The 4xSlow, a journey through little time and lots of debt (picture heavy!)

Hello, I am 4xSlow. My owner calls me Forbie pronounced 4-bee, although there are times when he calls me high maintenance and money pit, whatever that means. He really likes me and so he spends a ton of money on me. He says Lady Visa and Master Card are his friends and they help him out whenever he sees something cool and shiny.

Here I am in the beginning - 2015 MGM Dcab TRD offroad - December 2014


a few days after leaving the dealer lot





fast forward to Present time May 2016 - my owner said the CVT tent is for now that we are homeless or something and thanks to me.



I didn't always look like this, I went through a few phases and quite a few wheels and tires

First FN countersteer offroad 16x8 265/75/16 Nitto Terra Grapplers

FN countersteer offroad 16x8 285/75/16 Nitto Trail Grapplers

then 285/75/16 Goodyear MTR with Kevlar reinforced sidewalls, which were mounted backwards the first go around my the installer.

then I borrowed the wheels from my 87 4runner to see what those would look like, FN Five Star 16x8 -25 offset with 285/75/16 Nitto Trail Grapplers MT

The current "offroad" setup for me is the FN Fx Pro 17x8 0 offset wrapped in 285/75/17 Nitto Trail Grapplers MT

Here I am in all my glory



street wheels

and another set.....Icon Alpha!


hopefully final hahaha FN Wheels VERGE



FN SPEC B


List of the current goodies
ARMOR, Exterior, clearance mods

• Pelfreybilt front plate aluminum bumper with full hoops - installed by Findlay Toyota Henderson (no more!!)
• NEW CBI Dakar Rally Front Hybrid front bumper - 30 inch Baja Designs ONx6 hi-power LED bar and S2 pro amber lights
• Pelfreybilt full aluminum skid plates - installed by Findlay Toyota Henderson
• All-Pro Offroad Extreme Duty Apex series rock sliders - installed by Findlay Toyota Henderson, powder coated by Snail Motorsports in North Las Vegas
• CBI offroad Trail Rider 2.0 Rear bumper with swing out tire carrier, dual jerry can holder, telescoping light pole and fold down camp table. - installed by owner, powder coated by Snail Motorsports in North Las Vegas
• CBI offroad Overland Bed Rack - installed by owner, powder coated by Snail Motorsports in North Las Vegas
• CBI ditch light brackets topped with Baja Designs Squadron Pro lights
• CVT Mt Shasta Roof top tent
• GoFSR roof top tent - used once.....going back to CVT
• CVT Mt Shasta SUMMIT SERIES January 2018!
• Mcneil Racing Inc +2 fiberglass front fenders to clear larger tires without having to mod the flares and fenders, painted and installed by MCM Fabrication LV
• MCM Fabrication roof light bar brackets with 50" radius LED bar installed (stolen 5-19-2016, thank you worthless human being)
• MCM Fabrication Cab Mount Chop
• owner with a hammer and rotary cutter for folding over pinch welds
• rear has been smashed in by tires and self clearanced for now ( Waiting for @McNeilRacingInc to make the matching rear bed sides! )
• Mac's Custom Tie down VersaTie tracks custom mounted inside of bed for securing cargo
• Rigid Industries 20" SR2 combo bar(removed)
• Rigid Industries amber D2 driving fog lights(removed)
• Rigid Industries SRQ flush mount reverse lights on rear bumper
• Rigid Industries D-series Midnight edition Spot lights (removed)

Suspension, Wheels and tires (yes plural)

• Icon Vehicle Dynamics stage 6 suspension, CDC adjusters on front coil overs and RXT rear shocks (such an awesome feature to have!) subbed upper control arms for Total Chaos upper control arms
• Total Chaos Fabrication Stock Length Race Series Dual shock capable lower control arms
• Timbren front bump stops
• Icon rear air bump stop kit with flip plate for u-bolt flip kit
• All-Pro rear Expedition leaf pack (removed June 2017)
• Icon RXT rear suspension installed June 2017 - smoother ride quality, offroad testing seems to make it a solid choice for a replacement leaf pack.
• 17x8 Fn Fx pro wheels 0 offset wrapped in 285/75/17 Nitto Trail Grapplers MT (offroad tires 95lbs)
  
• 16x8 Fn Countersteer type X wheels -20 offset wrapped in 285/75/16 Michelin LTX MS2 (street tires 69.5lbs)
• 17x8.5 FN Verge wrapped in 35x12.5x17 Nitto Ridge Grappler (105 lbs)
• 16x8 Fn Countersteer type X wheels -20 offset wrapped in 285/75/16 Falken AT3W
  
• 17x8 Countersteer Type X 285/75/17 Nitto Trail Grapplers
• Total Chaos Alignment tabs reinforcement kit - installed by MCM Fabrication LV
• 17x8.5 -6 FN Spec B gunmetal with black simulated bead lock ring.
• Total Chaos Spindle gussets - installed by MCM Fabrication LV

Engine and Powertrain

• TRD Supercharger - installed at Findlay Toyota Henderson
• AFE performance intake system with dry filter (works with TRD SC and fuel system is not lean at all)
• URD competition Y-Pipe (did it for the ground clearance, worth it!) installed at Findlay Toyota Henderson
• Magnaflow under the cab exhaust, modified to go over rear axle to help with drone (after y-pipe, I am an official Honda B18 at wide open throttle straight header sound *yuck and cool and the same time*)
• 4.88 gears installed, courtesy of MCM Fabrication LV
• ARB front air locker with dual compressor installed in engine bay with Slee Offroad bracket.

Interior

• Console Vault center console safe
• ESP rear seat under seat storage box
• OTRATTW switch plate with custom switches on overhead console
• Air on Board Switches below AC control panel
• Blue Ridge Overland seat back organizer, headrest organizers, trash tote.

TO BE CONTINUED......

 

Images of some of the mods

Suspension and reinforcement mods - Icon suspension with Total Chaos upper control arms, Chaos spindle gussets and alignment tab reinforcement. MCM Fabrication cab mount chop, pinch weld clearanced with hammer (but I went the "wrong" way or opposite of most)
Icon CDC with 700lbs springs, Chaos UCA, spindle gusset

Alignment tabs reinforced

Cab Mount Chop

before notching and hammer is applied

notched and hammered

side view

rattle canned to prevent any rust from cuts and bends. after one trip in the dirt, it blends and doesn't look shiny.


TRD Supercharger - install date and a whole year after use and abuse, still going strong and making the #4xslow not as slow. Worth the cash, for those that don't have one yet, Magnuson has them available and if you didn't know, they are actually the same company that produced the TRD version.


a year later, AFE intake works well with it.



URD Competition Y-Pipe for 4wd Tacoma, before and after photos. I wasn't able to find many pictures of the y-pipe. I really like seeing the products before I buy them, unfortunately I was not able to find ones that show it off. I am happy with the fit and finish of the product, now only time will tell if there are any negatives on the mod. I am concerned about the pipe going under the transmission pan and creating an oven above the skid plate.

UPDATE - 9/6/16
With the summer heat of Vegas, running this pipe with skidplates isn't really a good idea. I tried heat wrapping it, but still noticed the transmission running a bit hotter than comfortable. I would definitely recommend this pipe for the power and sound, but not in this hot weather of 100+. After coming off the freeway and idling for a few the trans temp increases dramatically.

http://urdusa.com/store/Exhaust-&-H...for-4WD-Tacoma-V6-2005-2015/product_info.html
Before


After




Winmax W3 front brakes with DBA 4x4 4000 series rotors, I purchased this upgrade at Findlay Toyota after adding all the weight to the rig, I heat soaked the OEM brakes, glazed the rotors and started have braking vibration at higher speeds. After talking with Sam at Cusco USA (who I met from previous track events with the Scion FRS) and we discussed the temperature ranges in Nevada and the added weight, he explained to me the W3 have been used successfully in rougher terrains of other countries and with heavier loads. They offer a better initial bite at lower temps and they offer a substantially increased bite at higher temps, so highway stops or constant stop and go situations don't end up with brake fade and decreased braking capabilities. I think they would have worked well with OEM rotors, but I opted for the upgrade to make sure I can come to a stop while fully loaded. If you wanted a milder pad, they offer W2.

after initial installation, due to the DBA rotors, the pads were really noisy, they had a loud howl from 10 mph to 0. I was used to this noise from the race pads I run on the sports cars, but I got a lot of weird looks from everyone on the road. I found it humorous. After bedding in the pads to the rotors and everything breaking in properly, heat cycle etc. The pads are extremely quiet and tamed now, anyone that has a Tacoma and drives mine tells me they are impressed by the braking. on occasions I still get a bit a noise here and there, but absolutely nothing that causes annoyance or embarrassment. Highly recommend the Winmax pads as an OEM replacement.

UPDATE 3/9/2017 - The brakes performed great until the end! The life of these pads is definitely on the low mileage side, they wear evenly yet quickly, but if you want to stop quickly and consistenly.....yup these are awesome!




All-Pro Extreme Duty APEX series rock sliders


These are heavy duty and well built, installation is simple and gives you confidence in the product.

Electrical wiring and switches - why can't it actually just work like I thought all lights worked before....MAGIC! running wires, switches, relays, fuses......boring and annoying, thank you to my buddy Cartman that helped me do this.


looks messy, but it is pretty organized, all fuses in the box attached to the bracket and the opposite end has the row of relays that power all lights.

Console Vault - center console safe, added peace of mind. recently a friend of mine had his car broken into and all they stole was his registration and insurance. it happened at a casino and that would leadme to believe that they would go to his home and steal the car or who knows what in this crazy world we live in. I lock up my rig, arm the alarm, lock up any valuables and try and do what I can to not be victimized.
install is simple, open lid, remove small screws on underside of lid, then screws holding lid to hinges. two bolts at the bottom of console, drop in safe, secure with supplied hardware and reverse to reassemble


Mcneil +2 Fiberglass fenders by MCM Fab LV
This was an exciting upgrade, I was able to work with Matt at MCM Fabrication and Mcneil in creating these. My truck was used for the molding process and was at Mcneil for the length of time it took to make them. Pretty cool to watch them build a set and make changes. The +2 LT kits had no fiberglass oftions at the time and I was excited when Mcneil was the first company to step up to the plate to offer glass for the mid-travel and +2 crowd. I always hated the thought of cutting up my fenders to clear 35s or having to buy a +3.5 glass and run wheels spacers. These +2 fenders do the trick on my standard mid travel truck and they flow with the factory body lines.

thank you @McNeilRacingInc , can't wait for the rear bedsides





as you can tell from all the images, they work well with standard 33s and wheel offsets and up to 35s and even aggressive -25 wheel offsets. best upgrade for clearance issues and style!

 

saving this one for easy access to vendor links or info for other users to access.

 

Nice ride, do you mind if we use a few of your photos on our website?

 

You already have it on your site , please by all means. Let me know if I can send you more images and to where. thanks!

 

Nice, yeah sales@mcneilracinginc.com

Thanks

 

making friends at the Overland Expo West 2016



on the way home, "Pit Stop!"

 

Awesome build you have going here. Sub'd.

 

Rocking the new Icon Alloys Alpha wheels, The size and offset make it ideal for switching up to 35s later on, 17x8.5 with a 0 offset. they feel great with the wider stance and the weight isn't too bad. FN fx pro wheels were a bit lighter.

 

Like the fender flares! Sub'd

 

Recently took a few days to go visit some local historical spots, visited the old mining town of Delamar, NV and a small town of Belmont, NV with a population of 13 I believe. I am always amazed by these old abandoned towns, they used to find something worth mining and anyone looking for work would migrate there and build a small town for the operation. No heavy machinery just blood, sweat and tears along with the will to provide for your family and survive the harsh conditions. I feel lazy when I see what they built by hand hahaha.

Power line road heading out of Alamo to Delamar, this area has some really fine silt and visibility is zero for anyone not in the lead. I recommend taking your time and having some lights that will make you visible to the following rigs. fun to go fast of course, caught air in some sections, care should be taken, 3 rigs have rolled out here apparently.


Delamar
even the Cemetery was impressive to me.

The night was quiet and the weather was cooler than the Las Vegas valley, but as the sun comes over and hits the rig, it warms up quickly
Camp
sun hits the tent and temps climb quick, like an alarm clock.


I wonder if I can successfully visit the majority of these markers, this is number 90 of........who knows.

The next leg of this trip included Belmont, NV

The courthouse


another Nevada marker


Heading to this nice camp spot

 

Came across your thread. Truck looks great!

 

Nice build! sub'd

 

so in moving forward with my build, I am at the point where I need to add the ARB fridge, compressor and air locker......

but I saw these wheels.....

now I want to put the important stuff on hold hahaha.

 

so instead of new wheels, I will be having MCM Fabrication LV installing an ARB air locker and 4.88 gears. Can't wait to get this done...

 

Nice truck. Did you ever install the Icon AAL or did you go straight to the All-pro leaf?

 

I ran the Icon AAL for a few months, they handled really well with the 2.5 rear shocks. I loved the smooth ride qualities of the leafs, my only issue was the load carrying capacity due to the "softer" properties in comparison to the Expo pack I run now. I feel that if you run a Timbren bump stop or Icon air bump stop kit the truck would ride like a dream and handle air born situations very well. The factory bump stops are violent. Hope this helps answer your question.


Icon AAL flexed really well, but if you notice the last image 140lbs of fluids starts to squat the back end. This would not have worked with he roughly 500lbs I carry now a days without the rest of my camping gear.

 

decided to change front bumper, wheels and tires in pre paration for gears and other new add ons.

 

whaaaaaaaaaaaat?!