Removing fender flares from a 2013 - Gulf States Package

[AL LC2013]

Hello folks - new here 15 year 4runner owner looking to move on and up.

I'm considering purchase of a 2013 with a 'gulf states package.'

I prefer the stock look and I'd like to know about taking off the fender flares and pinstriping. Regarding the flares, does anyone have experience removing these? They appear to be the Toyota port installed option ones and have a black gasket against the paint but I wonder if its likely to have rubbed down through the clearcoat? I believe the piece on the rear door is not fastened but is held by 3M adhesive which might pull paint.

Any experience stories of those removing these (good or bad) is appreciated

Thanks -

 

[cc1999]

The small piece on the rear door is nothing but body molding tape. Some 3m adhesive remover should do the trick for cleaning up residual tape.
The rest is pretty basic trim fasteners. I was going the other way with mine and adding them. But the reverse should not be to big a deal.

I will say that is the first 2013 body style I have seen with the wheel flairs. I was not even sure they would fit on a 13. Good to know.
Curious though, I thought there was a conflict with the 13+ body side molding and the rear wheel flair that attached to the rear door.
Could you please post a pic of how they dealt with that? Looking specifically where the rear door molding and flair intersect.

I imagine if they fit a 13 they would likely fit the 16. I really like the way they look, but only with wheel spacers, I think the stance is perfect with the flair and 1.25 hub centric wheel spacer to push the wheels and tires out nearly flush with the flair's edge tire edge sets just slightly inside the flair, right where I think it should be.

 

[AL LC2013]

I have a couple more pics of the rear - but probably not the area you are referencing. These flares don't look like they could come off easily if you wanted to return to the stock look. I'd rather keep them on the truck than risk it.

In your research are these made by Bushwacker, painted and then supplied to Toyota. or are they a Toyota product? You can go on the Bushwacker website and see how they are installed.

 

[Markuson]

I have a couple more pics of the rear - but probably not the area you are referencing. These flares don't look like they could come off easily if you wanted to return to the stock look. I'd rather keep them on the truck than risk it.

In your research are these made by Bushwacker, painted and then supplied to Toyota. or are they a Toyota product? You can go on the Bushwacker website and see how they are installed.

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I'm curious to know what is included in the "Gulf State Package" that differs from other Cruisers. Any info?

 

[codyaustin5]

Looks like the GX460 with the flares. I like it. I've never seen these on a 13+ only the 08-11. Nice find!

 

[Markuson]

Ya... Seems like unless you're running very wide-stance wheels/tires, it would look better without them.

 

[M1911]

Damn that's ugly.


Sent from my iPad

 

[cc1999]

I am not sure that it was officially called that, but there was a considerable number of Cruisers 08-11 that passed through the gulf states port that received these Toyota accessory flairs and I know both of the ones that I had that came with the flairs from the port were also given window tint. These items as I recall were itemized on the Toyota window sticker. I just don't recall it actually spelling out gulf state package it may have, but as far as I know I think a lot of people call it that since it only was installed in the Toyota gulf states regional port. Both my 2010 and one of the 2011s came through that port and both have the wheel flair pkg. My other current 2011 came from Michigan and did not have them. That is the one I had to add them after the fact. I also found that dealers outside the gulf states seem to be lacking any info on the flairs since they were supposedly never offered outside the gulf region. I had to order my Toyota flair kit from a dealer in AR, because the KS dealer said he could not find anything in his data base, indicating these OE Toyota fender flairs ever existed.

This is the first 13+ that I have seen with these as well.

Thanks for the pic's.

 

[cc1999]

Ya... Seems like unless you're running very wide-stance wheels/tires, it would look better without them.

Damn that's ugly.


Sent from my iPad

I am not that as much of a fan of them either without widening the stance with aftermarket rims or in my case wheel spacers.
Without the flairs Toyota counter syncs the wheels in to far IMO, with the flairs and no spacers, it really exaggerates that problem.

Now without the flairs and adding the spacer then the wheels come out almost too far, just a slight bit past the fender in certain places, but with spacer and the flairs I think they really set in there just right and I think they look good IMO.

Here some pic's of mine with the flairs and 1.25" spacers widening the stance.

 

[Markuson]

I am not that as much of a fan of them either without widening the stance with aftermarket rims or in my case wheel spacers.
Without the flairs Toyota counter syncs the wheels in to far IMO, with the flairs and no spacers, it really exaggerates that problem.

Now without the flairs and adding the spacer then the wheels come out almost too far, just a slight bit past the fender in certain places, but with spacer and the flairs I think they really set in there just right and I think they look good IMO.

Here some pic's of mine with the flairs and 1.25" spacers widening the stance.

Ya... Not bad at all. Maybe you could post a front-shot from back a ways...showing the width & stance.

If you are actually USING the flares...then good for you.

I agree that the wheels are set too far in... My rock warriors move them out a bit, but I wish they were our another 25mm or so (RW are 50mm offset compared with 60 stock).

 

[cc1999]

I have a couple more pics of the rear - but probably not the area you are referencing. These flares don't look like they could come off easily if you wanted to return to the stock look. I'd rather keep them on the truck than risk it.

In your research are these made by Bushwacker, painted and then supplied to Toyota. or are they a Toyota product? You can go on the Bushwacker website and see how they are installed.

You know I have tried to research that question, and I am not a 100% on this, but I think Toyota makes there own and the bushwacker is marketed and sold as an OE looking fender flair and I think it looks really close to the Toyota version. I have only seen the BW flair in pictures, and from the pic's I have seen I seem to recall some very minor differences. The one set I bought from Toyota and added came pre-painted and came in Toyota boxes with Toyota part numbers. Since I have never been able to compare them in person side by side, I am only going by pictures and they seem to have some slight differences.

 

[cc1999]

Ya... Not bad at all. Maybe you could post a front-shot from back a ways...showing the width & stance.

If you are actually USING the flares...then good for you.

I agree that the wheels are set too far in... My rock warriors move them out a bit, but I wish they were our another 25mm or so (RW are 50mm offset compared with 60 stock).

That was always sort of my dilemma, I could never find a wheel with the perfect offset that would set the wheel and tire right where I wanted it in relation to the fender edge. Like you mentioned the RWs only gained an extra 10mm, not quite enough without flairs for what I was wanting , and so many of the after market options were either to much that even the flair would not cover it or not enough to get rid of that counter sunk look. This was my best solution to get the stance just where I wanted it.

I found these pictures. I don't think they are quite what your wanting to see but maybe a little better angle and distance to help.

 

[Markuson]

That was always sort of my dilemma, I could never find a wheel with the perfect offset that would set the wheel and tire right where I wanted it in relation to the fender edge. Like you mentioned the RWs only gained an extra 10mm, not quite enough without flairs for what I was wanting , and so many of the after market options were either to much that even the flair would not cover it or not enough to get rid of that counter sunk look. This was my best solution to get the stance just where I wanted it.

I found these pictures. I don't think they are quite what your wanting to see but maybe a little better angle and distance to help.
View attachment 1177874 View attachment 1177874 View attachment 1177875 View attachment 1177877 View attachment 1177878

Have a look at Kreitin's photos. I think he runs wheels with 25mm offset and they look great. That's a full 35mm wider than stock on each side and I like it.

 

[AL LC2013]

These flares just look aftermarket to me, and polarizing. You either like or hate them. I wish they integrated better with the body. I'm sure this is gulf states just working to get another $899 or whatever out of buyers with flares and pinstripes.

Does anyone know someone here who has taken this off with success?

 

[Willy beamin]

Desert nomad had them on his rig.
Think I remember reading about him taking them off. PM him. If I'm wrong I apologize in advance but I think I'm correct.

 

[AL LC2013]

Great, thanks!

 

[cc1999]

I bet about any body shop would remove them for you for a couple hondos. Maybe less. Estimates are free.
I think that's about what i paid to have mine installed. I imagine the labor to take them off would be about the same. I image they have some specialty tools to help prevent scratching the paint when removing body moldings.

 

[Markuson]

The add-on flares sorta remind me of the 90's in America.

As I'm sure most of you remember, in the 90's, tons of American manufacturers had this idea that if you just tacked on a bunch of aftermarket plastic to the sheet metal, you could give the vehicle a new name...and charge a lot more since it was now a "Sport" version, or a "Special Edition" etc.

Sorta like this:

Early Cadillac Escalades were little more than Suburbans with plastic stuff stuck on the outside...

But at least they didn't do this at the port...

 

[ryanCA]

God those LC flares are hideous

Leave it to idiot gulf state for ruining beautiful 200

They did the same thing back in the day on the 100 series. Except back then they used to do the two tone for the flares

Gulf State distributor - ruining Toyota resale value one unit at a time

Due to their idiocy (found in Tacoma special models too), I don't even bother shopping their area when I look for used trucks

 

[RTaylor]

My black '11 had flares and I removed them. They were held on by tape.