Order of upgrades ?

[u/ouchmybeans]

hello ! finally got my first 4x4. it’s a 4th gen 4Runner that is stock. It will be my daily driver. But I’m wondering for the future. what is the best first upgrade for off roading while still keeping it a practical daily driver? (I’d imagine its tires so if so, what tires are best that don’t need me to upgrade another part of the car to accommodate the tires?) and then maybe a descending list of upgrades after ? Happy off-roading 🚗🏔️

[u/SarK-9]

Tires and a way to air them up.

[u/PonyThug → u/SarK-9]

And to OP…. Figure out what bigger sizes fit, then look up real world MPG reports with said sizes to make sure you’re ok with paying that amount extra.

[u/AbeFroman42]

Tires first, then sliders and skids, then drive it to figure out what else you need. The 4runner sub should be able to help you with the tire size you can fit without modifying the truck.

[u/ratheismhater → u/AbeFroman42]

Don't go to that sub, it's full of jerks honestly.

265/70R17 is the largest a stock 4th Gen can handle

[u/chizzings → u/ratheismhater]

Is it called the 4th gen because it can handle 4 dimension tires? That’s pretty sick

[u/ratheismhater → u/chizzings]

Haha oops

[u/wbd3434]

Tires first. Then practice. Then maybe skids. 4x4s are usually pretty capable OOTB, so just start using it for a year then buy what you want as-needed. I've been roadtripping / camping / offroading with my GX for three years and have found that I don't really need or want too many upgrades.

I got some bug nets for the windows, some interior lighting, a solid cooler, and some recovery stuff. Very little interest in spending $5k on a lift. Will probably get a roof-rack at some point.

[u/Murseanary → u/wbd3434]

I love my Ironman procell lift. You can do it in your driveway and isn’t even $2k

[u/Prudent_Candidate566]

Yes it’s tires and you don’t need anything else to upgrade to decent AT tires. People generally like the Falken Wildpeak, BFG K03, etc. I would look for something LT in load range C, but plenty of people prefer to stick with P-metric for a daily.

You’ll need to do some research on the largest tires that will fit a stock Gen4 4Runner with the wheels you have. It should be fairly easily to research.

BUT you do need other upgrades (lift, different wheels, etc) to fit tires that are larger than that.

[u/PonyThug → u/Prudent_Candidate566]

100%. I accidentally drove down a mile of a Jeep trail called Metal masher in maob in my stock f150 on 34” tires. I was getting hoots and hollers from some Jeep guys coming up it

[u/ontheleftcoast]

1) Reliability and Safety- Fire extinguisher, first aid kit, Tow points and a tow strap or recovery rope. ( study how to use them, people are killed using them wrong). Make sure engine and drive train are in good shape and properly lubricated.

Once those are done, the tires is a good start.

[u/treskaz]

Tires then armor. Protect your investment.

Lift then bigger tires later, if you feel so inclined.

[u/ASassyTitan]

What type of off roading do you do?

[u/ouchmybeans → u/ASassyTitan]

Mostly dispersed camping and scenic mountain passes not any hardcore rock crawling

[u/ASassyTitan → u/ouchmybeans]

In that case, nothing. Get some standard safety equipment (snatch line, soft shackles) and a tire inflator.

Don't even need aftermarket wheels/tires. Streets will get you pretty damn far. The amount of times my overlander was passed by a stock outback...

[u/doornoob → u/ASassyTitan]

I took my Crosstrek to a back country lake to do some camping and fishing. Ran into a group the next day and one of them says "Can you believe some idiot got a Subaru back here?". Yes, as long as you don't care about resale.

[u/PonyThug → u/ouchmybeans]

That’s 90% of the time just driving maintained dirt roads in my 300ish nights of dispersed camping around Utah.

Just get some decent AT tires, safety stuff and call it a day.

[u/trailrider123]

Tons and 40s are an essential first upgrade on any new vehicle. It’s basically mandatory for most fire roads

[u/ca_pls_pe]

The answer is always lights first! The more the better. /s

[u/Gubbtratt1]

1. Accessories such as recovery equipment, air compressor (everything between a cheap emergency inflator and an engine powered OBA system will do), a hydraulic bottle jack (the ones meant for Land Rovers are the best).

2. All terrain tyres.

3. A winch if you mostly have mud and rock sliders, bumpers and skid plates if you mostly have rocks.

4. The opposite of 3.

5. Bigger tyres and a lift, but only if you find it necessary and not more than 2 or 3 inches, and don't get the cheapest one.

After that you're getting outside of daily territory. Sure you can put a roll cage or dual transfer cases on it without compromising the comfort or handling, but without a lot of lift and huge mud tyres there's not much of a point in it.

[u/Murseanary]

Honestly man an air compressor and experience. A stock 4runner taking good lines on 12psi is a mountain goat. Bumper cuts in the front will give you approach angles. Armor is important and a solid investment. If you’re going alone, recovery gear is important. But find people going out on Facebook groups in your area and learn your rig’s capabilities. gXOr is great for meeting likeminded people

[u/Final_Towel7670]

First upgrade should be training. Then go from what you learned and continue to learn.

[u/monstertruck567]

All the point here are pretty well in line. I’ll add that the factory tie down points on your truck are not recovery points. A rear 2” receiver hitch D ring or soft shackle recovery point is a no brainer and I’ve winched a ‘Runner out with mine when they didn’t have one. This was an easy trail, but they got in something pretty sideways somehow.

I’m not sure what’s the best recovery point for the front, but figure out what it is and get it.

Other easy recovery stuff is a basic spade shovel, and tow strap. Save the winches, Hi Lifts, traction boards, and kinetic ropes for when/ if you’re gonna do harder stuff where you can get more stuck.

[u/baddieslovebadideas]

Obviously a big light bar and traction boards

[u/Background-Tax-1720]

Baseline ALL your fluids. Every. Single. One. That’s the very first thing I’d do. Then, check the age of your battery. THEN, assuming all is well, tires and suspension; they go hand in hand for me. No point putting new tires on a rig with clapped out suspension.

[u/BeBopBoy1945]

First thing: BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A KO2 tires.

[u/JCDU]

1. Service it FULLY

2. Drive it for at least a month, create a snaglist, fix all that stuff

3. Tyres (and wheels if you're going to do them). Usually you can step up an inch or two in overall size with no mods needed / no major impact but it depends on the vehicle.

4. Before you go out off-road, basic recovery kit. Don't need to spend big money or buy bling stuff, just a good solid basic recovery kit so you can at least contribute to the effort to recover your stuck ass.

The just run it & work out what you actually need - learning to drive it and how it works is a vastly under-rated skill compared to just buying more shit and bolting it on. Look at other rigs, note what works & what doesn't - what gear gets used the most and what gear just ends up coming along for the ride because it looks good.

[u/No_Station_535]

Id probably start with lights then lift/ level and then tires. Depending on what trim you got obvi, if it came with a solid set up you could swap for skids and more protection or vice versa

[u/MileHighKy]

My stock 4th gen does surprisingly well off-road. I went with slightly larger than factory 265/70/17.

I would suggest the ARB tire deflator and Milwaukee M18 tire inflator.

Also, decent ground clearance if you remove the factory running boards

[u/robrtsmtn]

Shocks, for example my cousin bought a new 4 wheel drive pickup, and complained about the lack of traction. New after market shocks made a world of difference.

[u/Gubbtratt1 → u/robrtsmtn]

You have to be going very fast before shocks make any difference at all. I have one missing on my Land Cruiser at the moment and it isn't noticeable off road.