glwood54 vs. stock 4R

I swore the next vehicle I bought would remain stock. However, I can't seem to leave well enough alone...anyway, I figured even though the mods are mild, it would be better to have what I do listed in one thread instead of all over the forum...

Pedal Commander (changed my mind, sold this)
RSG flat/no kickout/top grip plate sliders (installed 2/29/2020)
Eibach front/rear shocks (installed 4/1/2020) Went with .86 fronts
A/T tires - P265/70-17 Falken Wildpeaks (installed 4/10/2020)
Extended rear diff breather to behind DS tail light (installed 9/1/2020)
LED interior + license plate lights (installed 9/5/2020)
FJC AT shift handle knob (modified and installed 9/10/2020) Sold
H9 Headlight bulbs (installed 9/19/2020)
Diode Dynamics SS3 Sport fog lights (installed 9/19/2020)
Sprint Booster (installed 12/6/2020) Unplugged 6/23
Auxito LED backup lights (installed 12/13/2020)
Driver's side A-pillar grab handle addition (done 1/2021)
Ellis Precision shifter handles (installed 2/20/2021)
Salex center console organizer (installed 2/20/2021)
Salex glove box organizer (installed 2/24/2021)
Oedro front and rear floor mats (installed 7/2022)
RCI engine skid (installed 10/3/2021) Removed, sold 9/23
Offroam phone holder (installed 7/2023)
Meso Customs Ultimate dual color hatch lights (installed 2/15/24)
AMD with Old Red's harness (installed 3/2/2024)

Although the Pedal Commander has had a lonely life on the shelf since I got it, I haven't gotten around to installing that fella...I figured I'd wait until the sliders were on, and if I noticed any lack of zip due to the weight of the sliders, the PC would liven things up, so I decided to do the sliders first. I wanted to have plenty of before and after photos, as it was almost impossible to find any photos of the RSG flat, no kickout, with step plate, sliders. A couple of members here did send some my way, but now I have my own to refer to, and hopefully can add something for those searching for RSG slider pics.

What I had previously, came from the dealer this way:



Found a local Craigslist buyer, sold the Predator steps. No steps for a couple weeks, and to tell you the truth, I really like it that way:


Enter the RSG flat, no kickout, with top step plate, sliders. One arrived two days after shipping from Colorado, the other decided to take a detour through Grand Junction, arrived 5 days after the first, a little worse for the travel, but otherwise ok:



A little adjustment to the KDSS skid plate (yes, I did paint it prior to reinstallation):

A couple of old farts with some hand tools, a milk crate, and a hydraulic bottle jack later, they're on!


Measurement of slider width from door edge:

A good day today.

 

Looks great.

 

Thank you!

 

I second that! Looks so good that now I want to drop 1000 bucks just for heavy duty steps.

 

I'll third!

Looks awesome!

 

Those are very nice! Huge improvement over what you had. Look forward to more of your build.

 

Let me also say that I totally sympathize with wanting to keep a vehicle stock.

I used to own a very heavily mod'ed Ford Ranger. Literally everything broke and needed to be fixed at some point. Ford, I know. But after that experience, I swore to myself that I would just keep my vehicles stock from now on for reliability sakes.

Got my 4Runner and that went out the window. Haha! But I'm happy I did the mods and plan to keep it very mild. Just a few mods like a small lift with better shocks and more capable A/T tires go a very long way on these vehicles and make them even more enjoyable to drive.

 

For my own sake, I'll add three comparison views, with similar lighting, angles, etc:

 

The one thing I failed to do was take measurements to the fender openings before I installed the sliders, as I was curious as to whether the 100# +/- would have made any difference in how the 4R sat...I did, however, measure a 2018 4R SR5 in my work parking lot that is stock, with the oem running boards. With the sliders, my 4R sits about 1/8" - 1/4" lower in the front, and 1/2" higher in the rear. I don't think that has anything to do with the sliders, but is just the difference between different rigs in general. So, no issue there. I did also discover that the measurement from the ground to the bottom of the RSG sliders is 2.5" higher than to the bottom of his oem running boards, so there is that clearance gain also...

Can't wait to level it and get the A/T tires...

 

Seemingly hit another dead end yesterday in my search for an install shop for the Eibach struts & shocks. There's a place two doors down from where I work that I have had service several of my past vehicles. I stopped in to see if they do suspension installations, and had a long conversation regarding the Eibach setup. They've done a lot of Bilstein installs, and saw no reason why the Eibach would be any different. The issue is they look up the install hours on a list, and quote off of that...so right around $750 (6 hrs. labor + alignment) to install 2 Eibach front struts & 2 rear shocks...


The search continues. I'd have it done if I could find a shop install for $500 or so. Or, if I could find a writeup for front strut installation, specific to a KDSS equipped 4R, with details on the steps needed for working with/around the KDSS, I'd do it myself.

 

What if they only installed the front struts and you installed the rear shocks?

What would they drop their price down to?

 

They quoted 5 hours for the front, and 1 for the rear. I definitely could do the rear shocks myself. That knocks about $110 off the price.

I have 2 more possible shops to check into.

 

Found a shop that charges $115/side to install front struts, $25/side for rear shocks (will probably do these myself), and $100 for alignment. I spoke with them in person, and it seems they are familiar with the KDSS system, so...

I pulled the trigger on a set of Eibach Sport Truck front struts & rear shocks today...3 from my list taken care of, 1 to go.

 

With the oem rear shocks some have reported they are hard to come off. What worked on my 19 was a standard wrench up top to hold the nut, then I used a cheap harbor freight rubber strap wrench to turn the shock housing. Once it broke loose it spun freely by hand.
Congrats on the score and post up pics when it's riding high!

 

Congrats! I think you'll be very happy with that purchase.

Post some pics and a ride report once you get the suspension on.

 

Now that I found a shop, and ordered Eibach struts & shocks, and was looking forward to this project, another roadblock. I ordered from shockwarehouse.com, and it turns out my order ships directly from Eibach. And where is Eibach, you say? In that state where the governor just declared that all non-essential businesses close their doors? Yup. The rep @ SW says Eibach ships from CA and AZ, so there's a chance my order will still ship, and he is trying to find out. Shipping was supposed to happen today.

Emails & phone calls to Eibach are not being returned at the moment.

Inconsequential in light of this enormously horrific situation, but disappointing nonetheless. Leveling project on hold.

 

Yeah, that sucks. I'm sure there will be a lot of supply/shipping issues over the next few weeks/months for a lot of businesses.

 

Well, it's official. Eibach is shut down. My order did not ship prior to them closing their doors, so no telling when it would. I think I'll cancel my order if possible and take this up again at a later date.

Could be worse. My wife, the boys (pups) and I are doing ok at the moment.

BTW, Eibach does not have an Arizona shipping location. I don't know where the SW rep got that idea.

 

If I were you, I wouldn't cancel the order unless you can find someone else that has the shocks in stock. Maybe Wheelers? Maybe Amazon??

That way you'll be first on the list to get it when things get back to normal. But that's just my opinion.

 

Cant say if shipping is effected but Summit is showing ship date of Monday, usually they have 10 or 20% off specials
https://www.summitracing.com/search/year/2015/make/toyota/model/4runner?N=brand:eibach

 

I requested a cancelation, just don't want that cc charge sitting out there with no idea of when they'll ship. I'll call around and see if anyone else has them in stock. If not, I can reorder when Eibach reopens. Not a big deal.

I see too many websites that look for all the world like they have items in stock, and you find out after the fact they drop ship from the manufacturer. Like Shock Warehouse. If I had thought to order directly from Eibach, there's a good chance they might have shipped before the closure...it'll get done.

 

You have to wonder if that 'Monday' ship date is from Summit or Eibach, if they were still open...

 

Could be, I ordered for my 19 with Summit as they had stock and Eibach was waiting for a shipment. Eibach has a lot of dealers, maybe this place had one on the shelf? As you mentioned maybe they drop ship from many locations, hard to stock 1000s of items!

 

The only problem with waiting for Eibach to re-open is that these shocks tend to sell out. Since they have postponed manufacturing with the whole Covid-19 thing, once they re-open they will start shipping out all the orders that accumulated during the closure and use whatever stock they have remaining. They will most likely run out of that and there will be a lag in the time it takes to make more. Unless there is a small core staff there continuing to make components. I have no idea.

But do whatever makes you comfortable. I'm just providing you with a possible scenario due to all these closures.

 

I highly recommend Wheelers Offroad for their customer service. These guys were super helpful when I was researching and purchasing my Eibach’s (had em in stock too..). I bought several different items for my Tacoma’s and 4Runner through them. I am not one who shops around if the company I am dealing with is knowledgeable and forthcoming, with that said they always have competitive prices. Not Amazon prices but I do my best to support mom & pop shops. And right now I think there are running a coupon...

 

Thanks to all for the suggestions and ideas. My request to Shock Warehouse, as to whether a cancelation of my order was possible, was sent late in the day today when I found out my order would not ship. I imagine they did not get my email before closing time. Seeing as the ministry I work for has closed its doors until at least April 1st, I've got plenty of time to see who has inventory on hand. Should I find some actually in stock from another vendor, whether it be Summit, Wheeler's, or any other, I will then proceed to follow up with Shock Warehouse to cancel my order and order elsewhere. Should I not find any actual stock for shipping anywhere else, I will let my order stand. Probably.

 

Wheelers FTW. Hopefully they have them on their shelf. Tell them you are on this forum

 

I'll contact them and see, thanks. In my original search, their pricing was higher, but only because they charged sales tax.


Edit: PM'd Wheeler's. I don't know if they are active on this forum, or just check in periodically. Phone call is next, but they're closed on the weekends...

 

They are probably closed for the weekend. I pm'd them on here when I bought everything.

 

They are closed for the weekend. I hope to speak with someone tomorrow. Hopefully, them being in Oregon, they'll still be shipping product if they're in stock. The website says in stock on both f&r struts/shocks.

I also have to verify that I can cancel my other order first.