Here you’ll find a list of every modification I’ve made to my 2007 Toyota 4runner. I spent a lot of time researching these parts online before I decided to buy them because this vehicle is my daily driver. I needed it to remain reliable, comfortable, and easy to drive. I was able to piece this rig together for 1/3 the cost of a brand new TRD Pro 4runner. In my opinion, it’s just as capable – plus it has a unique appearance along with the power, sound, and towing capacity of a V8 engine. You can check out how the price of these modifications adds up in the video below.
Front Suspension:
Fox 2.0 adjustable coilovers (Link to 4wheelparts)
This is Fox’s entry level suspension offering. At the time I purchased these, they weren’t very well known to the 4runner community (and still aren’t). It seems that most 4runner owners either stick with the tried and true Bilstein 5100 shocks, or step up to more expensive adjustable offerings from Fox, King, and Icon. These Fox 2.0s seemed great on paper which made me really wonder why nobody was running them on 4runners.
I spent some time researching them on other platforms like the FJ Cruiser, Tacoma and even some full size trucks. The only reason I can come up with for them not being more popular after owning them for more than 2 years is simply because people don’t know about them. The ride is fantastic both on road and off and durability-wise they’re holding up really well to our Canadian winters. The only downside I’ve seen thus far is the inability to adjust them on the vehicle. This suspension upgrade is quite possibly my favorite modification I’ve made to my 4runner to this day.
Rear Suspension:
Fox 2.0 Rear Shocks (Link to 4wheelparts)
Old Man Emu 895 Rear Springs (Link to 4wheelparts)
The OME 895 springs are designed to give 2″ of lift and be able to handle heavy loads without sagging. This is their medium-stiffness spring that’s rated for vehicles carrying 200-400 extra pounds of payload regularly. I was a bit concerned that they would be too stiff when unloaded, but they ride very smooth and match the Fox 2.0 up front very well. The extra stiffness is nice to have when towing or loading the hatch up with gear. OME also offers the same spring at a slightly lower length (895e – 1.5″ lift) for anyone that prefers a more level ride height.
Metal Tech Rear Coil Conversion Kit
Because my 4runner is a Canadian Limited V8 model, it comes from the factory with adjustable rear air suspension. It’s actually a pretty nice system and can even be tricked fairly easily to provide a suspension lift to match whatever you upgraded to up front. Airbags aren’t usually preferred for hardcore off roading due to the chance of tearing the rubber though, and since mine were already leaking, I chose to convert to regular coil springs like most 4runners. Metal Tech advertises this kit as a part for the Lexus GX470, which shares the same suspension design as the 4runner.
The conversion is very simple – it includes an OEM style rubber spring isolator to hold the top of the spring (same diameter as the airbags) and a lower spring perch that bolts to the axle. That’s all it takes to switch from airbags to springs.
Wheels and Tires
Method Race Wheels MR301 Standard (Link to TireRack)
These wheels have been a long time favorite of mine for off road trucks so they were a pretty easy choice. I went with a 17×8.5″ size with a 0 offset and 4.75″ backspacing. These fit perfectly in the wheel wells and offer a clean yet rugged look. These are much lighter than the original 18″ wheels and stepping down to a 17″ size allows me to run a nice tall tire sidewall while still clearing the brake calipers. I ceramic coated these with Gtechniq C5 when they were 1 year old and the finish on them still looks brand new despite the salty Canadian winters.
Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac Tires (Link to TireRack)
I had these tires on my previous Grand Cherokee and was so happy with them that I didn’t need to think twice before ordering a set for the 4runner. I went with a fairly big size (285/70/17 which measures very close to 33″). These will not fit a stock 4runner and even with my lift and aftermarket wheels, I needed to trim the plastic on the front bumper, relocate the inner fender wells, and remove the factory mud flaps.
The Duratrac is one of the most aggressive all-terrain tires on the market and comes pretty close to a mud-terrain in terms of performance. Unlike mud-terrain tires though, these are fairly quiet on the highway and perform great in winter driving conditions. I leave them on year round and rarely have trouble finding traction anywhere. They are heavy though and definitely attributed to an MPG loss especially in the city.
Performance:
Doug Thorley Short Tube Headers
I didn’t intend to do any performance upgrades because the Toyota 4runner isn’t exactly a race car. A cracked OEM exhaust manifold made this decision for me. This set of headers cost less than a single OEM manifold, plus they’re made of 304 stainless steel and have a lifetime warranty. I had the original catalytic converters welded to them to keep things legal and allow it to pass emissions tests without any problems. These headers offer pretty sizeable mid-range power gains and nearly made up for the MPG loss from my tires (roughly 2 MPG). Between the stronger design, cheaper price, increased power, and increased fuel efficiency, these are a no-brainer for any 4.7L 4runner with cracked manifolds.
Gibson Stainless Catback Exhaust
Much like the headers, my 4runner made this choice for me by having the OEM exhaust rot out and fall off from the muffler back. I went with the upgraded 404 stainless steel version to avoid having to patch up leaks in the future. My 4runner is the only quiet vehicle I own so I really didn’t want to part ways with the original exhaust. I chose the Gibson because many owners reported that it’s very tame and easy to live with on a daily basis.
I’ve only had this exhaust on for a week, but I’m already quite pleased with it. It’s really quiet overall but still offers a deep V8 growl that we all enjoy. The drone at around 1800 RPM that some people complain about is very real in my experience, although it hasn’t bothered me too much so far. I’ll have a complete review up on this system in a few weeks once I get a better impression of it.
Lighting:
32″ Philips Curved Dual Row LED Light Bar
I didn’t want to break the bank when it came to lighting, because I don’t really rely on it that much. I chose a 32″ curved light for the front bumper because it fit perfectly. The Philips LEDs have a bit more of a yellowish hue than the Cree LEDs – I figured this would be a good option to have down low for fog, snow, and rain conditions since white/blueish light tends to bounce off the droplets in the air. It seemed like a smart idea, but I can’t say it made that much of a difference in the real world. Perhaps an amber colored plastic cover would be more effective.
40″ Totron Single Row Cree LED Light Bar
I decided on this light based on a DIY thread I found on T4R.org. Since I was going to be copying the mounting brackets I thought I might as well use the same light they used as well. This single row light is very low key looking when mounted to the OEM roof rack. Most people don’t even notice it unless it’s turned on. It throws a ton of light down the road and believe it or not, the roof doesn’t block it at all. One thing worth noting though, is that having this light mounted in this position will light up the whole interior unless the sunroof shade is closed.
MIC Tuning OEM Style Light Bar Buttons
I wanted to get a little creative with the switches for my light bars and these OEM style buttons were perfect. Since I deleted my rear air suspension, the 2 buttons in the center console that controlled it were rendered useless. This was the perfect place to mount these buttons. I could have just kept the generic switches that came on the harnesses I got for the lights, but I’m really glad I took this extra step. These blend in perfectly with my otherwise completely stock interior.
Oznium Camping LED Camping Lights
I put these in my previous Grand Cherokee and decided to recreate the same setup in the 4runner. These require some work to install – I cut holes into the plastic trim inside the hatch to mount them, then ran the wiring through the factory grommet into the body. I actually used the light bar wiring harness for a constant power source so I don’t need to have the key on to use these lights. I’ve had them on for hours and they use very little battery power. As you can see, they’re plenty bright too.
Boslla Bullet B4 LED Fog Light Bulbs
To round out the lighting setup, I went with a set of color-changing LED bulbs in the factory fog lights. The best part about these is that you can switch between 6500k white, 4300k yellow, and 3000k yellow by cycling the OEM fog light switch. With these, you can have a nice clean white look on a clear evening but switch to yellow for bad weather like rain, snow, and fog. They’re the best of both worlds!
Audio
I waited way too long to upgrade the head unit in my 4runner. I chose the Pioneer DMH-2660NEX because it offered Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth and more for a very reasonable price. Installation was simple and I was able to retain the entire factory JBL Synthesis system as well as full function of the steering wheel controls. The sound quality was improved as well, even with the OEM speakers. This really updated the vehicle and made it much more liveable day to day.