I didn’t make a proper two-year post earlier — mostly because I was knee-deep in moving and switching the site over from Google Sites to this new Squarespace setup. That process meant manually copying every page, one by one, which honestly turned out to be kind of fun.

Scrolling through old posts, seeing all the stuff I’ve done (and broken), I realized it’d make a great “two-year” post — a look back at all the non-essential mods. Not the maintenance or repairs I had to do, but the things I did because I wanted to.

How did they hold up? Were they worth it? Would I do them again?

So here it is… just a few months late.

Stereo Install — 10/10

• I use this every day. Having navigation on a screen instead of my phone is great, and the upgraded speakers sound awesome. No complaints here.

Backup Camera — 10/10

• Another daily use mod. Makes parking way easier — total win.

Hitch — 10/10

• I swear these won’t all be 10/10s, but anything that’s easy to install and makes life easier automatically gets full points.

Lift — 3/10

• Yep… garbage. It gets a 3 purely for looks, but the amount of suspension work (and money) it’s caused since the install has not been worth it. Most of my build budget has gone to suspension issues. Should’ve just gone wild and done long travel from the start.

Tires & Wheels — 5/10

• They look amazing — 10/10 for appearance — but I probably didn’t need them, and the ride definitely took a hit.

Front Bumper / Grille Upgrade — 6/10

• Looks cool, install was a bit involved. Still holding up fine, but I’m docking points for the cost.

Lights — 8/10

• Everything still works great. I use the fogs all the time, but the driving lights rarely get used — they’re insanely bright and I always feel bad for other drivers when I turn them on.

Horns — 11/10

• Yeah, I said 11. I just love honking at people, and these are loud.

Tundra Brakes — 6/10

• I honestly don’t remember what the stock 4Runner brakes felt like, but these don’t seem like a massive improvement.

Headlights — 5/10

• They look fantastic, no doubt, but they were pricey. Brighter than stock, but the light pattern isn’t necessarily better.

Washer Nozzles — 10/10

• Cheap, easy, and makes life in Texas so much better.

Bedliner on Rear Bumper — 6/10

• Still looks good and was way cheaper than replacing the bumper, but the prep was a pain and I’m starting to see a few chrome spots showing through (maybe too much pressure washing…).

Underhood LEDs — 5/10

• They’re brighter, but the switch broke, so now I just turn them on manually. Meh.

Spiker Hood Struts — 10/10

• Super easy install and a huge quality-of-life upgrade. No reason not to do this one.

Sherpa Roof Rack & Roam Box — 7/10

• I use them all the time and they’re incredibly handy, but also expensive. Not sure the brand name justifies the cost, but I’m still happy with them.

Transmission Cooler — 7/10

• It definitely keeps things cooler, though probably only necessary if you tow frequently.