Nowhere near the advertised ground clearance

[MoonStorm]

Advertised ground clearance for Trail with KDSS off by 1"

Long time lurker here, decided to go ahead with the purchase of a red Trail.

As soon as I saw the car on the lot I realized it was something off with the advertised ground clearance. The specs show 9.6" but I just measured it leveled, unloaded and with the recommended tire pressure of 32psi and I get 8.6" at the skid plate. Is this just a matter of wishful thinking on behalf of Toyota or I'm missing something here.

UPDATE:
The mystery has been solved. The KDSS is reducing the ground clearance by about an inch. Thanks guys for clearing it up.
Toyota should have advertised this in the specs.

 

[J17]

An inch is pretty close. Since the armor is an add-on I'd guess the measurement was done before installation.

 

[MoonStorm]

An inch is pretty close. Since the armor is an add-on I'd guess the measurement was done before installation.

People are adding lift kits for an inch or two of extra ground clearance, so in my opinion the difference is significant.

Any addon that is part of a trim should've been included in the measurement for that particular trim. Otherwise where do we stop?

 

[Engineer]

Return it!

 

[MoonStorm]

Return it!

Very helpful thanks.

 

[Engineer]

Your Welcome!

I have not been around this forum since the dawn of time but I have not seen a single report of "lower" then claimed ground clearance. So my suggestion/input is for you to call Toyota and see what they are basing the measurement off of and what the tollerance is and if your measurement falls inside or outside that range. I doubt that information is on this forum. If you do call report back what they say.

If you are coming here asking is there a known issue where some trucks are "lower" then the rest I would say no, but I also don't think many people bother to measure so maybe its a huge problem and no one knows about it

 

[4Rager]

I'm bored at work so I just measured mine. Rear diff was about 9.5" and the lowest skid on the front was right around 9". I probably have at least 1/2" of tread worn off my tires from when they were new as well, so that would drop it another 1/4" or so.

 

[LUVDA4RUNNER]

I love it when somebody signs up on the site and their 1st post is a rather stupid complaint.:violin:

 

[MoonStorm]

Ah forget it. I'm getting too much flak.

Toyota could have advertised any random number. 20" ground clearance to make it whole and please the masses. If it's not that in reality, it's because Earth is round.

 

[Jayhawk5G]

You've measured it and know the difference so now what...

 

[hearno]

Eh... a manufacturer's claim being more than 10% off would aggravate me as well. Didn't the Chevy or Ford guys flip shit when one of the newer Mustangs or Vettes didn't dyno anywhere near the claim and then had their ECUs reprogrammed as a result to let out a little more power? I didn't bother to measure mine before I lifted it but I know I'd be perturbed.

 

[probos]

If it was something you noticed on the lot, and an obvious concern to you, why didn't you measure the ground clearance before buying?

 

[JSparky]

Is your truck equipped with KDSS?

 

[msp]

If it was something you noticed on the lot, and an obvious concern to you, why didn't you measure before buying?

Everybody is fussy about something different. I feel the same way when guys are "compensating" for KDSS lean. I will measure tonight just for grins. It's not a big deal to me, but to each their own...

 

[BLACK-FL4RUNNER]

I'm pretty sure nobody cares.

In other news, I just measured a 2x4 and it's not actually 2" x 4".... who should I complain to?
:welcome:

 

[MoonStorm]

If it was something you noticed on the lot, and an obvious concern to you, why didn't you measure the ground clearance before buying?

I noticed the skid plate was coming pretty low compared to how the rest of the body is lifted up. But that's what it is. I relied on the fact that Toyota says it's 9.6, and that number was acceptable to me.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I should've also measured it when I got the car in my garage with the tires overinflated, as it came from the dealer. But I don't suspect this to make a big difference.

Is your truck equipped with KDSS?

Yes it is, do you reckon that is the culprit here?

 

[PHXTE]

For the sake of argument, I'll pretend what you're saying is correct. Does this materially affect what you bought the vehicle for or do you just want something to ***** about?

I mean, if it's going to spend 99% of its life in the mall parking lot, is this really a hill to die on?

 

[MoonStorm]

For the sake of argument, I'll pretend what you're saying is correct. Does this materially affect what you bought the vehicle for or do you just want something to ***** about?

I mean, if it's going to spend 99% of its life in the mall parking lot, is this really a hill to die on?

I got a new Cherokee Trailhawk with the check engine light on for malls thank you very much :50cal: It went on long trips and trails and I had a lot of fun scratching it but unfortunately the confidence is now lost.

I plan on taking this new baby where it's supposed to be going :bluejump:

 

[BLACK-FL4RUNNER]

KDSS - Situation is now cleared up. Yes, the front skid is lower than non-KDSS models.

 

[Jeremy556]

Yes it is, do you reckon that is the culprit here?

Yes, KDSS skid plate is lower than non-KDSS models.