and you'd be better looking at a custom setup.

Anyhow, that's probably way more than your interested in for now but trust me - you'll be there before you know it LOL.

Cheers
Mark

[kafene]

Other side - Oak Park, which is on the Ventura/LA county line.

I ran 275's first with a spacer lift on the XREAS, then with a 2" suspension lift (OME). Only rubbing was on the plastic triangles in front of the tires (front wheel well) which most people just trim off with a knife. I am not sure how you would go with 275's and a body lift. It might work but not heard of anyone going that direction as a first step. If you do a body lift be aware that anything bigger than a 1" will cause some minor problems with body mouldings - eg the rear bumper will flex around the rear crossmember. I cant recall (been too long) but are the running boards are mounted to the frame or the body? If mounted to the frame a BL will leave a gap which will look pretty nasty.

Here's my recommendations for mods on a progressive scale:

CB radio and some basic recovery gear
GPS
New tires (AT or better)
Sliders
Spacer lift
Coilover front suspension and lifted rear suspension
Front bumper - winch, spot lights
Advanced recovery equipment
Ham radio
Body Lift - only if needing to fit 34+ tires

Cheers
Mark

Thanks for all the info! I'll take your advice and pass on the body lift.

Mark.