Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

A lot of people have sent me E-mail with opinions and questions about my Mega Runner, and also about the Toyota 4Runner in general.
I have noticed that some specific questions are very common. On this page, I will try to answer some of them. The FAQ's addressed here will be questions concerning the 4Runner as an off-road truck, and recommended modifications before committing to any serious off-road.

In my opinion, the Toyota 4Runner is a very potent off-road truck. Or, at least it was, when leaving the techies desk at Toyota. Unfortunately, the marketing people at Toyota seems to have had a word or two to say before it could hit the market. And they seem to have realized that the majority of buyers will never take the truck off-road. Have you seen how right they where? So, they added a lot of features that do not belong on an off-road truck. Of course, some of these features can easily be removed.

Recommended reading:
A Study of the Toyota Production System from an Industrial Engineering Viewpoint.

Still, one has to remember that the 4Runner is a 'long' vehicle. It will never be able to compete with short vehicles on narrow trails. On the other hand, when going to a desert, or any other long trips, you are happy to sit in a very comfortable truck, where you also have some room left to store equipment and fuel for a few weeks of independence.

All the opinions mentioned here (and on any of my Web pages) are just opinions. I cannot, and will not, take any resposibility what so ever for the results if you follow my recommendations. They are given to the best of my knowledge, but they may or may not apply to your truck.

The following tips and recommendations are based on my experiences from modifying my own Toyota 4Runner.

What modifications do I do to use the truck off-road?

• Remove the running boards! Or you will leave them in the first rut in the woods.
• For mud and/or woods, remove the mud flaps behind the wheels. Or you will leave them in the second rut, while reversing.
• If you ever consider taking the truck off highway, then change the shock absorbers! This should be the first actual modification on the 4Runner. The original 'cycle pumps' are made for highway use only, and in my opinion they are too weak even there.
• Mount a locking device for the rear wheels. The limited slip system, original on many 4Runners, just don't make it in the mud.
• Consider a lift kit.

• Most bang for the buck is achieved by changing the original air filter to a 'Filter Charger' from K&N. When I installed the filter, I was surpriced by the difference from such a small change.
• If you want even more power, consider changing exhaust system, to mount a set of exhaust headers, mounting a Power Breather instead of the original trottle body and eventually changing the computer chip.
• For more low end torque, there is one tip that goes beyond anything else. Change to a heavier flywheel. You will notice the difference.
• Still, all of the above is more or less lost, unless you make sure that you have the right gearing in your differentials. Mounting bigger meats requires re-gearing. And there are so many trucks out there, running with the wrong gears. Agreed, it's a mess. Rebuild both front and rear ends 'just to change the gearing'. It's not even visible. Anyway, you will never regret having done it. It gives you a completely new truck. Believe me, I've gone through it all.

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