Nose Dive While Hard Braking!

sporty87

New member
:wtf: Took my new 2010 4Runner SR5 into the dealer about when you jam on the brakes when you have to stop in a panic situation and the truck nose dives. God forbid you do not have your seat belt on because you might just go thru the windshield. Of course the answer was it's normal. Any one else have this problem?
 
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It's gonna happen. There is tons of weight and it all moves forward when you brake. The sensation is heightened because the rig sits high on a ladder frame. It's like a see saw action.

I fear that Toyota speced mild springs. Something that would give a cushy ride, but unfortunately shows it's true characteristics when turning or stopping at speed. The only solution is to change the springs or complete new suspension up front. The cheapest solution is to replace the stock springs with OME or other aftermarket options.
 
:wtf: Took my new 2010 4Runner SR5 into the dealer about when you jam on the brakes when you have to stop in a panic situation and the truck nose dives. God forbid you do not have your seat belt on because you might just go thru the windshield. Of course the answer was it's normal. Any one else have this problem?

Hmmmm, ok, I can understand your 'nose-dive' issue, but it is an 'real' SUV not a sports car. As far as the seatbelt thing, how does slamming the brakes on in a civic vs a 4R differ when it comes to stopping YOUR body? If they both stop at the same rate you will be 'tossed through the windshield' at the same amount, that is just basic physics. Like stated, get stiffer shocks or you should have bought a Limited :) Did you do the brake test during your test drive?
 
Hmmmm, ok, I can understand your 'nose-dive' issue, but it is an 'real' SUV not a sports car. As far as the seatbelt thing, how does slamming the brakes on in a civic vs a 4R differ when it comes to stopping YOUR body? If they both stop at the same rate you will be 'tossed through the windshield' at the same amount, that is just basic physics. Like stated, get stiffer shocks or you should have bought a Limited :) Did you do the brake test during your test drive?

I have also noticed this action and it is quite dramatic and scary. I have a limited and twice now I've had to brake hard and I swear the vehicle stops right in place without any further movement forward. It is really jarring and not like anything I've ever experienced before.

I had an 03 prior to this new 4Runner and I never had this issue with that vehicle. I was just thinking the other day that if I had to slam on the brakes while driving at a faster speed, I could see the whole vehicle flipping right over.
 
Maybe you guys are experiencing the Brake Assist feature that's been mentioned on this board before. Either way this car sways around a bunch when your driving. I noticed it during the first test drive I took. I'm not sure why you guys are getting bent out of shape about it now.
 
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I have also noticed this action and it is quite dramatic and scary. I have a limited and twice now I've had to brake hard and I swear the vehicle stops right in place without any further movement forward. It is really jarring and not like anything I've ever experienced before.

I had an 03 prior to this new 4Runner and I never had this issue with that vehicle. I was just thinking the other day that if I had to slam on the brakes while driving at a faster speed, I could see the whole vehicle flipping right over.

You surely don't mean end over end, do you?
 
More then likely the front suspension is the same as the previous 4runner, Tacoma, and fj so why not just swap the shock assembly over since they are stiffer springs.
 
I have also noticed this action and it is quite dramatic and scary. I have a limited and twice now I've had to brake hard and I swear the vehicle stops right in place without any further movement forward. It is really jarring and not like anything I've ever experienced before.

I had an 03 prior to this new 4Runner and I never had this issue with that vehicle. I was just thinking the other day that if I had to slam on the brakes while driving at a faster speed, I could see the whole vehicle flipping right over.

So...when you brake hard you'd prefer it to keep moving forward? Personally, when I have to brake hard I prefer having a vehicle that "stops right in place". As a matter of fact, just the other day when some genius cut in front of me and then jammed on his brakes for a yellow light I thought "thank god this thing has decent brakes". I wasn't pleased that everything that was sitting on the passenger seat was now on the floor, but it was happy as sh*t I hadn't slammed into the car in front of me...

I'm relatively certain that if you were able to flip your 4Runner "right over" over while braking in a straight line, you'd be the first person to ever achieve that in a production car, ever. Ever.
 
So...when you brake hard you'd prefer it to keep moving forward? .

Obviously not. Just letting the OP know that I too have had this same thing happen to me. Unlike my 03 4Runner, this new truck doesn't 'skid' per se, it stops immediately and if you're not use to this, it is really surprising.

As for the flipping comment......I know nothing, nada, about vehicles. I'm simply saying that it 'feels' like the vehicle 'could' flip if it was driving at a higher rate of speed. Would it?? Who knows......I work in an office so I have no background in this department.
 
Obviously not. Just letting the OP know that I too have had this same thing happen to me. Unlike my 03 4Runner, this new truck doesn't 'skid' per se, it stops immediately and if you're not use to this, it is really surprising.

As for the flipping comment......I know nothing, nada, about vehicles. I'm simply saying that it 'feels' like the vehicle 'could' flip if it was driving at a higher rate of speed. Would it?? Who knows......I work in an office so I have no background in this department.

No it wouldn't flip ass end over. And having soft springs (which causes the nose dive) doesn't aid in braking. If someone could post the factory spring rate that would give a good stating point for people. Whether they choose to replace just their springs with with some higher rate ones, or just get coilovers. I would assume coilover rates are the same for tacoma's and 4runners in which case toytec's are 600lb and icon along with most others are 650lb
 
Minimizing nose dive, in particular, is one of those things XREAS (Limited) excels at. The descriptions of the way the basic 5th gen suspension behaves makes me suspect the springs were made taller but not stiffer compared to 4th gen. That's not a formula for reducing nose dive.
 
I test drove a SR5 and a KDSS TE, both had too much brake induced nose dive but the KDSS TE had less body roll than the SR5. I drove all 3 models back to back on the highway during a blustery Santa Ana windy day and the Limited was impressively stable with very little brake dive. I'm sure the 20 inch wheels also contribute to its stability.
 
defensive

Obviously not. Just letting the OP know that I too have had this same thing happen to me. Unlike my 03 4Runner, this new truck doesn't 'skid' per se, it stops immediately and if you're not use to this, it is really surprising.

As for the flipping comment......I know nothing, nada, about vehicles. I'm simply saying that it 'feels' like the vehicle 'could' flip if it was driving at a higher rate of speed. Would it?? Who knows......I work in an office so I have no background in this department.

I think it's funny how when anything is criticized on the new generation, the new owners get very defensive!
 
I think it's funny how when anything is criticized on the new generation, the new owners get very defensive!

I think it's funny how people complain about something that should have been obvious on the test drive. If it was such an issue why buy it in the first place?
 
There's a YouTube clip of a 2010 Salsa Red Trail where they do a road test including 60 - 0 braking and I remember thinking to myself how dramatic the nose dive looked in the video. So maybe the OP is on to something..... I realize the 4Runner isn't a sports car, but it sure seems to squat in the front and lift in the rear excessively during a panic stop.

Here's the video...go to 2:25 to see the nose dive. Maybe it's not as dramatic as I remember.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wda0aoX2vcU&feature=PlayList&p=554BBFCD32BA0C8A&playnext=1&index=19

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At least the video doesn't show the 4runner flipping over end to end as some on this forum have feared. Personally, I have the Limited and did notice hard nose dive braking. Buckle up!
 
LOL, I think it would be impossible to flip end-over-end during a panic stop. That might be possible on a motorcycle, but not on a 4Runner!
 

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