Power Distribution System
Taking a stock Toyota 4Runner and making a do-it-all machine was the goal for Daniel Mejia, better known as @madpews on Instagram. He does everything with his 4Runner, from speed runs on the desert lakebed of Johnson Valley to rock crawling and overlanding in the Southern California mountains of Big Bear, let’s take a deep dive into what makes Daniel’s 4Runner special.
Daniel originally bought his 2018 4Runner to go off-roading without fear of getting stuck. After a month of ownership, he went full build and told his local shop to give him the best.
“They set me up with icon stage 9 methods on 33″ tires. Now it is on 37″ and my 4Runner is how I want it. I have swapped the suspension 3 times and I am still not satisfied. It’s hard to choose when you want to crawl and go fast. But end goals would be solid axle swap, LS and 42s.”
He curated his Baja Designs off-road lighting package for many nights exploring on the trail, often times leading the group. Up front he has a collection of LP9 and LP6 Pros on his custom front bumper covering zones 1-4 along with a Squadron Pro fog pocket kit specifically designed for the 4Runner. For ditch lights, Daniel opted for a set of XL80s providing max illumination into zone 2. Out back he has a combination of S2 Sports as chase lights and Squadron Pros to light up what’s behind him for safety.
All of his lights are powered by an sPOD BantamX controller system. This set-up gives Daniel the ability to power all of his accessories at his fingertips.
“The sPOD system has allowed me to simplify all of my wiring, making it easy to control my Baja Designs lights quickly” explains Daniel.
His 4Runner does great on long trips such as exploring all the lakes and trails up Hwy 395 in the eastern portion of California. Fishing, sightseeing and exploring is what Daniel built his 4Runner for. He also gets out to Barstow, testing his suspension crawling rocks in Big Bear to multiple speed runs in the desert, his 4Runner is his do-it-all machine.
Daniel explains that “What is best about these trips is being able to run at night and light everything up with my Baja Designs lights!”
While he is still upgrading his 4Runner, there’s no doubt he has a trail worthy vehicle that he can do anything he wants. Be sure to follow Daniel on Instagram @madpews to see where his next adventure will take him.
Lights used on Daniel’s 4Runner:
