Possibly stupid question

[VoodooTitan]

but necessary for my small brain to comprehend...

Do the 2014 4Runners officially fall into "5th Gen" classification? On this forum, and on a lot of the after market websites, the current, and latest products are classified under 5th Gen. It causes me to hesitate on pulling the trigger on purchasing something because I'm afraid of fitment. Are 2014 4Runners the exact same as other "5th Gen" 4Runners when it comes to fitment? Is the only difference in the vehicles cosmetic? For example, will a heavy duty bumper for a 5th gen fit on a 2014 TE with not additional modification? Can I purchase a suspension kit for my 2014 TE that is fitted for an older body style 5th Gen?

I'm extremely interested and invested in buying some aftermarket things for my 4Runner but I want to make sure the parts are intended. I comb through the forums daily reading threads about almost any and everything but the answer to my question eludes me...

Thanks.

 

[marshal]

14s are still 5th gens.

 

[VoodooTitan]

14s are still 5th gens.

Thanks for the reply. Follow on question...

Does that mean that, say, a suspension kit from metaltech will fit flush with no additional modifications needed? or do I need to contact each company to get that info? I find that when I look at "5th Gen" builds they are typically older body style, so I'm not 100% that if there is something they have that I like, it will work on my vehicle. This is where my concern lies.

 

[1engineer]

Thanks for the reply. Follow on question...

Does that mean that, say, a suspension kit from metaltech will fit flush with no additional modifications needed? or do I need to contact each company to get that info? I find that when I look at "5th Gen" builds they are typically older body style, so I'm not 100% that if there is something they have that I like, it will work on my vehicle. This is where my concern lies.

C'mon man, do a little research. Please don't tell me you are going to spend thousands of dollars without calling the vendor and making sure the components are going to fit! The '14's made some external cosmetic and interior changes. No suspension changes, nor drivetrain changes, nor basic sheet metal changes. They changed the front end, the lights and the rocker panels. Anything you buy that involves those three areas you will need '14 up. Anything suspension wise is the same as '10-13. If you read the 2014 4Runner thread, which BTW is a sticky right above this thread, you can find out every single little tiny thing that changed and how it affects the aftermarket world. Reading is FUNdamental, tiny brain or not.

 

[VoodooTitan]

C'mon man, do a little research. Please don't tell me you are going to spend thousands of dollars without calling the vendor and making sure the components are going to fit! The '14's made some external cosmetic and interior changes. No suspension changes, nor drivetrain changes, nor basic sheet metal changes. They changed the front end, the lights and the rocker panels. Anything you buy that involves those three areas you will need '14 up. Anything suspension wise is the same as '10-13. If you read the 2014 4Runner thread, which BTW is a sticky right above this thread, you can find out every single little tiny thing that changed and how it affects the aftermarket world. Reading is FUNdamental, tiny brain or not.

I've been doing research and unfortunately these questions are part of it. Of course I'm not going to spend money without being 100% sure of things, I'm may not be 4Runner-savvy, but I'm not an idiot, regardless of the self-pun in my OP. This is the first vehicle I've owned that sit's higher than a few inches off the ground so I am researching and learning as much as I can about components on the vehicles, lessons learned, reputable vendors, etc. With that said, I know that, typically, when there is a new iteration of a vehicle, there are some noticeable and some not-so-noticeable changes. Since this is my first 4Runner, and it happens to be a "new" model, I want to be sure of what I'm doing, and what better way than to talk to those who know.

Thank you for answering my questions. Sincerely. And thanks for not flaming too bad. I will add that sticky to my to-read list.

 

[VoodooTitan]

1engineer... btw your link to 10 commandments of modifying an offroad vehicle is awesome. Kudos for keeping that linked.

 

[1engineer]

1engineer... btw your link to 10 commandments of modifying an offroad vehicle is awesome. Kudos for keeping that linked.

Thanks. I learned 30 years ago what not to do with off road vehicles lol. I have now owned two 5th gen 4Runners (totaling over 100K miles) and have yet to need any modifications from stock other than better AT Tires. I go off road quite a bit but do not purposely rock crawl just to see if I can get to the other side. These vehicles are incredible off road in stock form. I get my kicks on my mountain bikes for exercise and adrenaline spikes now.

 

[VoodooTitan]

Thanks. I learned 30 years ago what not to do with off road vehicles lol. I have now owned two 5th gen 4Runners (totaling over 100K miles) and have yet to need any modifications from stock other than better AT Tires. I go off road quite a bit but do not purposely rock crawl just to see if I can get to the other side. These vehicles are incredible off road in stock form. I get my kicks on my mountain bikes for exercise and adrenaline spikes now.

That's reassuring to hear. I love my TE 4Runner. I had a 2010 Lancer Evolution, and I loved that car, it was awesome, but I LOVE my 4Runner.

So can I ask your opinion on suspension upgrades? What is your opinion on upgrading? My wife complains every time I come to a stop because of the nose diving... I know that's not justification enough, but I plan on adventuring, either in California or Hawaii, wherever the Navy takes me. So with that in the future I've been looking at suspension upgrades. Nothing super off-road, but enough to tackle so more austere environments. Will any of these aftermarket setups really effect the KDSS? I know toytec's BOSS kit has an special setup for the KDSS equipped models so I have been researching that more. I recently PM'd a member who purchased that setup to get his feedback on it. Thoughts?