From a Fiesta ST to a GX, the Natural Progression (1 Viewer)

[Banandalorian]

Hi all,

I lost my mind last year during lockdown and decided that a Fiesta ST with coilovers and 200 treadwear EHP tires does not make the best vehicle to get you, your wife, your dog, and all your stuff out into the wilderness. Though I would highly recommend a FiST as an option for getting close to the wilderness by yourself on paved roads if you have the option. I started my search with 4Runners, and ended up going down the GX rabbit hole for most of the reasons it seems anyone goes down the GX rabbit hole: Why get a used 4Runner when for the same price you can get a much much nicer 4Runner that also has a V8, adaptive LED headlights and a weird rear hatch which means it technically still fulfills my first automotive love of quirky hatchbacks.

I picked up a pearl white and tan (ecru?) 2017 GX Premium in August last year and because I can't leave well enough alone it's time to get on some forums. I am planning mild upgrades to address some of the GX compromises which mostly center around Lexus trying to hide the fact that the GX is a body on frame truck even though this is America, the land of the $80,000 luxury truck. The goal is to be able to tackle basically any obstacle I could encounter on the mild trails and fire roads of Virginia and surrounding states while not ruining the fact that it's a Lexus.

• Prospeed roof rack ordered as part of a group buy last week
  
  • Prospeed rack has been installed since 2021 and works great.
• AT tires: Preferably 265/70/17 with some snazzy bronze wheels.
  • Seems like K02s, General Grabbers, Wildpeaks, and Cooper AT3 are all well liked. I currently have whatever cheap "highway all seasons" Carmax threw on there and have been impressed with ATRAC sorting everything out despite the crappy tires. My plan was to get out in the snow and demonstrate to my wife that the cheap tires on there are clearly unsafe which proved more difficult than I anticipated.
    • Currently running 285/70/17 Mickey Thompson Baja Boss.
    • Ran 265/70/17 Pirelli Scorpion AT+ from April 2021 - Feb 2024 (~37,000 miles). Really enjoyed them all around but they stop working in snow and ice somewhere north of 30k miles.
• Trailer hitch or other suitable recovery points.
  • A buddy got his Tacoma stuck in a mudhole last weekend and upon arriving there, I discovered there does not appear to be anywhere on the GX to attached a tow rope safely.
    • Victory Blitz front bumper. OE Class IV Trailer Hitch (w/Dirtcom Trailswing). OVS SCAR 10k Winch.
• Rock sliders: I have a crippling fear of the factory side steps being crushed up into the doors on an otherwise minor obstacle that the GX could clear.
  • I like the aesthetics of the Victory 4x4 and the option to retain door lighting but it seems like they're working out some stuff for KDSS.
    • Having been running AlphaEquipt sliders since 2022 and work great. I may still upgrade to a US-made slider with beefier mounting plates but it has not been a problem yet.
• Skiplate upgrades:
  • The factory underbody protection seems kind of like a bike helmet approach: It will save you from serious damage from an impact but is not really meant for repeated use. I'm not planning on rock crawling, but enough light to moderate trail use will eventually take a toll.
    • Budbuilt full skids (front, engine/transmission, t-case, fuel tank in powdercoated mild steel and rear diff skid in stainless)
• Lift: Still up in the air on this one as I fear ruining ride comfort and NVH.
  
  • Dobinson's MRA (MRR) installed Feb 2023. Fantastic for daily driving once adjusted. Work great in high and low speed off road. 10k+ miles on them with no signs of wear/leaks.
  • Treaty Oak rear spacers and all the DrKDSS goodies (front relocation brackets, panhard correction, lock rings, manual controller)
• Front/Rear bumpers and/or trimming: Again up in the air here as I want to keep all the features, hesitate to add weight, and assume there is some wind noise/NVH benefit to the factory design, but I think eventually that low hanging plastic will get torn up anyway.
  
  • Victory Blitz front bumper. Rear bumper likely this year after I inevitably tear off the factory bumper again.
• Added an Auxbeam 8-gang switch panel and far too many lights
  
  • Diode Dynamics 18 inch bar in bumper, 42 inch bar on roof, and C1 SAE fogs to replace OEM. Baja Design S2 Sport ditch lights with Cali Raised brackets. Lux Lighting RGB rock lights for fun. Cheapo Amazon rock lights plugged into OE courtesy light harness. Waiting on 4 GG Lighting pods for additional shenanigans.
  • Also added TT-ABC brand sequential taillights from Amazon after breaking one of the OE units on a tree. Have had these since November 2023 and so far really impressed for the price. Install was easy and fitment is quite good. The lights all work and no issues with condensation or anything like that yet.

I'm looking forward to diving into all of the above as I believe that everyone with a modified GX has already done my research for me, I just have to find it.

 

[r2m]

To begin with, welcome to the "club". Ask anyone here and they'll tell you the GX is the best platform for an off-roader!
So on to some of your points:

• First off, you may want to spend some time looking at the sticky post for after market vendors and products here: Guide to GX 460 Builds and Aftermarket Products - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/guide-to-gx-460-builds-and-aftermarket-products.1168653/
• If you're a DIY kind of guy, you many need the sticky thread of manuals found here: GX 460 Manuals - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/gx-460-manuals.1129713/
• As far as tires, opinions on them are like belly buttons, eveyone has one. My personal preference are BFG's I'm running 275/75R/17 M/T's with about 45,000 miles and they're still almost half thread left. And that's with cross country trips, rock crawling, and a lot of off roading. The A/T's are awesome too! The only brand tire I've used in the past several decades.
• Regarding recovery and trailer hitches: Go to the after market thread. There should be some bolt-on recovery hooks available for for the front that mount to the frame. For the rear, when you put your hitch on, just get one of the hitch shackles like this on Amazon:

Amazon product ASIN B072V51TRC

• I agree that you should get sliders and under carriage protection. Check some of the 4Runner options. Some of their skid plates and sliders work on the GX also and may be wee bit cheaper!
• With a 265/70R/17 tire you shouldn't need a lift. But most all the people who have added lifts, including myself, have said that the ride quality is the same or better after a suspension lift. Just be sure whatever suspension lift you go with, you get the appropriate spring rate for your build, e.g. heavy springs if you're doing all steel bumpers, full overlander, or lighter springs for just giving tire clearance with not many mods. You may also appreciate a little lift when off roading rutted trails and going up/down steep inclines since the GX does not have a very forgiving approach and departure angles, which is why many on here either trim the front and rear bumpers or go with high clearance aftermarket bumpers.
• Which segue into bumpers! From what you're saying, it sounds like you'd like to keep a lot of the lines of the GX without the massive bumpers, tire carriers, jerry cans, etc. Again, if you go to the aftermarket thread, there are a couple of great looking bumpers that one would have to look at twice to see that they weren't stock! They offer some front end protection, are light (Victory is now making an aluminum one!), have recovery points and can usually mount a winch.

 

[MrTorgue]

Welcome! As a former four time Focus owner (including an SVTF) you’ll love the extra space and smooth V8 of your GX. The “GX rabbit hole” is such a pleasant experience sans your bank account. Lookin forward to seeing your rig’s progress!

Like you I originally shopped a 4Runner only to buy not only one but 2 GX’s. I made the right choice and my wife loves hers. At the time 4Runners were $4,000~5,000 more than the equivalent year model GX. What a no-brainer to get a GX. I think the secret is out as GX’s are exploding in price. Ours are already worth more than what I paid for them.

 

[re_guderian]

Welcome! We were shopping for a 100 Series Land Cruiser replacement, and like you, my wife wanted a 4Runner. I didn't fit inside them (6'4"), and like you guys, found very quickly that you got more for less with the GX. Just got ours a few weeks ago, so will be watching your build progress as it will likely mirror mine.

 

[re_guderian]

As to the hitch, we regularly tow a light utility trailer/kayak trailer, and the occasional heavier trailer. I don't plan on a rear steel bumper for a long time. Had one on my 80, but not on my 100's, and the hassle to access the back wasn't worth the protection it offered for the limited times I was on harder trails. While it decreases rear clearance by a few inches, a receiver hitch also provides your with a modicum of plastic protection while dragging the rear end. The little 4-bolt Class III hitch doesn't, and looks easier to get hung up on, v the class IV receiver hitch. Plus you can fit a receiver recovery shackle as indicated above. I think Curt makes one that fits? I bought an OEM one from Bell Lexus, and I think they only charge $35 for shipping it. Install was easy. Double check, but you should have wiring and 4/7 pin sockets already in place tucked up beside the spare on the DS.

I decided against this type:

2016 Lexus GX 460 Trailer Hitch | etrailer.com

Fastest shipping available and a great price 2016 Lexus GX 460 trailer hitch . Expert lifetime technical support on all purchases. Complete 2016 Lexus GX 460 Trailer Hitch installation instructions and customer reviews. Call 1-636-747-0664 to place your order or order online at etrailer.com.

www.etrailer.com

And went with this one:

2011 Lexus GX 460 Tow Hitch Receiver - PT22860140 | Bell Lexus North Scottsdale, Scottsdale AZ

This item is not available for sale. The new part number is PT228-60141 and is not available for online purchase at this time. Please contact your local Lexus dealer for purchase details.

parts.belllexusnorthscottsdale.com

 

[stapletron]

Former fiesta owner, and my brother has the ST- that thing is a hoot!
Loving my 13 gx premium. Been doing the baselining stuff, and enjoying comfortably navigating forestry roads we couldn't tackle in the fiesta or my girlfriends fusion.
I got the fusion stuck once, not badly, but my gf went straight to panic mode. Now when we do stuff we wouldn't have even attempted before, she just asks " how's it (the gx) doing"? And I say, "great"
Money well spent.

 

[Banandalorian]

Welcome! As a former four time Focus owner (including an SVTF) you’ll love the extra space and smooth V8 of your GX. The “GX rabbit hole” is such a pleasant experience sans your bank account. Lookin forward to seeing your rig’s progress!

Like you I originally shopped a 4Runner only to buy not only one but 2 GX’s. I made the right choice and my wife loves hers. At the time 4Runners were $4,000~5,000 more than the equivalent year model GX. What a no-brainer to get a GX. I think the secret is out as GX’s are exploding in price. Ours are already worth more than what I paid for them.

The entire experience is...wildly different...but it's such a different driving experience that it's not really something to compare. On a couple of trips to the mountains this winter, I had the "oh man this road would be awesome in the Fiesta" feeling but would then run into snow/unplowed roads/dirt roads leading to our destination so it was nice to just drive through it. Plus with KDSS the GX doesn't feel so truck-like and unwieldy on a backroad that it's annoying, which is nice.

 

[Banandalorian]

Former fiesta owner, and my brother has the ST- that thing is a hoot!
Loving my 13 gx premium. Been doing the baselining stuff, and enjoying comfortably navigating forestry roads we couldn't tackle in the fiesta or my girlfriends fusion.
I got the fusion stuck once, not badly, but my gf went straight to panic mode. Now when we do stuff we wouldn't have even attempted before, she just asks " how's it (the gx) doing"? And I say, "great"
Money well speTh

The Fiesta ST is so much fun because it doesn't really make sense that a little economy hatchback can do whatever shenanigans you are doing. I think I get some similar satisfaction from taking the GX off road because people definitely don't expect it.

 

[Banandalorian]

Welcome! We were shopping for a 100 Series Land Cruiser replacement, and like you, my wife wanted a 4Runner. I didn't fit inside them (6'4"), and like you guys, found very quickly that you got more for less with the GX. Just got ours a few weeks ago, so will be watching your build progress as it will likely mirror mine.

I am 6'1" and while the 4Runner is not as bad inside as a Tacoma, I still felt like I had more headroom in the Fiesta I was replacing.

 

[MrTorgue]

The entire experience is...wildly different...but it's such a different driving experience that it's not really something to compare. On a couple of trips to the mountains this winter, I had the "oh man this road would be awesome in the Fiesta" feeling but would then run into snow/unplowed roads/dirt roads leading to our destination so it was nice to just drive through it. Plus with KDSS the GX doesn't feel so truck-like and unwieldy on a backroad that it's annoying, which is nice.

The SVTF was like it was on rails so I get how much fun these little hot hatches can be in the twisties! But yea for a ~5,300lb brick the KDSS does improve the truck feel around mild corners.

 

[re_guderian]

I am 6'1" and while the 4Runner is not as bad inside as a Tacoma, I still felt like I had more headroom in the Fiesta I was replacing.

My DD is a Ford C-Max. Tremendous headroom. Like driving a I-MAX theater. I "could" drive a 4Runner, but only without a sunroof...

 

[Banandalorian]

Basically the only decent/interesting picture I have right now (cue Lexus December To Remember sales event music)

 

[r2m]

Almost missed it in all that snow!

 

[MrTorgue]

(cue Lexus December To Remember sales event music)

I chuckled.

 

[Banandalorian]

So it begins: Picked up 5 Alphaequipt Deltas and 265/70/17 Pirelli Scorpion AT+ tires from Tirerack last week.
We took a ~150 mile trip down to the Chesapeake this weekend and initial impressions are below:

• Pros:
  • They look dope.
  • My speedometer is now accurate
  • No noticeable increase to road noise over the cheap Ironman tires Carmax put on there
  • Overall these feel better on road corners and over rough pavement and gravel. I'm not doing sports car testing but the old tires had a kind of squishyness to them that did not inspire any degree of confidence (33psi all around for both sets)
  • Did not do any real off roading, but the place we went is on packed dirt/sand/gravel lanes. The same increase in responsiveness/consistency I noted on pavement was here as well. I'm excited to get these out on some more interesting terrain.
• Cons:
  • Wider tire hangs down more from the spare location so this might have cancelled out the the little bit of extra ground clearance gained from slightly taller tires (will need to do some measuring testing to see if these fit OEM spare location with a hitch)
  • Getting a decent amount of rubbing on the bottom of the passenger side skirt when suspension compression with decent steering input (i.e. turning right into a parking lot). This may be a hidden pro as a set of rock sliders would eliminate the contact point.

 

[BigSwede]

My speedometer is now accurate

Yes! I have noticed my speedo is reading a couple of mph high... hoping it will be close when I put on the same tire size you did.

Good looking wheels.

 

[Banandalorian]

Yes! I have noticed my speedo is reading a couple of mph high... hoping it will be close when I put on the same tire size you did.

Good looking wheels.

I was somewhere around 6% fast (75 on speedo was 71 on GPS) and now my speedometer matches my GPS. I would say this definitively proves this is the size tire that Lexus is supposed to be using if we ignore that they rub on the side skirts sometimes (my next problem to solve).

 

[Banandalorian]

One of my favorite things on forums is the guys who will list things like "partial sideskirt delete" in their mod list...

But I did do a decent amount of trimming to get rid of the rubbing I was having. I may still need to get under there with a heat gun to smush the fender liners back, but at least it doesn't sound like I'm going to tear the sideskirt off when I hit a bump while turning.

 

[MrTorgue]

I would say this definitively proves this is the size tire that Lexus is supposed to be using if we ignore that they rub on the side skirts sometimes (my next problem to solve).

I concur. The 265/70/17’s on both my GX’s just feels “right”.

 

[Banandalorian]

Pirelli Scorpion AT+ performance update:

I did quite a bit off offroad driving at The Cove in VA this weekend. I'm not tackling serious rock crawling or deep mud bogs but for the pavement, gravel roads, and mild to moderate trails, the scorpions are definitely working as intended.

To begin: a ~3.5 hour road trip from the Richmond area up to the far northwest corner of Virginia on paved highways and then some mountain backroads. On the highway, we still get a quiet and comfortable ride. Once we get to the paved backroads, the Pirellis inspire plenty of confidence with turn-in, mid corner grip, and braking considering this is a 5,000+ pound body-on-frame truck. I'm not trying to play WRC anymore, but could easily maintain a comfortable speed and never felt like I had to crawl through turns or would overcook it.

Turning off the pavement , you have a few miles of decently maintained, twisty gravel road. The story is the same. Acceleration, braking, turn-in and mid-corner grip are all very good and confidence inspiring. To reach the limits to try to induce understeer or oversteer in the gravel would have required a lot more speed and/or commitment than I was willing to do. I was cruising right along at what I decided was a speed where I could get a feel for things while also avoiding needless ruining of someone's 15mph gravel road.

At The Cove, they have quite a few trails around the property. My experience was on a few different runs which feature fairly steep climbs/descent, dirt, loose rock, small rock faces, and some shallow, sticky mud pits (it's been dry here in VA). Depending on the situation, I was in 4H or 4L (+ diff lock), though I don't actually think that 4L or diff lock was ever truly necessary. The Scorpions had it all covered and gave me plenty of confidence that as long as I had the ground clearance I was getting through it.

I don't have the personal experience to say how the Scorpions stack up against other good ATs (or RT or MT tires) but I was out there on the trails with a lifted 2012 Tacoma on 33inch Goodyear Wranglers and a current gen Tacoma TRD Offroad on plus sized, E rated K02s (which kind of rides like crap but that might not just be the tires). Anything they could do, I could do while sitting in my ventilated seat. I'm impressed.