Looking for the Smoothest Ride Possilbe

Caffeine27

Caffeine27

New member
2004 V6 Limited. with 89,000 Miles 4Runner is all stock.
I find the ride on it is rough. I have been told Springs, Struts and Shocks. Can someone suggest the best brands, or OEM for springs, struts, and shocks to give me the smoothest ride possible.

Thanks
 
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xreas? i thought the ride stock was super plush, but mushy. i really don't thinking that theres a ride thats "softer" than stock, and even those that have replaced with stock replacement suspension parts have reported a stiffer ride
but maybe the guys with clicker adjustable coil overs and/or long travel have softer rides than stock.
 
you have regular shocks or XREAS?

Limited? You MIGHT (probable) have XREAS. Most on here replace them with Bilsteins, but that will only make the ride stiffer. I had my XREAS shocks replaced last year and noticed a smoother ride. Of course, that was expensive. I'm one of the very few who didn't rip it out (XREAS). I had Bilsteins on my last Jeep and grew to hate the ride (stiff ride got old real fast for me).

If the shocks/springs/etc are worn, the ride would be "floaty" or smoother so to speak.

EDIT: smoother ride after I replaced them, but could be b/c my shocks were leaky so XREAS wasn't properly doing its job. Corning was a lot better, but I did notice the highway ride smooth (er), if that makes any sense. ..............
 
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The op did not mention what tires he had but if he has off road all terrain or other LT tires the ride will be rougher than P rated tires. Also run them at the stock 32 PSI.
 
I don't think springs really wear out, unless they break or are damaged for some reason, which seems unlikely. Can anyone show me worn springs for one of our vehicles? I don't think ride height or spring rate changes with use for a properly engineered spring. I wouldn't mind being proven wrong, but i haven't seen any evidence that that's the case.

Struts are the front shocks, which have springs around them. You can change just the shock part, but most shops are lazy so they will change the whole strut.

I'm in the process of changing the shocks on mine, replacing them with Toyota OEM (not OME) ones from Ebay. The fronts are kind of a pain so far, but hopefully the rears will be easier. The front end was bouncy whenever I hit a bump or hit the brakes, which indicates worn shocks. I think the rears were fine, but I might as well replace them anyway. I don't trust aftermarket brands (monroe, bilstein, etc) to have similar performance to stock, so I went with stock.

After replacing the shocks, there should be more rebound damping (slower rebound), so it should be smoother when hitting a bump but maybe harsher when hitting a dip since the wheel won't drop into the dip as fast. If there's more compression damping there might be more resistance to lean/roll, but it will probably feel harsher on bumps. I expect it to bounce less, and hopefully have more controlled handling.

I think suspension is a balance. The ride should be smooth ride, but it shouldn't lean in turns, sag with load/braking/acceleration or bounce a lot. It has to work with various sizes of bumps at a wide range of speeds. I don't fully understand it, but I think some of these things are mutually exclusive, so the engineers that designed the car have to make trade-offs. I don't trust aftermarket shock companies to be transparent with the trade-offs they select for their products. It's kind of like buying high-end audio equipment. There's a lot of marketing but not a lot of quantifiable data.

For a set of shocks, I want to know:
-Min and max extension length
-Compression and rebound damping rate. These may be curves if it's not constant over the range of performance

For springs I want to know:
-Uncompressed length
-Spring rate (a curve if it's not constant)

I want to know this information for the stock parts and for aftermarket parts to see how they compare.
 
m85476585 said:
I don't think springs really wear out, unless they break or are damaged for some reason, which seems unlikely. Can anyone show me worn springs for one of our vehicles? I don't think ride height or spring rate changes with use for a properly engineered spring. I wouldn't mind being proven wrong, but i haven't seen any evidence that that's the case.

Struts are the front shocks, which have springs around them. You can change just the shock part, but most shops are lazy so they will change the whole strut.
Click to expand...

springs dont necessarily "wear out" but they certainly lose stiffness over time, which contributes to the ride. as for shops "being lazy" its really more of replacing the shock and spring at the same time, since it doesnt make sense to put a spring back on that has sagged and lost load carrying ability
 
m85476585 said:
I don't think springs really wear out, unless they break or are damaged for some reason, which seems unlikely. Can anyone show me worn springs for one of our vehicles? I don't think ride height or spring rate changes with use for a properly engineered spring. I wouldn't mind being proven wrong, but i haven't seen any evidence that that's the case.

Struts are the front shocks, which have springs around them. You can change just the shock part, but most shops are lazy so they will change the whole strut.

I'm in the process of changing the shocks on mine, replacing them with Toyota OEM (not OME) ones from Ebay. The fronts are kind of a pain so far, but hopefully the rears will be easier. The front end was bouncy whenever I hit a bump or hit the brakes, which indicates worn shocks. I think the rears were fine, but I might as well replace them anyway. I don't trust aftermarket brands (monroe, bilstein, etc) to have similar performance to stock, so I went with stock.

After replacing the shocks, there should be more rebound damping (slower rebound), so it should be smoother when hitting a bump but maybe harsher when hitting a dip since the wheel won't drop into the dip as fast. If there's more compression damping there might be more resistance to lean/roll, but it will probably feel harsher on bumps. I expect it to bounce less, and hopefully have more controlled handling.

I think suspension is a balance. The ride should be smooth ride, but it shouldn't lean in turns, sag with load/braking/acceleration or bounce a lot. It has to work with various sizes of bumps at a wide range of speeds. I don't fully understand it, but I think some of these things are mutually exclusive, so the engineers that designed the car have to make trade-offs. I don't trust aftermarket shock companies to be transparent with the trade-offs they select for their products. It's kind of like buying high-end audio equipment. There's a lot of marketing but not a lot of quantifiable data.

For a set of shocks, I want to know:
-Min and max extension length
-Compression and rebound damping rate. These may be curves if it's not constant over the range of performance

For springs I want to know:
-Uncompressed length
-Spring rate (a curve if it's not constant)

I want to know this information for the stock parts and for aftermarket parts to see how they compare.
Click to expand...

OEM spring rate is 580, constant rate. Length, I want to say 13.5 but the answer will be her: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/162125-coil-rates-oem-4runner-oem-fj-moog-others.html
 
check your tire pressure.. It would be the cheapest. Go passenger tire/p metric.

Keep in mind that the 4runner is a truck and has a solid rear. If you wish for a better smoother ride, maybe look in to a highlander. THey have independent suspension all 4 corners.

FYI My acura tls is stiffer than the 4runner, and I have Dueler revo's inflated to 37psi cold.
 
Some shocks (Monroe/Rancho) tend to stiffen up in just a few years. They seem to be fine for cars...but not for trucks. I've owned the Monroe Sensa-Track and they were so stiff within just 2 years. I replaced them with KYB and they made a huge difference.

If the ride is too stiff...the biggest change will be with Shocks/struts. The OEM shock/strut is fine. Bilstein may be a little stiffer ride..but not much. A softer tire will give you a nicer ride also....but there are trade-offs.

Softer suspension means less control. Softer tires have a much lower UTOG rating.
 
Thanks Folks. I will replace with Toyota Original for my Geezer Pleaser/Senior Ride.
No thanks on the Lincoln Town Car, I prefer speed and muscle in my cars.
 
Caffeine27 said:
Thanks Folks. I will replace with Toyota Original for my Geezer Pleaser/Senior Ride.
No thanks on the Lincoln Town Car, I prefer speed and muscle in my cars.
Click to expand...

A Lincoln Town Car would probably stomp our V6 4Runners. V8 Power in a lighter package.

Interestingly enough they are all body on frame too lol!
 
Lolrax said:
A Lincoln Town Car would probably stomp our V6 4Runners. V8 Power in a lighter package.

Interestingly enough they are all body on frame too lol!
Click to expand...

Haha no way! I've owned a couple Grand Marquis'....They're dogs. 4Runner would eat it alive :P
 
Caffeine27 said:
Thanks Folks. I will replace with Toyota Original for my Geezer Pleaser/Senior Ride.
No thanks on the Lincoln Town Car, I prefer speed and muscle in my cars.
Click to expand...

I understand wanting comfort in a daily driver. That is the reason I have adjustable dampers on my suspension.
 
There's a lot you can do suspension-wise, but that's tweaking the mix.

Tires set the tone, the rest is seasoning the dish.
Click to expand...

Just the opposite. Suspension changes will have the biggest impact by a LOT. Tires will help to a degree. But softer tires usually mean less handling.
 
MikeInNH said:
Just the opposite. Suspension changes will have the biggest impact by a LOT. Tires will help to a degree. But softer tires usually mean less handling.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily on the "softer" tires handling worse. I switched from some stiff wall street tires on my 240SX to Toyo RA-1s, which have a much softer sidewall. You can really wail on the car and toss it into corners with anger, and it just rolls a bit on the tires and then sticks. Way way more grip, and it's a much less frantic ride mid-corner because of all the compliance the sidewall has (these are 255/40-17s, so not really that much sidewall to give).

In pics at max traction, the tread to bead deflection is a solid 3"+, looks kinda funny frozen like that.
 
I switched from some stiff wall street tires on my 240SX to Toyo RA-1s, which have a much softer sidewall.
Click to expand...

Usually the higher the speed rating the stiffer the sidewall. But I agree that it may not be the same for all manufacturers.
 
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