What's your ride?

[TigerRaptor]

Tunnelcat I'm curious on something, when you engage 4WD with the shift lever. Does it feel stiff and a little difficult to move at times going from H2 to H4?

[Burlyman]

My car died and now I ride the bus and the train. ^_^

[TigerRaptor]

Yeah, apparently Toyota still sells it in the Middle East and in the Philippines of all places.

The new Land Cruiser Prado is out, and it's coming to the US next year, marking the end of the FJ Cruiser after 17 years. I think this makes the 5th gen 4Runner the last SUV to be built on the J150/Prado platform until its redesign in 2025. Too bad the FJ isn't coming back for any country. It really is still a cool looking vehicle.

You never posted a picture of yours.

[Tunnelcat]

Yeah, apparently Toyota still sells it in the Middle East and in the Philippines of all places.

The new Land Cruiser Prado is out, and it's coming to the US next year, marking the end of the FJ Cruiser after 17 years. I think this makes the 5th gen 4Runner the last SUV to be built on the J150/Prado platform until its redesign in 2025. Too bad the FJ isn't coming back for any country. It really is still a cool looking vehicle.

You never posted a picture of yours.

Considering that Toyota is shoving nothing larger than a 4-cylinder engine into it, there's been a lot of negative comments over that one decision from hard core FJ'rs. Sure it looks FJ like, but it's missing the one thing that makes it good for rock crawling, a larger engine, at least a V6, with lots of torque and power. A turbo 4 or even a 4-cylinder diesel won't cut it. Plus, I thought diesel engines were being phased out over time in passenger cars/trucks anyway, at least in the U.S.?

Picture of my 2011 FJ. It's still got the OEM tires, which are going to be replaced this year, even though there's a lot of tread left because I just haven't put the mileage on it. I need tires made in this decade by now. It's now worth more than I paid for it.



All those FJ's in the winter road salt belt are having their frames rust into dust, so it will become even more rare. Toyota was sued for the Tacoma suffering the same fate and had to replace frames on a bunch of Tacos. But the FJ never got on a class action suit for the same issue. Dana, who made the frames for Tacos and FJ's, screwed up and didn't get them painted properly. The rust starts at the welds and spreads. It rusts inside the frame too, so the cancer happens inside and out.

[Isaac]

Wtf... am I the only one here with a Honda?

[Tunnelcat]

I guess. What model of Honda?

[Neo]

My MARTA days are over for now.

[Isaac]

I guess. What model of Honda?

Element. The one that looks like a box. Perfect for outdoor activities and dogs.

[Tunnelcat]

Tunnelcat I'm curious on something, when you engage 4WD with the shift lever. Does it feel stiff and a little difficult to move at times going from H2 to H4?

Sorry, didn't see your question earlier. The transfer case shift lever WAS always hard to move since the truck was new and the 4WD switch would stick and had a delay in shifting. I had to jiggle the steering wheel back and forth to get it to shift into 4H (dash light would indicate) while driving. I drained out the OEM TC gear oil last year, I figured it was getting old after 11 years, and put in some Ravenol 75W synthetic gear oil. It works much easier now. Good stuff. The old oil looked clean and fine, but obviously the lubricity of the new synthetic is different. The front and rear differentials have been changed twice since I've owned it. That oil gets really nasty fast.

[TigerRaptor]

Picture of my 2011 FJ. It's still got the OEM tires, which are going to be replaced this year, even though there's a lot of tread left because I just haven't put the mileage on it. I need tires made in this decade by now. It's now worth more than I paid for it.

That was the first thing that went. My A/T went on the new wheels, and the winter tires went on the stock wheel. Toyota figured most people who buy these vehicles will end up changing out the tires anyway. So they put on the cheapest Bridgestone or Dunlop tires available. The Bridgestone Dueler H/T D684 II they were using at the time kind of suck.

All those FJ's in the winter road salt belt are having their frames rust into dust, so it will become even more rare. Toyota was sued for the Tacoma suffering the same fate and had to replace frames on a bunch of Tacos. But the FJ never got on a class action suit for the same issue. Dana, who made the frames for Tacos and FJ's, screwed up and didn't get them painted properly. The rust starts at the welds and spreads. It rusts inside the frame too, so the cancer happens inside and out.

I heard other vehicles, like the Helix also had this problem. I'm not sure if there were any lawsuits outside the US.

The harsh road salt used here in Illinois will rust a vehicle prematurely if preventive measures are not taken. Before winter hits, I use an oil-based undercoat like Corrosion Free that goes on once a year. None of that rubberized or tar-based undercoat—that garbage does more harm than good. No thank you.

Are there any plans to get the frame or parts of the frame patched up? Sure it's not cheap, but I think it's worth it.

Sorry, didn't see your question earlier. The transfer case shift lever WAS always hard to move since the truck was new and the 4WD switch would stick and had a delay in shifting. I had to jiggle the steering wheel back and forth to get it to shift into 4H (dash light would indicate) while driving. I drained out the OEM TC gear oil last year, I figured it was getting old after 11 years, and put in some Ravenol 75W synthetic gear oil. It works much easier now. Good stuff. The old oil looked clean and fine, but obviously the lubricity of the new synthetic is different. The front and rear differentials have been changed twice since I've owned it. That oil gets really nasty fast.

No worries. It's not that hard to engage 4WD anymore. But holy hell, in the beginning it felt like my arm was going to rip off.

Element. The one that looks like a box. Perfect for outdoor activities and dogs.

Curious. Is the Element based on the Pilot?

[Nosferatu]

Wtf... am I the only one here with a Honda?

I happen to have a Honda. A FIT...

[Isaac]

Curious. Is the Element based on the Pilot?

They have a similar lineage, but are not based on each other. The Element is the platypus of SUVs. The story goes they took a CR-V and made it slower and added more space to the cabin. They removed all carpeting and passenger doors for suicide doors, found on extended cab pickups. The pilot is based of a CR-V as well but they scaled up the power and included nice seats, carpeting, and made it competitive to other normal SUVs.

The Element also is able to remove the two rear seats and have a flat plastic and rubber bed running along the back, giving it this utility van ascetic, which I love.

[Isaac]

I happen to have a Honda. A FIT...

You know what that makes us?

[TigerRaptor]

Did some upgrades.

I'm also reposting this so no one gets the wrong idea. I went with this setup because I don't want a light bar or lights on the roof of the vehicle. I also have light covers for both Rigid lights and the PIAA round, as they are not street legal. They're off for the picture. The PIAA lights are both amber; the one in the bumper is a fog light, and the round is a driving light. Driving in fog or heavy snow at night when visibility is poor amber is a game changer, where white light can cause glare. On normal driving, I'm only using the stock lights along with the LED DRL Bezel (fang) and LED marker lights. Most people go with the grill raptor lights; I wanted something different. The Rigid lights are only used on the trails; the PIAA are also for the trails or in severe weather conditions (not in traffic). PIAA says these fog lights are SAE Compliance. I don't see how since the beam is long and very wide and with the front lifted 2 inches to match back. There's a chance of blinding on coming drivers. And no, I'm not adding anymore lights in the front.

Next year I'm taking a trip to Wisconsin, there are some really good trails I'd like to try out. At some point, there are plans to head out to Moab Utah, Colorado, and Washington State. One course I will be avoiding is Black Bear Pass. I'm not brave enough to take on that monster.

upload images
post a pic

[Tunnelcat]

Don't want to be this Jeep, do you? By the way, no people were in the Jeep as it rolled by on it's way down the slope. The driver taking the video must've seen it coming and stopped in time. However, a female passenger was ejected right before this video and is now paralyzed from the neck down. No, I wouldn't want to tackle that beast of a trail.