Newbie needing advice/input... KDSS

[_sauce]

Hey all. So I put in preference for a 2021 Venture last summer, and the vehicle arrival got pushed back from last October to sometime this January.

I would also like to point out that i have *heavily* considered the TRD off-road premium however with the aesthetic changes I would want to make (wheels, badges, grill, step ups, yakima rack) it is going to be about 5k more expensive to get the TRD off road than it would be to just get the venture.

The issue I'm having is that the off-road premium has KDSS and the Venture does not.... additionally, the Venture will be here in two weeks, and there is no date in site for an off road premium that checks all my boxes. I have been having a hard time finding much useful information about the whole KDSS debacle.

I have heard KDSS is great and if you have it you would never go without, but also that those who don't have KDSS don't seem to notice, care, or miss it. Is the potential maintenance expense significant enough to be considered? If I intend on making suspension upgrades down the line, will I regret having the KDSS?

Basically, is it worth denying a vehicle that checks all my boxes except suspension (which I intend to change either way) to wait until god knows when for one with kdss that I will have to make quite a few changes to to achieve the look I desire?

Sorry for long post, and greatly appreciate everyones input.

 

[TheWraith]

Hey all. So I put in preference for a 2021 Venture last summer, and the vehicle arrival got pushed back from last October to sometime this January.

I would also like to point out that i have *heavily* considered the TRD off-road premium however with the aesthetic changes I would want to make (wheels, badges, grill, step ups, yakima rack) it is going to be about 5k more expensive to get the TRD off road than it would be to just get the venture.

The issue I'm having is that the off-road premium has KDSS and the Venture does not.... additionally, the Venture will be here in two weeks, and there is no date in site for an off road premium that checks all my boxes. I have been having a hard time finding much useful information about the whole KDSS debacle.

I have heard KDSS is great and if you have it you would never go without, but also that those who don't have KDSS don't seem to notice, care, or miss it. Is the potential maintenance expense significant enough to be considered? If I intend on making suspension upgrades down the line, will I regret having the KDSS?

Basically, is it worth denying a vehicle that checks all my boxes except suspension (which I intend to change either way) to wait until god knows when for one with kdss that I will have to make quite a few changes to to achieve the look I desire?

Sorry for long post, and greatly appreciate everyones input.

I have a 5.5" Lifted 2014 4Runner Trail Premium with KDSS on 35's

If your planning to mod it heavily ... I would for go the kdss ... If I could do it over I would have gone 2014 4Runner Trail Premium WITHOUT kdss ...

Without KDSS ... I would have gone Marlin Crawler RCLT by now

 

[02SE]

People can give you their opinion. But only you can decide what is best for you.

Personally, I wanted KDSS after driving all the models. Others haven't felt the same.

I know, big help.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Patriot12]

Don't get KDSS

 

[Ventured]

I just picked up my KDSS Venture a week or so ago and boy is it nice. While I have been searching for a KDSS model, I found that ventures in SoCal typically have KDSS and dealers in Texas/elsewhere do not. Must be the market?

There is a Venture with KDSS sitting in Carlsbad, Ca right now. Would have to ship but might be worth it for you. As an FYI, I used carguru to search all the dealers in the nation and typically list all the factory options included within the sticker price.

 

[_sauce]

Don't get KDSS

Any particular reason? Just trying to weigh pros and cons.

Definitely leaning toward no KDSS

 

[_sauce]

I just picked up my KDSS Venture a week or so ago and boy is it nice. While I have been searching for a KDSS model, I found that ventures in SoCal typically have KDSS and dealers in Texas/elsewhere do not. Must be the market?

There is a Venture with KDSS sitting in Carlsbad, Ca right now. Would have to ship but might be worth it for you. As an FYI, I used carguru to search all the dealers in the nation and typically list all the factory options included within the sticker price.

Hmmm. Interesting, I am glad you posted. My dealership here in CO told me no Ventures being manufactured with KDSS as far as they can tell for 2021. Irritating. Thanks for the insight! Will definitely be inquiring further about that now.

 

[TheWraith]

Hey there. Thanks for replying. I don't intend on going to wild (3" max lift and no super crazy suspension mods) more just thinking stiff walled (and maybe a tad bigger) tires, adjustable shocks, thicker sway bar.. that kind of stuff.

3" you'll start having issues with sag or what I like to call the "gangster lean"

And if you have bad OCD like me... good luck

 

[_sauce]

I have a 5.5" Lifted 2014 4Runner Trail Premium with KDSS on 35's

If your planning to mod it heavily ... I would for go the kdss ... If I could do it over I would have gone 2014 4Runner Trail Premium WITHOUT kdss ...

Without KDSS ... I would have gone Marlin Crawler RCLT by now

Hey there. Thanks for replying. I don't intend on going to wild (3" max lift and no super crazy suspension mods) more just thinking stiff walled (and maybe a tad bigger) tires, adjustable shocks, thicker sway bar.. that kind of stuff.

 

[406backpacker]

Hey there. Thanks for replying. I don't intend on going to wild (3" max lift and no super crazy suspension mods) more just thinking stiff walled (and maybe a tad bigger) tires, adjustable shocks, thicker sway bar.. that kind of stuff.

I'm in the no KDSS club as well (2021 white SR5P), planning similar mods to yours (blackout emblems done, planning on 3" max lift and running 33" - likely 285/75/16's with black wheels).

Hoping to not regret a no-KDSS model... Lack of inventory for KDSS models up here in Montana was the biggest determining factor for me.

 

[Ventured]

Hmmm. Interesting, I am glad you posted. My dealership here in CO told me no Ventures being manufactured with KDSS as far as they can tell for 2021. Irritating. Thanks for the insight! Will definitely be inquiring further about that now.

Absolutely. I had been talking to a few dealers in Texas and they said the same thing. A large majority of the ventures here are coming with KDSS.

Regarding suspension, I heard the same about sub-3” lifts. I ordered a set of the new eibach pro 2.0 kits (2.5” in the front on a coilover and 1” on the back). Already have 275 ko2’s on there now and just waiting for the eibach kit to come in.

 

[Bellatidusskyebeur]

Kdss limits rear travel. They don't recommend long travel setups with it. If you plan on pushing your brand new toy to the limits, I would suggest no to kdss.

 

[TheWraith]

Just to throw a wrench in the mix

Total Chaos is coming out with a Long Travel for KDSS end of the month or February...

I would still wish no kdss just cuz Marlin Crawler RCLT fixes the one of the main weakness of IFS.

And it's proven to be strong enough to finish KOH last year

 

[NorthPark]

KDSS will cost you more to mod and will just be a headache. This is coming from someone with about 9k in suspension work on a kdss setup. It does feel confident on the over the speed limit long haul drives back home after a long day though. And I bought it saying that I had no plans to do anything wild with it

 

[llDemonll]

I would also like to point out that i have *heavily* considered the TRD off-road premium however with the aesthetic changes I would want to make (wheels, badges, grill, step ups, yakima rack) it is going to be about 5k more expensive to get the TRD off road than it would be to just get the venture.

I'm curious how you think that an ORP with wheels ($1,000 including mounting), badges ($200), grill ($250), side steps ($ varies), and a roof rack ($500) are going to cost you $5k more than the Venture model.

The Venture model is a price increase over the ORP model.

Personally I would get KDSS. But it's a personal opinion. Go drive two 4Runners, one with KDSS and one without. As long as you're driving SR5 or Off-Road models only, they'll all drive the same without KDSS. Go drive them back-to-back, make some turns, hit on-ramps and off-ramps on the freeway, and see which you like best.

 

[NorthPark]

you might feel a side to side difference driving a stock kdss vs no kdss, but even mild after market suspension changes everything with 4runners

 

[JB1]

I had a 2015 with no KDSS and just bought a 2021 with KDSS. Night and day difference for me. Don't plan on massive suspension upgrades and do 90% street driving. I really appreciate the KDSS.

 

[TheWraith]

I had a 2015 with no KDSS and just bought a 2021 with KDSS. Night and day difference for me. Don't plan on massive suspension upgrades and do 90% street driving. I really appreciate the KDSS.

If you buy a 4runner and use it like this... KDSS is great

80% street even ... its worth it

But if you wheel it and put suspension pass 2.5" then it just becomes a headache. That 1" to 1.25" gangster lean sucks

 

[mrblah]

KDSS is pretty awesome for on-road performance, and as a daily driver, even when lifted.

KDSS sucks offroading, since it does limit articulation when rock crawling, and your teeth will fall out driving at full speed on gravel or corrugated roads even when you air down. It will do almost everything a nonkdss equipped 4runner, you just have to do it slower or in less comfort.

KDSS sucks when it comes to aftermarket prices and installation quotes.

KDSS sucks if you have to do the install yourself.

Its basically a trade off. It's kind of like the AT vs MT tire debate, it depends now what you plan on using your 4runner for.

I love my KDSS equipped 4runner and wouldn't trade it for anything else.

 

[Metal Tip]

I drove the kdss and non kdss models. Personally, I couldn't tell the difference. Maybe I didn't test drive it hard enough to find out. Either way, kdss wasn't a must have. When I found a 2021 4runner non kdss ORP with trd wheels and factory rock sliders for ~ 9% off msrp, I knew i had to jump on it. So it just boils down to your priorities.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk