Heavily Armored FJC
I know I'm splitting the baby, but both Mikes (tibaal89 and Shadow-Warrior) have their points. The battle will rage on between the minimalists and the heavy's. My build up can be considered "heavy" and I feel justified in doing what I've done. Shadow-Warrior's FJ is built much the same way as mine is but mine isn't nearly as "pretty" as the TRD edition.
There is another school of thought and tibaal89, TCAO and others believe that light weight is the way to go. No the armor coverage isn't as complete and the bumper will not deflect a deer the way my ARB will, however they do cite on-road handling and less wear on wear-critical components as part of their argument. I can't disagree. They are right - but so are the heavy FJC's.
It's not like Liliput where we need to go to war over which end we open our eggs on. The design philosophy is simply personal. For example: Do you need a snorkel? No. Does it offer some advantages, Yes. Is it worth the money? It depends on the style of driving you do - pure and simple.
