Ground Clearance?

A

AlblineStar808

New member
Went to a local dealer today thinking we were gonna pull the trigger on a TE Premium but we left with some concerns. Long story short its for my lady and her mom is in a wheel chair/scooter. Currently her mom has been getting in and out of her bfs newer Ram 1500 2wd w/ some chrome side steps. According to online the ground clearance on those are 9.3in but it looks a lot lower than the supposed 4runners 9.6in ground clearance. While we were there there was a limited w/ running boards that looked a lot lower and easier to get into than the trail. Granted the trail didn't have the running boards but it jus doesn't make sense to me how the limited 4x4, TE, and the Pro have the same ground clearance. So unsure on what to do at this point and even harder that the Trail doesn't have running boards to do any measuring or comparing even if we brought her mom down
 
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AlblineStar808 said:
Went to a local dealer today thinking we were gonna pull the trigger on a TE Premium but we left with some concerns. Long story short its for my lady and her mom is in a wheel chair/scooter. Currently her mom has been getting in and out of her bfs newer Ram 1500 2wd w/ some chrome side steps. According to online the ground clearance on those are 9.3in but it looks a lot lower than the supposed 4runners 9.6in ground clearance. While we were there there was a limited w/ running boards that looked a lot lower and easier to get into than the trail. Granted the trail didn't have the running boards but it jus doesn't make sense to me how the limited 4x4, TE, and the Pro have the same ground clearance. So unsure on what to do at this point and even harder that the Trail doesn't have running boards to do any measuring or comparing even if we brought her mom down
Click to expand...

I know this may not be popular on this board and I might get torched for this but you should take a look at the Grand Cherokee with the electronic/air suspension that raises and lowers with the touch of a button. I don't recall the exact details but I know of some people who really love that feature.
 
The ground clearance advertised by Toyota is probably measured from a point on the undercarriage that is constant across the models, hence no variation. I do remember that they advertised higher ground clearance for the Trails for the 2010s - 2013s I think.
 
Generally the ground clearance is something beneath the truck not on the side. It might be the transfer case or the rear differential or a skid plate. The running boards on a SR5 or Limited are somewhat lower due to the side trim below the doors. If running boards would be put on a Trail there might be a gap between the rocker trim and the top of the board
 
I carry a step stool in the back of my Trail Edition. When it's to tall for someone to get in I bring out the step stool and they get in perfect.
 
The lowest point of both trucks (in terms of measuring the ground clearance) will be the rear differential.

You are looking for step in height, which is most likely not advertised...
 
444 said:
I know this may not be popular on this board and I might get torched for this but you should take a look at the Grand Cherokee with the electronic/air suspension that raises and lowers with the touch of a button. I don't recall the exact details but I know of some people who really love that feature.
Click to expand...

seems like something that would be expensive to fix later down the road but i appreciate the info
 
JET4 said:
I carry a step stool in the back of my Trail Edition. When it's to tall for someone to get in I bring out the step stool and they get in perfect.
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her mom gets out of a chair or scooter to get in, she gets in a ram with a side step jus fine so I'm not sure a stool would work
 
wfo9 said:
The lowest point of both trucks (in terms of measuring the ground clearance) will be the rear differential.

You are looking for step in height, which is most likely not advertised...
Click to expand...

makes sense, still weird the pro is the same though you would think it would be higher even at that point
 
444 said:
I know this may not be popular on this board and I might get torched for this but you should take a look at the Grand Cherokee with the electronic/air suspension that raises and lowers with the touch of a button. I don't recall the exact details but I know of some people who really love that feature.
Click to expand...

You may not get torched here, but you might on Jeep forums for suggesting it! I have heard that the air suspension is to be avoided like the plague due to unreliability.
 
The Trail (and Pro I would assume) is listed at 9.6" of clearance. The SR5 and Limited shows 9.0" of clearance. I think the front end is lower on the SR5 and Limited. That would explain the approach angle differences too. I am guessing the 9.6" of clearance is measured at the lowest part of the rear axle. Here is the link:

Toyota 4Runner Interior, Exterior & Safety Features
 
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I have a 2015 Trail with a stock running board. I measured the top of of the running board height from the ground, thinking that's how high you'd want to measure the step. The top of the running board is 15.5 inches from the ground.

Hope that helps.
 
One question not asked is how much and how hard to you intend to off road it? Any kind of step will be some detriment to moderate off roading, but if all you intend to do is maybe park/forest trails you should be fine with any running board. I initially installed a pair of Nfab step bars, but found out the steps were too low for anything with more than several inches of rolling terrain. I upgraded to a step slider, but my wife really misses those step bars because the steps were probably 5 or 6" lower.
 
Warpath said:
The Trail (and Pro I would assume) is listed at 9.6" of clearance. The SR5 and Limited shows 9.0" of clearance. I think the front end is lower on the SR5 and Limited. That would explain the approach angle differences too. I am guessing the 9.6" of clearance is measured at the lowest part of the rear axle. Here is the link:

Toyota 4Runner Interior, Exterior & Safety Features
Click to expand...

I believe the Trail has a smaller rear differential because of the e-locker. This is probably what accounts for the .6" difference. I imagine the front heights are the same between the 4wd models. The Limited probably just appears to sit lower because of the additional running boards.
 
Keep in mind that ground clearance is usually the lowest point of the frame/differential to the ground. This means that you can still throw side skirts and running boards on the side and not see a difference (as they usually won't hang lower than that point, but will cause clearance issues when off-roading.)
 
AlblineStar808 said:
Went to a local dealer today thinking we were gonna pull the trigger on a TE Premium but we left with some concerns. Long story short its for my lady and her mom is in a wheel chair/scooter. Currently her mom has been getting in and out of her bfs newer Ram 1500 2wd w/ some chrome side steps. According to online the ground clearance on those are 9.3in but it looks a lot lower than the supposed 4runners 9.6in ground clearance. While we were there there was a limited w/ running boards that looked a lot lower and easier to get into than the trail. Granted the trail didn't have the running boards but it jus doesn't make sense to me how the limited 4x4, TE, and the Pro have the same ground clearance. So unsure on what to do at this point and even harder that the Trail doesn't have running boards to do any measuring or comparing even if we brought her mom down
Click to expand...

I don't understand what your problem is. Every model has RBs available. Why don't you just start a new thread asking members with them for measurements? ... you have already received one.

Measure the RAM and compare - easy peasey.

I think I'd go for the foldable stool - seems a good solution. We have one at home for the (short) wife, works great.
 
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philsey said:
I don't understand what your problem is. Every model has RBs available. Why don't you just start a new thread asking members with them for measurements? ... you have already received one.

Measure the RAM and compare - easy peasey.

I think I'd go for the foldable stool - seems a good solution. We have one at home for the (short) wife, works great.
Click to expand...

the problem was understanding the ground clearance measurements but now it makes sense
 
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