RainGoat

[emoji22]You people with your clean garages sicken me! [emoji1785]

[emoji322]

Completely agree. I have >100K and most CO Passes under my belt with stock & Airlift 100s in the back. TONs of SW desert miles. I would consider the airlifts for a cheap & easy rear end sag fix, otherwise a spring - spacers really give you nothing but aesthetics. For easy drivability you probably would want to stick with OME/LR. I think the most perfect simple build I’ve seen is @02_Pathy (I don’t know why that reference never sticks). As he drove away last night, both[mention=37543]TowndawgR50[/mention] & I spontaneously said to each other what a great looking truck it is. Straightforward, clean, practical build (& pretty too). Look for the IG photos because he’s taking it to UT soon.

I would chat with@hawairish /@TowndawgR50 first (is that company name released yet or what guys?). I’ve seen pictures of the product they are developing and it is innovative and excellent. I don’t think it’s going to be very long now until they release it.

I got to see some development pictures last night. I’d say the SFD project is coming along nicely and people are going to be very pleased with their product. It should be #1 out of the gate. We had some fun kicking around other potential projects. Exciting stuff!!

[emoji106] for Desert Rat! I’ve known them since I lived in PHX. I’ve always had a good experience with them (certainly better than 4WP). Generally they’re pretty knowledgeable as well. For me, the primary benefit with them on the springs was free shipping & no tax. I ended up just getting my local 4WP manager to match the same.

Yeah, given how much shipping out of Canada is on that thing, I expect you can sell it to another member easy.

FaceBook is the Wild West, beware! I stopped following that a while ago. It’s definitely a different crowd.

I think the only knocks on the AC are the harshness of the ride (& AC’s shipping costs). I think it’s unanimous they get 2”. I suppose planned use may be a good guide. If it’s a DD or has alot of Overlanding in its future, maybe OME. If it’s a local weekend toy, AC.

Hmmm, well that’s not good to hear at all. I’ve had people cautioning me that HD might be too much & then relenting when I said I was putting a metal bumper & winch up there. I figured 3/4”+1” spacer. For ~2”. Do you know how much your bumper & winch weighed in total? I don’t need to hijack the thread but I certainly see why you might not want to go Option#2 OME@PathyDude17. Now I get to contemplate my brand new OME HDs in my garage awaiting placement on the new struts.

Okay, that’s news to me. Hey guys (@mjotrainbrain &[mention=38818]micahfelker[/mention] ) can you chime in about your experience with the OME HDs up front. Thanks!

I’m just saying that the load bearing capability will be dependent upon which OME springs people are running. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard complaints about theHeavy Duty, only the medium duty for the front when they went heavy with a metal bumper or with the medium & light duty for the rear (no heavy duty for the rear) though I would agree the LR springs have likely made all other rear springs obsolete.

Just as an FYI, there are at least 2 OME options for the front (Heavy & Medium Duty) 2928=Heavy Load 110-220# Spring Rate

As a suggestion. Some Bike Carriers use springs on each side of the post attached to the hitch section to assist in bringing it back upright.

Yeah, when I was in the desert it just stayed on the roof-not a good option in the PNW. Another option I considered was mounting it horizontally across the top bar of the carrier but it’s a little tight on our trucks and this leverages the weight out farther when open. Also, the position of the foot is a little problematic (probably outboard of the body) plus it seems more likely to “jiggle”. I chatted with an experienced JK owner I know and he said he’s had no problems with this vertical set up, including squeaks & rattles.

I bought this from Amazon for ~$60. It’s made for JKs but spans the facelifted tire carrier nicely just inboard of where the bars thicken. It will need to be welded on (Thanks[mention=37543]TowndawgR50[/mention]). There are multiple versions out there but this one is about the cheapest and the build quality & powdercoating are good quality & appear identical. I might have mine on in a week or two. It’s about 8# plus the weight of the Hi-Lift. I have my concerns regarding the weight but figure I’ll only have it there for rare technical trips. I can’t store mine on the rig long term since it sits in the ever present rain here & getting it up & down off the rack has always scared me a little (I so see that cradle popping the cargo area glass panel). This site is super easy to put on, take off, secure & is essentially out of my vision as well.https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07DCN7FYG?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_pd_title

To be fair, I’m not sure there is “stock” out there anymore unless someone replaces with new OEM gear (which would be silly). I know my “stock” setup is definitely lower than when I bought it due to saggy old springs.

Aack!!! You guys are giving me nightmares!!

Not to be argumentative, but simply to point out there’s differences in taste, I like the amber corners. In fact, I intend to put more amber on my truck (Raptor mod & maybe front & back running lights on rack). Unless you’re murdering out your truck (as above), I don’t get the clear corners. Honestly, I don’t even get it much in cars. It’s a European thing, not really a Japanese, Australian or American thing. In fact, some places put extra amber lights on the sides of the front fenders (secretly, I kind of like it because it reminds me of my Z). I also kind of like the bright amber running lights in Toyotas. That said, truly to each their own. I may just need to start an Amber Support Group (Oh, maybe Amber Anonymous), I’m starting to realize I might actually have a problem. I don’t dislike the clears in trucks, it’s just not for me. Also, I get that it’s an easy mod to do to just do something and I’ve certainly made changes for that reason alone too.

So I manage an ‘18 4Runner as well & follow that world (the website you referenced is an excellent one). The full modification of the one referenced on the website involves replacing the cut angles with metal plates. For the 4Runner, it’s an odd choice as the stock fronts on SR5s & Off-Roads have excellent clearance if tires are upgraded & it’s lifted the standard 3” on that truck. Impacted corners on it are RARE. So much so that most owners simply replace the lower chin of the center grill with a steel bumper that has winch, recovery & light bar mounts (as with almost all 5thGen T4R stuff, there are only half a dozen manufacturers of slim line bumpers - C4 is my favorite). If you’re in UT or CO & plan to wheel hard or Rock Crawl, most would go with a full on replacement (CBI is my favorite here though there are easily a dozen to choose from). For our trucks, I think most would simply go with full bumper replacement. Coastal Offroad (https://www.coastaloffroad.com/product-page/r50...bumper-kit) currently offers a weld together set that looks nice & is specifically designed for approach angle. Brandon has ALOT of experience with 3rd Gen T4Rs specifically. His set is for the Pathfinder so I’m not sure it will fit properly on the QX4 as far as cosmetics. WAM also makes a bumper but I only know of one R50 that’s gotten it since the changeover from the prior company names that were plagued with manufacturing quality issues. I think Dustin Perrault is also making a bumper. Finally,[mention=36148]hawairish[/mention] &[mention=37543]TowndawgR50[/mention] are making brackets that would definitely fit the QX4 & could serve as the foundation for your tube bumper (they might eventually have that too as I know[mention=37543]TowndawgR50[/mention] plans to make one for himself (&me). The highlight of their system for me is that they are concentrating on the attachment & anchoring to the unibody. Others attach, theirs is being specifically designed with the R50s weaknesses in mind. I suspect, however, that their product may be delayed another year as they concentrate on other products first (SubFrameDrop, Swingate Kits, Trailing Arms, Slider adapters, etc.). DIY winch bumper 'builder' brackets https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?share_fid=45554&share_tid=43889&url=http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?/topic/43889-DIY-winch-bumper-%27builder%27-brackets&share_type=t If you go ahead, definitely document as I think you’ll be the first, especially for the QX4s.

[emoji106] I wish I had that knob! Up & down temp buttons are like up & down volume buttons on a radio - SUPER annoying, inconvenient & arguably less safe. [mention=39745]stpickens[/mention] will be glad to know you have an ‘03 LE. He’s the only one in the PNW group & was feeling lonely. I told him hawairish had an ‘04 but I think his is an SE.

Curious about the shifter as well. [mention=39745]stpickens[/mention] HVAC is a ‘03 LE, while in the same place, it looks different than my ‘02 LE.[mention=41155]astrorami[/mention] don’t you have a ‘01?

@TowndawgR50 did the same & then repeated it 3 times this last month for us. It works well. Smittybilt Jerry Can Holder. Consider putting in a CB tab while you’re at it. I’m contemplating a vertical Hi-Lift carrier as well.

What’s the bulb type & count on that?

Thanks for posting!!