The Toyota 4Runner is one of those vehicles that people are always anxious to make better, and why not there are so many great upgrades in a variety of price points. I you’re like me you’ll quickly get addicted to tinkering and finding ways to make your 4Runner preform better.
Here I will talk about my 5 favorite 4Runner upgrades that I’ve done to my 2016 Toyota 4Runner with KDSS: Supercharger, Molle Storage Panels, Suspension, Headlights and Roof Rack. Keep in mind that these are all things I have done on my own dime. I have not gotten any deals or sponsorships for any product. All of these items are upgrades I highly recommend if your budget allows.
Table of Contents
1. Magnuson Supercharger – Most Expensive 4Runner Upgrade
I’m starting off with basically the biggest single upgrade that I made to my vehicle, and realize it will be out of a lot of peoples budget, but it might be my favorite to date. This single addition made the 4Runner come alive! With the supercharger installed you can easily climb hills, maintain speed on the highway, and pass grandmas like it’s nothing. If you want an in detail step by step you can check out our Supercharger focused post here.
Price
$5,500
I waited for a Black Friday deal to buy mine, and got it for $5,500 shipped. I decided I would do the install myself to not only save me some money, but to give me a project. You could expect the install of the supercharger to run you about $1,200 and take about 2 days for a shop to complete.
Install
The catch was I needed it done over a weekend because we needed to use the 4Runner for us to get to work. Well it got done with only a little stress approaching the final hours. It wasn’t super hard to install, but very time consuming. The instructions are very straight forward. There are about 300 steps, but some of the steps are literally “take this bolt out,” etc. All in all it took me between 10 and 14 hours of actual working time. I spread this out over 2 days so I could give the wife a break with the kids.
Advantages
More power baby! This thing really makes the 4Runner a blast to drive, and pulls the hills in Colorado no problem now. The supercharger whine never gets old to listen too either.
Disadvantages
The biggest disadvantage is the need for premium fuel. It will also eat more fuel. I have an almost fully armored 4Runner and I’m getting right around 13.5 MPG. I know I don’t drive very gingerly as I like to feel the power basically every time I get on the skinny pedal. I still think my mileage would suffer even if I drove like Ms. Daisy.
Having had this kit on for about 4 months now I still love every bit of it. I find myself randomly flooring it just to feed the addiction a little. Some day I will have a sports car again, but for now this will suffice.
2. Rear Molle Storage Panels – Easiest 4Runner Upgrade
Are you looking to organize your 4Runner? This is the way to go. Here is a post where we dive into how to use the Molle Storage Panels to make your life a lot easier when carrying around recovery and everyday gear.
I personally went with the Rago Fabrication panels for no particular reason. For me these are a great option to keep the back of the 4Runner somewhat organized. We keep things like wet wipes, paper towels, a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher, and more on these panels.
I also jumped on the shelf about a year later. I actually really enjoy having the shelf to keep blankets and some of my recovery gear out of the way. I have also mounted my dash cam rear camera on it as well. I added a Baja Designs push button dome light underneath to add more light if needed.
Price
$350-$700
If you opt for all the bells and whistle of this kit, being both sides and the shelf, you could be into this kit for around $700. In my mind it is worth this price as it will give you a ton of storage room for recovery or everyday gear.
Install
Install is pretty straight forward. They literally mount to 3 existing bolts in the 4Runner on each side. The shelf is the most tedious to put together with there being upwards of 5000 bolts to hold it together.
Advantages
This really keeps things organized and the floor free for all the wife’s luggage. Sometimes when we go camping she packs like we are moving to Italy. Having really important things like the Element fire extinguisher and the first aid kit at the ready is great in the unfortunate event we actually need them. I use a mix of Molle pouches and quick fists to attach things to the panels.
Disadvantages
If your panels are not centered just right you may get some rattling. The other thing is using Molle pouches you will more than likely be able to hear the zippers bouncing around. Nothing listening to your hair metal a little louder can’t fix. Am I right!?
3. Suspension Upgrade
My biggest complaint with the 4Runner since buying it brand new was the soft suspension. The tendency to nose dive under braking was awful in my opinion. This had to change and fast. I also itched for that aggressive lifted look. Coming from a lifted Jeep, I knew this was high on my list of things to do.
Price
$700-$4,000
Bilstein 6112 Install
I decided to change the suspension with 4,000 mils on the truck. I installed a set of Bilstein 6112 in the front and Bilstein 5160 shocks in the rear paired with Sway-A-Way 1.5″ lift springs. At first I had the front set to .85″ of lift while I had the stock tires on. Once the Bookkeeper let me get bigger tires I moved them up to 2.75″ (The top notch) and added a 1/4″ spacer on top of that to get to a 3″ lift. I ran this set up for roughly 80,000 miles before I ended up switching out to an Icon CDCV set up.
Icon Install
Really I would have kept running the 6112, but when I installed my front bumper I needed stiffer springs. I had the 650lbs springs to change out, but my lower shock bolts were rusted in place. I just decided to cut them out and move to something that was a little nicer.
My current setup is the Icon 2.5″ CDCV front coiler set at 3 1/4″ lift, along with the rear CDCV shocks paired with the Icon 3″ overland springs. I was worried the rear springs might be too stiff without drawers, or a rear bumper, but they are actually pretty much perfect.
To give you an idea about the 6112 they are actually still in good shape. I’m going to press out the old lower bushing and replace it. Then they will be installed into one of my buddies 4Runners. They still are leak free and holding pressure just fine. I did blow out one of my rear 5160, but the other one is still good to go. They will be buying a new 5160 and we will be putting those on as well. We will be adding copious amounts of anti-seize to all bolts upon reassembly. I highly recommend the Bilstein products, especially for a daily driver.
Advantages
One great thing about lifting the truck is the look. In my opinion it just looks badass. You can’t be cruising the malls with all the soccer moms driving their TRD Pros and outdoing you. Not only does it look good, it is way more functional off-road. More ground clearance is always a good thing when you are getting into sticky situations.
Having a truck that sits higher also makes a few other things easier. I can now fit under my 4Runner and do my oil changes without having to jack the truck up at all.
Disadvantages
You will not be as aerodynamic so you may see a little loss on fuel mileage. Going with much more than a 2.5″ lift will require the installation of Upper Control Arms to get the alignment back in specs. This will add a chunk of change more to the cost of the lift. Expect to pay anywhere from $450-$1300 for a good set of UCAs. No the more expensive ones don’t do anything more. They generally look better and may have a bit more adjustment.
Another disadvantage of a lifted truck is if you have small kids. I have a 2 and 3 year old that can struggle to get into the 4Runner at times. For several years I ran side steps for them to be able to climb in. Now with my C4 rock sliders, they sit a little higher. The kids can still climb in, but there are those days when they are helpless.
If you end up lifting your truck and not getting bigger tires you may look like you skipped every leg day for your entire life. When talking about tires, you might as well add that to the cost of the lift. Go with Discount Tire Direct. they ship them to your house and you don’t pay sales tax on them.
4. Headlight Upgrade – Cheapest 4Runner Upgrade
One of the best and most used upgrades is headlights.
Price
$75-$1,800
It also happens to be one of the cheapest ones you can do. You can find replacement headlight bulbs for about $75. These will undoubtedly be better than the garbage that came stock. This is unless you have a new 4Runner with the factory LED headlights. I started off with a set of HIDs from Xenon Depot. I ran these for 4 plus years with zero issues. Light output was amazing, and it gave the 4Runner a nicer look at night.
I have since changed to a fully custom set of headlights from Kustom 45 Lighting. Not that there was anything wrong with my old setup, I just wanted a more custom look for my 4Runner. These new lights have the Bi-LED projector from morimoto installed in them. Light output does not disappoint at all. Be prepared for a little sticker shock if you choose to go this route though as they will run you a chunk of change.
Install
If you are just changing the bulbs out in your stock housings it is as simple as removing the dust cap and plugging in the new bulbs. If you go with full housing replacements the install is a little more tedious. You will need to drop your front bumper to pull the old housings out.
Advantages
You will get better light output. I have been driving the last few weeks with my stock lights in, as mine are in for repairs and it has been rough. The light output on my upgraded lights is easily double that of the stock halogen bulbs. More light focused in the right spots will make you feel more confident while driving at night, and more visible to others on the road.
If you choose to go with the full housing change you will be able to customize the look of your truck much more to your liking.
Disadvantages
I have had a few issues with the Kustom54 lights as well, but they have fixed them free of charge both times. Really there are no other disadvantages I can think of.
5. Roof Rack
Price
$1,700
I have a Gobi Rack stealth with the no rise option in the front. In my opinion this is still the best looking rack on the market. There may be other racks that are a little more functional, but for me looks is a big part of the equation too. While I got mine several years ago when the options were very limited, the market has really exploded with options. The utility of a roof rack is unparalleled. Even if you don’t have a rooftop tent, you will have the ability to mount all your stuff up there to free up room room in the cabin. You also gain the ability to store things that may get dirty up top keeping your cabin clean.
Installation
To install the roof rack it is as simple as unbolting 8 bolts and removing the factory rack. When installing the aftermarket rack you will likely need two people as the rack is about 160 lbs. Bolt up the the feet then drop the rack on the feet. Bolt it all up and make some small adjustments and you are good to go. With the front of the Gobi rack being a no drill, you will have to adjust the front feet to sit just right on the front rails of your truck.
Advatages
You will have the ability to mount all kinds of stuff to the roof. When I don’t have the tent on my roof, I keep a Pelican case full of recovery gear, rotopax for fuel and water, and two sets of Maxtrax. The shovel and axe mount on the side of the rack no matter if the tent is on or not. With the tent on I am struggling to find a place to put all this stuff. The rack also makes a great platform for those 4th of July fireworks shows.
Disadvantages
Most racks do add a fair amount of weight and it is up high. More weight up high raises the center of gravity. You will also be changing the aerodynamics of the vehicle, so you may experience more wind turbulence and noise. Another disadvantage is the height. If you are lifted high enough you will need to be aware of how tall you are sitting. The last thing you will want to do is crack your roof rack on a low garage. With my setup I currently have about 2″ before I will not fit in my garage anymore. (I guess I can’t up my tires size again).
Final Thoughts
I realize most of these upgrades are on the expensive side. I’m sure if you are reading this post you have seen or maybe even have a couple of these upgrades. You don’t have to buy the best of everything to get the results you are looking for. Keeping up with the Instagram posers will run you straight into debt.
Like I said before in the suspension section, I highly recommend the Bilstein 6112 as a great first upgrade. These coilers will get you lifted and perform very well on and off-road for well under $1,000.