4 Runner in Costa Rica

[kgmerri]

I anm moving to Costa Rica. We will live in a remote area with primarily unimproved dirt roads. I am not a big off roading hobbyist but would love to know what this community thinks about a TRD PRO vs a SR5 and then getting upgrades for the SR5 like skid plates, shocks, snorkel, tires, etc. If you recommend an SR5, would you use Toyota factory upgrades or are there are better options avail aftermarket and are there other options beyond the ones listed above that I should consider?
Thanks
Kevin

 

[egarda11]

The biggest difference between a TRD Pro and SR5 would be the rear locker. A TRD Off-road gets you the same locker as a Pro without the factory lift and a few other upgrades (depending on year) for less $$.

An SR5 is more than capable for mild off-roading/unimproved roads.

 

[egarda11]

There are also a ton of great aftermarket options available for 5th gen 4R. I wouldn’t limit yourself to factory options.

 

[Diff Kraken]

*Edit: I misread your post at first. If you're willing to modify the truck. I would get a TRD Off Road for the rear locker or an SR5 for the lower price and/or for a third row. Either will be plenty capable. If I was going to be mainly remote, I wouldn't bother to get KDSS on the TRD Off Road because it can be difficult or impossible to repair KDSS without a Toyota or Lexus dealer that happens to have the specialized equipment.

You can see my build thread for what I ended up doing with a similar use case. I ended up going TRD Off Road with KDSS and then adding a 1/2" top hat spacer to get 1" extra ground clearance up front, an aftermarket skid plate to protect the front diff and oil pan, and some rock sliders (Toyota sells OEM rock rails that also work well). The best skid plates and shocks are aftermarket.

If you would rather not modify the truck, I would get a TRD Pro but keep in mind that the Fox shocks (which are fantastic) may need to be rebuilt or replaced every 50k miles or so.

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