Media GX460 / Prado150 pic thread (5 Viewers)

[r2m]

Im not very knowledgeable but mainly I just want more height from tires as they move the entire car up the easiest way versus getting a lift kit. I don't mind skinner tires as well.

You may want to consider a skinnier tire after you view this video:
You also get better gas mileage with pizza cutters than fatty's.
A trick for fitting a spare that's tight, you can also deflate it. Just keep a compressor or some inflation system on board.
If you're not really "off roading" and just want a better look, for not a lot of money you can add some spacers to your springs for about a ~0.5" lift.

 

[MeefZah]

Given that shops won't install tires to test it out, just looking for data from others on what worked and what didn't before I decided to get a new set of tires.

You may want to look at some of the different tire retailers in your area, and also some different tire manufacturers, because quite a few manufacturers and several retailers offer a satisfaction guarantee, where after you buy the tires you have so many days / so many miles to try them out and if you're not satisfied you can swap them out with full credit for a different set. I've never done this for size issues, but I've bought a few sets of tires over the years and I haven't been pleased with them once I've gotten them out on the road and I've traded them back in for a different set with no financial hit. I see no reason you couldn't do the same for sizing although you may want to frame the complaint as general dissatisfaction and not size.

 

[Hiluxforever]

Ran Old Settlers Road with a small group.

 

[Hiluxforever]

Short video of a little descent on Old Settlers Road.

 

[UURX]

goodbye ugly pinstripe

 

[llm]

OEM front skid plate did its job- time to replacement now. The plate was smashed all the way to the KDSS clamp and restricted downward movement. I drove 300 miles after this and did not notice a difference.

I have a few options in mind:

1. RCI- one of the cheapest and most popular but oil change filter change can be a hassle
2. LFD- more expensive but oil filter hole is in right location
3. Budbuilt- twice the price of others but seems most robust
4. Talonsgarage- cheapest but untested

How important is bracing on the bends of the front plate? Is 3/16" steel strong enough as it that it won't need additional reinforcements?

 

[Hiluxforever]

I currently have ARBs and will be upgrading to Bud Built Stainless over the next year.

 

[Banandalorian]

OEM front skid plate did its job- time to replacement now. The plate was smashed all the way to the KDSS clamp and restricted downward movement. I drove 300 miles after this and did not notice a difference.

View attachment 3868370View attachment 3868371View attachment 3868372
I have a few options in mind:

1. RCI- one of the cheapest and most popular but oil change filter change can be a hassle
2. LFD- more expensive but oil filter hole is in right location
3. Budbuilt- twice the price of others but seems most robust
4. Talonsgarage- cheapest but untested

How important is bracing on the bends of the front plate? Is 3/16" steel strong enough as it that it won't need additional reinforcements?

+1 for Budbuilt. The maintenance hatches are nice the overall design and construction is incredibly strong.

 

[Ol Yeller]

+1 for Budbuilt. The maintenance hatches are nice the overall design and construction is incredibly strong.

My last service on her truck the skid did not go back on, so need an upgrade soon…was thinking al ALLY one?

 

[Hiluxforever]

My last service on her truck the skid did not go back on, so need an upgrade soon…was thinking al ALLY one?

From others feedback I have heard the aluminum can grab over rocks, I am going to go with stainless which should be the hardest.

 

[Banandalorian]

From others feedback I have heard the aluminum can grab over rocks, I am going to go with stainless which should be the hardest.

Based on my experience with the regular steel Budbuilts I think you will set off airbags before you can find a functional strength difference between the 2 steel options.

The stainless advantage is maintenance time - you don't have to drop stainless skids to wire brush and repaint gouges the way you do with mild steel.

 

[llm]

Based on my experience with the regular steel Budbuilts I think you will set off airbags before you can find a functional strength difference between the 2 steel options.

The stainless advantage is maintenance time - you don't have to drop stainless skids to wire brush and repaint gouges the way you do with mild steel.

That is a great point. Should we intentionally get skid plates that will have some give to absorb the impact to avoid setting off the airbags? My impact was super hard and was glad the airbags did not deploy.

 

[Banandalorian]

That is a great point. Should we intentionally get skid plates that will have some give to absorb the impact to avoid setting off the airbags? My impact was super hard and was glad the airbags did not deploy.

My point was that whatever objective strength difference might exist between a mild steel skidplate and the same design in stainless won't matter because if you hit something that hard you are just crashing the car anyway.

if you are wheeling hard enough to dent the factory skids, then you want to get stronger skids. You dont want your skids to bend into the thing they are supposed to be protecting.

 

[Hiluxforever]

My point was that whatever objective strength difference might exist between a mild steel skidplate and the same design in stainless won't matter because if you hit something that hard you are just crashing the car anyway.

if you are wheeling hard enough to dent the factory skids, then you want to get stronger skids. You dont want your skids to bend into the thing they are supposed to be protecting.

My desire to use stainless wasn't for strength but material hardness. A harder metal should slide easier over rocks. Softer materials gouge and grab.

 

[Hiluxforever]

My biggest thing with going from ARB to Bud Built is I am guessing I will need to do all 3 at once and can't piece meal it without creating all sorts of issues. Granted I am still sticking to fairly easy trails.

 

[NorthwoodsGX]

For 11 years I climbed under my Taco and Fluid Filmed it. When I sold it there was light rust starting on the door sills and tailgate. From the inside rusting to the outside. Had to look for it but it was there. With rust the main concern is areas that you can't see or easily get to. The frame didn't look too bad at least on the outside. Year and a half ago picked up my 19 GX and according to the service history had spent summers up in the Cities and winters down in Texas so hadn't seen salt. One of the main reasons for me buying it.

First thing did was clean the underside and take it in for NHOU Undercoating. NHOU is Fluid Film on steroids for over a year it was creeping UP on the outside of the vehicle. After watching a professional install it and spraying into areas I never thought about I will never do it myself again.

But the guy that did it near me moved back to Pa. so I'm looking for another place to have it done this fall. First year on my Taco I used CF2000 the Canadian snake oil and it was slightly better than FF but got expensive so switched to FF. I feel NHOU or Woolwax are better and stay around longer I skipped last year. Heck the NHOU was still coming out in places this winter. I did a rust test to destruction with several products almost 15 years ago and the CF2000 was just a bit better than Fluid Film. But FF worked as long as it didn't get washed off.

Big R Service Center up by you in Randolph was listed as a Woolwax applicator but they don't have it on their website any longer. Big R does lifts and rear ends they are highly regarded but not sure what they use for undercoating now. Later this summer I will call them and see. I may end up going across the River to Onalaska to EMN Paint Correction and Detailing. They will do FF, NHOU or Woolwax you pick. For prep work they say they use a air needle scaler, 20 years on ships in the engine rooms I have more time behind a needle gun removing rust than I care to admit. But what about inside the frame and panels? They are also spendy and start at ~$400. But to do it right, may be worth it.

Good luck and have fun with the new rig! Snow is melting never mind the 12" that is supposed to drop starting in a few minutes. Soon I will be running around Mn. Wi. and UP to break clay targets at side by side shoots with double shotguns. Mid Sept. I head to the Sunset Country of Canada chasing birds with the dog then the month of October at a cabin mid trail on the Gunflint. Hope to see you in the North Woods sometime.

I hadn't considered having a shop perform the undercoating honestly, but I might look into it. I like the suggestion to use a needle scaler though, I might start by trying out the $40 version from HF, which should work with my air compressor. For the inside of the frame rails and panels I was going to buy a 360 mist hose/applicator gun for woolwax (Woolwax "Pro" Undercoating Applicator-wwprogun - https://www.woolwaxusa.com/Woolwax-Pro-Undercoating-Applicator_p_16.html). Probably won't be a very fun job, but just like anything else, having the right tools will probably make it a little easier and that is definitely worth something. I live in Saint Paul, but I like to spend as much time in the arrowhead as possible. Maybe we will cross paths this fall!

 

[diabetik81]

Installed an ARB dual compressor on the Rago mount and wired it to the Garmin powerswitch. Super easy install, although the Rago instructions were useless.

 

[VinnieDawg]

Nothing special yet. Mods so far are all inside. Back corners of the hood have the ditch light mounts installed, the actual lights should be here in a day or two. If you look closely in the background you can see John F Kennedy Space Center. (Went out to watch a SpaceX launch but it was scrubbed due to weather.

 

[xychromosome]

Installed an ARB dual compressor on the Rago mount and wired it to the Garmin powerswitch. Super easy install, although the Rago instructions were useless.

How are you liking that powerswitch? I read somewhere that the app is carplay friendly which would make it even easier to use.

 

[K Dub]

I haven't been in the dirt for a couple of months, which is pretty long by my standards. I've gotten out of town plenty, but I only have but one vote in the family and the girls prefer sandy beaches and fine dining over muddy trails and ham sammiches. I stole the truck keys and went on a solo trip yesterday in search of strenuous hiking and scenery.

I found plenty of both in yet another side canyon of the Cuyama Badlands, this time off of Lockwood Valley Rd near the summit of the pass. There isn't really an established trail up this gulley, so I was either in the muddy riverbed or scrambling up the crumbling slopes. My GPS tells me I only accomplished 6 miles, but they were hard won and I'm feeling sore today from the exertion.

The trail I took in only had this one "technical" section, but given the width of the trail is about the same as the truck there isn't much use for spotters. Either you've got it, or you don't. Luckily I made it through thanks to ATRAC while 3-wheeling and dragging my trailer hitch on the departure.

After that, I was back on the blacktop and listening to Doc & Dawg on my way back to the city (another perk of solo travel was not listening to Taylor Swift the whole time). When I got home, the girls were still out. They took the electric car to Malibu and then stopped at Erewhan for overpriced takeout on their way home. Something for everyone, I guess. I enjoy dragging my daughter into the woods, and I consider it my responsibility as a parent to do so often, but it's been a while since I did a solo trip and there's a lot to like about it.