CarCovers.com 4Runner SUV Car Cover Review – Fitment For Lifted Builds?

If you’re running a stock 5th Gen 4Runner, picking a car cover is pretty simple, and this cover from CarCovers.com is a pretty solid option.

Once you start stacking mods like portal axles, a lift, bigger tires, a roof rack, and lights, the fitment changes. I just fitted a cover from CarCovers.com on our 5th Gen portal build, and it’s a good case study for what happens when you put a cover designed for a “normal” 4Runner on a truck that’s far from normal.

I’m on 74Weld portal axles, a 2.5″ lift, 37″ tires, and a roof rack with a KC Lights Pro6 light bar and bumpers. That’s extra height, width, and length compared to what most cover manufacturers are designing around.

So before you buy a cover, here are a couple of items to think about first. For reference, they have two options for the 4Runner. The Platinum Shield is their best option, made for exterior use. They also have a Black Satin Shield for indoor use.

Find It Online:

• 4Runner Covers: Check Price
• Custom Size Covers: Check Price

Features & Specs

Key Notes

• Premium all-weather SUV cover designed for both indoor and outdoor use.
• Waterproof outer layer helps keep rain and moisture off your vehicle.
• Breathable fabric allows trapped moisture to escape, reducing mold and mildew.
• Soft FleeceGuard™ inner lining helps protect your paint from scratches.
• Lightweight construction makes installation, removal, and storage simple.
• Semi-custom fit tailored to your SUV’s year, make, and model.

Protection Against

• Rain and snow
• Ice and frost
• UV rays and sun damage
• Dust and dirt
• Bird droppings
• Tree sap
• Pollen
• Light hail and everyday outdoor debris

Included Accessories

• Storage bag
• Cable and lock kit
• Antenna patch kit
• Microfiber towels

Warranty & Support

• Lifetime warranty.
• Free shipping within the United States and Canada.
• 30-day return policy.

Sizing For An Oversized Build

Given how much taller our 4Runner is than stock, the fitment out of the box actually wasn’t that bad.

The cover is clearly built with some give for aftermarket parts, which is nice, but it’s not 100% perfect for portals and a big lift. After testing this cover with everything I have on my 4Runner, I think this cover would work extremely well with 35″ tires and a mild 2.5″ – 3.5″ lift. And obviously, it will work well for a stock SUV.

Keep reading to see the final fitment photos.

Why Cover The Truck?

You’re probably not going to cover your daily driver, but rather a dedicated trail rig or maybe one of your second or third vehicles.

This 5th Gen 4Runner, pictured here, might be for sale soon, and instead of letting the birds poop all over it, and the relentless NorCal sun beat on it, I thought it would be nice to cover it.

I don’t really need to explain this one in too much detail, but the longer a vehicle just sits, the dirtier everything gets. Film builds up, bird poop, rain mixed with wind storms, everything just gets dirty fast. Not to mention the sun. The sun out here in Sacramento, CA is pretty gnarly, and it’s best to protect vehicles when you can.

For those reasons, I decided to get a cover for the 4Runner.

Install: Start With Washing Your Truck

Before you get started, you should probably wash your truck. That is the whole point here, so let’s get started on that first.

Step 1. Unpack Everything

In the package from CarCovers.com, you’ll find the car cover itself, a storage bag, cable lock, and an optional set of bungee cords and Gator clips. We’ll get into what the Gator clips are good for in a bit, but worth knowing up front that they’re in the box. We didn’t end up using the included lock since we don’t feel the need to lock down a car cover, but it’s a nice addition to the package. Will save for later.

Step 2. Spread Out The Cover

Lay the cover out and find your orientation before you start throwing it over the truck.

The front of the cover is clearly labeled. The rear isn’t labeled the same way, or at least I did not see one, so once you’ve found the front tag, you know where to start.

Step 3. Start At The Front

Begin at the front of the truck and pull the cover up and over the hood.

Step 4. Work It Over The Roof Rack & Light Bar

This is where a lifted, accessorized build adds a real extra step.

With a roof rack and a light bar up top, the cover doesn’t just glide over the roofline like it would on a stock truck. I had to manually lift and guide the material over the light bar to clear it without snagging or stretching the fabric.

Take your time here. Work from the passenger side to the driver side rather than trying to pull it over in one motion.

Step 5. Pull The Cover Down The Rear

Once you clear the roof rack, continue working the cover back and down over the rear of the 4Runner the same way you started at the front.

Step 6. Cinch The Bottom

With the cover fully on, cinch the bottom edge so it sits snug against the lower body of the truck, and over your rock sliders/steps.

This is also where the Gator clips come in. Pictured above.

They’re PVC coated, clip directly onto the fabric, have an easy lock, and provide teeth biting grip that’s built for long-term storage. Add a clip near each tire and now you have an anchor point to run your bungee cord from.

Step 7. Secure With Bungee Cords

Finish by attaching the bungee cords through the Gator clips, and then attach the bungee to the other Gator clip on the other side, under the 4Runner.

Step 8. (Optional) Cinching Front To Rear

The Gator clips aren’t just for cinching at the wheels, though.

Right now, we have ours wrapped underneath the truck near each tire, which is an easy setup that you can do out of the box. But you’ve got more options. You can attach a Gator clip at the front and run something like a Rollercam Rope Roller from front to rear, since the cover also has eyelets built into the center panel that let you loop a cord through from one side to the other.

With this cover, you can cinch side to side, front to back, or both at the same time, whatever combination makes sense for your truck.

Should You Order A Custom Cover Instead?

CarCovers.com also offers custom cover options where you provide your own measurements instead of going off the standard fitment for your year and model.

Looking back, that’s probably the route we should have taken. Our truck is massive and awkward in just about every dimension that matters for a cover; the portal axles push the width out and make us taller, the lift and 37s add even more height, the Backwoods PreRunner bull bar sticks out, and the roof rack and light bar change the roofline entirely.

If your build is anywhere close to ours, lifted, bigger tires, roof rack accessories like storage boxes or rooftop tents, I’d recommend taking your own measurements first and going custom from the start.

Final Thoughts

This CarCovers.com cover performed better than expected for how oversized our build is. Genuinely surprised that it fits as well as it does with all the mods I have on the truck.

All in all, the actual cover itself is a quality piece. It didn’t rip once as I was dragging it over the ditch lights, front bumper, roof rack, light bar or anything else.

Pretty impressed with this one. Check out CarCovers.com for more!