New GX470 Owner

[08GX470]

Hey everyone, I just bought my very first GX470 and plan to slowly turn it into an off-road/camping vehicle.

I bought a Silver 2008 model with gray interior and the red(ish) wood trim. I'm told that combo was pretty rare? I bought it off a Lexus master mechanic who had maintained the car beautifully. I mean, this car is mechanically immaculate. My mechanic came with me to check out the car and he said I'm essentially getting a brand new car.

Anyways, aside from going off-roading with my buddies in their cars I don't really know much about the world of SUVs and off-roading. I've always been into small lightweight sports cars, but I'm excited to learn more and dive into the world of all terrain.

Here's the only picture I've taken of it so far.

Cheers!

 

[McDuff123]

Hey everyone, I just bought my very first GX470 and plan to slowly turn it into an off-road/camping vehicle.

I bought a Silver 2008 model with gray interior and the red(ish) wood trim. I'm told that combo was pretty rare? I bought it off a Lexus master mechanic who had maintained the car beautifully. I mean, this car is mechanically immaculate. My mechanic came with me to check out the car and he said I'm essentially getting a brand new car.

Anyways, aside from going off-roading with my buddies in their cars I don't really know much about the world of SUVs and off-roading. I've always been into small lightweight sports cars, but I'm excited to learn more and dive into the world of all terrain.

Here's the only picture I've taken of it so far.

Cheers!

View attachment 3319450

Welcome…sounds like a very nice example.
You‘ll find a wealth of info on here about various ways to upgrade, modify,etc.
My suggestion is to really try to identify what you want out of this truck, and then plan smart mods to get there.
IE, want a lift for bigger tires? Then research good suspension options etc
Have fun…they are great platforms.

 

[08GX470]

Welcome…sounds like a very nice example.
You‘ll find a wealth of info on here about various ways to upgrade, modify,etc.
My suggestion is to really try to identify what you want out of this truck, and then plan smart mods to get there.
IE, want a lift for bigger tires? Then research good suspension options etc
Have fun…they are great platforms.

Thanks! I'm looking forward to it. I'm not looking to do anything TOO crazy. Definitely a 1.5-2 inch lift with off-roading wheels and tires. Skid plates and rock sliders to protect everything underneath. Maybe a roof rack and an awning. MAYBE a metal front and rear bumper guard. Other than that, it's just my camping supplies.

I'll be combing through the forums during whatever little downtime I have throughout the day. Open to hearing more suggestions and/or recommendations if anyone has any.

 

[HomersCanyonero]

What’s your budget for the upgrades? And you looking for used parts or all new?

1. Wheels and tires. Selecting the right wheel size/offset and tire size cam save you money down the road. $1500 to $5k depending on your taste.

2. Suspension choices also can range from $2k to $7k+ depending on what parts and brands you choose.

3. Skids and sliders also about $2k to $3k

 

[08GX470]

What’s your budget for the upgrades? And you looking for used parts or all new?

1. Wheels and tires. Selecting the right wheel size/offset and tire size cam save you money down the road. $1500 to $5k depending on your taste.

2. Suspension choices also can range from $2k to $7k+ depending on what parts and brands you choose.

3. Skids and sliders also about $2k to $3k

I don't really have a budget in mind. I figured I'd be spending AT LEAST 10k on upgrades, and plan to slowly build the car one or two upgrades at a time. Any advice on where to start would be great.

 

[McDuff123]

I don't really have a budget in mind. I figured I'd be spending AT LEAST 10k on upgrades, and plan to slowly build the car one or two upgrades at a time. Any advice on where to start would be great.

If nothing else, tires, lift and sliders will give you great capability.
32” or 33” is about the biggest you can fit in the spare tire spot, and anything bigger just imposes more wear, needs more mods, and gives worse performance and fuel mileage.
Sliders…there are lots out there…if you have KDSS, then your choices are more limited. White Knuckle make some very robust sliders at a reasonable price point (and are fairly local to you).
Personally I’d skip the front and rear bumpers…too heavy and expensive, but then again, my use-case doesn’t require them. Yours might.
Suspension…once you decide on a brand, talk with them to choose the weight rating that will be appropriate for your ultimate configuration…in other words, if you get a “soft” lift now but add heavy bumpers later, you’ll be under-sprung and will quickly want to buy stiffer springs.

You can do those items for around $5k or less.

 

[08GX470]

If nothing else, tires, lift and sliders will give you great capability.
32” or 33” is about the biggest you can fit in the spare tire spot, and anything bigger just imposes more wear, needs more mods, and gives worse performance and fuel mileage.
Sliders…there are lots out there…if you have KDSS, then your choices are more limited. White Knuckle make some very robust sliders at a reasonable price point (and are fairly local to you).
Personally I’d skip the front and rear bumpers…too heavy and expensive, but then again, my use-case doesn’t require them. Yours might.
Suspension…once you decide on a brand, talk with them to choose the weight rating that will be appropriate for your ultimate configuration…in other words, if you get a “soft” lift now but add heavy bumpers later, you’ll be under-sprung and will quickly want to buy stiffer springs.

You can do those items for around $5k or less.

Thanks for the reply. My car does NOT have KDSS. I'll only get a metal front/rear bumper in the event that I damage mine. I don't want to add extra weight unnecessarily. Wow, only 5k?

I don't know what suspension brands to look into. I'm familiar with Eibach from my days driving sports cars, but I've been seeing a lot of GX owners going with Toytec suspension. Any recommendations? Is it just a personal preference thing?

 

[BigNick]

Thanks! I'm looking forward to it. I'm not looking to do anything TOO crazy. Definitely a 1.5-2 inch lift with off-roading wheels and tires. Skid plates and rock sliders to protect everything underneath. Maybe a roof rack and an awning. MAYBE a metal front and rear bumper guard. Other than that, it's just my camping supplies.

I'll be combing through the forums during whatever little downtime I have throughout the day. Open to hearing more suggestions and/or recommendations if anyone has any.

Yea.. thats not anything too crazy.. Its really not, I'm just joking you. Make sure on your lift you get 700lb/inch springs up front. 650s aren't enough with a bumper add. I'd be careful about putting 35inch tires. Rear-end is only an 8inch ring gear and I think 35s are big for it. Although there are plenty of guys that stuff 35s in there im not one of them. 33s for me. Careful on your bumper select, metal techs are twisted and hard to mount. I put a demello up front and it went in smooth. For your sliders get the kickouts in the back I didnt and wish I did.

That's all I can think of now..

 

[08GX470]

Yea.. thats not anything too crazy.. Its really not, I'm just joking you. Make sure on your lift you get 700lb/inch springs up front. 650s aren't enough with a bumper add. I'd be careful about putting 35inch tires. Rear-end is only an 8inch ring gear and I think 35s are big for it. Although there are plenty of guys that stuff 35s in there im not one of them. 33s for me. Careful on your bumper select, metal techs are twisted and hard to mount. I put a demello up front and it went in smooth. For your sliders get the kickouts in the back I didnt and wish I did.

That's all I can think of now..

Thanks! I'm gonna keep the tires at 33" max. Again, the metal front bumper is a big maybe. I MIGHT do it if I damage the original bumper badly. Any specific reason for the slider kickouts in the back?

 

[HomersCanyonero]

33s come in different widths. Most everyone likes fat 33s in 11.6” wide but very few like skinny 33s in 10” to 10.5” wide

Approximate sizes (check mfg)
285/70R17s = 32.7” x 11.5”
255/80R17s = 33.1” x 10”
33x10.5R17 = 32.7” x 10.5”

The 10.5” width seems like a perfect size to me and I’m looking at that width in the future

I run 285/70R17s on 17x9 -12 wheels.

I reccommend a 17x8 zero offset wheel with the 33x10.5 tires. Or the trd pro wheels 17x7 +4 offset.

Then run a 275/75R17 (32.1” x 10”) spare in spare location on a FJC steelie 17x7.5 +15 offset. It’s only 1/2” shorter but good enough as spare. And if spare tire is new and your other 4 tires are 50% used, then the height difference is like 3/8” — not much.

Tires and wheels can run you $2500 all new.

Then you need a 2” lift to be able to fit the sliders and skid plates.

2” lift can be achieved with many entry level brands like Bilstein, eibach, ome, dobinson, Ironman, etc.

If you want higher then entry level let’s say mid level then you got the Bilstein 6112s, icon, toytec aluma, radflo, fox, dobinson ims, etc

High end you get kings, icons, toytec elka, ome bp51, Bilstein 8112, etc

If you stay at 2”, then you lower your overall costs because you need less upgrades and less wear on stock components

There’s a few sites that have good info on gx470 suspensions like Apache offroad, exit offroad, MetalTech 4x4, toytec, shock surplus, etc.

For skid plates, look at ARB skid set. Good value for your use.

For rock sliders, pick from several brands like rci, white knuckle, OPOR at MetalTech4x4, etc

 

[BigNick]

Thanks! I'm gonna keep the tires at 33" max. Again, the metal front bumper is a big maybe. I MIGHT do it if I damage the original bumper badly. Any specific reason for the slider kickouts in the back?

I wish I got kickouts to keep trees off the rear fenders ..

 

[08GX470]

33s come in different widths. Most everyone likes fat 33s in 11.6” wide but very few like skinny 33s in 10” to 10.5” wide

Approximate sizes (check mfg)
285/70R17s = 32.7” x 11.5”
255/70R17s = 33.1” x 10”
33x10.5R17 = 32.7” x 10.5”

The 10.5” width seems like a perfect size to me and I’m looking at that width in the future

I run 285/70R17s on 17x9 -12 wheels.

I reccommend a 17x8 zero offset wheel with the 33x10.5 tires. Or the trd pro wheels 17x7 +4 offset.

Then run a 275/75R17 (32.1” x 10”) spare in spare location on a FJC steelie 17x7.5 +15 offset. It’s only 1/2” shorter but good enough as spare. And if spare tire is new and your other 4 tires are 50% used, then the height difference is like 3/8” — not much.

Tires and wheels can run you $2500 all new.

Then you need a 2” lift to be able to fit the sliders and skid plates.

2” lift can be achieved with many entry level brands like Bilstein, eibach, ome, dobinson, Ironman, etc.

If you want higher then entry level let’s say mid level then you got the Bilstein 6112s, icon, toytec aluma, radflo, fox, dobinson ims, etc

High end you get kings, icons, toytec elka, ome bp51, Bilstein 8112, etc

If you stay at 2”, then you lower your overall costs because you need less upgrades and less wear on stock components

There’s a few sites that have good info on gx470 suspensions like Apache offroad, exit offroad, MetalTech 4x4, toytec, shock surplus, etc.

For skid plates, look at ARB skid set. Good value for your use.

For rock sliders, pick from several brands like rci, white knuckle, OPOR at MetalTech4x4, etc

Wow! That was extremely informative. Thank you for that. I'm going to start looking into the different options to see what the differences are and what I need/don't need for my application.

 

[08GX470]

I wish I got kickouts to keep trees off the rear fenders ..

Ahh, that makes sense. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Rednexus]

It's very, very easy to burn though $10K in upgrades on these rigs. I'm north of $20K in upgrades/maintenance/repairs to my rig now, with all of the work DIY. But, you can make some good improvements for $10K. I have a itemized build list with costs for my rig in my build thread (see link below in my signature). For just $10K in upgrades, I'd get (note all costs are parts only, assuming you DIY the installs):

1. Skidplates (ARBs are $500 and fine for a weekend warrior GX)
2. Wheels/tires ($2-3K)
3. Lift with new UCAs ($2-3.5K)
4. Rock sliders ($1K)
5. Rear drawers (if you have money leftover)

Bumpers are heavy and expensive (figure $1-3K for the front and back each). Given the price, they should seriously be compared against ~$5K in front and rear lockers with a regear, which will significantly improve the on and off-road performance of the rig.

 

[GrizzlyClint]

It's very, very easy to burn though $10K in upgrades on these rigs.

^ This. I only planned on mild mods and I'm in $10k in just mods and parts.

 

[HomersCanyonero]

It's very, very easy to burn though $10K in upgrades on these rigs. I'm north of $20K in upgrades/maintenance/repairs to my rig now, with all of the work DIY. But, you can make some good improvements for $10K. I have a itemized build list with costs for my rig in my build thread (see link below in my signature). For just $10K in upgrades, I'd get (note all costs are parts only, assuming you DIY the installs):

1. Skidplates (ARBs are $500 and fine for a weekend warrior GX)
2. Wheels/tires ($2-3K)
3. Lift with new UCAs ($2-3.5K)
4. Rock sliders ($1K)
5. Rear drawers (if you have money leftover)

Bumpers are heavy and expensive (figure $1-3K for the front and back each). Given the price, they should seriously be compared against ~$5K in front and rear lockers with a regear, which will significantly improve the on and off-road performance of the rig.

Hey Red, how many years have you owned your GX470?

My maintenance/repairs/upgrades is also pushing $20k over 6+ years of ownership.

But a set of tires and multiple sets of brakes/rotors over the years start to add up. And we do a lot of preventive maintenance as well. And way too many little upgrades.

I guess if I average it out, I’m spending about $3k a year in maintenance/repairs/upgrades. But I hope to slow down now…lol.

No aftermarket bumpers for me nor roof rack, but well maintained mechanically and interior.

 

[Rednexus]

Hey Red, how many years have you owned your GX470?

My maintenance/repairs/upgrades is also pushing $20k over 6+ years of ownership.

But a set of tires and multiple sets of brakes/rotors over the years start to add up. And we do a lot of preventive maintenance as well. And way too many little upgrades.

I guess if I average it out, I’m spending about $3k a year in maintenance/repairs/upgrades. But I hope to slow down now…lol.

No aftermarket bumpers for me nor roof rack, but we’ll maintained mechanically and interior.

I'm coming up on 3 years of ownership. I've also done the $$$ mods of headers, exhaust, transmission upgrades, drawers, etc, which really added up. But made the GX a much better tow rig .

How are the Lseat covers working out? My leather patch job is not working out as intended - probably gonna bite the bullet and go for Lseat covers or Ridies later on.

 

[HomersCanyonero]

I'm coming up on 3 years of ownership. I've also done the $$$ mods of headers, exhaust, transmission upgrades, drawers, etc, which really added up. But made the GX a much better tow rig .

How are the Lseat covers working out? My leather patch job is not working out as intended - probably gonna bite the bullet and go for Lseat covers or Ridies later on.

The LSeats holding up well. Still look great. Just this year 2023…my GX470 not a daily driver anymore. It’s a trail rig that only sees action like once a week to the mall (or a trail once a quarter)

 

[Rednexus]

The LSeats holding up well. Still look great. Just this year 2023…my GX470 not a daily driver anymore. It’s a trail rig that only sees action like once a week to the mall (or a trail once a quarter)

Good to hear, they are reasonably priced so I may go that route.

Totally get it on the GX not being a daily. I "daily" mine, but mainly being WFH most of it's miles are spent pulling the camper or heading into the woods. A more fuel efficient car would be nice for travel, however.

 

[08GX470]

It's very, very easy to burn though $10K in upgrades on these rigs. I'm north of $20K in upgrades/maintenance/repairs to my rig now, with all of the work DIY. But, you can make some good improvements for $10K. I have a itemized build list with costs for my rig in my build thread (see link below in my signature). For just $10K in upgrades, I'd get (note all costs are parts only, assuming you DIY the installs):

1. Skidplates (ARBs are $500 and fine for a weekend warrior GX)
2. Wheels/tires ($2-3K)
3. Lift with new UCAs ($2-3.5K)
4. Rock sliders ($1K)
5. Rear drawers (if you have money leftover)

Bumpers are heavy and expensive (figure $1-3K for the front and back each). Given the price, they should seriously be compared against ~$5K in front and rear lockers with a regear, which will significantly improve the on and off-road performance of the rig.

Thanks for the reply! $10k was just a ballpark amount I threw out there. I was expecting to definitely spend more than that. I'm trying to get a more economic car for daily driving, so once I do that, I'll begin upgrading the GX and it'll go from being my daily driver to strictly being a camping/family vacation vehicle.

Also, I was speaking to a friend of mine who off-roads pretty regularly. He recommended I don't get skid plates because they're heavy and sit low, and therefore reduce ground clearance. I know I can get stiffer suspension to decrease suspension sagging from the added weight, but I feel he has a point. He did recommend getting a different front bumper to be able to get better approach angles. Thoughts?