Is there a way to improve 5th gens "feel" of the road?

Great to know added castor can fix some of the horrible highway manners of the stock 5th gen. I've driven two bone stock limiteds for extended periods on the highway and thought it was one of the worst driving modern cars I've ever driven. The caster explaination makes a lot of sense as one of its biggest flaws IMO was the fact that it just doesn't want to center or give you any feedback on where the center is. I can see how stiffer springs + dampers and a lot of added caster would drastically change its personality for the better.

I find it hilarious when people say "go get a porsche, soy boy, you can't handle a truck" to people who just genuinely want their $60k 4R to drive well. I've had lots of 3rd gens throughout the years, have driven tons of 4th gens, we have a couple Rams in our family and they all drive great. The 5th gen really does need a lot of improvement in stock form.
 
I’ve heard of non TRD 4Runner having sluggish handling and nose dipping when braking. But with out changing your coils, shocks and maybe sway bar you can only improve it by so much. I have a 2016 TRD Pro and it handles like a sports car but it is a much firmer ride. I have the upgraded Bilstine coils and shocks. Go test drive a TRD Pro and see how it feels. If you like it, see how much it would cost you to upgrade your current shock to the ones used in the TRD.

Note: Older TRDs used Bilstine but the newer ones use Fox.

Also test drive the Off-Road. They have slightly different handling. Off Roads are design more for over landing. Not quite as firm and they allow for more wheel articulation. TRD on the other hand are more designed for Baja racing.

There are also other after market shocks such as those made by King that are adjustable but they aren’t exactly cheap.

I think your cheapest option would be to change the coils and shocks and maybe the sway bar. That said I would highly recommend you go to your local 4x4 shop and they can recommend the best option for your budget.
 
I think the stock suspension on decent tires, e.g. Michelin Defenders, is a marvelous street ride. If you start ramping up the suspension (which is what I plan to do), the ride is gonna get chunkier. Classic trade-off.
 
Dude can't handle a stock 4Runner and people are telling him to lift it? OP hasn't been online since 2021, he probably traded it for a Grand Cherokee 4xE that won't swerve on the highway when he lets go of the wheel to apply mascara.
 
I have no complaints about the steering on my Trail Ed. I can say that after having all season tires on for about 9 months I switched to KO2'S I noticed a big improvement on how planted the truck felt going around a bend.
 

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