Shall I get the KDSS on my Future T4R?

[Biznitch15]

Hey guys, new to T4R. I'm coming over from TacomaWorld.
I plan to purchase a Runner in the near future. Ive done some research about KDSS. But i never got the impression that it's worth the investment.

I also stumbled across another Thread on the forum about issues Adding an Icon supspension and having KDSS. Any Advice on KDSS would be great. Thanks

 

[homeyclaus]

If you're going to make significant changes to the suspension, you can get pretty much the same effect. In that case, the answer is no.

If all you're going to do is add a < 3" lift, it makes handling on road significantly better without degrading the ability for the wheels to articulate.

Test drive both on a real road, highway on and off ramps. See if you can tell the difference, and if that's worth the price difference to you.

 

[harkco]

Hey guys, new to T4R. I'm coming over from TacomaWorld.
I plan to purchase a Runner in the near future. Ive done some research about KDSS. But i never got the impression that it's worth the investment.

I also stumbled across another Thread on the forum about issues Adding an Icon supspension and having KDSS. Any Advice on KDSS would be great. Thanks

I have KDSS and an Icon suspension. There were no issues at all. In my opinion KDSS is worth the investment, but some members here will probably say different. There are also many other members here with aftermarket suspensions on a KDSS 4Runner.

 

[Biznitch15]

If you're going to make significant changes to the suspension, you can get pretty much the same effect. In that case, the answer is no.

If all you're going to do is add a < 3" lift, it makes handling on road significantly better without degrading the ability for the wheels to articulate.

Test drive both on a real road, highway on and off ramps. See if you can tell the difference, and if that's worth the price difference to you.

I got the feeling that when Toyota elected to exclude KDSS on the PRO, it was due to the modified suspension.

I plan on doing an ICON stage 5 setup. Although something tells me I should probably stay stock.

 

[sandcrawler]

i have an ICON suspension on my KDSS Trail. no "issues", excepting the fact that it makes the installation process a bit different. will say that i wouldn't trust any ol' Bubba-shop to do the install for fear that they'd do something lazy and/or stupid and wind up bleeding the cylinders or some such nonsense.

the currently active thread about the rig with the KDSS problem is troubling, but not necessarily representative of a massive rash of failures with the system.

i'm blown away by how flat and neutral mine now handles through corners on-road; basically zero body-roll. it's impressive.

I got the feeling that when Toyota elected to exclude KDSS on the PRO, it was due to the modified suspension.

i get the feeling an equal part of that decision was the fact that a KDSS-equipped TRD Pro would essentially put pricing in Lexus territory.

 

[Pathfinder5243]

I have a 4th gen. so I have no experience with it but if McLaren trusted it on the MP4-12C than it's good with me.

 

[bandaman]

I came from a full size pickup, so the 4Runner already handles on road much better to me. I don't hard core off-road so didn't really see the off-road need for me either. Since I plan to keep the runner a very long time, it's one less thing to repair or replace if ever needed. That is why I decided to save the $1750. That and it was hard enough to find one without KDSS.

 

[team_gforce]

i'm blown away by how flat and neutral mine now handles through corners on-road; basically zero body-roll. it's impressive.

I agree 100%. Wasnt necessarily looking for a KDSS rig at the time we purchased ours, just so happened to be the right rig at the right time. I havent really got the chance to do any real wheeling yet, but the thing rides like it's on rails on the highway. The high speed highway behavior is nothing short of impressive.

 

[wfo9]

The answer depends on what you plan to do with the truck.

1. How long do you plan to keep it? More than 5 years?
2. Do you plan to pay for an extended warranty?
3. How much offroading do you plan to do?
4. Do you plan to lift it or change any of the suspension (at all). If so warranty will most likely not work on KDSS.
5. Do you think you might eventually want to do a long travel setup in the rear...?
6. Will this be a daily driver or more of a trail rig.
7. Do you value on-road or off-road performance more.

 

[JerseyMike]

i have an ICON suspension on my KDSS Trail. no "issues", excepting the fact that it makes the installation process a bit different. will say that i wouldn't trust any ol' Bubba-shop to do the install for fear that they'd do something lazy and/or stupid and wind up bleeding the cylinders or some such nonsense.

^^^This.^^^

Hand my stage 2 installed a year ago, and immediately began having KDSS problems. Went thru a whole raft of sh*t with multiple dealers til I found one that had a clue and found out that all it needed was a recharge b/c the system was half bled out. $550 bucks later :ybrick: and the truck was back to cornering on rails.

 

[Engineer]

to clarify [MENTION=86575]JerseyMike[/MENTION], I assume the issue was caused by whomever did the install not knowing what they are doing? It almost sounds like you are saying lifting the truck w/KDSS caused the issue and I don't want future readers to be confused.

 

[Canon_Bob]

Most everyone above covered the major stuff well. Only other consideration I'd add is if you do a lot of city driving in your 4Runner it's is REALLY nice for it's handling ability in cornering, and maneuvering through city driving conditions. If you live in the country where these conditions are not prevalent in your driving, then it's probably not worth it. I live in a city, and LOVE it for city driving.

 

[Jetboy]

I think you really just need to drive both options back to back. For me - it was either KDSS or immediate suspension replacement. I did not like the handling on the highway of the base suspension. Coming from a 3rd gen 4runner with airbags and 5100's, it was way too soft for my liking. If I were used to driving a tahoe, I'd probably feel right at home with the base suspension. Also I have a dedicated trail rig so I wasn't particularly interested in lifting my 4runner right away. If I could have bought a Limited with KDSS, that is what I would have bought.

It's really just a matter of what you'd like your 4runner to feel like. Be glad that you have options! Most vehicles don't.

 

[JerseyMike]

to clarify [MENTION=86575]JerseyMike[/MENTION], I assume the issue was caused by whomever did the install not knowing what they are doing? It almost sounds like you are saying lifting the truck w/KDSS caused the issue and I don't want future readers to be confused.

Yep, it seems that the KDSS was somehow partially bled during the lift (or slider) install process. This was by a pretty reputable installer too, so KDSS pressure issues might be something to watch for post-install.

 

[sandcrawler]

Hand my stage 2 installed a year ago, and immediately began having KDSS problems. Went thru a whole raft of sh*t with multiple dealers til I found one that had a clue and found out that all it needed was a recharge b/c the system was half bled out. $550 bucks later :ybrick: and the truck was back to cornering on rails.

Yep, it seems that the KDSS was somehow partially bled during the lift (or slider) install process. This was by a pretty reputable installer too, so KDSS pressure issues might be something to watch for post-install.

$550? doesn't seem as bad as the repair for the guy (in Canada) in this other thread: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/186289-serious-kdss-problem.html

granted, that case is for both a cylinder replacement and recharge, but the recharge quote is practically 3X what you paid.

any chance you could post a PDF/pic of your repair order?

 

[Mooney]

My S5 and KDSS have provided a sweet ride without consequences. Only damage so far is to the wallet.

 

[wfo9]

The beauty of KDSS is that it provide good off-road performance without sacrificing on-road (it's a dynamic sway bar system). However, if you plan to install a lift... there goes the warranty on it. And it is expensive and problematic to to service (the other thread mentioned demonstrates what can happen, overall it is a pretty rare system)

Also, if you ever want to run long travel it would need to be removed anyway.

I'm trying to decide myself as I'm thinking about buying a second rig (a used gx470) The KDSS scares me from a reliability standpoint, but at the same time it would be nice to have on a mild overland rig.

So it all depends on what you plan to do with the truck.

 

[Whiplash Willy]

The beauty of KDSS is that it provide good off-road performance without sacrificing on-road (it's a dynamic sway bar system). However, if you plan to install a lift... there goes the warranty on it. And it is expensive and problematic to to service (the other thread mentioned demonstrates what can happen, overall it is a pretty rare system)

Also, if you ever want to run long travel it would need to be removed anyway.

I'm trying to decide myself as I'm thinking about buying a second rig (a used gx470) The KDSS scares me from a reliability standpoint, but at the same time it would be nice to have on a mild overland rig.

So it all depends on what you plan to do with the truck.

KDSS only comes on the GX470 "Sport" models. The rest just have normal swaybars. GX470 Sports are pretty rare, and can be identified by the Charcoal woodgrain trim, instead of wood colored trim.

 

[sandcrawler]

I have a 4th gen. so I have no experience with it but if McLaren trusted it on the MP4-12C than it's good with me.

i never knew that about the McLaren before. this overview from Olathe parts center has a pretty good explanation of the system and how it works: All You Ever Wanted To Know About Kinetic Dynamic Suspension

 

[wfo9]

KDSS only comes on the GX470 "Sport" models. The rest just have normal swaybars. GX470 Sports are pretty rare, and can be identified by the Charcoal woodgrain trim, instead of wood colored trim.

Right, they can be found, but are not as common. Just like 4 runner trails, but probably more rare.

Still not sure it is a good thing to have on an older truck. I'm leaning towards not getting one with it.