The First Mods I Make on Every Toyota 4WD

I’ve owned 14 different Toyota 4WDs in the last nine years—didn’t think it was that high until I actually counted. I mentioned I have a problem, didn’t I? Each one’s been built a little differently, but there are a few modifications that make it onto every rig.

Roof Rack

The thing about going off-road is that you have to plan for recoveries, and you have to bring gear. One of my very first trail runs, I threw my Hi-Lift and Maxtrax in the back of the 4Runner and took off. They bounced around the entire time—gouging the trim, making a racket, and taking up way too much space. Then we actually used the Maxtrax, and loading them up muddy into a clean trunk was… not great. That’s how I discovered my need for a roof rack. Racks come in minimalist styles that attach to factory rails, or full kits that replace the entire roof system. What you plan to carry determines what kind of rack you need—but every truck gets one.

Small Winch Bumper (and Winch)

My trucks feel naked without a winch on the front. Yes, they’re great for self-recovery and pulling buddies out of bad spots—but I’ve also used mine to clear fallen trees, and even rip bushes out of the yard. (Winch > shovel, every time.) To mount a winch, you need either a winch plate or a winch bumper. Hidden mounts are popular but don’t give you great access, and they don’t add protection. Full-size bumpers are tough, but they’re heavy and can hurt handling. The sweet spot? A slim, center-replacement winch bumper. They give you a strong base, decent protection, recovery points, and they don’t weigh a ton. Bonus: they usually blend well with the factory look—more of that “OEM+” style that keeps the truck clean but capable.

Rock Sliders

Rock sliders (also called rock rails) are a must-have mod. They might look like running boards at a glance, but sliders are built from steel and bolt directly to the frame—not the body. Their job? Keep your rocker panels from getting crushed. But a good set of sliders does more than just protect. They can support the full weight of the truck, be used as a jack point for a Hi-Lift, or even handle a sideways pull in recovery. I’ve had to pull a vehicle sideways using a slider more than once—and I’ll never run without them.

Skid Plates

Factory skids have come a long way on newer Toyotas, but they’re still stamped steel or plastic—and they don’t hold up when it counts.

Skid plates protect the critical parts underneath: oil pan, transmission, transfer case, and gas tank. You might not think about them until you hear the unmistakable clang of a rock catching the undercarriage at just the wrong angle.

I run steel skid plates, period. Aluminum is great for beer cans and race cars—but if you want to bounce off boulders without cracking something vital, steel is the move. A lot of people argue that the advantage of aluminum is weight reduction, but you're talking about a 50 pound difference total, and the weight is located at the lowest point on the vehicle, and in the center. The true effect of the weight on the vehicle's performance is negligible.

Start with the front and engine skid, then work your way back. If you wheel hard, you’ll eventually want full coverage. Just make sure whatever you run has solid mounting and doesn’t hang down too far—low-hanging armor defeats the purpose.

Matching Spare

Not the flashiest mod, but one a lot of folks overlook. When you upgrade to larger or more aggressive tires, make sure your spare matches. The toughest tire in the world can still get torn open on a rock. And if your spare is a factory donut or a mismatched size, your day just got a lot more complicated. I carry a patch kit, plug kit, and compressor in every rig—but a sidewall gash doesn’t care about your repair skills. Don’t neglect the spare. It's not optional off-road.