2006 Sport Edition 4wd - ride is horrible

R

ryanmp

New member
Hi guys,
I just purchased an '06 Sport Edition 4wd 4Runner about 6 months ago and have been really upset with the ride. Granted, I've always had sedans before this but comparing it to the other 4Runners I've ridden in it drives WAY WORSE. But the truck is in very good condition, 83k miles, and has been well taken care of. When I drive down the highway it's constantly bouncing up and down and feels like it rolls back and forth to the left and right. The steering wheel also vibrates at highway speeds when I hit bumps. I took it in to have my tires balanced and they said the tires are all in pretty good shape but the back two are slightly out of true. Not terribly so but enough that I would notice. (It has BF Goodrich all-terrain tires.) I know that's not helping the ride but I think the problem more so lies in the suspension, particularly the front. I know it's got the stock XREAS suspension and don't know how I would even go about addressing a faulty suspension. (When I push down a couple times over the front tires I definitely get some bouncing up and down before it stops.) I've taken it to a couple mechanics to take a look at and one said he could just put in some standard struts on the front but the next guy said he would have to do a serious overhaul on the front suspension and it could cost $2k. I don't even know what the baseline ride should be so I'm hesitant to put a lot of money into it not knowing what the end result will be. Anyway, long post but does anyone have recommendations on addressing a soft front suspension and how much it would cost? Anyone have a Sport Edition 4wd that I could chat with briefly about the ride or your vehicle or anyone located in the Dallas-Ft Worth area that I could bring my car by and they could drive and see what they think? Thanks guys.
 
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If the shock test is failing..that's the first thing I'd replace. Get those done first..then see if you need any more work. Bilstein makes a very good replacement shock for this vehicle.

I would replace all 4...NOT just the front.
 
These two responses above a spot on. If you were ever thinking of lifting the 4Runner, now is the time - you don't have to go all out, but you should also replaced those two BFG's that are out of round, so do everything you'd been thinking of doing, at once. (suspension/tire wise).
You might even be able to use a flashlight and find the XREAS is leaking, more proof it is shot.
 
I'm up in Plano. I have a 2007 with about 83k on it as well. Maybe we could meet next weekend or something and compare mine to yours. I still have the stock XREAS suspension as well so it should be a good comparison. Only thing is that I don't have AT tires at the moment. They're the dealer installed OEM tires from when I bought it from a Toyota dealer 1.5 years ago. PM me and we'll work something out.
 
I wouldn't overlook the tire issue so quickly. My Gen 3 had some of the same symptoms and it was always a fight to keep the truck straight down the highway.
Thing was, it had a quality tire on it with lots of tread and since I hadn't driven any other Gen 3's, I really had nothing to compare it to.
All of my problems were solved the day I had new tires installed.

With that said, I understand you have different suspension and the Sport Ed. can be a rough ride...
 
Hello first post here. I'm having the same bad experience as you. I also just bought mine 3 weeks ago an 03 sport v8. There is a vibration felt every once in a while over 40 mph and it goes away, suspecting a tranny or driveline issue. Lots of creaks and clunk in the suspension at low speed, I don't see any leaks in the shocks, but I have to take a better look especially under a lift. Highway ride is surprisingly comfortable though and I can tell the xreas working going corners. I'm torn and wouldn't want to give up the xreas susupension when it's time to replace.
 
I have back problems, and the sport suspension was just too stiff for me, especially as I noticed the shocks start to wear out. I'd switch the suspension like others mentioned
 
I would deal with tires first. I have the SE 07 and I don't see that the suspension is all that stiff or abrupt - for a truck 4x4. The bilsteins may be a little softer but not much. Also, from what I have read, the xreas shock system does not degrade like shocks do with age - it goes until it starts leaking without change to ride. You have to do all or none on replacement.
You might want to look at a softer tire if you want a car ride - AT tires are typically pretty hard.
 
follow up

Thanks, I really appreciate the responses everyone. I do think something is off with the front suspension. The passenger side seems to have a lot more give than the driver side so I think that's a lot of the problem there with the rolling motion I feel when I hit bumps. If I do have to replace the front suspension, is the general consensus that I should just totally remove the XREAS system and install Billsteins instead? Would this give me a smoother ride? And would going with Billsteins be more costly than just replacing the damaged struts with XREAS? Also, do most mechanics (i.e., the local cheapie garage I normally go to) know how to work on XREAS or would I need to get work done by a mechanic at a Toyota dealership or something?
 
ryanmp said:
Thanks, I really appreciate the responses everyone. I do think something is off with the front suspension. The passenger side seems to have a lot more give than the driver side so I think that's a lot of the problem there with the rolling motion I feel when I hit bumps. If I do have to replace the front suspension, is the general consensus that I should just totally remove the XREAS system and install Billsteins instead? Would this give me a smoother ride? And would going with Billsteins be more costly than just replacing the damaged struts with XREAS? Also, do most mechanics (i.e., the local cheapie garage I normally go to) know how to work on XREAS or would I need to get work done by a mechanic at a Toyota dealership or something?
Click to expand...

The XREAS doesn't have struts like a normal strut. It's a hydraulic system that would need to be replaced on the whole vehicle if you want to keep XREAS. You'd be looking at $2000 or so to do that. This thread should help you understand it a little better:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/54365-what-xreas-exactly.html

If you end up needing to do something then going aftermarket with Bilsteins will definitely be cheaper than replacing the whole system. I've not had the chance to ride in a 4th gen with Bilsteins so I can't comment on the ride as it compares to XREAS. I'm sure some others who've made the conversion will chime in.
 
Hate to hear your not liking your t4r. I hope you can ride in someone else's 4th gen and compare. Coming from sedans it is a totally different ball game because while Toyota did a fine job as always with these suv's they are still an suv and a body on frame one at that.
 
If you don't know anyone with a 4th gen you could always find a local used car lot that has one for sale and take it for a test drive. They don't need to know your motivation for it.

For what it's worth, I'm about to remove the XREAS and install Bilstein 5100s on mine.
 
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