2016 Toyota 4Runner SR5
Discussion
My first foray into car ownership in the states was before I'd even fully immigrated - an ex-cop Ford Crown Vic. It was fantastically crap but got me from A to B (most of the time). It suffered from a persistent misfire and eventually the comedic aspect wore off.
By the end of 2018 my immigration process was complete, and I was in need of a way to get to work. Cue my wife's battered and tattered Jeep Grand Cherokee. In poverty spec trim, 2WD, it really was pretty bare bones and just a stop gap before I'd saved up enough to go shopping for my own vehicle. But it did the job and I was happy to be mobile again. My wife had had it since she was 17 and it had been in one pretty significant accident and had a few other love taps, and with the quality of driving over here I wasn't too thrilled about the half-functional seatbelt tensioners and intermittent airbag lights, suspecting a less-than-average repair job.
Regardless, it died before I got a chance to sell it. Thetransmission gearbox crapped out and left me with only first and second to get home from work one day. A very frustrating hour-long journey later I was home, and it was listed online for peanuts an hour later. Despite the mileage and condition it sold within a few days and I was able to get scrolling on Autotrader - for real this time.
We have a large dog, a bumpy driveway, and had plans to start a family, so I was looking at lifted wagons or SUVs. I'd had my eye on some nice VW Golf Alltracks, they ticked all the boxes, but they just weren't scratching this itch I had to buy something that I couldn't have had back home in the UK.
Enter the 4Runner. I'd seen plenty of them on the roads already, and a few modified ones had tickled my pickle. Unfortunately all the higher trims (TRD Pro, Off-Road, TRD Sport) were way out of my measly budget, but I could just about stretch to a base model SR5 with 4WD.
The 4Runners are an extremely agricultural platform, still built on a ladder chassis. All trims get the lethargic 4.0L V6 mated to a 5spd auto box and can just about get out of their own way. Even for 2016 the inside is woeful and the infotainment is tragic. So I bought one.
I never got any good pictures of it when I first got it, but it was clean, standard, with no modifications. The perfect template to mess with and make my own.
Stock pic.
Pretty quickly I made some additions. I swapped out the badge style grille for the higher trim model bar style, added the grille "raptor" lights, Baja Designs S1 lights on the A pillar, and some Lamin-X over the fog lights. I also tried out Plasti-Dip for the first time on the roof rack rail caps. I've never really been one for going off road for the sake of, but I will admit to having some fun while finding some less populated places to take the dog for a walk.
As expected the fuel economy was atrocious, but at $2 per gallon back then (~$3 now) I didn't really care.
I had plans to lift the suspension and add some more aggressive tyres on a wider offset wheel, but as my wallet had already taken a beating it would have to wait a short while.
By the end of 2018 my immigration process was complete, and I was in need of a way to get to work. Cue my wife's battered and tattered Jeep Grand Cherokee. In poverty spec trim, 2WD, it really was pretty bare bones and just a stop gap before I'd saved up enough to go shopping for my own vehicle. But it did the job and I was happy to be mobile again. My wife had had it since she was 17 and it had been in one pretty significant accident and had a few other love taps, and with the quality of driving over here I wasn't too thrilled about the half-functional seatbelt tensioners and intermittent airbag lights, suspecting a less-than-average repair job.
Regardless, it died before I got a chance to sell it. The
We have a large dog, a bumpy driveway, and had plans to start a family, so I was looking at lifted wagons or SUVs. I'd had my eye on some nice VW Golf Alltracks, they ticked all the boxes, but they just weren't scratching this itch I had to buy something that I couldn't have had back home in the UK.
Enter the 4Runner. I'd seen plenty of them on the roads already, and a few modified ones had tickled my pickle. Unfortunately all the higher trims (TRD Pro, Off-Road, TRD Sport) were way out of my measly budget, but I could just about stretch to a base model SR5 with 4WD.
The 4Runners are an extremely agricultural platform, still built on a ladder chassis. All trims get the lethargic 4.0L V6 mated to a 5spd auto box and can just about get out of their own way. Even for 2016 the inside is woeful and the infotainment is tragic. So I bought one.
I never got any good pictures of it when I first got it, but it was clean, standard, with no modifications. The perfect template to mess with and make my own.
Stock pic.Pretty quickly I made some additions. I swapped out the badge style grille for the higher trim model bar style, added the grille "raptor" lights, Baja Designs S1 lights on the A pillar, and some Lamin-X over the fog lights. I also tried out Plasti-Dip for the first time on the roof rack rail caps. I've never really been one for going off road for the sake of, but I will admit to having some fun while finding some less populated places to take the dog for a walk.
As expected the fuel economy was atrocious, but at $2 per gallon back then (~$3 now) I didn't really care.
I had plans to lift the suspension and add some more aggressive tyres on a wider offset wheel, but as my wallet had already taken a beating it would have to wait a short while.
Edited by lindrup119 on Tuesday 28th May 20:29
Edited by lndrp119 on Thursday 13th March 14:38
Next up was yet more lights! I don't know when or where my addiction to adding lights to vehicles started, perhaps with the spot lights on my first car (
), but I knew I wanted a light bar. I decided on tucking it behind the grille, and as it was a cheapo $100 light I wasn't too concerned with affecting the throw/spread of a properly designed piece of kit.
I would have liked (and still would like) to have wired it into the high beams, but electrical sits at the very bottom of my knowledge stack when it comes to working on cars, so I settled for some OEM style buttons:
We live in the sticks ish (North Georgia), and the whitetail deer population is large and the tastiest grass is always right next to the road apparently. I'm always extremely cautious about making sure I don't blind other drivers but I can say without a doubt that I (or my wife in the passenger seat) have been able to pick out deer by the side of the road we otherwise would have missed.
), but I knew I wanted a light bar. I decided on tucking it behind the grille, and as it was a cheapo $100 light I wasn't too concerned with affecting the throw/spread of a properly designed piece of kit. I would have liked (and still would like) to have wired it into the high beams, but electrical sits at the very bottom of my knowledge stack when it comes to working on cars, so I settled for some OEM style buttons:
We live in the sticks ish (North Georgia), and the whitetail deer population is large and the tastiest grass is always right next to the road apparently. I'm always extremely cautious about making sure I don't blind other drivers but I can say without a doubt that I (or my wife in the passenger seat) have been able to pick out deer by the side of the road we otherwise would have missed.
Edited by lindrup119 on Tuesday 28th May 20:29
A few months later I found a company selling 4Runner wheels with the kind of aggressive offset I was looking for, only problem was they continually sold out of whatever colors they had available. So I ended up with a grey/black with a beadlock imitation rim:
I paired those with a basic 3" suspension lift kit from BDS, some chunky ATs from Nitto, and ended up with this:
One of mine (and doggo's) favourite features is the drop down rear window:
I paired those with a basic 3" suspension lift kit from BDS, some chunky ATs from Nitto, and ended up with this:
One of mine (and doggo's) favourite features is the drop down rear window:
Edited by lindrup119 on Tuesday 28th May 20:29
Shappers24 said:
Didn’t know these were even a thing. Does it sit on a bespoke platform or does it share with other models (Land Cruiser maybe?!)
I think they share some chassis and drivetrain components with the Tacoma pick up.Shortly after the wheels and lift were added some man maths resulted in the acquisition of a Yamaha Wolverine. It's primarily used for work, but we occasionally need to take it elsewhere, so the 4Runner was pressed into service. After that it just seemed to become the default tow and rescue vehicle at the farm we live and work on, occasionally having to get out into the mud to extricate a dead tractor.
Edited by lindrup119 on Tuesday 28th May 20:30
Edited by lndrp119 on Wednesday 12th March 20:34
The 4Runner has now ticked over 85,000 miles total, and has been with me ~4 years, so it was time for a major service. All fluids and filters changed with no issues, except for the front diff drain bolt. This uses a 10mm hex, and as I found out is a major PITA to remove. It wouldn't budge even with lots of PB and then heat applied, and after the second socket I tried rounded I gave up. A job for a pro now.
First time using a lift for vehicle work, game changer!
Nice to have help.
The previous wheels have been swapped out for something with a less aggressive offset. The SCS Ray 10s were -38mm, whereas the new Racelines are -12mm. Looks a little more respectable now (apart from the fact that they're bronze), and I won't be spraying crap up the side of the car constantly which was a big motivation for swapping the old ones.
The Racelines are heavier, which I'm not jazzed about for the sake of other components and MPG, but they're here to stay for now. A new set of Nitto Ridge Grapplers on too. The last ones managed 50k ish miles so was very impressed.
(Mud on side of car from old wheel and tire set up.)
First time using a lift for vehicle work, game changer!
Nice to have help.
The previous wheels have been swapped out for something with a less aggressive offset. The SCS Ray 10s were -38mm, whereas the new Racelines are -12mm. Looks a little more respectable now (apart from the fact that they're bronze), and I won't be spraying crap up the side of the car constantly which was a big motivation for swapping the old ones.
The Racelines are heavier, which I'm not jazzed about for the sake of other components and MPG, but they're here to stay for now. A new set of Nitto Ridge Grapplers on too. The last ones managed 50k ish miles so was very impressed.
(Mud on side of car from old wheel and tire set up.)
Edited by lindrup119 on Tuesday 28th May 20:31
All the way back in 2022 I got some aftermarket headlights. They're not much of an improvement over the stock units, but do include LED DRLs and sequential indicators. I think if I was to do it again I'd have chosen some full LED units, but overall I'm not wanting for light output.
(Doggo is owed a stick throw.)
I did start to suffer some electrical issues with the 4Runner though, and they were eventually traced all the way back to the DRL wire for the headlights and primarily a secretly expiring battery. I say secretly because no battery testing machine or home voltage tester seemed to be able to identify an issue with it, but once replaced, the car was totally fine. I even found a blank switch spot under the steering column and installed a Voltage readout/USB port to try and live track the power loss.
(Reading shows new battery.)
Its replacement was a very jazzy (and expensive) Odyssey AGM battery, coming in at $350+. I paired it with an Overland Equipped auxiliary power kit to tidy up my shoddy wiring job, removed the raptor-style marker lights, and it's been fine ever since.
It's never clean, and I'm bad about cleaning my vehicles (exterior) in general, but I got a petrol-powered power washer as an anniversary present a few years back. It's a fantastic thing as long as you're careful with the nozzles, but I think at this point I need to get the car to a professional for some paint buffing help.
I tried my hand at plasti-dip once again, this time the rear badge was my victim. I was trying to mimic the Toyotas/Lexuses of old that came with gold badging for certain trim levels. It sort of matches the bronze wheels, not that that was my initial intention, and it's held up pretty well (it's been on there for 2+ years although admittedly not enough car washes for a true durability test).
It's closing in on 108,000 miles and will be due a major service soon. The trickle savings account for mods will be drained to accommodate that and the paint correction. Other than a GMRS radio and antenna, all other "mod cash" is being directed toward the other vehicle at the moment: Ford F-350 Super Duty - 7.3L V8
(Doggo is owed a stick throw.)
I did start to suffer some electrical issues with the 4Runner though, and they were eventually traced all the way back to the DRL wire for the headlights and primarily a secretly expiring battery. I say secretly because no battery testing machine or home voltage tester seemed to be able to identify an issue with it, but once replaced, the car was totally fine. I even found a blank switch spot under the steering column and installed a Voltage readout/USB port to try and live track the power loss.
(Reading shows new battery.)
Its replacement was a very jazzy (and expensive) Odyssey AGM battery, coming in at $350+. I paired it with an Overland Equipped auxiliary power kit to tidy up my shoddy wiring job, removed the raptor-style marker lights, and it's been fine ever since.
It's never clean, and I'm bad about cleaning my vehicles (exterior) in general, but I got a petrol-powered power washer as an anniversary present a few years back. It's a fantastic thing as long as you're careful with the nozzles, but I think at this point I need to get the car to a professional for some paint buffing help.
I tried my hand at plasti-dip once again, this time the rear badge was my victim. I was trying to mimic the Toyotas/Lexuses of old that came with gold badging for certain trim levels. It sort of matches the bronze wheels, not that that was my initial intention, and it's held up pretty well (it's been on there for 2+ years although admittedly not enough car washes for a true durability test).
It's closing in on 108,000 miles and will be due a major service soon. The trickle savings account for mods will be drained to accommodate that and the paint correction. Other than a GMRS radio and antenna, all other "mod cash" is being directed toward the other vehicle at the moment: Ford F-350 Super Duty - 7.3L V8
Edited by lndrp119 on Wednesday 12th March 21:18
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