Hi, Don't you guys hate when a Noob join your forum and posts some question that has been addressed 1,000,000 times? That said....

I'm looking to buy a GX470. I owned Lexus and always appreciated the quality and I am reading the GX470 is a sleeper 4x4 for off roading. I like the price point of the 04 but will prob want the power of an 05. I test drove an 03 and thought it was fine but did notice the driveshaft "thump" (see! I did some research first before just posting : ). Plus, I live in the city and want a back up camera which can be done on an 03, but costly...which is why I am leaning to an 04 or 05.

I am coming from a Land Cruiser forum. Just sold my beloved FJ62 (I will return to you one day) because I am now a new father and want something with a little more modern safety features. The FJ is a tank, but for my little one, I want extra security. BUT, I will prob do a mild build out as I do enjoy an expedition or 2

So I have a ton of questions:
1. Avoiding an 03 because of the driveshaft thump, but how common is it in an 04 and o5?
2. Its 235 vs 270 HP, is the difference significant?
3. I saw that sweet ARB front bumper but can't seem to find it. This one: http://www.toyota120.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19793 can someone give me a model and how much modding/trimming does it need?
4. Is the Mark Levinson sound life changing or hype?
5. How long did it take you to get the dash replaced through Lexus? Almost everyone I see has the issue and I read that the waitlist is long for certain models?
6. Anyone lift theirs? If so, did you use OME or something else?
7. What is the largest mud tire I can get on the stock suspension?
8. How do you like your GX : )?

I live in SF in case you want to sell me your black GX : )!!!!

Thanks

 

1. Driveline clunk is common throughout the model. the issue is that the slipyoke in the drive shaft needs lubed with grease every 7500 miles. so what you do is pump a whole bunch grease into it until you see it start to move, and then hit it with a few pumps every oil change or so.

2. I would think so.

3. When you are ready for a bumper I would just contact arb, shrockworks or cbi and let them know what you have and they can fab you one up. You could always google ARB GX470 and see what you get.

4. I have no first hand experience but I have been an audio nut for a long time and I can say that I would expect the ML system to not be life changing but of definite quality. However, I am told that the system as a whole is a PITA to work with in the after market.

5. I am still waiting on mine. It looks like 9 months total wait time.

6. I have not lift mine (my wife's) yet. But I have with my 4runner which is the exact same vehicle. I used bilstein shocks and FJ cruiser springs for a mild lift. you can run OME, Icon, toytec, etc... basically anything made for the 4runner of the same generation.

7. I think you can get away with one size bigger and thats it, but I wouldn't do that because it stuffs the wheel well and I think that looks pretty retarded. but to each their own. I have 1-2 inches of lift on my 4runner and I am running 265/70/17s with no problem. 3 inch lift and spacers will allow for 285/70/17 with a little massaging of the body points and fender liner. anything bigger than that, ask a pro.

8. I love the GX470. It has 8 seatbelts, lots of power, awesome reliability, tons and tons of following and upgradability through the 4runner platform.

 

1. It's common. My 04 does it. After a good greasing though the problem does go away for a while. I don't find it to be an annoyance.

2. I've driven both but not back to back. I can't tell the difference. You might pulling a heavy trailer but not otherwise.

3. Can't help you there.

4. The sound is pretty descent but if I was to buy another I would prefer one without it. The integrated hvac etc... makes upgrading not an option. Lots of info on here regarding this topic.

5. I've had no issues with my dash so it's not a model wide issue.

6. Yes, mine is lifted. There are several people on the forum with lifted gx's. There are lots of ways to accomplish this. I happened to go with ome springs in the front and a custom made 3" spacer for the rear.

7. In my opinion 265/70/17 is as large as you can go without a lift. Others will say a 285/70/17 will fit but I think it depends on the tire. My 285's would never fit without a lift.

Here is my truck with 265/70/17 stock height:



This is a 285/70/17 after the 3" ome lift:










8. I love my GX. My plan is to buy another one after this one. I will be looking to purchase a 2008 or 2009 next and doing basically the same mods. This time around I will likely go with icon coilovers for the lift. Ideally I want another black exterior but would prefer the grey interior this time without navigation.

 

Thank you both. MY GOD that is one SEXY Rig!! I did the same mods to myLand Cruiser (FJ62) and plan to do the same with the 120. I read good things about the GX's for trailblazing, but I always thought they were sexy (I think the 470 looks better than the newer 460). By chance, do you have a full profile shot of your rig with the 265's? It might be awhile before I install the lift. Also, did you have to trim your fender at all? I miss my LC dearly, but hope the GX will help me forget her...just need to find the right one. Black, white, then Silver are my choices.

 

Sorry, this is the only picture I could find and its not the best. It's been about 2 years now since I lifted my truck. This was a 265/70/17 good year wrangler on the stock suspension.

I don't recall having to trim anything to make them fit. The 285's took some work though. I needed to trim the running boards and modify the plastic in the front of the wheel well.

 

My preference is an 03-04 for a few reasons. The non VVTi motors don't recommend premium fuel, which to some of the purists out there is a big deal. The topic has been beaten to death here, and the consensus is the VVTi motors are ok with regular, but it's something to consider. 03-04's don't have secondary air injection systems, which will save you an almost guranteed costly repair down the road unless you bypass it. Try to buy one without Nav and ML. The aftermarket support with Nav is non existent, and it's nothing to write home about. They're all known for the clunk, not just the early models. The performance difference is negligible IMO, and for what you can get an 03-04 for price wise, it wasn't worth the difference to me. As far as tires go, it depends on your rim choice. A 285 can fit under stock suspension without issue with the right offset and backspace, I ran my truck unlifted for a year with 285/60/18's with a 0mm offset and 5" backspace wheel and off roaded the hell out of it. My 03 doesn't have a cracked dash so I can't comment on the replacement. These pics were on stock suspension. If you're looking for lift and off road advice, head over to mud. There's a lot of us who post there and, in my opinion, this forum seems to cater more towards the guys who don't really thrash their trucks like us guys on Mud do. Not saying this forum isn't helpful, it's certainly is. But mud caters more towards the off road community. You can get a better idea of what setup you want by looking at several people's rigs over there.

 

The ML system is probably the best sounding factory system I've heard. Smooth response, good spacial imaging. I'm happy with it, and I'm a bigot for quality sound.

- Will it win SPL contests? Not even.
- Can you do better aftermarket? Yes, but you'd have to spend over $3k
- Is it easy to replace the head unit with aftermarket? You will curse the day you thought of that idea.
- Is it easy to replace the speakers with aftermarket? Not really - finding replacement 8 ohm speakers for a car is difficult. Also, I'm not sure if the ML amp applies a correction curve like the Bose systems do.
- How does the automatic sound compensation work? It's speed-based, and doesn't use the microphone to "read" the actual cabin noise.

Chip H.

 

It's very difficult to find 8ohm aftermarket replacement speakers for the ML equipped trucks. You could easily create better sound quality with aftermarket speakers on a non nav/ML truck for WAY less than $3,000.

 

Darn it. I forgot about the 8 ohm speakers.
I'll go back and edit my post.

So far as the 3k price - I'm a JL Audio and Focal fan, so I have champagne tastes when it comes to sound. I wish JL Audio made one of their Stealthboxes for the GX, but there's just no room, even back behind the panel where the ML sub is mounted. You'd have to go with a box in the cargo area.

Chip H.

 

Gorgeous truck and gorgeous wheels. What wheels are those? Good info too, so thanks for that!

 

A 285/60/18 is a smaller tire than a 285/70/17 though. Not sure if you'd get away with a 285/70/17 without a lift. My assumption would be no as mine rub even with a 3" lift.

 

Thanks, and no problem. The wheels are 18x9 FN BFD's. I'd also try and find one with dark interior. IMO, it's much nicer looking than the tan, but much harder to find. Ideally I would've liked a white truck with dark interior, but they're almost non existent. With dark interior, you also have several options to wrap the wood grain or do other things to "make it your own". I wrapped all mine in black brushed aluminum and bought a black piano wood wheel too. Kind of stands out from the crowd.

 

Again, it's going to depend on rim choice. Stock rims, I agree it won't work. My tires measure just shy of 32". You're using wheel spacers, right?

 

Wow, this is better than a Pinterest board. Wishlist is Black with black wheels like RZ, but the Black on Silver looks great...and I assume the black wheels under white will look nice as well. Thanks for the shots of non lifted mudds. Great point on SAIS! I have read that was a major CHECK ENGINE culprit. I actually own a 95' Porsche 993 and went '95 because it didn't have SAIS. I have actually been focusing on 05's for the power but didn't realize this was a non issue on 03/04. As for ML stereo, I actually have Focal home speakers powered by Conrad Johnson gear so this is a major reason why I am looking at 120's instead of 80's or 100's. This has been a very informative thread. Thanks to all and hope to get more.

 

Wheeling and dealing with a local for a 2013. I live in the heart of SF so I do need a back up camera for the tight parking spots. Been reading up and I hear it is a PITA. I never like messing with stock electrical...things dont play well a lot of the time.