Nowhere near the advertised ground clearance

[Kotrin]

So right now i'm at 15758 miles on my Odometer. Currently I've done 1500 miles that i can physically track on non paved roads. I've done technical and extreme and I would rather have the 1/2" or 1" lower than advertised. Yes I have a 3" lift that allowed for bigger tires which puts me at a height where I can just crawl around under with nothing hitting me. Granted I've never measure and now i'm curious. But I like a lower center of gravity.

When ever i'm out adventuring, I choose my paths and always choose rocks on tires or go slow and let my underbody armor do what its 'paid' for. I've crawled boulders that are up to the size of my son who's 45". Choosing your path, patience (winching), sliders can help tremendously.

Granted I understand where your coming from, but on my last car, a Subaru, they advertised 9.5" and I didn't even have that. Now by no mean's do I claim to know everything, but on a CURIOSITY note, is this with no engine?, base frame/tires/drive-line? When did they claim WE all had this height. Heck if you don't crawl under when measuring it can look like you got 10"'s! =D

Just my 2cents.

 

[MoonStorm]

Hey people you're missing the point here! This is not about 8" or 9".

The point is Toyota lied in their specs by a large margin (10%). The point is I thought I'm buying a more off-road focused trim when in fact, and this is hilarious, a Trail with KDSS is LESS off-road capable in one of the key aspects of off-roading than the base trim SR5 and the most on-road focused trim, the Limited. Are you f*cking kidding me?!?!?

 

[redkat]

Expect it to lower even more as it settles from use.

Class action lawsuit, nah. Read all the disclosures in the last page of the brochure.

 

[1engineer]

Hey people you're missing the point here! This is not about 8" or 9".

The point is Toyota lied in their specs by a large margin. The point is I thought I'm buying a more off-road focused trim when in fact, and this is hilarious, a Trail with KDSS is LESS off-road capable in one of the key aspects than the base trim SR5 and the most on-road focused trim, the Limited. Are you f*cking kidding me?!?!?

Ground clearance is just one aspect of off roading capability. If you had done ANY research whatsoever you would have learned that KDSS equipped vehicles offer improvement both on and off road, not just off road.

So Toyota posted a generic ground clearance figure instead of model specific. Boo hoo.

What blame should be placed on you for spending $$$$ without doing proper research beforehand?

Every OEM of every single product stretches the truth when advertising their product specs. I guarantee you though that if the fine print was read there would be a disclaimer in there to cover their a$$. Every single one from vacuum cleaners to vehicles.

I suggest in the future you do a bit more research before spending your money so then the whining will be kept to a minimum. What a thread....

 

[MoonStorm]

I knew KDSS would improve the ride both on and off road. And yes, Toyota is posting per-trim numbers. And I never said ground clearance is everything in off-roading. What's your point sir, apart from twisting my words?

 

[Jeremy556]

Hey people you're missing the point here! This is not about 8" or 9".

The point is Toyota lied in their specs by a large margin (10%). The point is I thought I'm buying a more off-road focused trim when in fact, and this is hilarious, a Trail with KDSS is LESS off-road capable in one of the key aspects of off-roading than the base trim SR5 and the most on-road focused trim, the Limited. Are you f*cking kidding me?!?!?

You know how many times I have been hung up on the low spot of the front skid plate? None. I have been hung up far more times on the front recovery loops.

 

[Bilbo]

When ever i'm out adventuring, I choose my paths and always choose rocks on tires or go slow and let my underbody armor do what its 'paid' for. I've crawled boulders that are up to the size of my son who's 45". Choosing your path, patience (winching), sliders can help tremendously.

[MENTION=65505]Kotrin[/MENTION] Here's a fun challenge, LOL. I'll bring the beer.

 

[1engineer]

I knew KDSS would improve the ride both on and off road. And I never said ground clearance is everything in off-roading. What's your point sir, apart from twisting my words?

Read what you wrote. I did not twist anything. You came here to complain about Toyota and you assert that Toyota lied about their claimed ground clearance. Many of us have patiently explained to you why your specific ground clearance is lower than advertised yet you still whine about it. Judging from your previous posts you had no idea that KDSS equipped vehicles had a different suspension and required different sway bars and LCA's that dropped the ground clearance a bit. My ground clearance is right on with the Toyota advertisement. I'm sure if you read the fine print you will see that Toyota has your vehicle covered too. Good luck man and in the future do a bit more research beforehand so you will know exactly what you are buying.

 

[nb rob]

Hey people you're missing the point here! This is not about 8" or 9".

The point is Toyota lied in their specs by a large margin (10%). The point is I thought I'm buying a more off-road focused trim when in fact, and this is hilarious, a Trail with KDSS is LESS off-road capable in one of the key aspects of off-roading than the base trim SR5 and the most on-road focused trim, the Limited. Are you f*cking kidding me?!?!?

you didn't say ground clearance was everything, but a key aspect.

You also said a KDSS equipped vehicle is less off-road capable, in the context of ground clearance.

sorry you feel so duped man. I've been off road lots in my 4runner, and I've yet to encounter a ruler sticking out of the trail. Let's be real here

 

[nb rob]

enjoy the 4R anyway-- I think you'll find that they're VERY capable offroad

 

[mbumpus11]

...and I've yet to encounter a ruler sticking out of the trail...

[emoji23]

 

[MoonStorm]

enjoy the 4R anyway-- I think you'll find that they're VERY capable offroad

Already took it on a rocky trail yesterday after work. It was an awesome experience, got one tire in the air Tried the hill descend as well, and the noise scared me a little bit, but I knew it was normal. I also made the noob mistake of lingering too much in N when shifting to 4L and the gears started grinding. Brrrrr...

 

[Kotrin]

[MENTION=65505]Kotrin[/MENTION] Here's a fun challenge, LOL. I'll bring the beer.

View attachment 163550

Tell me where it is and I'll attempt it, but I need your 4Runner as a 'safety' recovery =). Anything that large I prefer to have a safety attachment as that will great take me past maximum flex. Now if you put a few stepping boulders before and after, I would do it with out a safety strap =)

 

[darrylj]

Every OEM of every single product stretches the truth when advertising their product specs. I guarantee you though that if the fine print was read there would be a disclaimer in there to cover their a$$.

Ah, so that's why my SR5 has 3-wheel drive. I'd wondered about that.

 

[nb rob]

Already took it on a rocky trail yesterday after work. It was an awesome experience, got one tire in the air Tried the hill descend as well, and the noise scared me a little bit, but I knew it was normal. I also made the noob mistake of lingering too much in N when shifting to 4L and the gears started grinding. Brrrrr...

The crawl control sounds pretty gnarly when you've got the dial all the way to the left, but it's pretty cool-- It has it's place for me, as a novice.

Glad to took it wheelin! There's something very satisfying about throwing that stick in to 4L.

 

[delloro]

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.

Me too. And if this forum isn't for this kind of question, then what is it for?

 

[bimrunner]

You know how many times I have been hung up on the low spot of the front skid plate? None. I have been hung up far more times on the front recovery loops.

This. Front is not the issue outside of the stupid loops. I have knocked mine so many times... Never been hung up on the front cross section. Slammed the crap out of my y-pipe skid (have to space it down nearly every time I run a highly technical trail due to exhaust vibrations driving me nuts - first gen of RCI skids didn't do this section well). I also have abused the gas tank skid... a lot! I don't really get hung up on the read diff either which is another spot that hangs low.

 

[bimrunner]

you didn't say ground clearance was everything, but a key aspect.

You also said a KDSS equipped vehicle is less off-road capable, in the context of ground clearance.

sorry you feel so duped man. I've been off road lots in my 4runner, and I've yet to encounter a ruler sticking out of the trail. Let's be real here

Probably because in Canada they don't have ruler forests like they do in CA. :whoo:

 

[2014 Warthog]

Ah, so that's why my SR5 has 3-wheel drive. I'd wondered about that.

Heh yes well..

2WD is really one wheel drive
4WD is really two wheel drive
Unless you have a rear locker, then it's three wheel drive.
Add A-TRAK or posi and it's 3.5 wheel drive
Front and rear locker? FINALLY! 4WD!

 

[Jayhawk5G]

I guess my final thought would be this... it's hard for me to understand the outrage. The 4Runner and it's specs really aren't advertised to a high degree, certainly not like other models of vehicle. Second, it's not like the 99' Mustang Cobra fiasco where just short of spending $100+ and dyno'ing the vehicle you wouldn't know it was down on power. If ground clearance is a concern, take a tape measure, and measure it for free... before you buy. Where is the damage done to the consumer based on the negligent advertising?