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New Products, how-to's, trip write ups, product reviews and work through are posted here, stop in to see what we have been up to or working on!

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Winter is, different?

1/17/2021

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It was a learning curve for sure.  How do you dress, how you ride, and where you ride.  How you keep your water from freezing and yourself.  I found that the worse the weather, the more I enjoyed getting out and testing my limits.  It was a challenge unlike anything I had done before and it was just what I needed to make winter interesting again.  I started looking at maps in new ways, because now there was new places to explore and see.  Any place that was popular for cross country skiing is a paradise on one of these machines!
I have hated winter most of my life.  For me it has always meant that there was no camping, no biking, no 4x4, and being stuck inside.  Most winters I have struggled with Seasonal Affective Disorder Syndrome (SADS).  The combination of being cooped up inside, and not doing the things I love made getting through winter difficult.  Then in 2014 I got my first fat bike and it changed my winter life.
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As fat biking became more popular, local forest preserves started grooming the local trails.   Places as close to Chicago as the John Muir Trails and Minooka Trail systems have dedicated groomers that lay down a nice 30" wide packed trail of snow that makes it feel like your back on a very strange version of single track.  Its fast, fun and dedicated to the sport of fat biking!
None of this would have ever been possible with out the technology advancements and dedicated construction of bikes that can run with 3-5psi in 4.5" wide tires to make traction and speed possible on such surfaces.  The better the gear gets, the better the experience has gotten. 
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The other unexpected thing has been the amazing beauty of winter that I never experienced before.  Common places that I am at during the winter are now transformed into beautiful new color pallet.  Orange, Browns, and black that were hiding under the green of summer.  Locations that were busy in the summer are now desolate and void of humans!  When there are no humans around the animals come out!  Coyote, Fox, birds, owls, deer and other Midwest wildlife to name a few!  The winter truly is when they come out to play.
Soon I had friends that were also getting on board with the movement of biking year round and it started to take on a whole new social dynamic as well.  See most of the winter outside of work hours is in the dark.  So good lights and reflective clothing make for even more interesting outings, but it also took away the time limit of fun, we were no longer chasing daylight!  Many times group outings and fun rides may go on for 2-3 hours at a minimum and im wandering back in the house at 11 at night.
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Clothing has gotten better too!  Balaclavas, windproof gloves.  jackets that have windproof fronts and breathable back sections.  Insulated leggings under pants and boots dedicated to clipping into your pedals in harsh environments has made this more and more possible as well.  layers are key, but so are performance clothing that is not too heavy.  layers are your friend.
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If your feeling cooped up in the winter and really need something to do, consider the possibilities of exploring on a bike in the snow.  The Tires and geometry of these bikes offer tons of grip and confidence on the strangest of terrain.  You can also explore 8-15 miles in a few hours versus hiking and only seeing 3-5 miles.  It really allows you to get out there and see things.  Go places you would not normally go and explore the preserves that are in your home town.  Im lucky to live right along the fox river so we have tons of preserves and large sections of land set aside as natural area.  Also if your a bit of a gear junky, its a whole new space to explore, and most of the stuff that is good for biking doubles for cold weather camping, snowshoe, and hiking clothing as well.   

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Road trip adventure in a sports car?  Sure!

9/24/2019

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18 Months ago we picked up a GT86 Sports car.  My wife and I made the trip out to Kalispell Montana to pick it up and combined the trip with a short vacation with out the kids.  See, here in Chicago, Toyota dealers were not willing to budge on the price at all on these cars.  Out in Montana, where winter consumes 8 months of the year, the dealers there could not move them. So a large discount swooned us out to take advantage of the great deal and a Sweet base 2017 Model.
We picked it up from Kalispel Toyota and made our way up 1 hour into Glacier national Park to spend a few days.  We stayed at the historical Belton Chalet railway hotel right at the west entrance to the park.  The place was adorable, cozy and had a great restaurant attached to it over looking the mountains, it was awesome. 
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Going to the Sun Road was still snow covered in June, so we had to take the long way around to get up to Manny Glacier, our next night stay.  This ended up being a very fun couple of hours.  Tight twisty roads up and through the mountain passes with no traffic on them proved to be a great time.  Route 49 going north from East Glacier was spectacular.  The road was twisty an fun and never disappointing vistas around every turn.
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We made our way North to Manny Glacier lodge.  Sitting on the back porch of this place is one of the best views in America.  The hotel is old and creaky, filled with character.  When we first arrived we got a glimpse of a bear across the road with 1 cub.  Once we got situated on the back porch of our room we sat and observed a Moose and her calf walking the lake shore.  It really was a spectacular evening.
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The next morning we woke up and headed south to Yellowstone National Park.  Again, the roads did not disappoint, and neither did the lack of speed limit out in rural Montana.  My wife Joy got the biggest kick out of just letting loose and having a good time in a car.  Rocking through gears and listening to the sweet sounds that this car makes.  This created a pretty permanent smile on her face for a few hours!

We arrived in Yellow Stone and made our way to Yellow Stone Lake Lodge.  Along the way we stopped at Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Falls, Black Tail Plateau, and then down to Dunraven pass to Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.  We got the biggest kick out of the foreign tourists.  I love observing other cultures and Yellowstone was melting pot of them.
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The next day we went to Old Faithful, one of the must see attraction in this park.  That day on the road we saw whole heard of Elk and stopped and watched a Mom bear and 3 cubs play in a meadow.  Seeing Bears in the wild is always a Highlight.  Old Faithful lodge is also amazing, you have to stop inside to check out the 4-5 story entry way with huge pine beams. 
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OLD FAITHFUL LODGE

By the time we got home 5 days later we had traveled 2450 miles in the new car and it did great.  We averaged 34mpg and far more in smiles per gallon.  The trip was a blast and we had such a good time that we may try and do something like this again next time we are in the market for a new car! 
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Chicago Auto Show!

2/27/2019

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For some of us it has felt like a quiet winter here in the Chicago area.  Outside of the occasional Polar Vortex and -57* Temperatures we have been moving and shaking here at the shop.  Most of our work has not been stuff that is always seen on social media, but more preparing out local Toyota Groups for the best experience that they can have. 

We were blessed this last month to have our Chicago Toyota Off Road Group featured at the biggest automotive venue in the states.  The Chicago Auto Show!  This event is the largest of its kind in the country and has millions of people come through during the week and a half its open. 
The Director of Marketing for the show reached out to our group in January and Chitown4x4 opted to step in and help organize the logistics of the event and do all the heavy lifting.  In Chicago we have a Tacoma, 4runner, Land Cruiser, FJ Cruiser, and Tundra Group all with great membership and activity.  Knowing who had some of the best built trucks in the Chicago land area (cause we helped build them), we reached out to those people and offered up the opportunity.  Its not something easy to commit to.  You have to be with out your truck for 2 weeks, move in and move out times were specific, and there were costs involved to make that all happen.  In the end we got one truck from each groups and had a totally awesome display! 

A huge thanks to Jim OBrill for letting us have the space at the show.  It was an awesome opportunity.  Thank you to everyone from the club that worked a shift at the show.  I think everyone involved had a great time talking Toyota Trucks!  Thank you to Kevin, Asif, Randall, Konrad for letting the booth take your truck for the week!   Below are pictures of the trucks in the booth!  Let us know if you have any questions!
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Safety Sense and What you Need to Know...

8/21/2018

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What is Toyota Safety Sense? 
What Does it Do?
Can I still lift my truck? 
What does it compromise? 
How do I avoid it? 
Why do we have it?
Is it a good thing?  


These are all questions that we get at the shop when it comes to the new 2018 and up Tundra and Tacoma Models that are standard with Safety Sense Technology.  In a nut shell this is what Toyota says about the product that comes standard on your truck now.


Safety Sense Features
(Copied from the Toyota Web site)

Toyota Safety Sense™ (TSS) is a bundle of active safety features on many new Toyota vehicles at no additional cost. These innovative features were designed to help protect you and your passengers from harm.

Pre-Collision System
This advanced safety system is designed to alert you, and may apply the brakes, if it detects a potential frontal collision with another vehicle.

Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection
This integrated camera and radar system is designed to reduce the likelihood of colliding with a preceding car or pedestrian.

Lane Departure Alert
A camera on your windshield may help you avoid the consequences of unintended lane departure by alerting you when it senses that you’ve veered from your lane.

Automatic High Beams
A camera on your windshield aids nighttime driving by using a camera to detect headlights and taillights of preceding vehicles, and toggling accordingly between high and low beams.

Dynamic Radar Cruise Control
This high-tech cruise control uses a radar behind the Toyota badge plus a camera on the windshield designed to adjust your speed, helping you maintain a safe distance from the car in front of you.

Road Sign Assist
Using a forward-facing intelligent camera, Road Sign Assist (RSA) is designed to detect speed limit signs, stop signs and yield signs, and displays them on the MID.

Lane Tracing Assist
When Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC)  is enabled and lane markers are detectable, Lane Tracing Assist (LTA)  uses the line on the road and preceding vehicles to help keep the vehicle centered and in its lane.


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Not a bad deal right? well that depends.  At the shop we are all about active safety features that have no down side and only an upside.  I would conclude that all of these features are really nice. I have driven in a bunch of these trucks now and all of this is cool and it works great... Until you mess with the ride height of your truck.

When lifting these trucks the safety sense sensor is moved up and its calibration of what it knows from distance and angle to the road is changed.  Safety Sense then throws error codes that it is not functioning properly.  Out side of error codes which is the most common issue, (whole system does not work) My Experience on mild lifts, most of these safety features are left in tact.  The biggest effected features is the Lane Departure Alert.  It becomes less effective and the pre collision system kicks in later than normal.  These findings are also confirmed with reports and posts on the internet of the same issues. 

Its our stance at Chitown4x4 that we don't want to compromise these systems on a truck if its avoidable, so what are we to do when a customer wants to lift that new 2019 Tundra and is still concerned for safety sense?  Well We have a work around, and it for sure was not developed by us, it was developed by the good guys over at Toyota Racing Development. 

See, TRD PRO Trucks come lifted from the factory, 1-2" in the front and they have an elegant solution that fixes all your issues with Safety Sense.  Its as simple as installing a TRD style grille that lowers the Safety Sense Sensor 3" to accommodate the lift kit that is installed and return it to factory specs.  Brilliant right!  Here is the 2 grilles next to each other so you can see the difference.

TACOMA PRO VS TACOMA REGULAR GRILL

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TUNDRA PRO VS TUNDRA REGULAR GRILL

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In both cases, the safety sensor location was dropped from the middle of the Grill to a lower point in the grill to accommodate a Mild 2-3" lift application and still retain the functionality of safety sense.  This was confirmed with engineers from Toyota out at FJ Summit 2018.  When lifting one of these trucks the trd grill is the only way to retain full functionality of safety sense and should accompany any lift kit up to 3"  Anything beyond 3" could throw error messages on your Safety Sense Display.

Please Note that the Large Retail Companies out there Like Four Wheel Parts have decided that a written insurance policy around installing lift kits on Toyota Safety Sense Trucks is a better solutions than making sure its still functioning. We don't believe that this is the solution as it does not keep your Safety Sense Program in tact.

We Stand Behind What Toyota has told us is the proper way to lift their trucks and keep Safety Sense in tact to keep customers safe.



TACOMA
So lets move to the practical side of this:  You want to lift your truck, here are the part#'s that you will need to get this right and make sure that Safety Sense is Still working the way it should be.

Its a bit confusing from reading the internet, but its quite simple really.  The 2018+ Grille and the 2016-2018 Grill can both be used, and here is how.

The 2016-2018 Pro Grille is Part # PT228-35180 and includes an insert that can be removed to bolt in your safety sense sensor. Along with that Grille you will also need the Safety Sensor Glass Garnish that is part # 53141-35060.

If you purchase the 2018 Pro Grill, Part # PT228-35180 the knock out will already be open and you will also need to purchase Part # 53141-35060 to fill the gap just like the 2016 version.

Both grills work, just a matter of what you can find and if your ok taking a few more steps with the 2016-2018 model Grill

TUNDRA
Because the Tundra Pro Models don't have Safety Sense till 2019, the quick fix for all you tundra guys is to simply move the sensor down.  This is possible with a 2014+ Pro Grill and relocating the sensor to a lower position 2-3" lower so you don't get error warnings. 
(images pulled from AERES user on Tundra Forums)

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If you have questions, please let us know, we will be happy to help you out.  Please also note that although these solutions have been tested and shown to work, there are some limited reports that error messages with TSS still do get reported, but they are few and far between.
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5 Years, that went fast

7/31/2018

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Mile stones are fun to celebrate.  What is life with out celebration? Ill lead this "What's New" segment off with a few numbers to consider.  5, 3000, 300, and 200.  Ill hit on why these numbers mean something, but having nice round numbers that all come together at once, well that is pretty cool, so let me explain.

5

     5 years ago today I was working out of my garage welding up a mount that would hold an additional 8 gallons of fuel off the back of my FJ cruiser.  My friends and I were planning on completing the Kokopelli trail in a few weeks and the 169 miles track did not have fuel along the way with out a bypass back into Moab.  I pushed late into the night, blue sparks lighting up the cul-di-sac out side my townhouse and finally came up with a concept that worked.  The fuel pax holder v1.1  

Next was to test it out and make sure it would hold up.  The following weekend a group of us went to the badlands offload park, filled up the mount full of gas and thrashed all over the park for 2 full days.  The creation held up, I was shocked myself, not because the design was bad, but because I have never welded anything of substance in my life.  Not only did the creation hold up, but it also proved to hold up for a full week of off road abuse through Moab and continued to hold up for years to come.  See, 5 years ago, I created the Fuel pax holder for the FJ cruiser.  Picture below is from the night it was created..
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     During our time out in Moab, the night we came off the Kokopelli trail everyone gathered up at the Moab Brewery.  Hanging out,  Kevin, Rich, Ryan, Missy, Josh, Nathan, Chris and myself, we had a few brews and it was decided that I need to start a company.  That was the night it was decided to start selling the fuel pack holder to the FJ Cruiser market.  We had a toast and just like that, I started selling the units.  5 years ago, I informally started Chi-Town 4x4 and launched a website www.chitown4x4.com.  So the number 5 is a double meaning for me but the big one is that 5 years ago this thing started in Chicago.  Here is a pictures of that brewery crew at the top of the world in Moab 2013.

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3000

     So celebrations are fun, 5 years in business is a mile stone.  But on our 5 year anniversary we hit 3000 likes on Face book.  In the grand scheme of things, 3000 is not a ton, and I was never impressed by social media numbers over all. But for us to hit 3000 followers/likes on face book the day we turn our 5 year anniversary is kinda cool.  Thank you to all of our face book friends, customers and wheeling buddies.  Its been a blast and hope we keep having a great time together.

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300

      To come up with this number, I have to go back 10 years.  10 years ago I was so sick of rolling my windows down in the fj and forgetting to pop the rear window to relieve that wind pressure in the cabin.  And even then, when the window was popped, I had lights on the dash and dome lights on.  I hated the vent lock idea as it rattled and I always forgot about it.  So I decided to make a powered rear window solution for the fj.  It came together pretty quickly actually, only busted one piece of rear glass and wrecked one interior rear door panel during its development.  Turns out 400 lbs of force is way more than what is needed to open the rear fj window once its unlatched.  

So back to the miles stone part.  I had developed the powered rear window back in 2008, but did not start actually selling a kit until 2013 when we started the business, sure most of the local fj’s had versions of the kit on their trucks but it was just a custom at that point.

The mile stone part  did not occur to me until tonight, but I went back in our records and discovered that we sold our 300th powered rear window kit the day before we left for summit.  That means that we sold 300 window kits to 300 happy customers on our 5 year anniversary.  Kinda Cool!  For those that have not experienced the rear window kit.  We have 40 kits back in stock as of this moment ready to ship! Come and scoop them up! 
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200

     Once I realized we had sold 300 window kits I had to check another item.  I went back and looked at how many pax units we have sold,, guess what.  On our 5th anniversary we sold  and shipped our 200th Fj Cruiser Pax mount! Nice!   Here is a picture of our latest version that has proven its self for the last few years to be great alternative to expensive swing out bumpers.
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Conclusion?

So what does this all mean to anyone else, not a whole lot.  But for us at Chitown4x4 they are milestones that we can keep building on.  We have had a lot of fun servicing our Chicago based customers over the years and looking forward to continuing to help them enjoy this hobby and lifestyle to its fullest.  

Thank you to our customers and friends that have helped get the word out about us.  We have only used word of mouth advertising and appreciate what each and everyone of you has done to help us grow and enrich the community here In Chicago.  We are excited to see what the next 5 years brings and the wonderful things we can do together!
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Ohh boy do we love boost!

11/30/2017

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Who does not love more Hp.  Well im sure there are a few out there that have something to say negative about it, but from what I have seen and experienced, there is no down side!  There is a company out there called Magnuson superchargers that have been creating epic tools of Hp for the last 40 years and they finally have something available for the 2010+ 4.0 Toyota Motors. 

There is a bit of history to why we are so excited that they finally have this product to market.  Go back a few years and I never thought i would ever write an article about this mythical supercharger.  There had been a lot of talk about TRD releasing a supercharger for this motor.  Lots and lots of FJ and 4runner owners wanted one and they were trying to deliver what the fans wanted.  It became clear they were trying when I was treated to a ride in a supercharged 4runner at the FJ summit in 2013.  We knew that something was being worked on but could not get any solid answers on release dates, power, out put, price and the like.  
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Fast forward to today, and the whole story becomes a bit more clear.  As some of you know, Magnuson made the TRD superchargers for decades and in 2015 TRD decided to not offer superchargers as a dealer installed option on their cars and trucks.  This came at a huge disappointment to Toyota fans as they were really nice kits to have!  A few months later we started hearing that Magnuson was going to re release all of them and brand them with their true creators name,  Magnuson.
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We were lucky enough to be chosen for Magnusons Pilot program on our 2014 4runner.  (thank you Magnuson)  Being part of this so far has been a lot of fun!  The email arrived kind of unexpectedly on a normal day at the shop!   We were excited to be part of it as we had worked with Magnuson on other projects in the past.  Remember that this has been 5 years in the making, so to finally see something happening was really awesome.  The packaged arrived a week or so later in 2 huge Magnuson boxes.  The Fedex guy grinned as a I signed for the packages and asked, what are these going on?  I told him a 4runner and he looked so confused. 

The next morning I kicked my wife out of her 2014 4runner along with the kids seats and sippy cups and gave her my fj cruiser for the next few weeks, which she was not happy with at all.  She was curious enough about what was going on to ask what we were doing with her poor truck this time.  I told her, it’s gonna be faster.  She grinned and handed the keys over.

We tore open the boxes and started setting things out on 2 folding tables that we set up for the install.  After sorting thought the parts, I took the install instructions home to digest a bit and see if there was any surprises in them.
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Installation the first time through took about 12 hours.  We documented changes that we would like to see made in the instructions and sent the ECM off to get flashed with a new tune.  We were so excited that we sent it next day air, just to get it there sooner.  7 days later the ecm came back to us and with in an hour we fired the beast up!  

Initial thoughts staring at it running in the shop was how quiet it was.  Idling there it sounded no different than a stock 4runner, which is unlike my Fj Cruiser and Tundra super chargers that make their presence known.  Once the motor was up to temp and we checked for leaks, and air pockets in the coolant lines we shut the truck down for the night.  It was raining pretty good out and did not feel like taking it for a test ride where we would just spin the tires.

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Next morning was a Saturday, I came in super early as I was excited to get some time driving and testing it.  I rechecked all the connections, checked fluid levels after the warm up and cool down and pulled the truck out side.  As I pulled out of the warehouse, it started to rain again. I said screw it and drove on into the now heavy rain.  Gently prodding the gas pedal with the data logger (my ears) to make sure we were all good i kept giving it a bit more and more.  I got down the street and pushed it a bit more and there it was...I heard the classic whine that only Magnuson can make.. the subtle warring sound that all car guys know.   Ahh its super charged!
After messing around with things a bit and making sure we did not have any knocking and the tune seemed like it had taken properly.  (you can tell when they don't!)  I started to make some passes.  Now remember that it was raining so every time I touched the gas pedal above 2800 rpm, the rear tires were breaking loose!  So I did what 4runner guys do, drop it in 4wd and let it rip.  My first run at 80% throttle threw me back in my seat!  It pulled smoothly and constant and the supercharger was no longer quiet, but belting out a wonderful harmonic song!  
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I got down the street a bit, made my way around the other end of the business park and floored it.  This time, all 4 tires broke free and the truck got squirmy on the crowned business park way.  Hanging on I looked down and was doing 70 before I realized it.  I kind of giggled to my self as i pulled a u-turn and did another blast rocketing down the road. 30-50-70 the speedo swept across the dash and squeezed back on the brakes.  I was setting up to apex a corner that i am very familiar with and slammed the skinny pedal back down again.  The 4runner was doing 4wd power slides and clawing for traction up till 40 mph in the rain! 

Im trying to paint a picture here... a truck that has no business being driven like this is not only doing it, but doing it well and handling the power well.  The transmission shifts are smooth and spot on, the power delivery is smooth, and the sound, ohhhh that sound.   
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The 4runner is putting 334 WHP down on the dyno.  That is pretty dam good.  I have gone on to daily drive this truck and have embarrassed a Honda S2000.  (should have seen the look he gave when I reved the motor at a stop light next to him) and kept right with a Range Rover Sport HSC Supercharged.   The truck runs constantly 5.5 to 5.9 second 0-60 runs on my big 295-65-r18 all terrain tires.  I should go see how quick it is with stock tires... but then the truck will look wimpy :-) and who wants that.  I got my first solid gas tank through the thing and saw 16.5 MPG.  That is 2 mpg better than I saw with out the blower!  OMG, I can save gas and have more fun, SOLD!!
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All in all, the package is super nice.  The fit and finish is the best I have seen of the Magnuson kits so far.  The tune is well put together and smooth.  These units should be landing here at the shop sometime early 2018.  It has a list price of  $5650.00 and install will run right around $1000 with replacement fluids and everything needed to wrap it up. 
 
We will be posting superchargers up on our web site for purchase when we know that current production and stock can support it.  Currently we already have a waiting list from local customers, but be patient, the supercharger for these trucks is no longer a myth, its here and its our time as Toyota enthusiasts to enjoy the power and feel of a Magnuson Supercharger under the hood.
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2 Comments

Growing is Good...

4/26/2017

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Its been a while since I have given and update.  Mostly because things have been taking off like crazy as the only Toyota specific shop in the Midwest!  We are stocking more and more items and have more vendor contacts that ever before.  We are having monthly events like our annual off road 101 event.  We got to show those that were new to off road travel the ins and outs of what their awesome Toyota trucks are capable of.  Another big part of our growth is the addition of a new team member.
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Please help me welcome Rick Vance!  Rick got his start in this business by attending school and becoming a certified Toyota mechanic!  From that experience he moved out of dealer work and on to private auto repair on all makes and models before settling in here at Chitown4x4.

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  His calm demeanor and great attention to detail makes him a great fit for dealing with all kinds of personalities and customers that we run across every day.



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 Some of Ricks favorite things, Mt, dew, Cheetos and cigars, he is always appreciative of customers that bring him goodies, not that he needs a bribe to do great work, but it never hurts ;-) 

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Mr Vance loves life and is always pondering the philosophy of business and success.  He is always game for talking about what keeps this world turning and what motivates him every day. 

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Never one to pass on a good cigar with friends and customers!

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Ricks other passions lie in a strong knowledge of auto repair and modification, Astronomy, art and graphic design, motorcycles, Cigars and music.  Ohh and he loves turbos, they make him melt... you want to see a man smile, talk about turbos.

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This is ricks first Toyota, he picked a good one, this picture was the day he grabbed it up on April Fools day 2017!  Can't wait to see what this beast turns into! 

Rick is going to be quite the asset for Toyota owners in this community.  He has taken a real working knowledge of what he does every day, catalogs things methodically and learns new things every job and writes them down for future tech articles and enthusiast help.  Also with his knowledge of other platforms we are starting to branch into servicing the the big 3, land rover, and Nissan trucks as well.  We are beyond happy to have him on board, now stop on by and say hi!.
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Gas Pax 2.0!

5/2/2016

3 Comments

 
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   Chitown4x4 is proud to announce a totally revised version of its Gas Pax holder for the Fj Cruiser.  As many people know, having a swing out bumper can get bulky and hard to move around.  They also have a tendency to chatter and make noise on the trail.  We set out with our version 1.0 to alleviate these issues and did so successfully. 

   Customer feed back led us to push for better design, something stronger, more versatile, and adjustable.   A common complaint on the fist gen design was the use of a spacer was needed to clear the inner workings of the wiper and the spare tire horn.  The new design improves upon that and removes the need for any extensions or plates.  This allows those with back up cameras to have the same view they enjoy now.  and nothing needs to change.

Things that were addressed with design 2.0.
  • Brand new aluminum frame is designed out of 1/4 thick 4000 series sheet.
  • Weight has been reduced from 18.5lbs to 15.1 lbs
  • All welds have been eliminated for durability
  • A new 2 piece design for easy removal from truck with out taking the spare tire off.
  • Adjustable mounting positions allow tire sizes from stock 31" all the way to a 37"
  • Modular design to allow future line expansion of Max-Trax and High-Lift mounts.
  • Does not interfere with entry to rear door or operation of rear window
  • 10 Grade 10.9 Zinc Plated bolts secure the mount to the base plate
  • Retains all stock back up camera mount and does not obstruct camera in any way
  • 2 piece design allows for far less expensive shipping

We have a few prototype models out there enduring testing at the moment to see if there is any changes that need to be made, but so far response is great and they are doing well.  Pre orders are being accepted now,  Shipments will start to go out in late May just in time for your summer trips!

We are running a first run group sale to kick this off for pre orders so check out the site and extend your exploration range. 


A few notes on design. 
  • Please don't over weigh the mount. Its been tested to hold a max of 70lbs of fluid or gear.  Just because the mount holds the weight, does not mean that the rear door along with other accessories you have added will hold the weight. 
  • If you have over a 120 lbs of wheel and tire on the spare already, I don't recommend adding this mount unless you keep it to 4 gallons max.  
  • The new design does not allow the rear wiper to contact the window any longer, you are welcome to self modify the wiper blate (bow it) To clear the mount and continue functioning. 
  • Prototype model shows small stress cracks in bends due to the prototype being made in 6000 series aluminum by mistake.  the 4000 series sheet this does not happen.
3 Comments

Flex Fuel and The 07+ Toyota Tundra Supercharger Systems.

5/11/2015

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Over the last few months we have been testing and developing the ability to supercharge the Flex Fuel 5.7L Toyota motors using as many OEM parts as possible to complete the transformation.  We are proud to announce that we are now there and selling these kits as installed options only. So pop the cork off the champagne and lets celebrate with some horse power! 

This all started last summer trying to shop for a Regular Cab short bed Tundra.  Personally I think its the way all pick up trucks should be, but understand the reasons for back seats as well.  Finding a RCSB tundra is like finding a needle in a hay stack.  At any given time there are 1000's of Tundras on the market for sale,  The number of them that are regular cabs are is in the teens at any given time.  Make it 4x4 and short bed.. maybe 1 or 2 for sale.  To make it worse, most are flex fuel 5.7's and I always wanted the supercharger on my truck.   I searched for months to find a low miles RCSB 4x4, Non Flex fuel Tundra...  At the end of 7 months, I passed on the idea of supercharging the truck and purchased a low miles 2013 from Oklahoma that was a FFV truck.  

As soon as I got the thing I planned out a mod path and purchased the blower unit to see where we could get.  I have read that all kinds of other stuff was needed but I was up for the challenge.. even if it meant a no go on completion and selling the supercharger on to another lucky tundra owner that was not FFV. 

We sent the truck off to the Dyno and posted 317 WHP and 371 FT/TQ stock. Which was no slouch for a light weight regular cab.  The Truck posted mid 6 second 0-60 pulls from stock and even a bit quicker with the 4wd turned on.  Then it pulled into the shop and did not emerge for 5 weeks... Waiting and working on this was both fun and exciting.
5 weeks later the truck emerged..  Here are the results.... 

A truck that drives smoother than it did stock. 
The throttle bounce issue is diminished. 
The hunting for gears on the highway is gone. 
So far MPG has totally been un-effected, yet you do need to run 91/93 octane fuel.
 
The truck threw down after install 456 WHP and 478 FT/TQ  with an AFR of 11.6  So even with these numbers we are conservative on the AFR side.  If you use the Stock Toyota HP/TQ figures and drive line loss to the first set of Dyno numbers, that is 546 crank horse Power and 573 Crank TQ ! ! !  Because we are using custom tunes to get this system to work we are able to see more power than the factory non FFV trucks are putting down.  Its one hell of a ride I gotta tell ya.  The rear wheels don't get traction until it shifts to 3rd gear at 65-70 mph.  The 65-100 mph pull is nuts and rivals most muscle cars that I have been in for sure! 

So if you have been totally disappointed by the fact that you can't supercharge your Tundra 5.7 because you have the FFV motor.. Think again.... and then give us a call.  Kits are ready to be installed as well as several happy customers enjoying the extra grunt from their Tundra.  Even 2014+ Customers.


Mod List:
2013 Tundra RCSB 4x4 3500 miles
Wheels:  Konig BFD 18x9 +12 Off set
Tires: BFG K02 35x12.5R18
Exhaust, Corsa Sport, custom bent
Front Lift.  Fox Factory 2.5 adjustable Coilovers, Icon upper control Arms.
Rear Lift. Ekstrom Designs +2 Shackle Lift and Fox Factory 2.5 RR Rear Shocks
Extras, Roll Top Tonneau, Bed Rug, LED head light upgrades and Sport Grill.

See Below for 0-60 Run, keep in mind that 12% speedometer correction is needed from the tire change, so 55mph reading translates to a 60.5 mph ground speed :-)  4x4 0-60 times is right around 4.2 seconds flat.
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BIG NEWS IN THE LED AFTERMARKET LIGHTING WORLD! 

2/6/2015

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BIG NEWS IN THE LED AFTERMARKET LIGHTING WORLD!

Rigid Industries Announces Its Acquisition By Truck-Lite

Rigid Industries LED Lighting Announces Its Acquisition By Truck-Lite Co., LLC

Phoenix, AZ – February 6, 2015 - Rigid Industries® LED Lighting, the world’s leader in forward projecting LED lighting via its patented optic systems and torture-tested housing, announces its acquisition by Truck-Lite Co., LLC of Falconer, NY., a member of the PENSKE Corporation. Together, Rigid Industries and Truck-Lite will now offer the complete package of DOT, off-road and accessory LED lighting for not only on and off-road vehicular markets, but markets the world over in a wide variety of heavy-duty and commercial vehicle categories.

Jason Christiansen, CEO of Rigid Industries, said, "We’re excited to join the Truck-Lite team. We look forward to partnering and combining our industry experience, and will continue to deliver the same high quality products that have made Rigid the industry name it is today. Our two companies are a perfect fit as we both focus on long lasting products, state-of-the-art technology, and a commitment to world-class customer service.”

According to Brian Kupchella, CEO of Truck-Lite, "Rigid Industries provides an ideal platform for Truck-Lite's further expansion into the off road, power sport, agricultural, marine, industrial, and mining markets. It positions Rigid to grow as a major player in the LED lighting industry while maintaining its own distinct brand identity. Rigid has proven themselves a unique and successful company with superior quality, innovation, and a high level of customer interaction."

Both Truck-Lite and Rigid Industries take pride that their products are designed, engineered, and manufactured in the USA. With Truck-Lite’s 59 years in existence, they have evolved and expanded their technology with headlights, safety lights, signal switches and emergency lighting. Rigid Industries has seen extremely fast paced growth as a leader in forward projecting lighting and it is approaching its 10th year in business. Total employment for the two companies is over 2,400. With customers already in 40 countries, both Truck-Lite and Rigid Industries look to expand their presence in the U.S., Europe, Australia and New Zealand in 2015.

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to Rigid Industries.

About Rigid Industries®:
Thanks to its unparalleled patented HybridTM, SpecterTM and HyperspotTM optics and its torture-tested housings, Rigid Industries® is a world leader in the forward projecting LED lighting industry. Rigid Industries® ranked 316th on the Inc. 500 list for 2014 and ranked as the fastest growing off-road LED lighting manufacturer in America. Rigid LED lighting products can be used in a plethora of applications across industries such as: agriculture, construction, emergency response, industrial, marine, military, mining, and, of course, off-road and power sports. Rigid Industries® is committed to providing top-notch, innovative technologies and always guarantees a quality product which has

been designed, engineered, and assembled in the USA.

About Truck-Lite
Truck-Lite Co., LLC is headquartered in Falconer, New York, with additional U.S. manufacturing facilities in Wellsboro, Coudersport, and McElhattan, Pennsylvania and Saline, Michigan. International facilities are located in Harlow and Birmingham England; Puebla, Mexico; and Eisenach, Germany. Truck-Lite is a major producer of safety lighting, forward lighting, wiring harnesses, mirrors, turn signal switches, and safety accessories to the heavy-duty truck, trailer, and commercial vehicle industries. To learn more about Truck-Lite, visit their website: http://www.truck-lite.com


INFO COURTESY OF TRUCKLIGHT MFG AND MEYER DISTRIBUTING.

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    Joe Krelle

    I love my family and am blessed with wonderful friends. I love epic trips, great beer and anything that is designed to move over dirt.

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