Articles

  • Project V8 4th-gen 4Runner: Spring update

    Project V8 4th-gen 4Runner: Spring update

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    I’ve had the yet-to-be-named 4Runner for a few months now. (Millenium Falcon is the working title, in case you were wondering, continuing my Star Wars theme). As is the case with any new-to-you project, three things need to happen: Set a baseline, mend existing issues, and start improving. Much of this has happened. Progress has…

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  • Quick, cheap, easy mods are the best mods

    Quick, cheap, easy mods are the best mods

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    The base audio system in the current, fifth generation of the Toyota 4Runner is rather not great. I won’t call it bad because it’s not horrible but it’s not great. It’s just a basic set of speakers powered by a factory headunit. Some attention was paid to actual acoustics as speakers are located in each…

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  • Random Amazon LED headlight bulbs aren’t bad

    Random Amazon LED headlight bulbs aren’t bad

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    One thing that I never liked on my Toyota 4Runner are the headlights. The 2010 – 2013 SR5 and Limited models came with headlights that had silver bezels. I started looking around for used OEM headlights from a Trail model, which had black bezels instead of chrome. I didn’t want to go aftermarket because of…

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  • Review: Slime Tire Inflator and Vacuum 2-In-1

    Review: Slime Tire Inflator and Vacuum 2-In-1

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    I was waiting for that first really cold day of the season. That cold day is easily identifiable by the glow of the “low tire pressure” light on one’s dashboard. But this year, unlike past years, I welcomed my little idiot light. That’s because I had a new product that I was just waiting to…

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  • Teaser: Changes coming to the Stormtrooper 4Runner

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    It’s finally happening: the Stormtrooper 4Runner is about to receive some very desperately needed upgrades. “What’s in the box?,” you ask? No, it’s not ARB armor– though that is what the company has come to be known for here in the ‘States. Rather, the contents of the deceptively large package are goodies from Australian suspension…

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  • Review: Yakima HighRoad upright roof bike rack

    Review: Yakima HighRoad upright roof bike rack

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    Transporting bicycles has always been an issue for me. I looked for the optional folding rear seat when I bought used BMWs. In my early WRX I had a roof rack. Once I had kids, my SUVs had hitch-mounted racks. The truth is that there were always compromises and the only ideal solution I found…

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  • OEM vs Aftermarket: TYC Taillights

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    My Toyota 4Runner is a 2010 model year vehicle, the first year for the fifth generation model. Yes, it’s getting old now but with less than 60,000 miles, it’s still very solid. And it’s not even that outdated. The 4Runner received a facelift for the 2014 model year but it did not change mechanically. The…

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  • Hooniverse Asks: Ever been a victim of hit-and-run?

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    Afternoon rush hour. My wife was stopped at a red light in the middle lane of a three lane road after picking up my son from school. The left lane was for left turns only and the right lane was for right turns only. The left lane got an early green light for turning left.…

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  • Yakima racks now available at Toyota dealerships

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    Traveling light isn’t something many people do these days. With two kids and a wife who likes to bring everything where ever we go, I am the guy with the roof pack, bike rack, and the cargo area filled to the roof. But I am not the only one, far from it. Here in downtown…

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  • Aftermarket Audio: From Replacement to Integration

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    Back in the good old days, the 1980s and 90s, car audio, like everything else, was simple. Most vehicles had a DIN-, or double-DIN-sized headunit. The headunit would have an AM/FM radio and a cassette or a compact disc player – the truly luxury cars would have both. A small LCD display screen would show…

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