Influencer II
2016 T4R Trail
- Thread starter JusticeZ33
- Start date
...and that was one way...had to pay another $15 to get back home. First toll booth i have been to that takes credit cards.
Influencer II
That's bogus! And I thought $6.50 was a lot for the Golden Gate Bridge.
Jesus Christ I've never seen a toll booth over $2 in my life and I've been to fourteen different countries and 17 States LOL
Today I installed XenonDepot 8000K HIDs. I tried to be as scientific as I could be for the Light comparison so I feel the below image is as accurate as i can make it without being a complete pain in the ass. The photos are about a week apart so obviously my car has moved, though i tried to get it close to the same location. Both shots were right around 10:00pm (they are actually 10min apart) so the darkness is close to the same. I also used a DSLR and did not change the manual camera setting at all so the light the camera saw in one shot is measured the same in the second shot. Again I tried to keep the tripod in exactly the same spot but there is variance between the two shots.
Top shot is the HID kit, bottom shot is stock.
Overall, besides color, light output looks similar. The spread is a bit better with the HIDs and the intensity is slightly higher in the center of the beam. The cutoff does appear to be higher as in one photo there is gap between my mirror and the cutoff point. How much of this is due to slight differences in camera angle are hard to tell.
Things to note, I am on a driveway so the car is naturally facing down into the street. The difference might have been more apparent if I had test shot from flat ground.
Top shot is the HID kit, bottom shot is stock.
Overall, besides color, light output looks similar. The spread is a bit better with the HIDs and the intensity is slightly higher in the center of the beam. The cutoff does appear to be higher as in one photo there is gap between my mirror and the cutoff point. How much of this is due to slight differences in camera angle are hard to tell.
Things to note, I am on a driveway so the car is naturally facing down into the street. The difference might have been more apparent if I had test shot from flat ground.
Re-did the test while I was camping on the beach. It shows the difference better. As with before, the same camera settings were used in each shot so the amount of light registered by the camera is constant.
Stock Low Beams with Fogs
XenonDepot HID with Fog
Xenon Depot HID with Fog and OP7 Ditch Lights
Stock Low Beams with Fogs
XenonDepot HID with Fog
Xenon Depot HID with Fog and OP7 Ditch Lights
This past weekend I got the urge to try out actually camping out of my car. My original idea was to drive north along highway 1 but in the end I went south to Cape Lookout National Shoreline. This beach is only accessible by ferry in North Carolina and requires a 4wd vehicle. There are almost no facilities and several miles of undeveloped beach.
It was a great first camp trip out of the rig and I learned things that I want to change for my longer journey to Newfoundland I am planning for later in September. The worst part was this weekend happened to be one of the hottest and most humid on the east coast. I was dying sleeping in the back of the T4R and in the end, opened the windows and took my chances with the mosquitoes...still was hot all night.
It was a great first camp trip out of the rig and I learned things that I want to change for my longer journey to Newfoundland I am planning for later in September. The worst part was this weekend happened to be one of the hottest and most humid on the east coast. I was dying sleeping in the back of the T4R and in the end, opened the windows and took my chances with the mosquitoes...still was hot all night.
Finally got some of the photos from the July 4th weekend trip up to Rausch Creek Offroad park. It was my first time off roading and it was a three day course that included recovery techniques. It was a good intro for me and really showed me a lot about how capable the T4R is stock. The photos do not look as rough (or maybe that was just my head thinking it was crazy). I did land on a rock ledge doing a ledge climb which crunched my fuel tank skid plate...oh well something else to add to the list to mod :)
Influencer II
Just finished the lift. Toytec Ultimate kit. I used the factory settings. Still need to take it in for an alignment but I am so glad this is done. Took me most of the day including 4 runs to various stores for more tools :).
Areas I had a hard time with:
- Diff drop hardware did not thread right so I had to get my own hardware...looking back it is probably my own fault since I did not see the nuts provided and by that time, I had cross threaded the 6in bolt.
- Getting the front strut actually around all the suspension components. I was grateful I had a friend over to help push down on the lower control arm with a pry bar while I jostled the steering assembly while shoving the coilovers into place.
- Rear Springs, you definitely need a spring compressor to get this in. you can get your OEM springs out without the compressor but getting the new springs in seems impossible without the spring compressor.
Overall, I am happy with the kit. At first, it lifted the front about 4" but after it settled out it dropped to 2.5". The rear lift is about 3" but i expect that will sit down as i add more weight in the back. Ride quality is slightly stiffer than stock, but not so harsh as say putting racing springs into a 350Z. It still has street manners, and a big improvement on the nose dive.
Now i just need to figure out how the hell to get the upper control arm bolt out and I will change that as well.
I forgot to take pictures while doing the work. It was actually raining for half of the install so I was soaking wet...but cool.
Not the best side by side but you can really see the lift in the front.
Before
After
Areas I had a hard time with:
- Diff drop hardware did not thread right so I had to get my own hardware...looking back it is probably my own fault since I did not see the nuts provided and by that time, I had cross threaded the 6in bolt.
- Getting the front strut actually around all the suspension components. I was grateful I had a friend over to help push down on the lower control arm with a pry bar while I jostled the steering assembly while shoving the coilovers into place.
- Rear Springs, you definitely need a spring compressor to get this in. you can get your OEM springs out without the compressor but getting the new springs in seems impossible without the spring compressor.
Overall, I am happy with the kit. At first, it lifted the front about 4" but after it settled out it dropped to 2.5". The rear lift is about 3" but i expect that will sit down as i add more weight in the back. Ride quality is slightly stiffer than stock, but not so harsh as say putting racing springs into a 350Z. It still has street manners, and a big improvement on the nose dive.
Now i just need to figure out how the hell to get the upper control arm bolt out and I will change that as well.
I forgot to take pictures while doing the work. It was actually raining for half of the install so I was soaking wet...but cool.
Not the best side by side but you can really see the lift in the front.
Before
After
Last edited:
A week after installing the Toytec lift kit, the suspension in the T4R started to groan. I had already purchased Total Chaos UCAs but was still driving on the stock UCAs until the weekend could come and I could install them. I had always heard that if you lift 3" you need UCAs but this really sealed the deal as the truck would groan every time the weight on the chassis shifted.
Today, I installed the Total Chaos UCAs. I did a bit of looking around and learning to figure out how to get the UCA long bolt out as it hits the fender preventing full removal. Total Chaos has a good video of a Tacoma install and I used that as a guide.
Here are some pictures of my install with some lessons learned. I will start by saying I am not a mechanic outside of backyard jobs. There are probably better ways to do this, there are usually multiple ways to do anything on a car. This is just what worked for me.
These are all the tools I used for the install, minus a breaker bar I had to grab for a stubborn bolt.
The zerk fittings only need to be snug, they do not need to go flush. The red bushings can be popped in by hand. Grease the inner metal sleeve and then use the deadblow hammer to insert the sleeve into the red bushings like in the video. What is not in the video is that the inside bushing will likely push out a bit after inserting the sleeve. Use the deadblow hammer to ensure the inner bushings are properly set flush with the UCA or you will never get the washer between the bushing and the frame (later on).
The start...
Disconnect the Sway Bar Link.
I loosely zip tied the spindle to my spring so later on it would stay put and not pull on the ABS or brake lines. Many ways to stabilize this part, use what you know.
Remove the dirt guards by popping out the plastic clips. You only need to remove enough clips to get it out of the way. You probably do not need to do the rear one but it made removal of the UCA mounting nut a little easier.
Contrary to the video, you do not need to go in through the top and remove wires. Just pop this one tab from under the wheel well to move the wire out of the way.
Use lockjaw pliers and bend the fender out of the way just enough for the bolt to clear. Make sure you are not grabbing any wires on the back side.
Remove the pin and loosen the castle nut but do not remove.
Today, I installed the Total Chaos UCAs. I did a bit of looking around and learning to figure out how to get the UCA long bolt out as it hits the fender preventing full removal. Total Chaos has a good video of a Tacoma install and I used that as a guide.
Here are some pictures of my install with some lessons learned. I will start by saying I am not a mechanic outside of backyard jobs. There are probably better ways to do this, there are usually multiple ways to do anything on a car. This is just what worked for me.
These are all the tools I used for the install, minus a breaker bar I had to grab for a stubborn bolt.
The zerk fittings only need to be snug, they do not need to go flush. The red bushings can be popped in by hand. Grease the inner metal sleeve and then use the deadblow hammer to insert the sleeve into the red bushings like in the video. What is not in the video is that the inside bushing will likely push out a bit after inserting the sleeve. Use the deadblow hammer to ensure the inner bushings are properly set flush with the UCA or you will never get the washer between the bushing and the frame (later on).
The start...
Disconnect the Sway Bar Link.
I loosely zip tied the spindle to my spring so later on it would stay put and not pull on the ABS or brake lines. Many ways to stabilize this part, use what you know.
Remove the dirt guards by popping out the plastic clips. You only need to remove enough clips to get it out of the way. You probably do not need to do the rear one but it made removal of the UCA mounting nut a little easier.
Contrary to the video, you do not need to go in through the top and remove wires. Just pop this one tab from under the wheel well to move the wire out of the way.
Use lockjaw pliers and bend the fender out of the way just enough for the bolt to clear. Make sure you are not grabbing any wires on the back side.
Remove the pin and loosen the castle nut but do not remove.
Continued....
Hit the metal around the UCA ball joint to separate the UCA from the spindle. It helps to have the suspension in full droop.
Pry open the clamps that secure the hose to the UCA. There are two that need to be removed.
Remove the long bolt nut but not the bolt yet.
Remove the castle nut and disconnect the UCA from the spindle.
Remove the long bolt. You will have to wobble the UCA around while pulling the bolt out.
This is another point where I did a little different from the video. Instead of partially putting the long bolt into the new UCA and weaving it into place, I just put the bolt behind the fender, aligned the UCA, and then put the bolt and washer into the UCA...it was a lot easier. Notice the silver washer, then red bushing, then red bushing, then silver washer. The only thing here that is from the factory UCA is the long bolt and its nut.
Bolt fed all the way through with nut loosely tightened. I put anti-seize on all threads.
Hit the metal around the UCA ball joint to separate the UCA from the spindle. It helps to have the suspension in full droop.
Pry open the clamps that secure the hose to the UCA. There are two that need to be removed.
Remove the long bolt nut but not the bolt yet.
Remove the castle nut and disconnect the UCA from the spindle.
Remove the long bolt. You will have to wobble the UCA around while pulling the bolt out.
This is another point where I did a little different from the video. Instead of partially putting the long bolt into the new UCA and weaving it into place, I just put the bolt behind the fender, aligned the UCA, and then put the bolt and washer into the UCA...it was a lot easier. Notice the silver washer, then red bushing, then red bushing, then silver washer. The only thing here that is from the factory UCA is the long bolt and its nut.
Bolt fed all the way through with nut loosely tightened. I put anti-seize on all threads.
continued...
Next we install the supplied bolt and offsets for the UCA joint. It goes bolt head, small washer, through the UCA joint, offset, through the spindle, washer, nut. I cut my zip tie that was securing the spindle at this point as well so you get full motion to help align everything.
You will need a 21mm wrench for the bolt and a 22mm wrench for the nut.
From there you are basically done. Tighten all bolts and nuts down to factory specs, reattach the sway bar link, and button up the dust aprons. I also took the time to re-torque all the bolts from the lift install and added grease.
After all was said and done, I took it for a test drive and all the groans were gone. If you lift your truck to 3", you need UCAs. Next stop...alignment.
Next we install the supplied bolt and offsets for the UCA joint. It goes bolt head, small washer, through the UCA joint, offset, through the spindle, washer, nut. I cut my zip tie that was securing the spindle at this point as well so you get full motion to help align everything.
You will need a 21mm wrench for the bolt and a 22mm wrench for the nut.
From there you are basically done. Tighten all bolts and nuts down to factory specs, reattach the sway bar link, and button up the dust aprons. I also took the time to re-torque all the bolts from the lift install and added grease.
After all was said and done, I took it for a test drive and all the groans were gone. If you lift your truck to 3", you need UCAs. Next stop...alignment.
Last edited:
Installed the Metal Tech Rocksliders and put in a roof net for stowing light gear.
Traveler III
@JusticeZ33 Good looking sliders.
What net is that, and how is it attached? I hd one in my Outback, and miss it in the 4Runner.
What net is that, and how is it attached? I hd one in my Outback, and miss it in the 4Runner.
I has been a while since I posted at all. Lots going on.
@Steve , the net is just a Bell net that I got off Amazon for like 5 bucks. It is not really designed for a roof net. The mounts came with the net and are screwed in and two sided taped to the headliner. Not the strongest of mods but it works for paper towels, toilet paper, and other light things. I had the chance to test it out a few weeks ago and while useful, I want to revisit how it mounts.
I am installing my Demello front bumper this weekend (hopefully) and my Gobi rack has shipped so that is soon to come.
A few weeks back I took a trip up to Baxter State Park up in Maine. Here are some photos to inspire others to travel up there. Lots of easy dirt roads to explore in that area.
@Steve , the net is just a Bell net that I got off Amazon for like 5 bucks. It is not really designed for a roof net. The mounts came with the net and are screwed in and two sided taped to the headliner. Not the strongest of mods but it works for paper towels, toilet paper, and other light things. I had the chance to test it out a few weeks ago and while useful, I want to revisit how it mounts.
I am installing my Demello front bumper this weekend (hopefully) and my Gobi rack has shipped so that is soon to come.
A few weeks back I took a trip up to Baxter State Park up in Maine. Here are some photos to inspire others to travel up there. Lots of easy dirt roads to explore in that area.
Attachments
It has been a while and there have been a few big updates.
Got both the Gobi Rack and Demello Offroad front bumper. I did the installs back in November but have been busy with moving to California from VA Beach.
Both installs were easy enough but needed a helper. The bumper really should of had two helpers but I used a floor jack and my friend who likes to lift heavy things. With the addition of these two mods, my fuel economy has tanked as expected.
We also added the Warn VR10000 winch. I havent spooled the line on yet but I upgraded to a Custom Splice synthetic line.
Pictures below are of some of the off-road sections of my move cross country.
Got both the Gobi Rack and Demello Offroad front bumper. I did the installs back in November but have been busy with moving to California from VA Beach.
Both installs were easy enough but needed a helper. The bumper really should of had two helpers but I used a floor jack and my friend who likes to lift heavy things. With the addition of these two mods, my fuel economy has tanked as expected.
We also added the Warn VR10000 winch. I havent spooled the line on yet but I upgraded to a Custom Splice synthetic line.
Pictures below are of some of the off-road sections of my move cross country.
