Have a stock 2020 4Runner TRD Off-Road and am new to 4Runner and my previous car was an Audi Q5... so very apples to oranges.

Yesterday went up a FSR which was quite rocky/rutted. Was going slowly and I felt it was "as expected" driving up+down it, but my passenger said it was really rocky and kind of uncomfortable, noting it seemed to be a lot more bumpy/shifty than riding in her boyfriend's tacoma.

Are the suspensions on the tacoma and 4runner very different?

Airing down would naturally make it a little smoother ride, but wondering if this is as expected and what adjustments could/should be made for smoother handling of the uneven terrain?

every time I air down with a passenger, they go on and on about how smooth the ride is. They assume it's my shiny aftermarket suspension.

But really, it's just the nice 20psi tires. And I get far fewer punctures than my fishing cohorts. Enough that the fellas that used to make fun of me for airing down at the trailhead, now also air down...
The bad news is that at the end of the trip, I have to air all those cheapskates up in a cloud of mosquitos, blackflies and horseflies.



Really though, I wouldn't call the OEM suspension very stiff. And to be honest, while crawling over a rutted road, you wouldn't notice a major difference between OEM and an aftermarket 2.5 setup unless you're doing it with some speed.

I suspect the tacoma has larger, softer tires.

Use your judgment, not the anecdotal experiences of your passengers... or of us. If your passenger is uncomfortable, tell her to walk.

Based on her comments, my guess is it wasn't the stiffness she was complaining about, but the body motion. A soft suspension can sometimes cause more pitching front to back and side to side than a firm suspension and might cause a bit of motion sickness for some people. I personally find the 4Runner suspension pretty soft and it definitely has a bit of body motion over bumps because of that.

I had a Tacoma as a loaner while my 4Runner was getting some work, and the suspension definitely felt a lot softer than the 4Runner, in a bad way. It rocked around like a boat on road and would even bottom out at times. I was on the fence when I bought my 4Runner between the two and it just made me happy I didn’t get one. I do have KDSS though, so maybe that’s what made it feel so much different.

You should tell her to go ride with her boyfriend then and stop whining. ;)

The current Taco and 4Runner are different enough.

The front is similar, upper and lower control arms with coil over shock (strut). However, the spring rates might be different as well as the shock valving and damping.

The rear end is very different. The Taco has rear leafs, 4Runners have coils.

The wheel base of the Tacoma is longer and can make it feel more stable.
Tacoma -> 127.4 - 140.6 inch
4runner -> 109.8 inch

There is no KDSS option for the Tacoma, that I know of.

Even the tires can make a difference

Even in the same vehicle it will be different with two different drivers. Some people mash the pedal others like to crawl it. It could just be a style difference.

To find you you need to swap vehicles and have one person ride with both drivers in both trucks.

To smooth it out.
Air down - absolutely!
Drive slow on rocks and fast enough on washboard to skate over the top
Use can use the brake to modulate your speed with your left foot and hold the throttle even (poor mans crawler)
Read the trail pick your line and adjust your speed to match the obstacle.

I think the stock TRD off road suspension is really soft. Too soft in fact.


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So is the TRDP setup.

Once I got the Toytec on it firmed up a lot and rides like a truck.

More planted IMO, for the better.