Bunch of questions (Toyota Sequoia)

[RemoteBound]

Hey everyone! I ordered a 2021 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro that should be ready sometime in August (HOPEFULLY!)

I plan on getting primarily into overlanding but would like to also do moderate technical trails with a little bit of basic rock crawling. I have a bunch of questions for you all if you don't mind. I understand that it can be challenging to find aftermarket parts for Sequoias.


ROCK SLIDERS
I've been shopping around for rock sliders and the Tandem Off-Road Weld-on Sliders look like the best so far. Any advice on rock sliders?


TIRES
I'm researching the Falken Wildpeak AT3W All Terrain Radial Tires and they look pretty good. Any thoughts on these particular tires?


BUMPERS
What are the best fabricators to order rear bumpers and front bumpers (with a winch) from?


LOCKERS
I know that the Sequoia has a center locker.
I notice that most vehicles that come with lockers only have the rear locker, such as the Tacoma. How come not the front locker? Is this because lockers are usually used while going up hill, which is where all of the weight is while the front end is pointing upward?

Where is the best place to buy lockers for the Sequoia? I am looking on ARB's website but I don't see anything listed for Sequoias.


REMOVING REAR SEATS
I plan on removing the third row for sure, and possible the middle row also. Anyone have experience with this? Is it just a matter of removing a few bolts or will I have to do anything with air bags or electrical?


ROOF RACK
I don't see too many roof racks for the Sequoia but I did find a few made by GOBI racks. Do you have any experience with this particular brand? I'd like to mount some MaxTracks, a Pelican case, possibly some gas cans, a light bar, etc. to it.


OTHER
Does the Sequoia have solid axle(s)?

What other upgrades or mods would I need to be able to do the "majority" of Moab safely? I know the Sequoias have a pretty long wheelbase and so I would imagine bigger tires and a lift might be needed? Again I am mainly focused on overlanding and light offroading for now, but I know eventually I will want to dive into some more technical stuff.


Thanks a lot!!!

 

[RemoteBound]

thanks all!

 

[LONO100]

Sliders - Just my opinion, but I would try to find some bolt on design sliders before resorting to weld on sliders. I would prefer to be able to take the sliders off by undoing some bolts if the sliders need to be replaced, or you decide to go in a different direction with the vehicle down the road. I would also be scared of compromising the vehicles frame by welding stuff to it.

Tires - Plenty of awesome treads out on the market, more selection these days than any other time I can remember. Your tire choice should be dictated by what kind of driving you will be doing. Is this rig also going to be your daily driver? What kind of terrain do you plan to hit? Sand? Desert? Going into the mountains? Tires that specialize in being great in the snow aren't always going to do best over the rocky stuff. Figure out what kind of driving you will be doing the most and let that dictate what direction you go in with tire choice. For me, although I get out into the dirt more than the average truck owner, I'm still driving my truck on the pavement about 95% of the time since it is also my daily driver, my family hauler and my tow rig, so for me I went with a jack of all type tire as opposed to a master of one type tire.

Bumpers - Again, many brands and designs to choose from. The one piece of advice I can give you is to take into account the weight of the bumpers you go with into the vehicle's payload as they will subtract a good chunk of your payload away. A big mistake many people make when building their rig is not accounting for all the body armor, racks, gas cans, hilift jacks and all the other stuff. Before they know it, their rig's payload is maxed out before you even put the driver in it.

Lockers - I prefer to have lockers in the rear diff. I have owned electronic lockers and auto lockers, but never pnuematic. Research each type and determine which one you prefer. They all lock the differentials up, but the electronic type and the pnuematic type will involve drilling a hole into your diff. The auto locker like a powertrax or aussie locker is the easiest and least invasive install, but the drawback is that when you are on the pavement and you need to turn you will hear a ratcheting sound from your diff, and you also get a little bit of wheel chirp. Before my current rig, I installed the Aussie lockers in my last rig and even though there was a little wheel chirp and the ratcheting noise, I absolutely loved those lockers. Super effective off road, and they only cost me about 300 bucks. I did the install myself. The pnuematic lockers will also require you to install an air commpressor by the way.

Seats - Hopefully someone who has owned the Sequioa can chime in on this.

Roof rack - Roof racks/baskets are one of the most useful mods you can make to a rig, but again, take into account your payload. The Gobi racks are a fine rack, I just helped my sister install one on her JKU, but be warned: these racks are very pricey, and even worse, the wait time after you order is very long. My sister waited 25 weeks to get hers. Let me repeat that - 25 weeks! I'm a Thule man myself, I think they make the best racks and crossbars around. Don't bother with the Pelican cases and all the stuff that makes your rig look cool and tough in pictures. Unless you want to learn the hard way that big, square pelican cases on top of the roof of a truck kill your MPG by 1-2.5, and make cabin noise almost unbearable. I do recommend pelican cases for storing your ear but put them in the inside of your ride. I use Pelican cases for my gear, but it all stacks in the back and not on the roof. I use my roof space for things like chairs, tents, fishing rods, backpacks, shovel. Lightweight stuff that sits relatively low to the roofline. As for gascans, I think the Sequoia has a 25+ gallon tank, so make a few trips and see if you really need extra cans befofe you go subtracting from your payload with 5-10 gallons of gas. 2 5 gallon cans can weigh about 90 lbs, not counting any bracketing or whatever you will need to secure them properly.

I'm not a Toyota guy, but I believe it's just an SUV version of a Tundra so it should have a solid rear axle. I haven't been to Moab yet, but I would say the first thing you should focus on is researching and choosing the proper tire. Tires are everything and make the most difference when going into the dirt. To me, my priorities with any off road build (and I've built 4 rigs over 22 years) are 1. tires 2. the correct lift to accomodate the type of tire and size you want to go with 3. locker in the rear 3. practical body armor (sliders, skid plates, bumpers) but don't go overboard! 4. storage solutions (roof racks/baskets, interior mods) 5. communications and navigation

Hope this all helps, I've been doing this for over 2 decades, but I still consider myself a novice. The best advice an old dog like me can give is keep it simple, be practical, don't follow trendy looks and styles on social media, build for YOUR needs, not for the gram! Good luck and post some pics!

 

[RemoteBound]

@LONO100

Sliders - I agree completely with bolt-on sliders rather than weld-on sliders, but I couldn't find any bolt-on ones! I'll keep looking or maybe someone here has a recommendation.

Tires - My Sequoia will be my daily driver, but I work from home so I'll only be driving it locally, or to the trails! I plan on driving in all types of conditions, except for deep water. I am now actually thinking of going with DISCOVERER RUGGED TREK tires.

Payload - I am highly aware of the payload and I even have a spreadsheet with 15+ upgrades listed, along with how much each one weights. It'll be mostly just me in the car plus I am going to remove the two rows of rear seat, so I should have maybe 1,500 lbs of payload available! (minus my own weight)

Roof Racks - I just learned about Victory 4x4 roof rack and it looks great, so I think I am going to go with that one.

Lift - the Sequoia comes with a 10" lift, so I should be able to get by on most trails. Obviously there will be a handful that I won't be able to do, especially with the long wheel base.

Armor - A TRD Pro skid plate comes stock, but I'll definitely needs sliders and I may as well add some other armor considering it isn't too expensive and I have a lot of payload available.

Thanks for the advice!