Granite - A Third Gen Story

Not on mine. I'm in Texas just up the road from the plant is San Antonio

 

So strange to me that it doesn't. There are a lot of cosmetic differences between Canadian and American models. For the sake of mass production you would think they would be the same

 

It would be interesting to hear what Toyota has to say about that. I'm tempted to go back to my dealership and ask them to swap out the steering wheel and shifter. I do have the same pedals.

 

I highly doubt they would entertain that idea.... Unless you are willing to pay of course

 

Im actually fairly certain I recall reading that this package comes with those two items. Can anyone here dig that up?

 

I have these same ones, but it appears that yours are installed backwards. I believe the widest section of the running board goes to the front, then tapers towards the rear.

 

Could be. I'm not sure what the official installation set up is but I requested them to be installed with the wide section to the back. Being short, I like to stand on them when I need to reach to the middle of the back seat and I can stand on the end of the running board and easily reach into the Cross Bin under my Diamondback cover. It just gives me a bit more real estate to stand on in the areas where the board is more of a step vs the front where I just use it as an assist when climbing in.

 

I suspect they're on correctly as I'd be surprised if your Toyota dealership would agree to install them backwards...

 

Y'all got me curious, so I went to the Go Rhino site and checked. Looks like mine actually are on "backwards".

https://www.gorhino.com/i-30506400-rb20-running-boards-with-mounting-brackets-kit.html

 

But now I think that your idea of "being able to use the steps to reach stuff in the front of the bed," is actually pretty cool. I am short too and I might consider flipping mine backwards as well.

 

Worth a try since it probably wouldn't take very long to do.

 

hmmm i was looking at the same ones. I guess they are technically backward according to Rhino. I think id prefer them "backward" for two reasons, 1. the bed step possibility as mentioned, but 2- as a better taper going forward for hitting rocks etc. It wouldnt catch as bad on the slim side and then would slowly bump the truck away from the rock... So backwards is the way to go for sure imo.

 

You convinced me to pull the trigger on those running boards. I wonder if you can highlift jack right on them...

 

I wouldn't use a highlift on them. I can almost guarantee they'll bend or buckle.

 

First Week of Winter Report

Ok, we've had our first week of winter with frigid temperatures and plenty of snowfall. I put about 200kms on the truck this week test it out. I didn't get to test everything I wanted but that will all happen this winter.

First off, the Michelin LTX Trail tires suck donkey ding-ding in the snow. I'll be having them replaced in the next month or so. I'm having issues sourcing the Nokian Hakkapellitas and steelies I want so I'll probably go with the Cooper AT3 XLT I was going to buy in spring and worry about the Nokians toward the end of next year.

Overall, the truck has done pretty well. I do park in the garage for now, so I'll be parking outside for the next storm to give the remote start and defrost a workout. I didn't have any issues with the sensors, but I also didn't get a chance to drive much on snowy highways. In town driving though, there were no problems.

The 4x4 system works well. I do notice some lugging and jerking when making slow, sharp turns like in a parking lot. I'm chalking that up to the shitty Michelin tires constantly slipping. I'll test that out more when I get better tires. The MTS deep snow system isn't worth using for daily driving. I'd only use that if I were out in a field, rural backroad or on a trail with some actual deep snow. It turns off a bunch of sensors and constantly flashes that reminder on the screen which gets annoying.

I found running the truck in Eco mode to be highly beneficial. The slower application of power resulted in less spinning and more control on the compact snow and ice.

I didn't notice any excessive blowing of snow into my view from the hood channels like other people have mentioned. Everything seemed to blow off and out to the side.

The keyless entry likes to act up a bit when it's really cold, especially if your hands aren't warm. I ended up unlocking the truck with the fob a couple times.

My wipers never froze up on me, even after sitting for a hour in a parking lot in the blizzard with melted snow on them. Maybe luck, maybe due to the fact I hit the defrost button as soon as I got in the truck. Speaking of which, the heated mirrors and back window defrost work great. It hasn't been cold enough to need the heated seats or heated steering wheel, but we're likely mere weeks away from those temps.

More to come as the winter progresses.





PS: Still haven't needed tow hooks.

 

That's not typical 4x4 behaviour? Probably not enough slip for sharp, low speed turns.

 

Kinda what I figured but it does fine on gravel.

 

Just got my RB20s in today, and purposely installed them flipped partly thanks to this thread lol. Actually love the look, and would probably find the fat side near the bed more useful.

Question- did your rear most bracket fully clamp down on the running board in the area I circled?

 

I havent actually gotten underneath mine yet. I'll have a look in about a week when work settles down and I have time.

 

Installed last night... checked this morning and actually just had to adjust the boards in a little. All is well thanks! You probably don't have this issue or you would have felt the rear portion of the step drop a bit when stepping on it.

 

Falken Wildpeaks

I had new rubber installed today. After going back and forth between these and the Cooper AT3 XLT, I bit the bullet and ponied up for the Falkens. The reviews and recommendations from people on this forum and others overwhelmingly favored the Falkens.

I went with 275/70R18 for size. Slightly larger than stock but not enough that I need to modify my suspension. I don't plan to lift my truck for a long while if at all, so staying close to stock was ideal. Nevermind they won't crater my fuel economy. There's also no rubbing at full lock.

First impressions are brief as I literally just got them, but so far so good. Driving across town in -20F with compact snow and icy sections was fine. These tires are a night and day difference from the stock Michelin LTX Trail that just plain sucked. On the few clear stretches, I didn't notice any extra road noise.

I'm looking forward to putting these tires to work, especially next spring when the backroads get soupy and sticky with gumbo mud.

Oh, these tires really make my truck look way better so that's helpful too.

I paid just under $2000 Canuckistani pesos, including install and Integra Tire's repair warranty. My wallet hurts but it can relax now because this is the last of the high dollar truck mods for awhile. I think. Maybe. No promises.

PS: Still haven't needed tow hooks

 

Yes. That's the front axles binding.

It's good on gravel because of the lack of traction. The lack of traction keeps the CV joints from binding, which is causing the jerking/lugging. In situations where you feel this, widen your turn to keep the joints from binding. Your axles will thank you.

You guys probably know all of this already. It's just the "old man" in me that felt compelled to share this. hahaha

 

How often should I run my truck in 4x4 to keep things in working order?

 

Not much traction on snow and that's where I was getting the jerking and lugging. Doesn't seem to be a problem since I put the new tires on today. I think the lousy Michelins were the cause of my issues.

Once a month has worked for me.

 

Did you use your stock wheels? I was thinking that's a pretty good price since I paid $2300 for Blizzaks a couple years ago but I also had to buy wheels.

 

Yep, I stayed with the stock wheels. Next year I might buy studded Nokians and steel wheels.

 

Good info. I put the same on mine - just pure stock size 18's. since i am in the sunny south of ontario now, i havent had any real snow to try them out in. It will be the first time in a long time i chose not to run dedicated snows, so even with a very brief experience, its good to hear that the are not shit in the snow & ice!

Tks man

 

i have a set of hakks 275/70r18 on oem TRD offroad wheels i'll be selling by next season if youre looking. in edmonton

 

I'll keep that in mind next year, thanks!

 

It's been awhile since I had any updates here. Granite has been in semi-hibernation for the winter, doing simple mom-mobile stuff as The Woman does errands while I'm at work. However, spring is pretty well here and the fishing, shooting, road trip and exploring season is almost here.

Today I got to play with the Gazelle T4 hub tent that showed up last week. One of the things that I was very interested in learning was how the tent would fit in my short box. Well, now I know. It fits comfortably with plenty of room for other gear.