Cali raised SS cat shields

I get a vibration from my drivers side shield every time I drive. It will be a short vibration sound for about 2 seconds at a low cruising speed/rpm range. This has to be because of the cat shield touching. Is there anything being done about this? Anyone else have the same issue. I have checked all the hardware and have installed twice just to make sure there wasn’t something interfering that I caused.

 

I have not, and my driver's side *just* kissed the converter shell when it was in place. Same for yours, or did it take more force to draw it up with the bolts?

 

Just so you know, copied from the other site.

you can buy a set of "security bits" to remove those security bolts at harbor freight for $6

 

I'm sure that got lots of OMG!'s on the other site. But any bolt you put in there will have a way to remove it. What's a thief more likely to have - one of a dozen tools to remove a hex head, or the one tool to remove one with a security head, allen head, etc? Just like the shields themselves, the security bolts are a deterrent.

 

Don't worry, being stainless steel you have a good shot at stripping out the head during the install so that will slow them down too.

 

Or, the stainless fasteners will gall and you'll never get them out.

 

Very true, a deterrent nonetheless. Criminals can be smart plus they have google search now on they're burner phone.
I once had car thieves break in, demolish my ignition assembly and started up a with flathead only to be stopped by Code Alarm immobilizer.
So they stole my bolted down amplifier, and the Jeep parked next to me hahaha
BUT ran out of time stealing my 12" square Kicker woofer, left it hanging cuz too many security screws!

 

I agree, but then a good set of vice grips might even do the trick. However, the shield is still somewhat of a deterrent as it adds time to the job.

 

I just installed these - great info in this thread. A couple of things that helped me doing this on my back in the garage:

- Definitely get the longer bolts for the frame cross brace. You really only need 1 as once you have on bolt on each side snugged up, you can remove the longer bolt and use the supplied hardware
- Add a dab of grease on the washer on the bolt head in the transmission support. This will help keep the washer stuck to the bolt head and make it easier to fit the shield.
- Use a long screwdriver to lever the transmission support in place and it'll be much easier to remove/install the 'tight' bolt.
- It's tight in some spots - ratcheting 14mm wrenches helped a lot.

 

Question for you guys - what is the point of the stupid braces that run from the frame to the trans cross member? By that I mean, are they necessary? Has anyone taken them off and had the trans tumble down the highway?

The day I bought my truck I removed the ugly tube steps - I like the cleaner look. Problem is that those braces are really visible and I've often wondered if we can just toss them.

 

They probably fall into the category of similar cross braces up front under the skid plate. Some skids require removing those, and it doesn't seem there's any real disadvantage to them being gone (unless the skid plate itself does the same thing those cross braces do). Personally, I don't want any structural pieces missing if I can help it; it seems they are there for a reason, but I'm not a Toyota design engineer by any means, so...

I'm sure we would have heard of it if someone had.

 

Off they go. If I run over my transmission, I'm telling my adjuster that glwood guaranteed me it was ok.

 

Wow, launching out into the unknown...does that mean you will need new shorter bolts for the cat shields?

 

Strange how Cali has hidden all the reviews for this product on their site. I made a review politely detailing the things that need to be changed and - poof! Gone.

 

I just looked and see 16 reviews on their webpage.

 

Strange - on Chrome and Edge I see no reviews. I'll take your word for it.

 

The reviews might be coming from a third-party site affected by ad blockers or some web security settings.

 

I use Chrome and have no issues. With the latest review on 5/29/23

Brad
Verified Reviewer

4.0 star rating

05/29/23
Great fit, a little snug

Review by Brad on 29 May 2023review stating Great fit, a little snug
Just installed these today. Able to do it with all four wheels on the floor. Like others have said, the replacing security bolts are shorter than they need to be. If the security bolts were half inch longer, it would make the install easier.

1 tip:
When replacing the supplied long bolts to the trans subframe, the two which feel “tightRead more about review stating Great fit, a little snug
”, jack up the cross frame to allow the bolts to smoothly go in and out easier.

 

Has anybody installed these on KDSS models? Any fitment issues?

 

put mine on last weekend. i had to also buy 4 longer allen button-head bolts (40mm as i recall, from someone else's advice here) and had to wait an additional week to get the 4 spacers that go on the long crossmember bolts because they were missing. CaliRaised responded as fast as I could reasonably expect for the missing parts and sent them out free of charge.

i think its a very well designed deterrent and i also like that they're meant to be able to fit in conjunction with a skid plate that i can put on later. super clean laser cuts on the shields and the 12ga stainless is robust. fitment was tight but precise and it was less than an hour to install. as noted, use a jack on the crossmember and that will help to keep the bolts loose enough to slide out when you're replacing them. 10/10 execution, 5/10 convenience due to the mis-spec'd bolts and missing parts, so call it a 8/10 average rounding up a little because its Friday, ha. that's how some aftermarket stuff goes though, its not always perfect and i accept that, and still think this is one of the best options out there. i feel quite a bit better about leaving this thing alone at trailheads and parked downtown now.

 

Do you have KDSS to answer @Lirokan's question above?

 

But but, its Thursday? LOL!

 

nah, plain jane TRD OR

LOL. i'm on a 9/80 schedule so today's my "friday", completely forgot!

 

I can't figure out why people keep talking about bolts for the angled cross braces that are too short. Even Cali Raised's instruction video shows installing those, so why would they send out bolts that are too short?

I also don't get why they say these won't work on a KDSS or Xreas equipped 4R. I can't speak to the Xreas, but I don't see anything about a KDSS equipped 4R that would prevent mounting these...there are no hydraulic lines in that area that I can see...

 

there feels like minimal thread engagement with the stock cross brace bolts. my observation was the same, and it was a simple fix so i'd rather take care of adding some safety margin up front.

 

They admitted to me in an email that the bolts are too short. But they're also still leaving out the spacers, so it may just be the guy in the packing department grabbing the wrong stuff. As for the KDSS or Xreas, they just may work. Their ad on the website still says "4WD only" when they do, in fact, work on a 2WD (like mine). I told them months ago and sent pics showing the fit on my truck. They said at the time that they just hadn't tested a 2WD. So maybe they haven't tested the KDSS or Xreas.

 

Thanks. I think they put that just not knowing for sure. The MillerCat had that situation early on also, where they said theirs would not work with KDSS or Xreas, but then they came out with a version that does. I don't even know what the difference is. I did wonder about the 4WD thing also...

I'm waiting for someone with KDSS to bite the bullet and take one for the team! If I didn't already have the MillerCat, that would be me. The worst that could happen is having to grind a small area to fit, which isn't a big deal because they are bare metal.

The 'guy in the packing area' apparently is still at it, though.

 

I have a KDSS equipped 4Runner and I didn't run into any issues with the KDSS module or any other associated components during the installation. I just needed longer bolts when re-installing the crossbars but it's not a KDSS related issue.

 

Spoken like a man who's never had to grind stainless steel

 

And there we go! Thanks for chiming in.