Ride Rundown SEMA Edition Part 2 - Modern Off-Roaders

We know, we know, most of you are not racing your trucks. Heck half of you reading these articles are not anywhere near a desert where you can have that true “Baja” experience. We do hope, however, we did plant some seeds in your mind of what you might want for your rig or ride with our last post.

In this chapter, we plan to help your let those seeds begin to flower with some builds that are far more attainable and feasible to the common man. Most of you, like us, are in modern late-model vehicles, and we totally understand if cutting your daily up just ain’t in the cards. Lucky for you, late model vehicles are basically the heart of the SEMA Show, so we have a few flavors of build that might give you just the direction you need for your ride.

Ride Rundown - Pure 4X4 Lexus GX460, Is This The 4Runner You Really Want?

It is no secret that we love our 5th Generation 4Runners here at Shock Surplus, and I am sure most of you guys love yours too. However I am sure all of you have one similar gripe, and that’s power.

For a long time Toyota has had a solution for you: a V8-powered GX460. Sure they are a little compromised in terms of clearance with the gaping mouth Lexus designers bestowed upon it, but you were probably looking at doing a viper cut or replacing those bumpers if you are in the market for a T4R anyway. So what if you already have a GX? Well, all the same coilovers, springs, and rear shocks that work on a 4Runner work on a GX of the same year so the options are pretty limitless. Not to be outdone, the boys over at Pyre 4X4 brought a GX460 that should definitely spark a fire in many of you GX owners.

We know how it goes; one day you are breaking necks in your slammed street machine, and the next you got a kid on the way, or life moves on, but the love for cars never dies. For those of you making that transitioning from lowering to lifting, this gorgeous GX will definitely be up your ally, and hopefully inspire you to be true to your roots even as the tree of life branches out into new avenues. The Mag Blue TE37 wheels, the amber lights and matching yellow brake calipers, the carbon hood, and the NOS tank used for compressed air or CO2 on the trail? This build would be at home on the floors of WEKFEST, but don’t get it twisted, this show queen still has the guts to keep up on the trail. You may be used to TEs being wrapped in a stretched R888, however, these little johns are sitting comfortably in a set of 34” Toyo MTs. It took more than a little cutting to make those fit so the lift was supplied by none other than King. With a set of 4Runner extended travel 2.5” coilovers and rear shocks, it really shows just how easy it is to kick ass on the trail. Get your dampers, a rear coil spring, and an upper control arm, and with a little trimming for more ground clearance and bigger tires you are ready to go further than most people have the guts to. And never forget to remind all the lowly Toyota peasants you meet on the trail that you are far more comfortable in your luxurious Lexus.

Ride Rundown - A First Gen Porsche Cayenne Built To Explore

So what if the carbon copy Toyota and Jeep builds bore you? Maybe you have seen the same simple formula too many times and you want the excitement of something different. Maybe you like the idea of an SUV that can carve a canyon as well as a trail, and get the kids to soccer practice by noon. Maybe you are a Porsche person and even the kid hauler needs to be a P car.

Regardless of how you got to this position, we are glad you did as that means you are our kind of people and this Cayenne will definitely be your cup of tea. Although based on the now-defunct and obscurely named Toureg, the first-gen Cayenne really broke the mold on what was possible in the newly birthed genre now known as the Crossover. Although probably better remembered for slicing up the Nordschleife, in 2009 Porsche took their new Cayenne on the 4411 mile long Transsyberia Rally just to prove its mettle in the dirt. It has certainly taken a while, but finally, enthusiasts have begun to catch on to just how good these unique SUVs are as a platform for a vehicle that can really DO IT ALL.

The aftermarket is certainly still light on parts, however as time goes on, we are seeing more availability and more cool builds like this particular Topographed First Gen. What caught our eye immediately, as always, was the suspension. Behind those big tires are a set of custom JRZ remote reservoir coilovers helping to get a fair amount of lift. Normally known for their high-end and often fully custom coilover packages for the pinnacle of track day weapons, road race cars, and time attack missiles, this suspension system was definitely a big step away from what they are known for, and hopefully a sign of more things to come. Their tuning knowledge and damper technology are fairly unmatched on the track, so it will be interesting to see how that knowledge translates onto off-road rigs if they plan to move in that direction. Nonetheless, it is an excellent example of not being scared to build something different.

You can keep it easy with vehicles like a Tacoma, 4runner, Wrangler, or even a Bronco where anything and everything is available as a simple bolt-on solution. Or if you are willing and able to do some custom work and can afford the heft premium on a completely custom suspension solution, you can turn any 4WD or AWD vehicle into the wheeler of your dreams. Enthusiasts’ love for cars is hardly logical or rational, so if you have the knowledge and budget, or at least know the right people to talk to, why be rational or logical about what your dream build if it is what you want. If that dream build involves a Cayenne then you can be certain you’ll be getting to the trailhead faster than anybody else.

Ride Rundown - Dana Jeep JT: Big Axles, Bigger Tracks, and Bilstein Quick Adjust Bypass Shocks

Alright I get it, this is a pretty wild one, and I promised we would be trying to be more “relatable” with this one, but just try to ignore the giant tank tracks and beefy Ultimate Dan 60s.

There is a lot to catch your eye, however, we were more focused on the new "Quick Adjust" knobs on the Bilstein 9200 series bypass shocks they installed on it. These new knobs are set to be available on all of Bilsteins new OE-specific 8100 and universal 9200 bypass shocks and will save you lightyears of time and effort getting your shocks tuned. They should also be available as an upgrade for all of you that already have 8100s with the old style "wrench and Allen key" adjustment, so your days of throwing wrenches in the desert dialing in your suspension are over. The 8100 bypass shocks were already a stellar option for Jeeps as we have found with our own in-house JL, but making those adjustments has definitely been a time-consuming process, so we certainly can not wait to make that upgrade. Next up we are hoping to see Bilstein add dampening adjustability to their 8112 coilovers, and rumor has it they may be in the works.

Ride Rundown- Ford Bronco Funrunner By RTR and Fun Haver

I guess it is time to talk about the elephant in the room, or in this case the pony in all the SEMA halls. With over 90, 2021 Broncos at the show, it was hard not to clog this list with countless Broncos. Instead, we decided to show you our undisputed favorite, the Funrunner by RTR and Fun Haver.

With so many to look at, we saw every flavor of build, none of which were as complete or capable of what Vaugn Gitten Jr and Loren Healy brought to the table. Between the sweet livery, wide fenders, prototype long-travel suspension, and upgraded axles, this rig definitely gave us a lot of inspiration for the direction for our own two-door manual Sasquatch we are waiting on. That is right, even we need some inspiration too.

RTR and Fun Haver claim this long travel system adds 3" or more of suspension travel all around on top of the 3" jump in track width per side and seems to use the same "mid-travel" Fox 2.5 DSC coilovers already available on the market. This means after you have spent the money to dial in your set up at stock width, you do not have to get rid of your coilovers once you add on this +3" long travel kit. Word has it, this will work with stock fenders as well, making this a build you can piece together yourself as budget allows.

This rig also includes longer upgraded Spicer Extreme axle shafts paired with a Dana 44 Ultimate drive unit in the front, as well as a wider Dana 60 Ultimate crate axle in the back, hopefully showing these parts will be available in both standard and extended widths for both standard and long travel setups. As with the rest of the Broncos specifically featured by Ford, the Funrunner was blessed with the soon to be released Ford Performance Steering Rack, however, in the name of outright durability and performance, clevis and rod end style tie rods with massive FK Rod Ends, hopefully curing what seems to be the Broncos Achilles Heel. We’ve heard hints that this very package will work with up to 40” tires, and with the clearance offered by those rad fenders and the kick-ass suspension, along with the durability offered by the upgraded steering and axles we certainly believe it. We are expecting all of these parts to be available by early 2022, so keep an eye out for us to get our hands on them.