A Guy A Girl and a Trail: Adventures in a 4Runner Limited

This is my thread about my 4Runner - modifications, maintenance, how-to’s, and most importantly - the adventures it takes my family and I on. Photography, skiing, hiking, biking, and camping are all hobbies of ours, this is going to be a VERY picture heavy thread. I’m only going to post pics from adventures that involved the 4Runner, but rarely will the 4Runner be the main focus, I love the vehicle but it’s the thrills and experiences in life that I’m after.

When it comes to my 4Runner “build” you’re not gonna see a bunch of cosmetic mods aimed at getting Instagram likes or pictures of everything you could possibly bolt to it bolted to it. My philosophy in modding is high quality, reliable, thought out mods that add utility and usability while saving some weight wherever feasible.

2011 Toyota 4Runner Limited




Powertrain:

• Revolution Gear & Axle 4.88:1 front differential gears
• Revolution Gear & Axle 4.88:1 rear differential gears
• ARB rear differential breather
• ARB Safari Snorkel
• Fumoto F103S 12 X 1.5 short nipple oil pan drain valve
• Fumoto LC-10 oil pan drain valve hose

Exterior:

• Hefty Fabworks aluminum plate prerunner hoop front bumper
• Gear America front Heavy Duty 58,000 lb D-Ring shackles with isolators
• KC HiLites Cyclone amber lights fitted as front marker lights and turn signals
• Morimoto HD LED load resistors for front turn signals
• Custom hood rack with traction board mounts
• Southern Style Offroad full length roof rack
• Victory 4×4 Roof Rack Side Accessory Panel modified to mount heater
• Southern Style Offroad Trailgator 2.0 rear bumper with tailgate, tire carrier swing arm, and relocated backup camera and rear plate light
• Toyota / Nitto Full size matching 5th wheel and tire
• Gear America Rear Heavy Duty 58,000 lb D-Ring shackles with isolators
• Expedition Essentials Propane Bottle Quick Mount
• Worthington Pro Grade 11lb propane tank
• Shrockworks Trail rocker panel trims
• Toyota OEM ‘14+ taillights
• Toyota OEM ‘10-‘13 Trail headlights
• Phillips Vision LED reverse light bulbs
• Phillips Vision LED puddle light bulbs
• Thule T2 XTR 916 & 918 bike carriers
• Removed as many emblems and logos as possible

Armor:

• Southern Style Offroad washer fluid reservoir cover
• ARK Splash Guards full coverage splash guards
• RCI Offroad aluminum engine skid plate
• RCI Offroad aluminum transmission skid plate
• RCI Offroad aluminum transfer case skid plate with cross member brace
• RCI Offroad aluminum lower control arm skid plates
• RCI Offroad aluminum fuel tank skid plate
• RCI Offroad 20° rock sliders
• RCI Offroad rear differential skid plate
• Bullet Proof Fabrication rear King rock protection shin guards

Suspension & Brakes:

• Toyota TRD Pro SEMA 17″ wheels in matte gray
• Nitto Ridge Grappler 255/80/17 E (33.3″)
• King Shocks OEM Series 2.5” front remote reservoir, custom valved, extended travel coilovers
• King Shocks 3-14-600 front springs
• SuperPro front lower control arms
• JBA Offroad caster corrected upper control arms
• JBA Offroad upgraded Cerakote coated high articulation upper ball joints with the new style accordion boots
• JBA Offroad upgraded EZ Lube upper control arm bushings
• Removed front sway bar
• DuroBumps front bump stops
• ToyTec Lifts stainless steel extended front brake lines
• King Shocks OEM 2.5” rear remote reservoir, custom valved, extended travel, custom length shocks
• ToyTec Lifts Superflex Extra Duty rear springs
• Dobinsons Spring & Suspension adjustable rear track bar
• Dobinsons Spring & Suspension adjustable rear upper control arms
• Dobinsons Spring & Suspension adjustable rear lower control arms
• Old Man Emu 10mm trim spacer
• Overland Custom Design adjustable forged ball joint rear sway bar links
• DuroBumps rear bump stops
• ToyTec Lifts stainless steel extended rear brake lines

Electrical Setup:

• Custom electrical power distribution module with dual battery build
• X2 Power (Northstar rebranded for Batteries Plus) BCI Group 24F 76 Ah AGM dual purpose starter battery
• ARC Light LEDS voltage booster for AGM batteries
• C4 Fabrication passenger firewall battery tray
• Vmax Charge Tanks BCI Group 24 SLR85 85 Ah deep cycle accessory battery
• RedArc Electronics BCDC1225D 12volt 25amp dual input DC and Solar onboard charger
• NOCO Genius Gen 2 10 amp 2 bank shore power battery charger
• Blue Sea Systems CB285-40 40 Amp Circuit Breaker (x2)
• Blue Sea Systems 7615 Low Voltage Disconnect
• Shrockworks Power Distribution Module tray
• Eaton Bussman 15305-5-2-4 RTMR Power Distribution Module
• Blue Sea Systems CB285-80 80 Amp Circuit Breaker
• Blue Sea Systems 100 amp common busbar (x2)
• Toyota OEM 2014+ dash cubby customized with Contura II switches and Blue Sea Systems 1039 dual USB fast charger custom
• Custom plug and play wiring harness made with TXL spec wire, Metri-Pack 280 series, Delphi Weather Pack, Molex Mini fit Jr, and Anderson SB50 terminals, seals, and housings
• Baja Designs Squadron Pro amber driving/combo flush mounts
• Baja Designs S2 Pro amber wide cornering lights on Cali Raised low profile ditch light brackets
• Baja Designs S2 Sport white passenger side reverse light
• Baja Designs S2 Sport red drivers side rear foglight
• Aurora LED roof rack flush-mounted scene camping lights (2 per side)
• Custom Roof Top Tent Electrical Box – controls rack camping lights, tent power outlets, red interior tent lights, and white interior tent lights
• Dometic CFX35W refrigerator
• Overland Solar BugOut 130 solar blanket
• Radiantz LED rear plate frame/light relocated to swing arm

Interior:

• SHW Offroad built in drawers with side wings and tilting fridge slide
• Rado Design molle window racks
• Rado Design molle shelf
• Weather Tech floor liners
• ARC Light LED Icarus eXtreme white/red map lights
• ARC Light LED Icarus eXtreme white/red dome light
• ARC Light LED Icarus eXtreme white/red rear hatch lights
• Raingler attic storage
• Reflectix insulation permanently installed on the cargo area side windows under the interior trim panels
• Heat Shield sunshades for all the other windows

Recovery & Tools:

• WARN Industries Evo VR 10K winch
• WARN Industries synthetic winch line
• Factor 55 flat link
• Factor 55 winch cable protector
• ARB tree saver
• Maxtrax MKII traction boards
• ARB Weekender Recovery Kit
• ARB E-Z Deflator
• Smittybilt 5.65 CFM 12v portable air compressor
• Boulder Tools heavy-duty tire repair kit
• Adventure Tool Company tool roll with Icon tools
• Tow strap
• Jumper cables
• Mini sledgehammer
• Breaker bar with lugnut flip sockets
• Extendable locking prop rod

Emergency Gear:

• Garmin InReach Mini satellite communicator
• Audew 1500 amp lithium jump pack
• Mountain House gluten free adventure meals (x2)
• Jetboil Zip Cooking System
• Coleman 1 lb propane tank
• Yaktrax Diamond Grip microspikes for shoes
• Wilcor Be Outdoors packable backpack
• Mechanix leather work gloves
• Sea to Summit 10L pocket shower
• Gerber Gear folding saw
• Gerber Gear hatchet
• SaberCut Hand chain saw
• iKamper Extra awning stakes
• Coghlan’s bear bells (x2)
• Storm Whistles The Storm all-weather safety whistle
• SOL Emergency blankets
• Rumple down blanket
• Columbia Sportswear packable rain jacket
• LifeStraw LifeStraw personal water filter straw
• HotHands Hand, foot, and body warmers
• UST Gear FlexWare Bucket 2.0 Collapsible bucket (x2)
• Custom dual circuit emergency bypass harness (if the secondary battery system goes down, I can plug in the harness to bypass it and run 2 circuits off the starter battery)
• National Luna Battery Monitor
• Powerwerx Watt Meter Plus for solar input
• Givebest 400 watt mini emergency space heater (compatible with OEM power inverter)
• Assorted fire starting – Light My Fire Swedish FireSteel, Zippo tinder shreds, lighter, stormproof matches, dryer lint, flint & striker, etc.)
• First aid kit
• Assorted tapes, seam sealers, patches, straps, and bungees
• Assorted device charging cables
• Extension cord
• Tarp

Camping Gear:

• iKamper Skycamper 4X Rocky Black bedlined hardshell rooftop tent
• iKamper Skycamp 4X awning with upgraded poles
• iKamper Skycamp 4X winter liner
• Propex HS2211 forced air propane heater with digital thermostat
• Trasharoo spare tire trash bag
• Nemo Equipment Roamer double sleeping pad
• The North Face Dolomite One double sleeping bag
• Sea to Summit Expander sleeping bag liner – Double rectangular shape
• Nemo Roamer Long Wide sleeping pad (solo trips)
• Therm-a-Rest synergy fitted sheet XXL (solo trips)
• The North Face One Bag (solo trips)
• Sea to Summit Thermolite Reactor Extreme sleeping bag liner – Regular (solo trips)
• Columbia Sportswear On-The-Go compressible camping pillow
• Eno DoubleNest Hammock
• Eno Atlas Hammock Suspension System
• REI Flexlite Air camping chairs
• Lava Box Vol-CAN-no ammo can fire pit
• Dometic GO Hydration Water Jug 11L
• Dometic GO Hydration Water Faucet
• MSR Dromedary water bag 10L
• Lunatec Aquabot
• Sea To Summit Tek Towel microfiber
• Thermacell Radius Zone mosquito repellent
• IRIS USA SIA-10 Heavy Duty Stackable Utility Totes, 11.75 GAL
• REI Roadtripper 40L duffel bag orange
• REI Roadtripper 40L duffel bag black
• REI Roadtripper 60L duffel bag blue
• Stansport pop up privacy shelter
• Blika folding toilet
• Blika Toilet bags
• Neptten portable toilet bag powder
• Coleman 1 gallon thermos (for poop bags)
• SOL Solar Shower
• Nite Ize GearLine Organization System
• Streamlite Siege lantern
• Black Diamond Headlamp
• Schrade Telescoping Folding Shovel
• Coghlan’s Tent Whisk and Dust Pan
• Dude Shower on the go wipes
• Camp Suds biodegradable liquid soap
• Jetboil Genesis back up regulator
• Camco FasTen RV leveling blocks
• Toilet Paper
• Paper Towels
• Kleenex
• Napkins
• Hand Sanitizer
• Antibacterial hand wipes
• Antibacterial surface wipes
• Bug spray
• Deck of playing cards
• Travel Backgammon
• Mini football
• Safety glasses

Camp Kitchen:

• Jetboil Genesis Basecamp Cook System
• Le Creuset Silone Lid 11″
• Adventure Tool Company bag
• Farberware Small ceramic knife
• Farberware Medium ceramic knife
• GSI Outdoors metal knife
• GSI Outdoors knife bag
• GSI Outdoors dish scrubbing washcloth
• GSI Outdoors collapsible bowls (x2)
• Bueno insulated 10oz tumblers (x2)
• GSI Outdoors 56oz Halulite Kettle
• GSI Outdoors 50oz JavaPress
• Lasting Coffee hand grinder
• Wise Owl Outfitters quick dry camp towel
• UCO Utility Spork 4-Pack
• Rolla Roaster Camping Forks (x4)
• Silicone tipped tongs
• Silicone spatula
• Silicone turner
• Plastic slotted spoon
• Plastic solid spoon
• Silicone whisk
• Plastic pan scraper
• Cutting board
• Plastic reusable plates (x4)

 

Where it all began:
I've always been a car guy. I've never liked trucks, never wanted a truck, never had any interest in a truck. In fact, after buying the 4Runner a bunch of my friends gave me crap about it because I always said trucks were for hillbillies. Living in the Midwest (Chicago) that was totally true, everything was flat, the worst you came across was a dirt road if you drove hours to get to it and you may have to park in a field during an event of some kind. but people bought trucks and lifted them and gave them the off road look for nothing. I never once even considered a truck living there even despite have an outdoors active lifestyle (hiking, biking, triathlons, skiing, ect.) That mindset changed when I moved to Colorado. I had a modified 4 door MK6 Volkswagen GTI and first time it was no longer practical. From dirt and gravel washboard roads and driving over cattle grates in route to trail heads for mountain biking, to driving a lowered front wheel drive car up mountain passes in the snow with 300 ft/lbs of torque to go skiing, it just wasn't practical for my lifestyle in a mountain environment.

This thing hated rough unpaved roads.

Fall through spring could be bike or ski season, this is all I could do to maximize space but it was always limited to 2 people plus gear.

Heading up to go skiing it was common to plow snow with the front while hoping the snow tires keep biting. It didn’t take much to really bury the car.

And stuff like this is no joke.


So, I started looking for a replacement. My first thought was a Subaru would be perfect. I was all for it, until I actually drove one. I really wanted to like them but it was bad. It felt like I was sitting on a folding chair with a cushion surrounded by an interior designed and built by Fisher Price. They just felt so cheap and crappy, I couldn't do it. I was working at a car dealership so I'd regularly take used cars home for a night to spend some time driving them and seeing what I liked and didn’t like. After literally a year of casual researching, looking at, and driving everything from small hatch backs to pick up trucks I had a pretty specific list of what I wanted in a replacement for my GTI.

This was my list of firm requirements:
- Real truck/SUV (body on frame, no crossovers)
- 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS
- 4 doors
- 2" hitch receiver
- A center differential inside a low range transfer case (full time 4WD that you don't have to mechanically lock any part of the drivetrain, I didn't want to have 2WD or locked 4WD be my options)
- I had to be able to adjust the driver’s seat to where I want to sit and then be able to get out and fit comfortably in the seat behind that one (I'm 6'2")
- It had to fit me laying down in the back with the seats folded flat for sleeping in it
- Reliability and long-term durability
- One touch auto up and down on ALL of the windows
- Split folding rear seats
- The ability to comfortably fit 4 adults with all of our ski equipment inside the vehicle.

On 8/27/14 after a long time the winner was a used 2011 Toyota 4Runner Limited – 4.0L V6, full time 4WD, automatic, silver exterior, black interior, smart key, heated full power leather seats, navigation, voice recognition, bluetooth phone and streaming audio, one touch up and down windows, dual zone climate control, 2" hitch, 5,000 lb tow rating, 4 and 7 pin trailer wiring, steering wheel controls, sunroof, homelink garage door buttons, 20" alloy wheels, 15 speaker JBL system, running boards, heated mirrors, roof rack cross bars, auto dimming rear view mirror, 6 disc changer, Aux jack, USB hookup, iPod hookup, backup camera, 4 wheel disc, front and rear 12v and 120v power outlets, XREAS sport suspension, side curtain airbags, knee airbags, front airbags, side airbags, etc. It had 29,000 miles, 1 owner car, clean carfax, all the maintenance records, and they even had the original $43,000+ window sticker. It was mechanically perfect but with a lot of minor cosmetic flaws up close. That was perfect for me, the price was lower, the value was better, and not being a mint perfect condition truck, I wouldn't be so stupidly over anal about it like I have been with every other vehicle I've owned.

New with the old

 

Right off the bat since its currently winter and I bought a Limited lets discuss 4WD and winter driving.

If you didn’t already know, a typical 4WD system is RWD until its mechanically locked into 4WD. When it's in 4WD the front and rear are locked together and forced to spin at the same speed, but that's not physically possible unless you’re driving straight or a tire is slipping. When you’re turning the path of the front wheels is longer than that of the rear wheels - an easy visual to picture in your head is a semi making a right hand corner at an intersection. They pull very very wide into the intersection, almost crossing into the oncoming side of the road with the cab, yet the back wheels of the trailer barely make it around the corner without hopping up on the curb. The front wheels traveled a further distance than the rear wheels did. All vehicles do the same thing just on a more compact scale. With a vehicle locked in 4WD the drivetrain WILL start to bind up while driving anything but straight ahead, the result is that something has to release the tension - either a front tire drags or a rear tire spins to make front axle speed match the rear axle speed, or the inner workings of the transfer case blow out the side of the housing and dump onto the road. The latter being the least likely but it does happen, especially over time with repeated binding. Try pulling into a parking space with a vehicle in 4WD, it'll get stuck from binding up so bad while trying to turn. When you drive in the snow in 4WD you’re forcing tires to break traction and slip while driving anything but straight, which obviously isn’t doing you any favors.

The Limited's full time 4WD allows all 4 wheels to be driven while letting them rotate at different speeds as needed because there is a torsion center differential in the transfer case. Instead of RWD you have 4WD without locking the center, the 4 hi locked and 4 low locked are exactly the same as every other trim level of 4Runner.

Now let’s look at the advantages of 4WD and AWD. It will help you accelerate. The end. It will not help you stop, it will not help you turn, it will not help you hold the road around a bend, it will not help you switch lanes over the slush channels, it will not help you with anything except grip under acceleration. The rest is all up to the one thing on the vehicle that actually contacts the ground, the tires. Winter tires are the only thing that is going to improve safety, braking, handling, and grip of your vehicle in winter driving conditions, getting up to speed is irrelevant if you can’t control it once your there.

 

First thing was the bike racks




Much happier hauling bikes on dirt

Out on small 2 lane middle of nowhere cliff side mountain roads where there is zero ambient light other than what you get from the moon you can never have enough light. Sometimes those roads aren't quite 2 lanes or paved.


So, the first mod was finding a wiring diagram and figuring out what wires I needed to rewire the fog light to work independently of the high beams. Normally you can have low beams and fog lights or low beams and high beams. I wired in a relay to so anytime the ignition is on and the OEM fog light switch is turned on the lights work. Now I could run high beams, low beams, and fogs all at the same time. It’s a simple and practical, although technically illegal modification.




Pretty quickly I started taking it out into the mountains.

 

Fall colors faded to winter and ski season began. The Blizzak snow tires went on and I stated hunting powder days.



It became obvious the slush catcher steps needed to go in the garbage and some mud flaps would help.


That’s a bit better.



My wife and I hit the slopes, a lot.

 

Spring rolled around where conditions can vary considerably.





Taking a trip up to Rocky Mountain National Park




Mid 70’s shorts and t-shirt weather and you have to tun back on your hike because you didn’t bring snow shoes.


Wheels and tires came next



Hitting the trails with wifey






There’s still snow to be found

 

After banging my way through some stuff like this I decided it was time for skids










That’s about the same time I put together the Oh Shit Kit. I don’t think the pictures are quite up to date but the kit contains the following Tow strap, jumper cables, roll of blue shop paper towels, utility gloves, 12V air compressor, small first aid kit, Mountain series medical kit -weekender, 200 alcohol prep pads, Wound Seal powder, 2 Heatsheets emergency blankets, an adventure pack of hand, body, and toe warmers, Instafire all weather fire starter fuel source, storm proof matches a rain Poncho, 6x8 medium duty tarp, Rescue Tape, Gorilla Tape, Gerber folding hand saw, automotive fuses, razor utility knife, pocket knife, tire plug kit, needle nose pliers, side cutters, multi bit screwdriver, channel locks, standard and metric allen keys, 24" pry bar, 51 piece socket/ratchet set, hammer, ratchet straps, flashlight, 12v plug in search/spot light, bungees, garbage bags, and zip lock bags.




Easter at RMNP

 

4th of July, we drove up the Kenosha pass to where the Colorado Trail crosses it. From there we took the mountain bikes from Kenosha pass up over tree line to the Georgia pass before coming back down.

Tearing through the Aspens


The first preview of what’s to come


We worked our way up through national forest


The air was getting thin and so were the trees

It was well into the 90's at home in Boulder but we were playing in the snow in the high country



Above tree line

 

Next up was Mount Evans, the highest paved road in North America and because of some construction it was closed to cars.

We loaded up the bikes and took the truck to Echo Lake where we started our ride.


You could see treeline getting closer


My wife grinding away



Plenty of snow in July


Summit Lake


Still climbing



Still climbing


Almost there


14,130 feet above sea level. It was f'n COLD, windy, and we got snowed on.


We were out of our element and into theirs

 

We took the truck to town of Como at the base of Boreas Pass. We rode the Gold Dust trail up to where it ends near the top of the Boreas pass, we took the pass up to the Continental Divide overlooking Breckenridge before descending back down.




That's the ski slope of Breckenridge










For the 4Runner’s first birthday we took it out to play at Rocky Mountain National Park

 

With fall coming I headed up to high country for a drive. The aspens had starting to change up there and the scenery is phenomenal. The trail was cool, it was narrow rugged off roading, I scratched the truck a little with some branches, banged up my skids a bit, banged up my mudflaps a lot, did a few small sections of rock crawling, a water crossing, even found a dead Ford. It was nice being out there where the cell phones don't work, I even got to see some old mining ruins.
At one point I came across some hikers, they said with the truck sitting on top of a mountain with nothing man made in view in any direction, their first thought was that they came across a 4Runner commercial lol

 

Minor damage, it happens.

 

Exploring mountain passes. I70 to Georgetown, Guanella Pass to Kenosha Pass to Boreas Pass to Breckenridge, Swan Mountain to Keystone, drove up the back side of North Peak at Keystone ski resort, then the Loveland Pass back to I70 and home.













On a ski slope at Keystone

 

I placed the following order from Rago Fabrication:
-Toyota Factory Square Switch with Bumper LED Bar emblem and text.
-2010-2013 5th Gen Toyota 4Runner Hidden Bumper Brackets.
-22" 5D Freedom LED Bar.
-Wiring harness.
-Relay Holder
I'd thought I'd share my thoughts and feedback on everything and show my process for a nice clean installation.
The buying process was quick and easy and they were very fast to confirm the order, ship it, and send tracking information. They were great to deal with. It arrived while I was out of town for work, I got home and only had a day until we had visitors arrive for the week. So all this stuff sat there staring me in the face while refusing to install itself for a quite a while until I finally made time and started on the install.
Summary: With all the hype surrounding Rago lately I had high expectations. I was really hoping for top quality at great prices but in reality, it’s a bit more on the side of you get what you pay for. Overall, I think they provide an acceptable product that is a reasonable value. The foundation is there but I feel they skimped out on some of the detail work. The bar and brackets are worth purchasing, it’s a pretty good buy when they offer a sale. The wiring harness is generic and made with a lot of cheap parts plus it requires a considerable amount of modification if you want anything that resembles a neat and clean installation. If you're electrically literate the harness is a waste of time and money, just make your own. If you don't have electrical experience this can be used as a bare minimum, sub-par, almost plug and play way to make the bar function. I’d give it some more credit if the connections were sealed from the elements since most of it lives in the engine bay. The relay holder is a complete and total waste of money as it doesn’t actually secure the relay. The integration between the bits and pieces that they sell together as a kit was a little lacking.
Everything unpacked and laid out.

I'm not getting into a step by step on how the bumper so we're going to jump to the bracket and the bar installed. The bar itself feels pretty solid and well built for the price point and the light output was reasonable.

The brackets were nicely made and the powder coating appeared to be high quality. There was a considerable amount of adjustment in every aspect of the fitment, which I personally am not a fan of, its vehicle specific, you shouldn't need to slide it all around to make them fit if it was designed correctly to begin with. This is the outer portion of the right side bracket installed.

Inner portion of the right side bracket installed. The additional brackets are a nice touch, without them if you give the bar a gentle tap (simulated off-road bump, pothole, whatever) the light would bounce and it took a couple seconds for the light to top vibrating and stabilize. With the second bracket its nice and solid.

This is the left side bracket (stabilizing bracket not installed at the time) and the start of how I did the wiring. I drilled a small hole in the air deflector and ran the wiring through it to keep it away from metal objects.

From there I fixed the wiring to the flap below the headlight, again to keep it away from metal and things that could chafe on the harness.


I wanted to be able to disassemble if need be so I didn't want to splice the LED bar harness straight to the wiring harness. I thought it was kind of cheap to have the light bar just come with stripped wire pigtails. Ordering the bar and the harness I fully expected a waterproof 2 pin connector to be able to just plug right in. I added waterproof connectors sealed to the wiring. I put a male and female on each side of the harness (as opposed to both the males on the bar and both the females on the harness for example) so even if you ignore the colors of the wiring it can't be hooked up backwards.

In the engine bay I used the harness brackets already there for factory wiring and routed it right alongside it.

The battery is loose and shifted over to gain some extra room to slide a hand down there to route the harness.

The harness runs back to the relay mounted to the Rago relay holder (more on that in a minute)

This is the extra length I cut out of the harness going to the light bar.

Now, for the relay holder. Junk! If you watch their install video https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=smD1jX9eJpg you need to use a knife/pick/small object to release the relay from the mounting tab. The Rago relay holder has nothing to keep the relay in place. It slides on and off with no resistance. You’re buying an extra bracket to make it less secure. Not cool, that's quite the design oversite in my opinion. Plus, as you'll see in the next picture if you try to cleanly route the B+ wiring around the fuse box it will not reach the battery using their harness and their relay holder. Rago did offer to go against their return policy and let me send it back for a refund but at this point I already tossed out the tab that comes with the relay to actually mount it securely. I put a dab of black RTV on it before sliding the relay over it to keep it secured.
Rago-013vid

 

I temporarily got it hooked up to verify function.

Next, I modified the front plate a bit, I shape the front plate to match the contour of the bumper so it's not hanging down and blocking light output.

To get a good starting point with aiming the light I measured all 4 corners to the face of the lower grill and adjusted it all completely square and level.


Next up was the switch side wiring of the harness. I wanted to make as small of a hole as possible in the firewall grommet so I used one of my terminal tools and removed the connector, this way I can tape the wires up to a zip tie and pull a relatively small mass through the grommet.

Stagger the wires a bit to keep the bulk down.

Size comparison of the harness connector to my way.

I poked the corner of razor blade into the harness boot and stretched the hole out with the harness to keep a nice tight seal.

I ran this harness along the factory harness again to keep it clean looking.

with that stuff in the cabin I put the terminals back into the connector so nothing would touch and went back under the hood. I wanted to get the under hood stuff finished because I was running low on time. So working on the power and ground setup the power wire was absolutely going to have to be extended for a clean install if you're running their harness and relay holder together so I started messing around with that. First thing I noticed is how bad the fuse holder it. I pulled the terminal because I needed to extend the wiring and I’d rather have room to work. This is how bad the fitment to the actual blade of the fuse is. I'm going to cut this thing out and use a proper one that has better contact and is actually sealed up for use in exterior applications. But for now, it went in as is.
Rago-024vid
I extended the wiring using the excess that I cut out earlier and sealed it up.

The fuse holder is just kind of sitting there since again, I'm going to cut it out and use something more appropriate to the application and it doesn't really have a way to be mounted besides double sided tape.

I reused the shielding that I cut off the harness earlier for a little extra protection on the power wire and to help hide it and make it blend in. The power wire is zip tied to route along the negative cable heading towards the engine.

I pulled the wiring right up along the positive cable and bolted it to the terminal.

 

On the interior side of the harness (after removing power those wires). I ended up cutting off a large portion of the harness.

I shortened, connected, and sealed 3 of the 4 wires.

The 4th wire is the illumination wire, I was about out of time so I'll save that for another day. I wrapped it around the harness and tapped it up.

All hooked up ready to go.

The light bar logo still goes on and off with the light itself. Considering the interior backlighting is an orangish color I'm not a big fan of the blue.

 

Baja Designs Sqaurdron Pro fog light pocket kit. BD is widely thought of as the top dog in the LED game, I may have made a mistake going with the Pro lights. Each pod is 4 LEDs and fits into the factory foglight housing location, and the output is absolutely insane. They are so crazy they aren't usable on the street. They are significantly brighter than high beams.


Not my video, but a good video showing the ridiculous output of the Pros
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgWlS8jm6iY&feature=youtu.be

 

Some winter fun
You can never trust when winter will actually end when ski season typically runs into June.

Snow days = powder days
The T4R was plowing snow, this is why I have the oh shit kit and snow tires.

 

Hiking, driving, and offroading around the Continental Divide.

 

We made the trip out to Hanging Lake.

 

Luggin my fat baby up a mountain



overlooking Boulder

 

When you want to offroad at 60 mph you bring out the other toy

 

That was a great distraction from the honey-do-list and a back strain I'm nursing.
But I got a couple of concerns. Are you worried about drivers not being able to see your tail/brake/turn signal lights with those bikes on the rack and that strap w/hooks is not the best thing for getting unstuck.

 

I haven’t had any issues carry 2 bikes, when I carry 4 bikes I have some lights that plug into the trailer wiring socket that I put on the end of the bike rack.

I have 2 straps a big burly one for if I get stuck and the little one pictured. It’s shorter and quicker to use and is only 7500lb strap, I use it for pulling cars out of the ditch when it snows. I swear in Colorado every time it snows Subarus line the ditches along the roads, they drive them like it’s a snowmobile. I feel like I’m pulling weeds sometimes, driving along and the road bends, there’s 4 more lol

 

Powder days

 

Bottles with my buddy on the ski trip

Taking bikes out

 

Random mid May snowstorm

 

This is where the battery upgrade came in. Little man flipped the rear dome light on in the airport parking garage, didn't notice it during day light and wasn't around the truck during night. Ran the battery down and it was a couple days before we were leaving for a road trip so I decided to upgrade rather than charge it and hope.