X-REAS Longevity

SR71

SR71

Member
Afternoon folks,

I've done some digging on here regarding the X-REAS system on the 4th Gens. My question, though, doesn't pertain so much to what I should replace it with, as when. And I didn't have much luck there. (I could have missed a thread, please advise if I did.)

It's an 06. I'm the second owner. First owner babied it. 130K miles today. I bought it at 122K. Does the ride feel ok? Yep, feels fine on pavement. But I don't know what it felt like at 20K, 50K, 100K, etc. And I have spent very little time off road. Put it on my mechanic's lift and it did look like there was a very small leak in the rear. Has it been leaking since day 1 or for 1 day...I don't know. How much fluid has been lost? Don't know. How much has ride quality been compromised? Don't know.

Anyway, first hand experience is valuable so I'd appreciate any light that can be shed by those of you who have been down this same road. Are folks swapping theirs at 80K? 100k? 150k? Never? Did you feel a significant difference after the swap? Wish you had left it alone? Etc.

Thanks in advance.
 
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My rear shocks were failing at 120K and since replacement parts are pricey and I go off-road quite a bit I replaced the whole thing. Does it have the ride it did previously? In my case no but I wanted something more suitable for wheeling. I'm sure you could get a comfy ride with aftermarket shocks.
 
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I imagine you're going to get a pretty wide range in your responses, based largely on whether or not they wheel their vehicle. I'm the original owner on my '06 with 238K miles on the original XREAS ... it's my daily driver, so it doesn't really get off-road much. Mine stills rides smooth, so unless the change has been so gradual that I don't notice it (which is a possibility) the ride hasn't changed much from day 1. So unless the ride is off, it's leaking OR you wheel it, I wouldn't change it until it's really needed. Just my 2 cents ...


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I just ditched mine at 125k (2009 V6) and not out of necessity but because I wanted a mild lift. It felt completely fine to me and I really liked the ride, but the tech that removed it showed me how it was leaking... I never knew about it until they were removed.


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My X-Reas failed on my 03 Limited at 138,000 km (or 85,750 miles). There was a leak in the system - in the line behind the Driver’s Side Centre Control Absorber. Leak was likely caused by corrosion of the line due to road salt used up here during our Canadian winters.

Fluid that had dripped onto the driveway was the first indicator of some sort of problem. As more fluid leaked out of the system, the suspension became worse.

I removed the entire X-Reas system (too costly to replace - but the lines are still there), and installed the standard 4Runner SR5 oem suspension (to keep it relatively stock). I too was not interested in lifting, and this was the most cost effective repair.

In hindsight, I might have sourced a quality aftermarket shock that was less expensive than the oem Toyota shocks - but I did not have the luxury of having time to "shock shop" due to the nature of the X-Reas system failure.
 
MrEMan said:
I imagine you're going to get a pretty wide range in your responses, based largely on whether or not they wheel their vehicle. I'm the original owner on my '06 with 238K miles on the original XREAS ... it's my daily driver, so it doesn't really get off-road much. Mine stills rides smooth, so unless the change has been so gradual that I don't notice it (which is a possibility) the ride hasn't changed much from day 1. So unless the ride is off, it's leaking OR you wheel it, I wouldn't change it until it's really needed. Just my 2 cents ...


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Click to expand...

I agree with your assessment. I'm also the original owner and I've got 135,000 on my 4Runner. Its been on pavement 99.9% of the time.

When I bought my second set of tires from NTB, they told me I had a leak on one of the fronts but I didn't agree with their assessment so I had the dealer look at it at my next oil change and they told me it was normal seepage. I haven't noticed a difference in ride quality since I bought it in 2005.
 
I have a 2006 that had one owner before me. Bought it at 38k miles and the xreas started leaking at about 60k miles. Mine hasn't seen any off road action yet. Replaced with Bilsteins because I didn't want to deal with the headache of the xreas system going out on me again (its pricey).
 
Bought my '07 Sport almost 2 years ago with 96K on it. Now at 120K+ with no issues. Many seem to dislike X-REAS but my ride is good and the truck takes curves like it's on rails. With that said, it's seldom off-road so it makes sense for the heavy mudders and rock crawlers to want something that better fits their needs.
 
I bought my sport with 159k miles on it. Still had the original xreas shocks on it. I changed out he shocks after several months of driving. I replaced the xreas system with traditional shocks. I was amazed at the improvement in the ride. Huge improvement.
 
I just replaced mine at 160K miles because I wanted a little bit of a lift on my truck. The XREAS was fine driving, a little harsh on bumps but nothing crazy. It didn't have any leaks or any rust in the lines at all. However, when I removed the banjo bolts on the front to drain the fluid, the system had absolutely no pressure on it. That explains why the bumps were so rough.

Much better now that it is replaced
 
Thank you, everyone, for your input. I've got considerably more info to go on than I did previously.

This is a good forum, much obliged.
 
I have XREAS with 83k miles on my 4runner, it's still good and I don't expect it to fail. But I want to lift it some about 2.5/1.5. I've considered doing just spacers. But I'm also very much interested in doing a spring/shock solution as Bilstein 6112/5160.

I'll probably sell my XREAS, I know they share fluid on the passive lines, can the shocks be sold/reinstalled by someone without losing valuable shock oil in order to keep the fluid.
 
RunningWithFire said:
I just replaced mine at 160K miles because I wanted a little bit of a lift on my truck. The XREAS was fine driving, a little harsh on bumps but nothing crazy. It didn't have any leaks or any rust in the lines at all. However, when I removed the banjo bolts on the front to drain the fluid, the system had absolutely no pressure on it. That explains why the bumps were so rough.

Much better now that it is replaced
Click to expand...

That's very interesting.

I bought my 07 Sport 2 years ago with 85K miles on the XREAS - 25K miles later there is still no leaking. The ride has always been very stiff and it's rather jarring when you go over a speedbump or a pothole but I just assumed that's the way it it. It is great around curves and on smooth pavement.

I always assumed my sign of XREAS going out would be leaking and a more "bouncy" ride but this makes me wonder if it's worth taking it out giving the ole girl a couple inches of lift....
 
I replaced my 04's XREAS when the front right started leaking. Suspension started to get a little bouncy and it was time to upgrade. I was happy with the ride of XREAS on road, but I was very disappointed in the springs (I did have a Daystar 3/2 leveling kit); particularly the rear. Whenever I was loaded the rear sagged and I needed airbags to pull a 3000 lb trailer to help level my ride.

I wanted stiffer springs, a true suspension lift, and better off road capabilities. I waited until XREAS failed and then upgraded to an OME/Toytec 3" lift and I am super happy with ride on road and off.

IMHO - after about 100,000 it's probably a good time to do a few things.
1) Evaluate where and how you drive your T4R
2) Research suspension options for your use
3) If you want lift, ditch XREAS and get a true suspension lift
4) Figure out your budget and save $$$'s for when it's time to replace/upgrade
5) Go drive your T4R
6) Repeat step 5!
 
Before you condem the shock, brake clean the area of the leak, and see how quickly it comes back.... one time when I serviced my car a mechanic sprayed down my bushings with something to prevent them from cracking up, which makes leak detection a pain in the butt.

Ours look pretty bad, (Rust etc) but after 100k and 12 years. the suspension is pretty good, that is even when I sat inside our relatives 5th gen. I do plan to replace it with OEM non xreas shocks when they go out.

Btw, does anyone know if 5th gen xreas shocks are the same as 4th gen? They are about a 100 bucks cheaper when I looked at 5th gen parts.

Thanks.
 
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