2003 Prerunner innate off-road capabilities

Hello all! Short time lurker, first time poster. I tried searching the forums a bit, but found a lot of conflicting information.

I just bought an awesome 03 prerunner from my neighbor with very low miles (<80k) for a deal I couldn’t pass up! It’s the 4 cylinder sr5. I’m not interested in hitting any trails (yet) but I would love to be able to take her down to the points down in Baja. There’s plenty spots that a sedan can get to easily, but having even a little bit of off road capabilities would open up a lot more opportunities.

My question is What would be the best ‘bang for my buck’ in terms of upgrades to give me an edge out there? I’ve been looking at a rear locker system like ARB (worth the money?). Also, some new all terrain or good mud tires I personally believe would be the most important. Maybe even a winch to give me peace of mind trucking in a foreign country? From experience the dirt roads out there usually don’t get too bad unless there’s rain, but I can plan around that. I’ve seen the local Mexicans smash the dirt roads out there in ‘89 Honda civics.

I also hear a lot there’s no substitute for 4wd. I understand that, but I already love this truck and it’s impossible to find a 1st gen 4x4 with similar ballpark mileage.

So if anyone has any advice on the most efficient upgrades in order of importance that would be very appreciated. Or tell it’s not even worth it and sell my truck! I don’t care I appreciate all input thanks again guys.

 

Welcome aboard new member!

 

I would say the biggest upgrade you can get yourself, whether you had a 2wd or 4wd, would be quality tires.

I did go right to suspension right away, but quality tires on a stock truck will go a long way.

Having a Prerunner forces you to learn which lines to take, for ease of crossing an obstacle here or there, or simply giving it the skinny pedal, where another vehicle would normally crawl over.

If I was going to upgrade anything, it would be adding a rear locker. But really, since you're going that far, you may as well convert it to a 4wd.

Plenty of people on here have done it and there are a ton of people that are willing to chime in with advice (myself included, on the advice that is).

 

Sell the truck, youll never be satisfied trust me theres no substitute for a 4x4 with a transfer.case

 

That's a rather bold statement, especially if the OP doesn't venture into areas that don't require a 4x4.

Not to mention, as low mileage as his vehicle is, it still has a lot of value.

Bet he would've paid considerably more if the truck was 4x4; buying the parts and converting to 4x4 would still net him significant savings.

 

Dude, thats MY OPINION he even said in his post if he should sell it, nothing bold here

 

Absolutely right about the opinion part

 

Cost me like $800 to convert my PreRunner to 4x4 after I sold my old transmission and steering knuckles. It’s 99% bolt-on.

It’s cheaper than adding a differential locker.

 

Leave it stock. Go hit some easy/moderate trails. Upgrade as you see fit.

People like @Kwikvette and I always tell people to go 40's and tons (sarcastically? ) if they want to offroad with their Tacoma, but honestly just take the thing out as is. These trucks are perfectly capable of doing some pretty serious trails 100% stock in the hands of a skilled driver. Being a Prerunner, kwikvette has some experience there, too, lol. Hell, my brother had an 83 VW Rabbit GTI that he took on some pretty hairy trails in high school, lol.

You can throw $10k in mods at these things and they won't make you a better driver.

Prerunners are good trucks for what they are, but it more depends on what type of trails you like to do. If you're mobbing around in the desert, 2wd ain't all that bad. But if you like to go slow, or need traction, a 4wd conversion is probably in your future. It's "easily" done, because the prerunners and 4x4s are nearly identical trucks, and the conversion is pretty much all bolt on. Plenty of people have done it, even those with very little mechanical experience.

The only problem you'd run into if you do tires before suspension is that you're limited in size. So it all just depends on the timing, and if you think you'll want bigger tires in the near future. You'd need to do the suspension at the same time, if not beforehand if you want to run bigger tires (33's+). A good set of 32's will rub with stock suspension (though not really all that bad). I've been running those pretty much since I bought my truck, and they always rubbed a little until I did my fancy suspension.

And yeah, I'd say that a 4wd will have more traction overall (I would do a 4wd conversion before a locker), but you don't seem to have much of a problem getting yourself into tippy situations... lol

 

Suggesting 40s and tons is too obvious though

 

don't wanna make it TOO obvious.

 

Or you can keep the Prerunner, have fun with it, and just buy another Toyota that's a 4x4 and have fun with that too.

Two is one and one is none.

 

My 4runner in newer than yours...

 

My dad can beat up your dad

 

My mom can beat up your dad

 

Your mom went to college

 

If I were in your shoes and got a sick deal on a low mileage Prerunner, I'd try to flip it for more. That way I could find a good 4wd 1st gen. If you absolutely don't want to get rid of it, I would definitely start piecing together the parts I'd need for a 4wd conversion.

As the others stated, sometimes you don't need 4wd and you can take moderate trails and still have some fun. But what if you go with a group of people, and they go through somewhere you can't? What if you want to go further or higher than you did before but you can't because if a stupid obstacle? It's better to have 4wd and not need it, than need it and not have it.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with a 2wd truck, exceeept when you need the extra traction. My truck sees mostly pavement, so I get why you wouldn't want to convert if you hardly see dirt. But it's nice being able to go basically wherever I want because I have the option to do so.

My .02 cents.

ps: There's this trail by where I live that's ranger operated, and it's always funny to see that they make huge lifted trucks park to the side and walk to the river because you have to drive through part of the river to be able to park on the riverside. The rangers make them stop because they're 2wd. I laugh because I had a first gen AWD CRV that they tried to stop, but I told them it was "4wd", so I'd make it through every time.

 

I noticed nobody addressed the OP’s question about a winch. Is that not a good option ????

 

It's a bit premature to get one I think; OP needs to get out and see what the truck is capable of, and gain experience driving off road.

A winch can help anyone, it's a great tool, but learn to use what you've got first.

 

Yeah, perhaps a bit premature. You don’t just go get a winch and install it. You need at least a new bumper or a removeable hitch to use it. Plus a myriad of other accessories like tree savers, shackles, etc...

They are a great safety device, but honestly for most beginner trails or fire road type stuff hat a pre-runner would be doing, you’d have to REALLY screw up to need one.

I didn’t have one for nearly my trucks entire life. And while I wasn’t taking the thing on the rubicon, I did a lot of trail miles without a winch.

There are almost always alternatives to use. I’ve done quite well for myself stacking rocks or branches, or having a buddy with a towstrap.