First mods to rig

[Sergio17]

I have a stock 2011 4Runner Limited and don’t know where to start with mods.
Any suggestions or tips? Thank You!

 

[Mike W]

There are some great videos on this from Michael on the Overland Bound youtube. What kind of trips do you want to take?

Start very basic and learn what you need. Try not to buy anything until you figure out what your needs are. Start with good tires and go on a trip.

 

[OTH Overland]

Sergio, welcome to Overland Bound, I agree with Mike W's comments above, also if this is your first build, and or new to overlanding, deciding on what you actually need vs what the overland equipment suppliers try to convince you that you need can be the hardest part and a wheel barrow load of $$$. Make sure to get lots of time using the vehicle stock and see what it it already capable of, make a list of any shortcomings in the way it handles, places you have difficulty going, and how well it works for livability & camping. Then it becomes much easier to prioritize a list of goodies to buy. Never go wrong with a good set of tires as a starting point. The 4 Runner is a great platform to start with, Kevin with Lifestyle Overland pretty much lives out of theirs, and a lot of good info on their mods are on their YouTube channel.

 

[grubworm]

welcome to OB!

yeah, i'd say tires at first. i bought a new 4x4 tundra and took it to sedona,az and was bottoming out on a fairly easy jeep trail. i went home and put on a level kit (inexpensive and requires no other mods) and went up a tire size with an A/T tread. stock 4x4s are relatively low to the ground to start with, so that little extra has been all ive needed and that has been over 50,000 miles ago

glad to have you onboard
happy trails!

 

[FrankenWagon]

Sergio, welcome to Overland Bound, I agree with Mike W's comments above, also if this is your first build, and or new to overlanding, deciding on what you actually need vs what the overland equipment suppliers try to convince you that you need can be the hardest part and a wheel barrow load of $$$. Make sure to get lots of time using the vehicle stock and see what it it already capable of, make a list of any shortcomings in the way it handles, places you have difficulty going, and how well it works for livability & camping. Then it becomes much easier to prioritize a list of goodies to buy. Never go wrong with a good set of tires as a starting point. The 4 Runner is a great platform to start with, Kevin with Lifestyle Overland pretty much lives out of theirs, and a lot of good info on their mods are on their YouTube channel.

Well said. I agree whole heartedly. Get out there, do the things you want to, and find out what you want to change with real world facts.

In the mean time do some research (which you are clearly doing). Find a set of tires that fit your lifestyle amd real world use. Tires go a good ways.

Maybe some basic recovery gear. I'm not saying go get a 12k winch mind you. I'm saying look into an appropriately sized shovel. Maybe some vehicle traction boards. Things that are not a major investment but will help you get out of a spot while you learn your vehicle and personal capabilities. Not only will you use them now, you'll continue to use them even after you go all mad scientist and FrankenMod your rig.

 

[Smileyshaun]

Maintenance
Camping gear
Recovery gear
Tires

 

[Sparksalot]

No one has mentioned a roof rack yet! After all you need a spot to launch and land your drone used to air the adventure footage for your inevitable YouTube channel.

 

[MarioT'sCJResto]

I have a stock 2011 4Runner Limited and don’t know where to start with mods.
Any suggestions or tips? Thank You!

The best advice that I can give you is to take your time, as you will find a wealth of knowledge on this venue, and YouTube Channels like Overland Bound, EFRT, Autoedits, Expedition Overland to name a few. You will find that your 4Runner is more than capable as it comes off the dealers lot.

 

[GrumpyRam]

I started with tires and shocks. make sure to upgrade your spare too. i was quite surprised to find what i can only describe as an oversized temp tire (like you would find in any family car) mounted under my 4x4 Ram. ended up doing a 5mph 8 mile crawl before i got back to pavement.

 

[slomatt]

I have a stock 2011 4Runner Limited and don’t know where to start with mods.
Any suggestions or tips? Thank You!

What are you going to do with the truck? A stock 4Runner is very capable from the factory. Any mods will depend highly on what kind of trails you are going to run and what kind of trips you plan.

 

[Sergio17]

I’m definitely going to change wheels,tires and suspension, my truck is running 20” wheels. I’m planning on doing some easy to moderate trails at first since I’m new to overlanding.

 

[BayouOverlander]

I have a stock 2011 4Runner Limited and don’t know where to start with mods.
Any suggestions or tips? Thank You!

Really depends on the trails you plan to do. Recovery gear would be my pic. Wheels and tires should be a close battle of the first mod to do.

I just got a pretty capable 2022 TRD Pro and a front bumper with winch will be my next upgrade. I have a Westcott Rack on order and a Roam Vagabond Rooftop Tent (RTT).

 

[MOAK]

I’ll cut to the chase hear and give the same advice I’ve lived by for decades. 1st, Tires, including a full size spare with matching wheel to rotate in. ( Why? I cannot say how many times I’ve heard; my spares great, it’s been under there for 5 years and I’ve never used it, meanwhile, it’s dry rotted or worse yet, it would take a cutting torch to get it outta there) 2nd, rock sliders. Yea, they can be expensive, however, the expense of a good rock slider is a lot less expensive than damaged rocker panels that need repair. 3, a suspension upgrade, not for lifting, but to compensate for the additional weight when you are loaded. Old Man Emu or Dobinsons can help you with that and set you up with what you need. You can easily add 5-600 lbs of GVWR with their kits for right around $1,000 .. Always, always, seek advice from manufacturing reps and buy direct when possible.. there are a couple exceptions to that rule and Slee would be one that I know of and use. Slee specializes in Toyota . All other vendors are just trying to sell you what they have on the shelf. That’s it, now you’re ready to load up your camping gear and easily traverse 95% of all trails in the lower 48. If you find out you want to traverse 99% of all trails, then, start throwing big bucks at it. Good luck, have fun, & welcome

 

[Sergio17]

I’ll cut to the chase hear and give the same advice I’ve lived by for decades. 1st, Tires, including a full size spare with matching wheel to rotate in. ( Why? I cannot say how many times I’ve heard; my spares great, it’s been under there for 5 years and I’ve never used it, meanwhile, it’s dry rotted or worse yet, it would take a cutting torch to get it outta there) 2nd, rock sliders. Yea, they can be expensive, however, the expense of a good rock slider is a lot less expensive than damaged rocker panels that need repair. 3, a suspension upgrade, not for lifting, but to compensate for the additional weight when you are loaded. Old Man Emu or Dobinsons can help you with that and set you up with what you need. You can easily add 5-600 lbs of GVWR with their kits for right around $1,000 .. Always, always, seek advice from manufacturing reps and buy direct when possible.. there are a couple exceptions to that rule and Slee would be one that I know of and use. Slee specializes in Toyota . All other vendors are just trying to sell you what they have on the shelf. That’s it, now you’re ready to load up your camping gear and easily traverse 95% of all trails in the lower 48. If you find out you want to traverse 99% of all trails, then, start throwing big bucks at it. Good luck, have fun, & welcome

Thank you, that helps tremendously!

 

[grubworm]

first mod after buying a new bronco...

 

[RunningRoundHairOnFire]

Thank you, that helps tremendously!

I agree. I started modding out wheels/tires/lift at the start of Covid. Baaaaaad timing, still might be. I would find out what size tires and wheels you want to roll with, and not go to high with a lift. Keep your load low. When you are ready for a lift, do your research, and try to be patient, there can be a big wait on this item; and especially with spring orders. See ya out there!

 

[MarioT'sCJResto]

I’m definitely going to change wheels,tires and suspension, my truck is running 20” wheels. I’m planning on doing some easy to moderate trails at first since I’m new to overlanding.

What ever you do, I beg you... don't watch Dirt Every Day on MT with Fred and Dave. If you do, I have to warn you that the simple - Start with Tires will transform into something that I can't fully define but it goes something like - Hmmm. Those Maxxis Trepadors on TubeSock would look sweet on my Rig, can I make it work, do I need a larger lift.... oh wait I think I might need to add the R2.8 crate engine for a little more Torque. I wish there was a surgeon general's warning on YouTube Mod Videos, something that starts off with the line form the twilight zone " You're traveling through another dimension we call Overlanding"... Jokes aside you have plenty of time to map out what fits your needs. I would double back to the comments on a good set of tires which was spot on with an add-on... I started with upgrading my breaks with slotted rotors and ceramic break pads.

 

[Advtres]

Hi Sergio, I am on the same path as you, pretty much had a new stock 4runner and trying to figure out what I actually needed. There is so much content available on the net of things that if you have copious cash you can end up with a zombie apocalypse rig in no time..

For me it was about what I wanted to do with my rig Alice. I enjoy dispersed camping, old townsite/history exploring and just getting off and away from the grid and crowds... No hard core rock crawling, but if there was a blue/black diamond obstacle between me and something cool well I may want to give it a go!

In that spirit I went with a lift, front bumper with winch, MT tires, rock sliders and recovery gear to start. My Runner already had some decent skid plates.

Once you have the basics, get out there and do the wheeling' that your into, you will soon figure out what you need, want and would like to do. This may change over time as you and your rig evolve.
-- For me I keep it pretty basic with the camp set up and where I can I went with aluminum ( rear bumper, skid plates) in a small effort to keep the weight down.

A small call out is if your tires have the locking lug nut, know where it is and treat it as gold.. that darn $5 part if missing can ruin your day.

Hope to see you down the trail!

 

[JeepingMike]

A lot of good input so far... I personally started with tires, not huge but better quality for a mix of on/off-road. Then comms, ham and GMRS for me. And a spreadsheet of specific parts/mods as I researched what others have done and what my intent for capabilities is/will be. This gives me a "wish list" of sorts, can be prioritized as I go, and specifics as I find deals and opportunities.

 

[Coreymol]

Got my new rig in on Saturday the FIRST thing I did was........... added my emblem.
Then ordered a new roof rack and some other items ill be getting a new RTT as well as a level and new springs in the next few weeks as well.