I have always wanted to buy an off-road vehicle not a truck such as a JEEP. However, I do not like JEEP as a product. I think the 4-Runner is the way to go. I need advice on which will be the best option for off road capabilities. It will be a daily driver as well. I understand the differences in the two but am having difficulty determining which way to go. It is impossible to test drive each as they are so scarce.
Should I buy a Trail Premium w/ KDSS or the TRD PRO
- Thread starter brownbull
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
Hello brownbull. I put the following into google
kdss trd pro site:5th gen T4Rs - Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum
and it came up with a few links for you to try.
Good luck in your future purchase!
wfo9
New member
Really depends on what you plan to do with it. Keep it stock, modify it...
Pro is a trail + appearance package + upgraded shocks/springs + wheels and tires. Unfortunately, this upgraded suspension is not really good for actual heavy duty off-roading. Most people are going to end up wanting more lift, more tire....
If you plan to wheel with Jeeps... I would plan on the trail with some mods. If you plan to drive mainly on the road with the occasional moderate trail... pro looks nice and would be fine to screw around on easy stuff in.
And if true hard core off-road/overland is your end goal with it....
Just get an SR5 and modify it.
Pro is a trail + appearance package + upgraded shocks/springs + wheels and tires. Unfortunately, this upgraded suspension is not really good for actual heavy duty off-roading. Most people are going to end up wanting more lift, more tire....
If you plan to wheel with Jeeps... I would plan on the trail with some mods. If you plan to drive mainly on the road with the occasional moderate trail... pro looks nice and would be fine to screw around on easy stuff in.
And if true hard core off-road/overland is your end goal with it....
Just get an SR5 and modify it.
Last edited:
I am a cattle farmer and running around the pasture is my idea of off-roading. I probably don't plan on doing much modification. I wanted to go with something stock. My quandary seems to be whether the KDSS is better than just the upgraded suspension. Also could I add the same upgraded suspension to the Trail Premium with KDSS and have something better than the TRD PRO. I dont want anything more extreme lift wise,
It makes more sense to buy a Trail and modify it how you want. The TRD Pro has a minor lift and some cosmetic tweaks, but you're paying quite a bit more for some stuff that you might end up replacing anyway. When I bought my '14 the TRD Pro didn't exist, but if I was buying now, I would do exactly the same and buy a Trail Premium. I wanted the moonroof which doesn't exist on the TRD Pro. I would hate to spend thousands extra on an upgraded OEM suspension that I would just get rid. I ended up putting in an Icon suspension with a 3" lift and 285 tires on my Trail Edition Premium and love it.
Thanks for the advice. I was initially drawn to the TRD PRO but would rather have some of the features of the Trail Premium that it lacks. Could I add the same TRD Bilstein shocks to the Trail Premium? I am not very knowledgeable about this. I dont want to lift it much more than 1-2 inches.
Mooney
New member
Yes.
However running through pastures won't mandate upgrades on the suspension of any stock 4Runner. They're very capable and none would require expensive upgrades for your demands.
PROFILER
New member
Judging by your own posts. You would rather stay stock and that you are not going to be doing "serious" off road trails I would recommend the Pro. It has mods that you appear to be interested in and you don't want to have to do them yourself (plus its covered by Toyota). Can't go wrong with either but your posts appear to be edging yourself toward the Pro.
Jetboy
New member
It's unfortunate that the Trail with KDSS isn't easily available everywhere. I have probably 10 within 30 minutes of me that I can go test drive. In the West we get a lot of them. For me - KDSS was a must have, but not strictly for offroad use. It was so much better for street driving that I opted for a trail premium over a limited. I have a landcruiser as a dedicated trail rig, so for me I wanted a good daily driver that's also capable of long distance mild offroading, and the highway manners of KDSS sold me on the trail edition. Some people don't think KDSS makes that much difference. I drive a lot of windy canyon roads, simply due to where I live, and the sr5 and limited with xreas both felt too soft and floaty in stock form. Basically just like the feel of a tahoe or suburban. If you like the ride of those, the SR5 or TRD Pro should be just fine.
Otherwise I probably would have gone for a limited and aftermarket suspension, then added air lockers.
I know you said you didn't want to modify, but just food for thought. A trail edition is pretty good stock. If you drive for a while and decide you want to go with more front suspension dampening/travel, a set of aftermarket FOX 2.5" remote reservoir coilovers is about $1500 and another 200ish to have a shop install them. The rears are $260 and maybe another $100 if you have a shop install them. With that change you should have equal or better offroad performance than the TRD Pro - and the Fox coilovers are adjustable height - so you can just buy some $20 spanner wrenches and adjust up or down from 0-3" of lift. You'd be right in the same price range as a TRD Pro, but also have KDSS. And the upgrade is optional if you decide you want it.
One final thought here - take a look around for a GX460. They should be easy to find if you have a Lexus dealer to take a test drive. They all have KDSS and are the same chassis as the 4runner. That would give you a feel for how KDSS handles.
Good Luck.
Otherwise I probably would have gone for a limited and aftermarket suspension, then added air lockers.
I know you said you didn't want to modify, but just food for thought. A trail edition is pretty good stock. If you drive for a while and decide you want to go with more front suspension dampening/travel, a set of aftermarket FOX 2.5" remote reservoir coilovers is about $1500 and another 200ish to have a shop install them. The rears are $260 and maybe another $100 if you have a shop install them. With that change you should have equal or better offroad performance than the TRD Pro - and the Fox coilovers are adjustable height - so you can just buy some $20 spanner wrenches and adjust up or down from 0-3" of lift. You'd be right in the same price range as a TRD Pro, but also have KDSS. And the upgrade is optional if you decide you want it.
One final thought here - take a look around for a GX460. They should be easy to find if you have a Lexus dealer to take a test drive. They all have KDSS and are the same chassis as the 4runner. That would give you a feel for how KDSS handles.
Good Luck.
Last edited:
Blitzkrieg
New member
I'm still trying to figure out why you are even looking at an SUV vs pickup.
I grew up on farms and spent a lot of time at a feed lot and an SUV in the pasture is about as useful as tits on a bull.
I grew up on farms and spent a lot of time at a feed lot and an SUV in the pasture is about as useful as tits on a bull.
MONEY! :whoo:
Dudes,
Ok now I am conflicted. I am being told here that I can not add the same setup on the PRO to the Trail w/ KDSS. I am told that it is one or the other.
So I am thinking I should go PRO since I want the shocks and moderate lift.
I was thinking I could have it all.
So..... bottom. The question that I am unsure about is, can I add the TRD performance billstein shocks to the Trail Premium with KDSS and get the toyota dealer to add them and not void my warranty on a 2015? Do I have to remove the KDSS to put in the TRD package?
Last edited:
Wrong. Yes. Maybe, depends on the dealer. No.
wfo9
New member
Yes, that could be done, but not sure about warranty. Toyota is a real PITA when it comes to anything warranty related. It is very hit or miss, depending on the dealer. Plus they would charge you a ridiculous amount of money to do this. Generally speaking, Toyota dealer = 2-5x market price.
There are plenty of aftermarket options that are better than the pro package. Just get the trail then figure out what you want for suspension later. Or, you could probably buy the pro setup really cheap from someone here. I've seen several guys with pros ripping the entire suspension out with less than 1k on the OD.
Jetboy
New member
Changing suspension will only void warranty with respect to parts that it may shorten the lifespan of. For example ball joints are likely not to continue being warrantied. Of course the new suspension parts will not be warrantied by Toyota. OTOH 99% of the vehicle will remain under warranty.
Many dealers sell brand new 4runners with lifts installed at the dealership.
That said, you're buying a Toyota. The whole point of owning a Toyota is that you don't need the warranty often because the manufacturing process is exceptionally well refined to produce a very reliable product. My last 4runner went to 210k miles without ever having any internal drivetrain work. The only bearing that ever failed was a rear wheel bearing at over 200k miles. Even the u-joints were original and still tight. Now if you were buying a jeep...
Many dealers sell brand new 4runners with lifts installed at the dealership.
That said, you're buying a Toyota. The whole point of owning a Toyota is that you don't need the warranty often because the manufacturing process is exceptionally well refined to produce a very reliable product. My last 4runner went to 210k miles without ever having any internal drivetrain work. The only bearing that ever failed was a rear wheel bearing at over 200k miles. Even the u-joints were original and still tight. Now if you were buying a jeep...
Swaggerwagon
New member
My fiancée and just purchased a trd pro 4Runner. It's nice, we test drove all the models of the 4Runner and liked it best. I also drive a 2011 2dr wrangler. The 4Runner is a far superior daily driver. The interior is very comfortable and I would feel pretty comfortable taking it off-road. If you are tall don't get one with a sunroof or you will smack your head on it all the time.
