2000 4runner ROUGH RIDE

[joshua0885]

Can someone help me? I'm new to Toyota 4x4's, I recently moved to an area where I must drive 6miles a day on a forestry road. I bought the 4runner for my pregnant wife, as a reliable means of transportation. I have the stock 16" wheels, with brand new 265x75r16 BFG AT's.

On the trail, this is the roughest riding truck I have ever been in. I've owned just about every full size SUV imagineable, bronco's, blazers, scouts, etc.. This is throwing us around like rag-dolls on the trail. I can feel every bump and rock, and we're getting really frustrated with it. I'm extremely disappointed!!! I assumed IFS to be a better ride than my 77 scout with dana 44's in the front. I seriously don't know what ppl see in these 4runners.

I've looked online and cannot find a solution to soften the ride. Can anyone help? I'm about ready to sell her.

 

[BC4Runner]

My first guess would be the tire pressure is too high. I would think it should be set around 32 psi.

 

[joshua0885]

My first guess would be the tire pressure is too high. I would think it should be set around 32 psi.

tire pressure is @ 35psi which is the correct pressure for that tire. I don't think it's a tire problem though. My biggest issue with the 4runner is that it'll flex into one of the many potholes on the trail and then snap you back so hard i feel like I'm going to fly out of my seat.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

What load range are the tires? If it's D or less then that's not the issue either. Yes,the stock suspension is still truck like but how many miles are on your Runner? If the shocks have over 100k then it's time for new ones since the ride in my Runner is still truck like it's not awful to me. I just replaced my 100k stock setup with new OEM replecements including the taller '99 coils.

 

[joshua0885]

What load range are the tires? If it's D or less then that's not the issue either. Yes,the stock suspension is still truck like but how many miles are on your Runner? If the shocks have over 100k then it's time for new ones since the ride in my Runner is still truck like it's not awful to me. I just replaced my 100k stock setup with new OEM replecements including the taller '99 coils.

Hmm, I'm not familiar with load range on tires. Is it listed on the sidewall?

The 4runner only has 70K miles. I honestly think it's just the way these things handle on the trail. I was hoping others would have had complaints and someone made an aftermarket kit to soften the ride a bit.

My hobby is building 4x4's and i understand that the 4runner is not your cheapo grocery grabber 4wheel drive station wagon like some of the suv's out there, but there's no excuse for how it handles on the trail. I take my heavy, 1/4 ton straight axle 77 scout on the same trail on a regular basis and I don't feel like I'm getting whiplash or losing fillings. I could possibly get a better ride with less aggressive tires, but in my opinion, i shouldn't have to settle for that.

 

[Ron Helmuth]

Could you advise us on what the new tires are? Brand name please and make of tire , i.e Goodyear Wrangler RT-S , etc.

I would guess your new tires are D or E load range which is likely too hard for a comfy ride. I am shopping new tires now and have had several shops tell me that a LT (light truck) series tire is a waste of my money and that a P265 series tire would do me just fine. I am indeed now riding on Goodyear Wrangler AT-D tires with about 35K miles on them. I would still describe the ride as "truck-like" and that is fine .

I am guessing the previous owner went to an aftermarket shock? I am using Bilsteins on my 1999 SR5 and it is a "hard" feel compared to the softness on my old shocks. I had Bilsteins on a 1995 4Runner and that ride actually softened up some and made dirt "washboard" surfaces feel a lot less kidney straining on the seat belt.

Be advised- in my experience certain vehicles of certain wheelbases just will not ride that well on certain rough roads. You may be on other rougher roads that do not feel as bad-it's all pretty subjective through the butt.

I certainly would not encourage you to give up on 4Runners because of just one road surface combination. However a longer wheelbase vehicle may give you the cush you seek.

As a last resort your statement about the rebound does lead me to believe you have either a broken shock mount, possibly a cracked spring- or are in need of new shocks all the way around.

Please let us know what you find out. A competent alignment shop should be able to look things over and spot anything obvious.

 

[joshua0885]

Could you advise us on what the new tires are? Brand name please and make of tire , i.e Goodyear Wrangler RT-S , etc.

I would guess your new tires are D or E load range which is likely too hard for a comfy ride. I am shopping new tires now and have had several shops tell me that a LT (light truck) series tire is a waste of my money and that a P265 series tire would do me just fine. I am indeed now riding on Goodyear Wrangler AT-D tires with about 35K miles on them. I would still describe the ride as "truck-like" and that is fine .

I am guessing the previous owner went to an aftermarket shock? I am using Bilsteins on my 1999 SR5 and it is a "hard" feel compared to the softness on my old shocks. I had Bilsteins on a 1995 4Runner and that ride actually softened up some and made dirt "washboard" surfaces feel a lot less kidney straining on the seat belt.

Be advised- in my experience certain vehicles of certain wheelbases just will not ride that well on certain rough roads. You may be on other rougher roads that do not feel as bad-it's all pretty subjective through the butt.

I certainly would not encourage you to give up on 4Runners because of just one road surface combination. However a longer wheelbase vehicle may give you the cush you seek.

As a last resort your statement about the rebound does lead me to believe you have either a broken shock mount, possibly a cracked spring- or are in need of new shocks all the way around.

Please let us know what you find out. A competent alignment shop should be able to look things over and spot anything obvious.

these are 265x75r16 BFG AT's. I've looked at the shocks, they are stock and as far as the mounts and springs, everything is fine. I will be a taking it to a toyota specialist to have a look sometime this week. I'll post what I find.

 

[4evDev]

I find my 2000 4runner really rough as well. This is compared to my brother's 2003 Chevy SS and my Dad's Yukon.

 

[Bamboozler]

If your commute is entirely forrest road and/or gravel, try dropping air pressure to 20 PSI. It'll ride like a Lexus, even with the BFG's which have stiff sidewalls. Our '01 4Runner replaced a '98 Blazer, and '98 Cherokee before that, and IMHO it rides only slightly rougher than those other vehicles did, but when aired down, the 4Runner is smoother & can be driven MUCH faster on dirt & washboard. Something about the way the suspension keeps the tires in contact with the ground (plus the VSC) makes it a much more pleasant & safe ride.

Just my 2 cents,
Scott

 

[Ron Helmuth]

okay I had some more thoughts about your overly rough ride and a couple of things spring to mind.

There was an episode of Mythbusters where they actually proved that increasing speed on rippled surfaces improved the ride quality. I am not suggesting you careen around the roadways at unsafe speeds-but out here in Colorado on long stretches of washboard-continuous ripples for miles on end-we can actually improve the ride by putting down the accelerator. That is to say if the road is a crappy ride at 20mph it sometimes feels a lot better at 30-35mph. I would not suggest this on bombed out pockmarked roads with huge craters and dips, but it does actually work on some road sufrfaces.

Also, when driving these types of roads, if I leave my Runner in 2 wheel drive-it's a manual 5 speed-the ride can sometimes seem worse-if I put it into 4 high the ability of the front wheels to contribute to the forward motion seems to balance out the rear end a little more and smooth the ride. I will be "shocked" pun intended-if your Toyota specialist thinks your present shocks are just fine....

I believe your BFGs in our size- 265/75/16 would be "C" load rated and can be specially ordered in load range 'D". So you most likely have the C tires.

And with you mentioning you are running original shocks-you would have to admit those puppies are 6-7 years old now -depending on manufacture date I guess.
With 70K miles on them as well-I think a new set of shocks would soften your ride considerably.

I look forward to learning more from your dude doing the inspect.

 

[techno]

I noticed that you said you had owned a Blazer once. I had a 99 Blazer for about six months and would easily say it was the worst vehicle I have ever owned, but it was a softer ride than the 4Runner. In fact all american cars and suvs I've driven seem very soft in comparison to foreign ones. But with the blazer even though the ride was soft and cushy, the handling was dismal! With 4 people on board cornering was downright dangerous and those lousy leaf springs would hop and skip all over the place on rough roads. I put some aftermarket firmer shocks in and the ride was still good but the handling was improved dramatically.
I would suggest putting in some 'comfort' rated shocks, yours are most likely worn out. Also, definately drop your psi down to 30 max, 35 is too high unless you have a heavy cargo load or like to race around at full throttle everywhere. Tires do a significant amount of 'suspension' work.

 

[druuu88]

tire pressure lower and new shocks. ive heard monroe shocks give a much smoother ride than say bilstein or KYB. let us know what the yota tech specialist says

 

[joshua0885]

Ok, so I finally got to the Toyota guy and he said there was absolutely nothing wrong with the suspension. He said that there might be softer shocks out there, but it's a gamble as to whether they were going to solve my problem, or make it drive on the trail the way I want it to.

I think I might just cut my losses and sell the darn thing.

I've noticed that my biggest problem is when a single wheel is in a pothole on the trail. It dives in and then bucks out, leaving us whipping around the suv on the inside. These 4runners might be great on the road, but I'm sick of being thrown around. I'm gonna use it as a trade in and probably lose 3K. I seriously doubt I'll ever buy Toyota again.

 

[Pirate VI]

Ok, so I finally got to the Toyota guy and he said there was absolutely nothing wrong with the suspension. He said that there might be softer shocks out there, but it's a gamble as to whether they were going to solve my problem, or make it drive on the trail the way I want it to.

I think I might just cut my losses and sell the darn thing.

I've noticed that my biggest problem is when a single wheel is in a pothole on the trail. It dives in and then bucks out, leaving us whipping around the suv on the inside. These 4runners might be great on the road, but I'm sick of being thrown around. I'm gonna use it as a trade in and probably lose 3K. I seriously doubt I'll ever buy Toyota again.

Wow I am surprised, The 4Runners we have (99 and 04) are much smoother and better handling on and off road than our other SUVs (Rav4, Explorer, Wrangler) although those may not be the best SUVs to compare to... especially the Wrangler.

 

[joshua0885]

I'll tell you guys what I'm comparing the 4runner's ride to. These are the suv's/trucks that I've driven on the same trail:

89Bronco
06 escape 4x4
77 scout
99 1-ton Dodge pickup

There was a HUGE difference in ride quality between these and the 00 4runner.

also, it is impossible for me to drive faster on these surfaces (i.e. mythbusters) the road twists and turns, and there are quite a few rocks poking through to avoid.

and airing down to 20psi is not an option either because my commute leaves me on paved highway for another 35miles.

 

[luigi123]

And with you mentioning you are running original shocks-you would have to admit those puppies are 6-7 years old now -depending on manufacture date I guess.
With 70K miles on them as well-I think a new set of shocks would soften your ride considerably.

I'm curious on to when shocks start losing their dampening affect and need to be replaced,. I too think my new(used) '00 4runner rides a little stiff, is that the style of the 4runner. How would one know if they bought the vehicle used 7-8 y/o and with 100k on it.

Do suspensions on 4runners get stiffer as the shocks wear or bouncier coming from the coils?

Luis

 

[techno]

Oh well, its a shame to read you will might sell your 4runner, but if it does behave as badly as you describe then most people would probably do the same. You got to get whats right for you and your needs.
You probably need firmer shocks to control the 'snap back' and thrown around like rag dolls' feeling its giving you, but also softer shocks to reduce the 'feeling every little bump' part aswell. Clearly you cant have both, so dropping the tire pressure to around 30-31 is the way to go to 'simulate' softer shocks.
Good luck if you try any of the easy mods people have talked about, otherwise I hope you find a vehicle that suits you better.

 

[Mr. Dabadina]

I think I might know what joshua is saying. There is a forestry road to a hike I take alot and it was gravel then all the gravel pushed to the side and is now a hard dirt road. After it rains the tires create very small ruts that run w/the road. I had to get out of my vehicle the first time b/c the ruts were so small I couldn't see them while in my car." And when it hardens the "runty ruts", seem to throw my 4runner around as the tire wants to follow the rut. And going faster actually makes it more scary b/c the tire wants to follow the "runty ruts." I wonder if tire width has anything to do w/that?

 

[joshua0885]

I think I might know what joshua is saying. There is a forestry road to a hike I take alot and it was gravel then all the gravel pushed to the side and is now a hard dirt road. After it rains the tires create very small ruts that run w/the road. I had to get out of my vehicle the first time b/c the ruts were so small I couldn't see them while in my car." And when it hardens the "runty ruts", seem to throw my 4runner around as the tire wants to follow the rut. And going faster actually makes it more scary b/c the tire wants to follow the "runty ruts." I wonder if tire width has anything to do w/that?

It's not so much the ruts that I'm worrying about, it's the circular pot holes in the hard dirt when there aren't any ruts that throw me around.

 

[twistgripper]

rrrrrough!

I just got an 02 Sport, 85K stock, and I can't believe how hard this thing bucks in the rear...any mid or large size bump pitches the whole rear end up like crazy....it sounds like the Monroe shocks might be some help...anyone know?