Aftermarket suspension options to improve ride quality (TRD ORP)

[Chicane]

I just grabbed the fox 2.0 with rear springs from all dogs offroad.​

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I just sent them a PM for purchasing info, but don’t plan on replacing the rear coil. Is the rear coil the same size as stock, or will it add a rear lift? When do you plan on having these installed, as you’ll be the Guinea pig?

I went to an off road shop today and was quoted $500 for them installed? My friends auto shop is across the street and he will probably charge around $200. He’s in Huntington Beach.

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[danimaldaisy]

I just sent them a PM for purchasing info, but don’t plan on replacing the rear coil. Is the rear coil the same size as stock, or will it add a rear lift? When do you plan on having these installed, as you’ll be the Guinea pig?

I went to an off road shop today and was quoted $500 for them installed? My friends auto shop is across the street and he will probably charge around $200. He’s in Huntington Beach.

I will be installing it myself. I did my last two 4 runners and also my 350z that I swapped out the suspension 6 times lol.

the cost of the springs are only 220.00 over the kit. The trd pro 4Runner is lame as it only lifts the front one inch and uses stock rear springs which I verified with Fox on the phone today. This kit lifts the front 2.25 inches and if you use the stock rear spring the rear will be lower that the front by an entire inch. Adding people or groceries in the back it will look really dumb. Literally your only choice is the spring in this kit or the toytec super flex spring that lifts an additional 1/2 inch higher. Or a spacer puck lift that cost as much as a spring. Eibach has a spring in the testing stages but no eta on release.

Or you can figure out lifting the front only an inch like Toyota does. And honestly if you’re only going to do that I’d just skip the whole thing.
Just invest in some tires if you plan on going offroad.

if you keep the 20” wheels that opens new problems to tire choices.

I guess I should ask. What do you plan on doing with your 4Runner?

 

[Chicane]

I will be installing it myself. I did my last two 4 runners and also my 350z that I swapped out the suspension 6 times lol.

the cost of the springs are only 220.00 over the kit. The trd pro 4Runner is lame as it only lifts the front one inch and uses stock rear springs which I verified with Fox on the phone today. This kit lifts the front 2.25 inches and if you use the stock rear spring the rear will be lower that the front by an entire inch. Adding people or groceries in the back it will look really dumb. Literally your only choice is the spring in this kit or the toytec super flex spring that lifts an additional 1/2 inch higher. Or a spacer puck lift that cost as much as a spring. Eibach has a spring in the testing stages but no eta on release.

Or you can figure out lifting the front only an inch like Toyota does. And honestly if you’re only going to do that I’d just skip the whole thing.
Just invest in some tires if you plan on going offroad.

if you keep the 20” wheels that opens new problems to tire choices.

I guess I should ask. What do you plan on doing with your 4Runner?

From what I read the stock front is about 1.75 below the rear, so if I were to reduce the Fox coil over 1/2” it should theoretically level the ride keeping the stock rear coil. I will check my options, then decide

My main reason to upgrade the suspension is solely based on the jittery/ poor ride quality that I’ve been experiencing.

My 4R is mainly a pavement driver that will see dirt roads to get to trail heads for Mountain biking. I do take yearly trips to Hurricane, Utah and if I drive it to Moab. I’m sure I will get the fever and explore some beginner type trails in Utah and around SoCal.

My 20’s came off in week one, as I never liked the stock wheel look. I went with the stock 265/70/18 AT tires.

 

[danimaldaisy]

Make sure those AT tires are not E load

 

[6thGen1419]

I just grabbed the fox 2.0 with rear springs from all dogs offroad.
FREE SHIPPING!​

NO SALES TAX!​

What a DEAL!​

Please post a report when they're installed and you test them out.

 

[CMill4Runner]

Make sure those AT tires are not E load

This is probably the most important thing for the ride quality; I upgraded to 275/70/18's on my '25 Tacoma and it rides 5 times rougher than our stock '25 4Runner. I had run E's on Taco's in the past gen's and the ride wasn't as bad, but these new ones seem to be worse with E's.

 

[Chicane]

Make sure those AT tires are not E load

Most definitely installed SL 116 tires and it seemed to make the ride more harsh vs the stock 20’s. I only had the stock tires on for a week and can’t say I remember exactly. It did the opposite from what I expected, after removing the lower profile 20’s.

I test drove a Land Cruiser Premium that had the 20” Dunlops today, just to feel the ride difference and it was too short of a loop to tell much. It did seem like the suspension was more active at lower speeds. For those curious about the LC, it has NO leg room compared to our 4R. At 6’, I have the seat all the way back and my knees are bent too much in the LC, so it’s not an option.

 

[danimaldaisy]

Most definitely installed SL 116 tires and it seemed to make the ride more harsh vs the stock 20’s. I only had the stock tires on for a week and can’t say I remember exactly. It did the opposite from what I expected, after removing the lower profile 20’s.

I test drove a Land Cruiser Premium that had the 20” Dunlops today, just to feel the ride difference and it was too short of a loop to tell much. It did seem like the suspension was more active at lower speeds. For those curious about the LC, it has NO leg room compared to our 4R. At 6’, I have the seat all the way back and my knees are bent too much in the LC, so it’s not an option.

Start the psi at 37 all the way around. Work your way down from there. These stock shocks are stiff. You might not find the sweet spot with these shocks. It’s going to be way different with the new suspension. Once that is on start at 37 again.

For me 37 is for handling and to get rid of sloppiness. The lower I go from here the more squishy it gets and unstable at higher speeds.
You may find yourself lowering the pressure to compensate for the harshness you are feeling.
Hope this makes sense.

 

[PierceVonCloud]

Has anyone installed the Fox 2.0 shocks/struts yet? I'm very curious about any improvement. I really like my hybrid OR, but on anything but smooth-as-glass highways, it's like an empty F350. I know about checking the tire pressures, etc. Mine are at 32psi. I'm an engineer who has worked on race car suspensions and the 4Runner's problem is way deeper than load ratings and air pressures. It seems extremely over sprung (under damped). I'm astounded that Toyota released a vehicle (at any price point, let alone $50k+) that sucks this bad for ride quality. My 2020 OR was probably the nicest riding "truck" I had been in and now this...

 

[danimaldaisy]

Has anyone installed the Fox 2.0 shocks/struts yet? I'm very curious about any improvement. I really like my hybrid OR, but on anything but smooth-as-glass highways, it's like an empty F350. I know about checking the tire pressures, etc. Mine are at 32psi. I'm an engineer who has worked on race car suspensions and the 4Runner's problem is way deeper than load ratings and air pressures. It seems extremely over sprung (under damped). I'm astounded that Toyota released a vehicle (at any price point, let alone $50k+) that sucks this bad for ride quality. My 2020 OR was probably the nicest riding "truck" I had been in and now this...

That’s going to be a tough one as your suspension is based on heavy batteries in the back. Putting on a suspension meant for not hybrids will introduce a whole new set of problems.

 

[porkyfly]

Has anyone installed the Fox 2.0 shocks/struts yet? I'm very curious about any improvement. I really like my hybrid OR, but on anything but smooth-as-glass highways, it's like an empty F350. I know about checking the tire pressures, etc. Mine are at 32psi. I'm an engineer who has worked on race car suspensions and the 4Runner's problem is way deeper than load ratings and air pressures. It seems extremely over sprung (under damped). I'm astounded that Toyota released a vehicle (at any price point, let alone $50k+) that sucks this bad for ride quality. My 2020 OR was probably the nicest riding "truck" I had been in and now this...

yes. See https://www.4runner6g.com/forum/threads/trd-pro-not-so-pro-ride-quality.7153/post-98803

 

[PierceVonCloud]

Umm. Thanks I guess. I read all 10 pages. The OP seemed to have my same complaint. He was called a troll and basically dumped on. Funny though, how MANY people and vehicle review outlets have the same reaction I did on certain roads...the 6G is under damped. I know it's a truck. When I drive an empty F350 on a bumpy road I can forgive it because it can tow 20,000 pounds. When I drive my 5G over the same road I might as well be in a Lexus sedan. But in my 6G it's even worse than the F350. It just seems like something was missed in the shock damping that should not have even been an issue.

 

[4jogger]

Umm. Thanks I guess. I read all 10 pages. The OP seemed to have my same complaint. He was called a troll and basically dumped on. Funny though, how MANY people and vehicle review outlets have the same reaction I did on certain roads...the 6G is under damped. I know it's a truck. When I drive an empty F350 on a bumpy road I can forgive it because it can tow 20,000 pounds. When I drive my 5G over the same road I might as well be in a Lexus sedan. But in my 6G it's even worse than the F350. It just seems like something was missed in the shock damping that should not have even been an issue.

Doesn't the car actually feel more under sprung and over damped on high speed compression?

 

[PierceVonCloud]

Doesn't the car actually feel more under sprung and over damped on high speed compression?

Not to me, but I'm not sure. In just general observations compared to my 5th Gen (which was a similar vehicle with a similar purpose), the springs on the 6G are definitely much stiffer. I think this can be said for both non-Hybrids and hybrid models. If you grab the roof rails and shake the car or stand on the rear bumper of a 5G, it clearly has "soft" springs, but not so soft it couldn't handle the tongue weight of a decent sized trailer. I thought my 5G was surprisingly well mannered and capable with its soft suspension. Sure it had brake dive and some wallowing but to me that is a tradeoff for a capable OFFROAD TRUCK. On certain roads, the 6G is perfectly fine and comfortable. Its even perfectly acceptable when I've went offroad. But on some roads, the springs completely overwhelm the car. Its like the whole car is vibrating and it is enough to make me physically uncomfortable. That is the opposite effect (and tradeoff) I would expect from an OFFROAD truck. Haters on the TRD Pro thread were saying the OP should expect a truck to act like a truck, i.e., have a rough ride. That would make sense if people were buying 4Runners to haul skid loaders to a job site. But they are not.

It is the high speed compression events that seem to be very out of whack. I don't know if its the springs overwhelming the dampers or vice versa. I just assumed it was the former since the springs seem to be too stiff in general.

 

[porkyfly]

Not to me, but I'm not sure. In just general observations compared to my 5th Gen (which was a similar vehicle with a similar purpose), the springs on the 6G are definitely much stiffer. I think this can be said for both non-Hybrids and hybrid models. If you grab the roof rails and shake the car or stand on the rear bumper of a 5G, it clearly has "soft" springs, but not so soft it couldn't handle the tongue weight of a decent sized trailer. I thought my 5G was surprisingly well mannered and capable with its soft suspension. Sure it had brake dive and some wallowing but to me that is a tradeoff for a capable OFFROAD TRUCK. On certain roads, the 6G is perfectly fine and comfortable. Its even perfectly acceptable when I've went offroad. But on some roads, the springs completely overwhelm the car. Its like the whole car is vibrating and it is enough to make me physically uncomfortable. That is the opposite effect (and tradeoff) I would expect from an OFFROAD truck. Haters on the TRD Pro thread were saying the OP should expect a truck to act like a truck, i.e., have a rough ride. That would make sense if people were buying 4Runners to haul skid loaders to a job site. But they are not.

It is the high speed compression events that seem to be very out of whack. I don't know if its the springs overwhelming the dampers or vice versa. I just assumed it was the former since the springs seem to be too stiff in general.

The problem is most likely the shocks having poor valving, not the springs themselves. The thread I linked had an owner who mentioned installing only the Fox 2.0 shocks fixed the ride quality. If you do decide to get the Fox 2.0 shocks, please let us know if it fixes the ride.

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