Originally Posted by honda250xtitan

i think i read on here years ago toyota did that for rollover stuff? i know they shorted the steering radius as well.

Originally Posted by 2021nightshade4x4

Is that why in literally every other vehicle you can turn the steering wheel 1-and-a-half turns before you hit the locks and these 4 runners only let you get 1-and-a-quarter?


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Originally Posted by rodralig

Thanks! Yes, absolutely keep it simple. The more simple it is - less maintenance, and hassle. At the very least, this is still my wife's/kids' daily driver...

That said - looking through the responses above, I would think the best bang for my buck right now are upgraded suspensions to mitigate the "softness" (nosedives) of the stock suspension and adding a bit more clearance.

... I just don't know where to begin. What configuration/setup should I start with? Wanting to maintain the tire size for now (just replaced it a month back) - and something not too extreme, looking to recommendations?

Thanks!

_

Originally Posted by Jetboy

KDSS with OEM skid plate on flat concrete floor with a laser level. KDSS is not the low point. If it lowers ground clearance, there must be more than over version of it. Because it clearly isn't the low point on my 4runner. The low point in front is the cross member that's the same on all 4runners.

A small lift really helps up front for clearance. I would look for something relatively soft valving wise to pair with KDSS. KDSS is pretty firm stock. I'm not sure a digressive shock like the 5100 is the best combo with KDSS. I think they'd pair better with the small sway bars on an SR5. Eibach has the same shock IIRC with progressive dampening that might feel a bit less harsh. Everyone likes different ride though. Depending on budget, the 6112 Bilstein front shocks are a nice upgrade over the 5100. I don't know how the valving compares.

Fox also makes a lower cost circlip 2.0 shock that's about $500 for the pair. My guess is that they're relatively plush and progressive valved. But I don't know anyone who's used them.

Originally Posted by Jetboy

Fox also makes a lower cost circlip 2.0 shock that's about $500 for the pair. My guess is that they're relatively plush and progressive valved. But I don't know anyone who's used them.

Originally Posted by Pedro367

Are you talking about the normal Fox 2.0 coilover or is there something else I'm missing? Those for the pair are closer to $900 and probably what I'd go with if I ever upgrade. Aluminum body for heat dissipation and corrosion resistance is important to me here in NJ, but still starting to get up there in price.

Fox 2.0 Performance Series Coilovers Front Pair for 2010-2022 Toyota 4 – Shock Surplus

Originally Posted by DAW89446

Maybe it’s me, because I’m old. I just don’t see the need for speed when crawling along a difficult trail. I’m of the old school. Low range and locked in 1st going through a technical section. And years of off road driving has taught me tire placement by feel. I seldom have used a spotter, they distract me.

I’ve never had a lifted vehicle. I’d have everything from a 1970 Ford F-250 4x4, to my current ‘18 SR5. All stock suspension, all stock size tires.

My priority is overall value. I know my 4Runner isn’t made to do Moab trails at speed. I have no desire for a rig that can do that. So there is no need for me to turn my stock rig into a Frankenstein, along with the price tag up front and the price tag in the future in high failure rate of parts and diminished overall drivability day to day. I’m sure there’s someone with talent that could turn a Lincoln Town Car limo into a Moab rock crawler, but what’s the point? My 4Runner can do the trails I want to take, yet it can run down the highway comfortably, quietly and smoothly when the wife and I with another couple go to a city two hours away for some fine dining. And I’ve used it as a tractor in developing my acreage by dragging out sagebrush and driveways. I tow a utility trailer and haul a ton of heating pellets once or twice annually. It is stable in the deep ice and snow on the unplowed country dirt roads where I live. And the list goes on. It’s versitle.

I’ve had acquaintance with others who spent $$$$ above the $$$$$ sticker of their rigs in lifts and all sorts of off road bling. All of them spent $$$$ in repairs before their rigs turned over 75,000 to 90,000 miles. One even finally gave up after his second engine and second transmission in his 2011 Rubicon with only 90,000 miles. All were surprised and jealous that I spent $0 in repairs to my bone stock 2002 Tacoma TRD, even though it now has over 200,000 miles (I gave it to my 44 year old son when I bought the 4Runner). We all took the same routes through some difficult eastern California, Nevada and Death Valley trails over the decades. That truck was like a Timex watch - it took a licking but keeps on ticking. It’s even been on its side (a badly eroded shelf road caved in underneath me).

Some may think my 4Runner is just a pavement troller, until they notice the deep pinstriping, then notice the skid plates. But my experience of where to put my tires has kept the rest of the undersides unmolested. I know my 4Runner has limits, but I accept that and have a lot of fun within those limits. And I don’t have to spend an additional dime.

Originally Posted by honda250xtitan

naw, its a similar setup to the bilstein 5100, you reuse the OEM spring and mounting hardware. my guess is they ride like the 2.0's for the rear. "sportier" ie not mushy... PERFORMANCE SERIES 2.0 SNAP RING COIL-OVER IFP SHOCK (SPRING NOT INCL) | Truck Shocks | FOX

Originally Posted by Pedro367

Thank you! I didn't realize they made a non-spring version 2.0 like that. Makes it certainly more attainable for the same shock just without the threaded body and Fox spring. I'd be curious to know how much of a difference a fox spring would make over the OE front spring. For on road, the OE spring may be the ticket as I'm sure it's a lower spring rate than the Fox. Both are up to 2" too.

Originally Posted by Gclark949

When my 2016 with KDSS was stock I found it very difficult to not hit the undercarriage over very simple trails. A small lift with stock tire size made all the difference. Strangely, looking at the front drive line it is perfectly straight after the lift. This tells me it was intended to be higher from the factory by design but for other reasons it was lowered by about 1.5 inches.

Originally Posted by Jetboy

I'd love to hear from anyone who has them. It seems like its super rare for anyone to buy this set at $1k for the pair of coilovers when a similar non-reservoir 2.5 is just a little more $. And you can usually find fox trd pro takeoffs for $700ish for a set. IMO that's a much better value than $1k for the 2.0 complete coilovers. At $450 or so for the pair it starts to look like a better value.

They might be great, but they also might be really crappy. It seems like no one ever knows. I've never seen a review from anyone who's had them. Maybe fox would tell you what the valving is compared to the 2.5s?

I had Fox performance 2.0 rear shocks on my 4Runner for a while. I did not love them when empty. They were valved too firmly for no load. With 400-600lbs of load they did great. What was a bit odd for me was that they were firmer than the front Fox 2.5s in front. But that's not necessarily any indication of how the fronts will feel. I would think Fox would shoot for the same valve resistance as the 2.5's.

The springs shouldn't make much difference. OEM front springs IIRC are 580lb/in. The Fox 2.5's are I think 600lb/in. King uses 550lb/in springs. And I think the TRD Pro are even a little softer. So the OEM springs are right in the middle of the common range of spring rate. The coils are linear springs on all of them. There's no difference in function between a spring from any manufacture. A bad spring will lose its height or other issues over time. But in general - two springs with the same rate will perform identically. So a 580lb OEM spring will be practically identical to a 600lb spring that comes with the Fox shocks.

I bought my Fox 2.5s in the before time. (If you're new to this - all of this stuff used to be a lot cheaper a few years ago.) In today's pricing world I think the 2.0's are a pretty good value at first look.