Hey all, I just picked up my 04 4Runner. 4WD, V8, SR5...if your curious. Previously, I'd been tooling around in my 90 V6 4Runner.

Anyways, I'm starting a list of maintenance items and mods I'd like to make and I wanted to bounce some ideas off the rest of you.

Maintenance:
Oil & filter change
Front/center/Rear dif fluid change (what's the preferred fluid?)
Flush/fill/bleed brake lines
Flush/fill coolant

Mods:
One of the main uses of my truck will be to tow. With that in mind, I'd like to swap shocks for something a little more HD. I see that Bilstein makes a set, but should I consider any others. Also, on my 90, I have a set of Downey HD rear springs. These do a great job of keeping the backend from sagging too much when towing. Are there comparable springs for my 4th gen?

Lastly, exhaust. What's out there? What works best? I thought Borla had a system for my truck, but I can't seem to find it on their website.

thanks!

 

Got a truck much like yours but the V6. Here are a few things I did in order. Tint, Made the little lights on the back work, Lightforce lights on the bumper, removed the running boards, 3in lift, OME HD springs, new tires, side and back up lights, removed the back seat. Nothing mental just made it work better for me. Enjoy the new rig.

 

My 2003 V6 has gotten these.

Tranny cooler w/remote filter and temp gauge (adds about a quart more fluid)
Leveling kit. (lifted front 3")
Firestone airbags inside stock coils. (new shocks will not stop the rear from sagging while towing)
K&N CAI
AMSOIL all diff's and transfer case

coming soon.
Magnaflow exhaust.

 

Best/simplest mods on mine that I'm pleased with are:
K&N FIPK Intake- sounds great when you're on the gas without the constant drone of a loud exhaust which gets old fast.
Silverstar Ultra 55W Lowbeams- big improvement over stock
Firestone Destination AT tires in 265-70-17 profile: gave me 1 7/8" more ground clearance at the skidpan, no rubbing or appreciable change in performance and the larger diameter improved the mileage. And yes, I factored in the increased rolling diameter when I calculated miles and MPG.

Tricks for better mileage: I run the tires at 37 lbs cold, removed the crossbars on the roof rack and keep my cruise at 70mph. Got me 19.49 mpg on the 4,000 roadtrip I just returned from. Incidently, mileage dropped by 2 MPG with the cruise at 75mph.

 

*Adds K&N FIPK to mod list. Geez! those things are pricey!

Anyone have suggestions on shocks? Non-XREAS. My truck has 111K miles on it and the suspension is a little bouncier than I prefer...but I had nothing but sports cars up to this point.

Also, any opinions on the Gibson exhausts vs. the Magnaflow. Gibson seems to be a bit cheaper....