I actually went to look at the JK's, but they're too small inside. I'm 6'4 270lbs.. i fit really well in the 4R surprisingly
Totally new and need advice
- Thread starter radog
- Start date
I actually went to look at the JK's, but they're too small inside. I'm 6'4 270lbs.. i fit really well in the 4R surprisingly
Just from what you said, I would consider the crazy additional cost just to get dual climate control for me and my lady. ha
To me it seems worth it just for the dual climate control because me and my lady are on both extreme ends of the temp guage always. that would be something we'd argue about all the time
I was in your same boat. I personally went with the TRD Off Road Premium.
Why?
I planned to upgrade suspension OME BP51 (PRO could not handle the weight I planned to add so I needed to upgrade regardless, Bumpers, Winch, Roof Rack)
I Planned to change all the bumpers and add a winch
I planned to get a better FULL roof rack which allowed me to put a roof top tent and other MISC items on top
The PRO basically is a vehicle that they sold to the people who DON"T want to do any modifications and use it as is. It is very capable but in the end if you want to add the modifications I have done and the reasoning for them are the same, go with the ORP.
You pretty much have every upgrade id want to do to mine.. Im jealous! But like you said, either way i have to upgrade the suspension because of weight
+1
I bought the AG for my wife, its the only color she wanted. I wanted to get a ORP but AG was what she wanted so she got the Pro.
MAST4R
New member
Anywhere from 1" to 2" of lift plus armor is enough. Most people would just go for 2". I am 1.25/1.
I spent years thinking that ground clearance is king since I had a Subaru and spacers where the only option. But most hits are not due to lack of clearance, they are due to soft suspensions that squat at the sight of a pebble. So stiffening the suspension helps both eliminating bottoming out events which can happen at 15 mph on a stock setup and also minimizing hitting rocks while crawling.
The difference between 1.25" and 2" lift is that the latter loses you an extra 0.75" of down travel which is a big deal and even more so with a stiffer suspension.
SO...you have two options to fine tune this:
2" front lift with 600lb springs should provide Cadillac ride on road plus help avoid rocks when crawling but won't help against bottoming out at speed.
1.25-1.5 front lift with 650lb springs will accomplish the same thing in rocks but also prevent bottoming out at speed. The price to pay is a good/very good but not outstanding ride quality on road.
Last but not least, think of the suspension in relation to the tires you want to use. If you do lots and lots of desert and little in rain, KO2s are a good option but LT tires on top of a stiff suspension may make the ride on road a bit too sporty especially for rear seat passengers.
At the end, you will not know for sure what you want until you have tried a few options. If you have previous experience on a similar vehicle you may get it just right in one try but if coming like me from a very different vehicle, it is bound to be a process. But it is a fun one! Just don't spend 3,000 on a suspension unless you are sure you know why
Maybe see if you can drive some forum members' vehicles to get a feel for the 2-3 suspensions that interest you the most. In that case, make sure to account for the tires and the psi as well.
Good luck, should be fun!
If you plan on doing a lot of off roading and want it higher than the Pro and looking to do a lot of mods then the off-road is the way to go. I did all the mods to my 15 Tacoma and after that sold all my mods and decided I wanted the 4runner Pro and leave it the way it is. Traded my 17 Pro and now have 2020 AG pro. But this is just me. Good luck on your decision.
KDSS has been around for a long time on the GX's it is a premium option for them.
Let's break down what KDSS is, it is a hydraulic stabilizer.
PRO's
Beafy stabilizer bar
More stability
KDSS activates when it senses that a wheel has dropped
prevents heavy body roll and actually reduces overall body roll in maneuvering
CON's
??? Something that can break in the future i guess?
I personally haven been in a gx with and without KDSS. I prefer KDSS.
From my knowledge KDSS has been around for 16 years
Let's break down what KDSS is, it is a hydraulic stabilizer.
PRO's
Beafy stabilizer bar
More stability
KDSS activates when it senses that a wheel has dropped
prevents heavy body roll and actually reduces overall body roll in maneuvering
CON's
??? Something that can break in the future i guess?
I personally haven been in a gx with and without KDSS. I prefer KDSS.
From my knowledge KDSS has been around for 16 years
I understand people like the new AG but if you already have one, why not just wrap it? Better paint protection and cheaper than getting a new one, Unless you leased then that makes sense. I personally would only BUY Toyota's.
Wolfspyder
New member
you'll love this one to then.
Looks great, which head unit is that? And did you add a sub to the system too?
Android T9 Head Unit. No sub, Honestly this unit outputs more than enough power to the speakers. I haven't heard a good enough Sub system that i would invest into it.
Very pleased with this unit much better and cheaper than the Alpine Crap that makes it look like i have a Mercedes...
The reason I traded in got almost what I paid for it. I owned my Pro. The reason I jumped up was because of the upgrades. Did not need to put much money out of my pocket. I wanted the JBL system, sunroof , fox suspension, TRD exhaust and plus the bigger screen with the Apple car play. I like it in my 19 Z06 and I mine works great in my Pro. If it did not have the extras I would have kept my 17 White Pro.
DallasTRDPro
Member
I traded my heavily modified Rubicon Recon. I ended up with death wobble. I immediately went to a Toyota dealership and test drove the Pro. I loved it. I’m used to a stiff bouncy suspension and I decided i was tired of modifying suspensions and the endless things that need to be replaced. I have no idea how good the Fox suspension is, but it rides better than any Jeep I’ve ever owned. I’m not planning on lifting the Pro so that’s why I went with it.
I’m headed to Moab this Friday from Dallas and I’m excited to see what the Pro can do. I know my drivers to and from Moab will be much better than my Jeep.
Just plan your build and buy the best parts you can. Be careful overbuilding your rig. I’ve done it 4 times and lost 10’s of thousands of dollars.
I’m headed to Moab this Friday from Dallas and I’m excited to see what the Pro can do. I know my drivers to and from Moab will be much better than my Jeep.
Just plan your build and buy the best parts you can. Be careful overbuilding your rig. I’ve done it 4 times and lost 10’s of thousands of dollars.
Last edited:
you'll love this one to then.
Yes.. I definitely need to know how this was done!
This is definitely my biggest worry. I have more money than brains at this point.. so i just know I’m gonna build this thing to withstand the apocalypse and end up driving over a rock once in my travels.. hahaha
Jetboy
New member
Do you want the Pro special color? If so, I'd get the pro.
If not - I'd try to figure out what you really want to do and then choose the best option. If you want to go for 35" tires and lots of off road use, I'd get a TRD OR and build from there. You'll save a lot of $ over the Pro that you can put toward suspension and stuff. For example you could buy a TRD OR and add a front winch and bumper plus King/Fox suspension and a 3" lift, 34" tires, BMC, and a fridge in the rear for about the same cost as the Pro. Better adventure vehicle pretty much all around.
If you're doing a lot of street driving to and from your destination or something more like true overland (thousands of miles with a lot of dirt roads and a few technical trails, then I'd go for a KDSS equipped TRD OR. They'll have the best street manners and especially the best handling on the roads with heavy loads on the roof. There's nothing in the lower 48 that is really like what overlanding is in Africa or Australia. You'll never be hundreds or thousands of miles from pavement. So I think being realistic about what will most likely be car camping and some offroad trips is a good start for considering what you want in an adventure vehicle.
And if you don't need KDSS - then a limited has a nice interior - but I'd just go for a Lexus GX460 because the interior is nicer and you get a v8 and 6AT, which has an extra over drive. The extra OD gear is really useful for letting you go deeper into the low gearing range. With a GX I think you could have comfortable highway cruising RPMS with 4.88 diffs. And then you could also run 35" tires pretty nicely gearing wise. That will probably be my next jump after my current 4Runner if I don't end up going up to an LX570/LC200.
My current setup is a TRD OR with KDSS, Fox suspension, 34" tires, winch, and armor - and it works great as a swiss army knife that does everything well. I can drive 700 miles each way in relative comfort and still get through the Rubicon and back. The reasons for switching to a GX or LC200 are mostly that I'm bored. I've had it for 5 years now and it's never let me down. I've been supremely impressed by the capability to handle both the highway and dirt roads. I'm just kinda thinking about something new for the sake of doing something new. I think you'll really like whatever model you get. In the end there's not a lot of difference between them.
So... there's a lot of options. I think you need to think about what you really want to do with it. Good luck.
If not - I'd try to figure out what you really want to do and then choose the best option. If you want to go for 35" tires and lots of off road use, I'd get a TRD OR and build from there. You'll save a lot of $ over the Pro that you can put toward suspension and stuff. For example you could buy a TRD OR and add a front winch and bumper plus King/Fox suspension and a 3" lift, 34" tires, BMC, and a fridge in the rear for about the same cost as the Pro. Better adventure vehicle pretty much all around.
If you're doing a lot of street driving to and from your destination or something more like true overland (thousands of miles with a lot of dirt roads and a few technical trails, then I'd go for a KDSS equipped TRD OR. They'll have the best street manners and especially the best handling on the roads with heavy loads on the roof. There's nothing in the lower 48 that is really like what overlanding is in Africa or Australia. You'll never be hundreds or thousands of miles from pavement. So I think being realistic about what will most likely be car camping and some offroad trips is a good start for considering what you want in an adventure vehicle.
And if you don't need KDSS - then a limited has a nice interior - but I'd just go for a Lexus GX460 because the interior is nicer and you get a v8 and 6AT, which has an extra over drive. The extra OD gear is really useful for letting you go deeper into the low gearing range. With a GX I think you could have comfortable highway cruising RPMS with 4.88 diffs. And then you could also run 35" tires pretty nicely gearing wise. That will probably be my next jump after my current 4Runner if I don't end up going up to an LX570/LC200.
My current setup is a TRD OR with KDSS, Fox suspension, 34" tires, winch, and armor - and it works great as a swiss army knife that does everything well. I can drive 700 miles each way in relative comfort and still get through the Rubicon and back. The reasons for switching to a GX or LC200 are mostly that I'm bored. I've had it for 5 years now and it's never let me down. I've been supremely impressed by the capability to handle both the highway and dirt roads. I'm just kinda thinking about something new for the sake of doing something new. I think you'll really like whatever model you get. In the end there's not a lot of difference between them.
So... there's a lot of options. I think you need to think about what you really want to do with it. Good luck.
Last edited:
MaddoxPics
New member
As someone who bought a Pro and learned the hard way, get the off-road. The only time I could tell someone they should get a Pro is if they want to do off-roading, but never upgrade anything on the vehicle (or at least a few years). That's what I thought I was going to do, and nope, within a year I already did a ton of changes.
Of course it's ultimately your money and you can do what you want, so unless you are willing to pay the extra 3-6K (or more depending where you live) for a special color, get the OR. You'll have all the same off-road features that you would in the Pro.
California tried to get 55K out of me for my Pro, and while a lot of dealers don't mark them up that much, or at all, the majority of them do, and they normally don't budge. I was able to get mine 49OTD, which ended up coming out to about 46 for the vehicle. Still overpaid, but not to what they wanted, and to where I was comfortable. I also didn't have a special color, granted Red I guess is an alternate being for now it's the only red Pro they've made to date.
Whatever you do, get a real front skid. The TRD one is AWFUL.
This is how my vehicle currently sits. But at least you already know what you plan on doing.
Of course it's ultimately your money and you can do what you want, so unless you are willing to pay the extra 3-6K (or more depending where you live) for a special color, get the OR. You'll have all the same off-road features that you would in the Pro.
California tried to get 55K out of me for my Pro, and while a lot of dealers don't mark them up that much, or at all, the majority of them do, and they normally don't budge. I was able to get mine 49OTD, which ended up coming out to about 46 for the vehicle. Still overpaid, but not to what they wanted, and to where I was comfortable. I also didn't have a special color, granted Red I guess is an alternate being for now it's the only red Pro they've made to date.
Whatever you do, get a real front skid. The TRD one is AWFUL.
This is how my vehicle currently sits. But at least you already know what you plan on doing.
Globetrotter78
New member
IMHO....for what that may be worth....NO, the PRO is not worth it if you have any intentions of modifying the suspension yourself as that is really the only difference between the two.
Personally, I bought the SR5 because I KNEW I'd be gutting the factory suspension and installing something far superior to the OEM (even moreso than Pro) and it was more budget friendly to allow for more aftermarket goodies.
My regret however is not having the rear locker and traction modes and the cool hood scoop (all found in OffRoad and Pro). I convinced myself the purchase price savings would be worth it and I could install an airlocker later but, in truth, I wish I hadn't.
In your case both vehicles have that equipment so no benefit to the Pro there either. My opinion is to save the difference, get the OffRoad, spend it on fun bits to make a stock Pro look like a chump! LOL Have fun and welcome to the addiction!
Personally, I bought the SR5 because I KNEW I'd be gutting the factory suspension and installing something far superior to the OEM (even moreso than Pro) and it was more budget friendly to allow for more aftermarket goodies.
My regret however is not having the rear locker and traction modes and the cool hood scoop (all found in OffRoad and Pro). I convinced myself the purchase price savings would be worth it and I could install an airlocker later but, in truth, I wish I hadn't.
In your case both vehicles have that equipment so no benefit to the Pro there either. My opinion is to save the difference, get the OffRoad, spend it on fun bits to make a stock Pro look like a chump! LOL Have fun and welcome to the addiction!
