First, this newbie wants to thank all of you for giving me such a wealth of outstanding insights before I buy my first 4Runner! Your professional and helpful demeanor and comments changed everything and kept me from making some pricey mistakes! It's priceless and I can't wait to show you the new ride when it's finally mine! I'll be buying an '05 Sport in the next three weeks.

1. I had a long talk with a Toyota SCION salesman today who happened to own a 2003 4R himself. He talked me out of a lot of options I was leaning toward, and, since he truly wasn't trying to sell me a car, he was very honest (no, really...he was!).

He mentioned he had been to the dealership's 4Runner school as a perk and the XREAS suspension did nothing for the vehicle unless it was offroading; it's onroad performance and cornering is the same with or without XREAS. For those of you who have XREAS, have you driven one without it and did you notice the difference? Do you believe him?

2. If you have a lift kit like DayStar, how much does it increase noise and decrease handling? I want to put one on mainly for looks, but I really love the idea of a quiet, surefooted SUV.

3. I read a thread about the impossibility of turning off the VCS and Traction Control in situations where you want to override it. The guy showed me a consol switch on the '05 Sport made for this. Did I miss something, or did they address the problem on the '05?

Thanks in advance for your help.

David.

1.) When I was shopping for my 4Runner, I already had my heart set on the Sport but I still wanted to try out the other models. I drove a SR5 after driving the SE and I thought it was as "planted" as the SE. The best way to see the difference is to drive them yourself. Your butt dyno should prove more accurate

2.) I can't comment personally on lift kits as I haven't done it on mine just yet. From 2nd hand knowledge on the boards, I've heard that it does not change the feel of the truck that drastically.

3.) On the 4WD version of the 4Runner, you can lock the center differential and this disables VSC. ATRAC will ALWAYS be on. I don't believe that has changed in 2005.

Hope that helps some!

xreas was designed for better corning btw.... all of that offroad stuff... bleh!

if you plan to lift, keep in mind that using spacers will make your ride harsh and stiff.

xreas means, you gotta use spacers to lift as that's the only option period.

if you plan to lift.... don't get xreas cuz you'll end up removing it. best bang for your buck lift is getting the OME kit. (gives stock ride and feel!!)

VSC can be turned off by locking the center diff but you can not turn off the trac.

good luck.

The Scion salesman is not correct. XREAS is designed mainly for on-road driving! It's effects off-road is more debatable.

Check this thread out:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showth...&threadid=1076

Hope this helps.

P.S.: Salesman are notorious for their lack of knowledge...even on vehicles they sell!

I find the salesman's thoughts to be a bit odd..and here is why.

Toyota actually uses a little 4runner annimation on its website to describe how XREAS works...and what surface is under the vehicle...paved.

I think that it helps both on and off road although with reducing body roll, that might come back to hurt off road past a certain point as you would sometimes prefer the chasis to roll into/over something.

Opposite of what those of us with performance cars think...although even us need some body roll at times.

http://www.toyotausa.com/4runner/key...res/xreas.html

not only the fact that I posted above but the simple fact remains that the site even states... "was designed to improve on road handling performance."

In addition, i think that the Audi RS6 has a very similar system to the XREAS...and it's a sports car.

The RS6 and the new RS4 both use it....although both of them are said to be pretty fun in the gravel themselves.

I love my XREAS Suspension

1. XREAS works perfect. It actually helps in the corners. I like it. It has some off-road use, but mainly for on-road.

2. Daystar lift kit works with XREAS, but doesn't with Air Suspension. I received this information from Daystar management.

3. Traction Control is always on. In some off-road conditions you can switch off most electronic helpers, but I'm not sure about traction. There is a lot of information about traction control here: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showth...id=11133&highl

I have X-reas and it makes off-roading worse.
Even bumpy streets the bumps are harder.

Where it shines is on the freeways and high speed driving.
It takes the wallow out of the ride. Cornering is more controlled.

Cliff s

hmmm, and I think that the 4runner, even with the XREAS, runs pretty smooth and comfortable....

I have the xreas and I like it.

From what I understand about the way it operates is, it is based on differential pressure between the diagonally opposed shock absorbers.

In a turn to the right for instance the right shocks would have less pressure than the left shocks. Sensing this differential the suspension would add pressure to the left shocks to stabilize the vehicle. The reason it uses the cross over system is to keep the vehicle from getting off center front to back.

In off road situations where for instance the right front wheel was hanging in the air the system would boost the left rear to press the front back down. Depending on the amount of boost and extension available this could be good or bad.

I wonder if the system is tied to the speed the vehicle is traveling?

We could end up looking like a low rider gone amuck.

Thanks for all the advice. I finally drove all the versions yesterday and fell in love with XREAS! It makes the truck corner upright, like it's on rails, but without the stiff ride that usually accompanies that type of performance.

Why don't they do this to sports cars?!

Anyway, it's going to be a 2005SEV84x4 for me, if I can get the price and package right. They don't put a lot of options on the SE on the East Coast, so I can have one retasked to my local dealer (which means he can't deal on $565 destination charge, $699 Toyota advertising charge, and the $656 dealer holdover); OR, I can drive to Denver, get my truck, play in the Rockies a couple weeks before putting 2000 miles on it getting it home, or buy from Denver and ship it myself for a thousand bucks!

Not a good choice any way you slice it!

Dave.