Where does toyota measure ground clearance? Obviously not the skid plate.

[teotwaki]

a little closer. The 4Runner's lift gives it better clearance

 

[teotwaki]

Bronco.....

 

[teotwaki]

4Runner...

 

[RonMAIDEN]

Geez,the old Broncos look so dated now and as far as front ends I liked the pre '87 fronts.

What's the clearance on the Runner?

 

[Mr. Lambdebois]

Very nice comparison shots. I would like to see it next to a stock height 4runner for comparison as well.

So how many times have you done that right radius arm bushing on the bronco?....

 

[Mr. Lambdebois]

Here is an interesting tidbit. Lexus GX470 has a ground clearance of 8.3"...and this number has been consistent since introduction, unlike 4runner's number (which seems to get higher every year). And i doubt that the GX has anything that hangs lower than 4runner...both share the same frame and underbody. Apparently, the bumpers are also about the same since both vehicles have very similar approach/departure angles.

So, the question is...who is right?? From my experience, Lexus has always been consistent with it's data. Toyota data has been inconsistent and changes every year (ground clearance, payload, angles). And i do believe that 8.3" is about right for the front skidplate/crossmember.

Seems right to me. I get about 9 inches at the beginning of the front skidplate at it's low point. Slightly furter back it seems to hang about a half inch lower near where the oil drain plug is. It looks like the lowest point to me anyway and is close to your 8.3 spec......

Of course a lift will quickly fix that low front end at make it more like it should have been from the factory imo. Just compare the cv angles on a 3rd gen 4runner compared to the 4th gen.

Every thing else on the 4runner seems to have decent clearance and doesn't really concern me......

 

[teotwaki]

Geez,the old Broncos look so dated now and as far as front ends I liked the pre '87 fronts.

What's the clearance on the Runner?

Just crawled underneath....

looks like at the front the low point is 11 inches pretty much all the way across.

At the back it is the differential roughly 9.5" at the bottom of the housing where that odd extra round shaped protusion is. This is with no load in the back and 35lbs of air in the tires.

 

[teotwaki]

Very nice comparison shots. I would like to see it next to a stock height 4runner for comparison as well.

So how many times have you done that right radius arm bushing on the bronco?....

Sneaky know it all! U been there and done that, eh?

Actually I changed it once and I used a poly busing. The rubber one dry out from the exhaust heat. I learned a net trick too. Instead of fussing around disassembling everything you just grind off the rivets that hold the bushing housing. Then you bolt them back onto the frame just as good as new.

I should have done it a lot sooner though but what the heck.

 

[Mr. Lambdebois]

U been there and done that, eh?

Actually I changed it once and I used a poly busing. The rubber one dry out from the exhaust heat. I learned a net trick too. Instead of fussing around disassembling everything you just grind off the rivets that hold the bushing housing. Then you bolt them back onto the frame just as good as new.

I should have done it a lot sooner though but what the heck.

Yup the heat from how ford ran the exhaust shortened the bushings life considerably on the bronco/ explorer.

Yup that method is perfectly fine and aproved by ford. The last bronco I did I got lucky and it had bolts instead of rivits from factory. Much quicker to do them that way....

I think I went through 2 or 3 at least in my explorer in 170k miles. One was due to the last person who fixed it leaving off the heat shield though.:bash:

 

[teotwaki]

Very nice comparison shots. I would like to see it next to a stock height 4runner for comparison as well.........

found this guy's photo in another thread