Roody’s 2018 Lexus GX460 Build, Adventure, and Hooniverse Podcast

Recent press vehicles worth noting, presented in no particular order

Polaris Scrambler XP 1000 S (ongoing coverage running on Hooniverse and Off the Road Again)


2024 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 392 (review on Hooniverse)


2023 Ford Bronco Raptor (review on Hooniverse)


2023 Toyota GR86 Premium (road trip review on Hooniverse)


2023 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack Swinger Special Edition (review on Hooniverse)


2023 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro (review on Hooniverse)


2023 BMW X7 (review on Hooniverse)


2023 Ford Raptor R (review on Hooniverse)


2023 Kia EV6 GT (review on Hooniverse)


2023 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat (review on Hooniverse)


2023 BMW M340i (review on Hooniverse)


2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate (review on Hooniverse)

 

Had the GX out at a trunk-or-treat event for the kiddo the other day. Not the most elaborate or elegant setup (and the 20 MPH winds with 30 MPH gusts didn't help things) but the GX was by far the most interesting vehicle in the parking lot which at least put a smile on my face

 

A few weeks back the GX's battery was dead when I went to start it in the morning. I jumped it with my jump pack, got the battery charged, and the truck was fine for a few weeks. I started doing some research into which battery would be the stock unit's replacement, but put it on the backburner as everything seemed fine.


It was, until this past Saturday. The truck was dead as dead gets when I went to start it. One trip to Costco later and I had an Interstate 27F on my work bench ready to swap into the GX. There were definitely "better" options but this battery was extremely affordable (~$130 all-in with taxes and core charge), has a 3-year warranty, and was available without any fuss.


Old stock battery:




Here's the stock battery in the tray. The gap (i.e., extra space) can be seen here:




Old battery vs new battery:



New battery installed. Had to move a relay but it fits *perfectly* in the tray. Nice and tidy:




Once everything is reconnected you have to start the truck once, let it shut itself off, wait a few seconds, and restart it. The infotainment screen shows "System loading. Don't turn off the power." and that's the end of it. Easy process only made difficult by the ice under my feet where the truck was parked.

 

Appreciate the details as always. I’ll be following in your steps when my battery goes. I’ve always been happy with Interstate and we use Costco all the time so it’s a win win.

 

Also, have you thought about brakes? I’m needing to do pads and rotors all around. Lexus replaced a seized caliper under extended warranty for me but pads are all 3mm and need to do them ASAP. Was curious if you had looked into it at all?

 

Thought about them? Yes. Done anything about them? Nope. Barely 35k miles on my truck so hopefully have some time before I need brakes.

When the time comes though, probably going with Powerstop. Have had great experience with their kits in the past. Or maybe Stoptech. But probably the Powerstop upgrade kit: https://www.powerstop.com/product/power-stop-z36-brake-kit/#y=2018&mk=LEXUS&mo=GX460

 

Perfect. That’s exactly what I was looking at. I’ll be the tester for you haha. I’m at 105k so I’m due for sure.

 

Let me know! I think both of our trucks are fairly heavy compared to stock to curious to hear how aftermarket kits work. There's anecdotal tidbits on here and Mud (and I'm sure on Facebook, though I'm staying off there indefinitely). Let me know if you plan to install yourself and we can coordinate a mod day...

 

I'm on my second set of powerstops z36 kit. Zero issues so far and like them

 

Don't think I've ever heard a bad thing about them. If my memory serves me correctly, I had them on one of my 4th gen 4Runners...

 

Soon…

 

& a wider angle glimpse into more of my life haha

 

Ordered today.

 

Let me know how you like them!

 

OMG......this is the size I was thinking about moving up to. I was going to get the Toyo Open Country AT3's and not the BFG's though. Those things are 1. freaking expensive and 2. I will never go back to BFG's again after they failed me on the trail only after nine months. Can't wait to see them on the rig. What is the size and offset of your rims?

 

What kind of trail failure did you have??

Current wheels are 17x8.5” with 0 offset. Looking to go to 17x7, 17x7.5, or 17x8 with -10 to +10 offset. Should help with maximizing contact patch when airing down.

 

I was a BFG fan boy for 15 years straight. Been through 4 different pairs of KO2's without any issue with 2 different truck's. I had close to 50 to 55k on each before each change. All of them C rated. I kept on hearing things from others like "yeah but they're awful in the rain and snow," and I was like...."wait....what are you talking about, I've had zero issue." Then I first started thinking that others may have been correct, but I was like...."other offroad tires are going to slip and slide around just as much." Then, in October of 2020, I moved up to a pair bfg's in a 285-70-17 that were c-rated. I originally wanted to try the Toyo Open Country AT3's (only because i heard about how good they were supposed to be in the rain and snow, and Falken Wildpeaks were too damn heavy) but they were on national backorder at the time. So I went with my trusty BFG's. Then I started hearing about how the company really wasn't the company of old and their rubber wasn't as good. But, I was like...."naw....they are BFG's....never failed me even once. I went on a trail ride in Vermont in June of 2021 to sucker pond (absolutely great trail too bad it got closed down). We had 10 trucks in total. Weird thing was, there were 5 with Falkens, 2 with Goodyears, 1 with Nittos, 1 with Generals, and only me with BFG's. I really didn't think much of it.....until then end of the trail. Keep in mind that I was 2 hours away from home and these were only 9 months old with maybe 7k miles on them. 3 out of the 4 sidewalls were shredded with Gouges taken out of them. Not one of the other trucks had any issues even though their sidewalls did have rubbing marks. Absolutely super unsafe to drive on but I had to get home.

Rear driver


Front driver


Rear passenger


Never Again. I switched to Toyo Open Country AT3's right after that and then I actually noticed a HUGE difference in the way then drove both in the rain and snow. I stuck my head out the window at first and it almost sounded as if my tires were sticking to the road like velcro. Never slipped or slid around at all. I vowed from that day on that BFG was dead to me. It was like a bad marriage. Started off great, then became habit, then continued justifications, then just went south really bad. And I will never go back.

 

I have 17x9's with -12 offset. I would love one day to see what your spare looks like on my front to check clearance if that is ever possible.

 

Sure it is, come wheeling in jersey next time!

Maybe we set up another mod day down that way if Joel has any free time this spring.

 

Ooof. Well, that's sub-optimal. What size/load rating were the ones that got shredded?