Aftermarket suspension options to improve ride quality (TRD ORP)

[HanousJim]

My TRD Sport rode like an old 72 Camper Special F250. The first thing I did was check the tire pressure. All tires were well over 50 from the dealership.... I dropped them to 32, and there was some improvement, but not enough. Then I found a set of 18" TRD take offs (it came with 20's) and I run those at 32. What a difference. Now I can say that my 6th Gen runs as nice as my 5th, total game changer. The 18's may not look as cool as the 20's, but WELL WORTH IT!!

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[Chicane]

My TRD Sport rode like an old 72 Camper Special F250. The first thing I did was check the tire pressure. All tires were well over 50 from the dealership.... I dropped them to 32, and there was some improvement, but not enough. Then I found a set of 18" TRD take offs (it came with 20's) and I run those at 32. What a difference. Now I can say that my 6th Gen runs as nice as my 5th, total game changer. The 18's may not look as cool as the 20's, but WELL WORTH IT!!

What tires are they? Michelin or Falken?

 

[HanousJim]

What tires are they? Michelin or Falken?

Michelin

 

[porkyfly]

I tested the issue further by pressing down on the back bumper of my OR with my bodyweight, it barely has any give and is extremely stiff.

I did the same test to a 5th gen 2024, it had a ton of give. It’s very obvious to me now that the suspension is simply far too stiff in the first few inches of travel, absolutely ridiculous design choice. Are there any credible fixes yet?

 

[alldogsoffroad]

We are running Fox 2.0 Performance shocks on our 2025 SR5 and the ride is much better than the stock twin tubes. The stock shocks were very firm on compression and not firm enough on rebound, it almost drove more like a sports car and didn't handle rough road very well. We are based in Lincoln, NE and hard winters do a number on the roads out here. The kit we are running is 2" lift and we have Kenda RT 33x10.5r17 tires on. Even with the heavier tires the shocks made a big difference in ride quality. Fox has more shock offerings in the pipeline, including 2.5 Performance Elites w/ adjusters and some big 3.0 shocks. We do a lot of highway miles for tradeshows and events, the perk to the Fox 2.0 shocks is that they retain poly isolators which reduce NVH whereas the big "baller" shocks use spherical bearings at mounting points and transfer NVH to the chassis.

 

[4jogger]

We are running Fox 2.0 Performance shocks on our 2025 SR5 and the ride is much better than the stock twin tubes. The stock shocks were very firm on compression and not firm enough on rebound, it almost drove more like a sports car and didn't handle rough road very well. We are based in Lincoln, NE and hard winters do a number on the roads out here. The kit we are running is 2" lift and we have Kenda RT 33x10.5r17 tires on. Even with the heavier tires the shocks made a big difference in ride quality. Fox has more shock offerings in the pipeline, including 2.5 Performance Elites w/ adjusters and some big 3.0 shocks. We do a lot of highway miles for tradeshows and events, the perk to the Fox 2.0 shocks is that they retain poly isolators which reduce NVH whereas the big "baller" shocks use spherical bearings at mounting points and transfer NVH to the chassis.

How much for parts/labor?

 

[alldogsoffroad]

How much for parts/labor?

The parts would run just about $2k, labor would be about 2-3 hours depending on quickly the shop does the install and what your local labor rates are. Also, whatever the cost of alignment would be where you live.

 

[porkyfly]

The parts would run just about $2k, labor would be about 2-3 hours depending on quickly the shop does the install and what your local labor rates are. Also, whatever the cost of alignment would be where you live.

Could you please link the parts? Thanks!

Also, the TRD PRO comes with fox shocks but people have complained about its ride quality aswell. Are these Fox shocks different from those installed on TRD PRO?

 

[alldogsoffroad]

Could you please link the parts? Thanks!

Also, the TRD PRO comes with fox shocks but people have complained about its ride quality aswell. Are these Fox shocks different from those installed on TRD PRO?

They are different than the TRD Pro shocks, that is correct. I haven't ridden in a new TRD Pro to be able to compare, but these 2.0's ride significantly better than the stock SR5 shocks. The SR5 stock shocks were pretty jarring.

https://www.alldogsoffroad.com/ado-fox-20-performance-series-lift-for-6th-gen-toyota-4runner

 

[porkyfly]

Thanks. Is there a no-lift option to fix the ride quality?

 

[alldogsoffroad]

Thanks. Is there a no-lift option to fix the ride quality?

Yessir, the front coilovers and rear shocks can be purchased without rear coils. The Fox coilovers are preset at 2" lift out of the box, you'd have to move the threadded collar down about 1" to bring them to stock-ish height.

 

[porkyfly]

Yessir, the front coilovers and rear shocks can be purchased without rear coils. The Fox coilovers are preset at 2" lift out of the box, you'd have to move the threadded collar down about 1" to bring them to stock-ish height.

So if I install https://www.alldogsoffroad.com/ox-20-performance-series-shocks-for-6th-gen-toyota-4runner-lc250

without modification the front will be lifted 2inches, but the rear height will remain stock? That seems acceptable to me as the car will be level, but how hard is it to "move the collar down 1inch"?

 

[alldogsoffroad]

So if I install https://www.alldogsoffroad.com/ox-20-performance-series-shocks-for-6th-gen-toyota-4runner-lc250

without modification the front will be lifted 2inches, but the rear height will remain stock? That seems acceptable to me as the car will be level, but how hard is it to "move the collar down 1inch"?

That's correct. I'd probably recommend moving the collar down about a half inch if you wanted to be level-ish. I'd be worried out of the box that you'd be a hair nose-high. It's not hard to do, but do you do need a spring compressor to take pressure off the collar. We can do this before shipping if that's what a person wanted.

Edit - to move the collar down you would use a spring compressor to compress the coil spring. The collar has an allen set screw in it that you loosen and then you can thread the collar down. Once you have it where you want, you tighten the set screw and then remove the coil spring compressor.

 

[porkyfly]

That's correct. I'd probably recommend moving the collar down about a half inch if you wanted to be level-ish. I'd be worried out of the box that you'd be a hair nose-high. It's not hard to do, but do you do need a spring compressor to take pressure off the collar. We can do this before shipping if that's what a person wanted.

Edit - to move the collar down you would use a spring compressor to compress the coil spring. The collar has an allen set screw in it that you loosen and then you can thread the collar down. Once you have it where you want, you tighten the set screw and then remove the coil spring compressor.

This is likely the route I will take to improve ride quality. I’d like this done before shipping.

2 more questions:
1. Will the front coilover spring tension be noticeably higher since the spring is compressed more than factory by moving the collar down?
2. If I keep the factory rear springs and only replace the shocks with the Fox ones to keep the car stock height, will that even significantly improve ride quality? Wondering how much of it has to do with the springs, how much has to do with the shocks.

Again the problem I’m trying to solve is: “when i push down on the rear bumper, the car is very firm over the first few inches of travel and barely moves. This results in very harsh ride quality over potholes/road imperfections”. I’d like to do everything I can to guarantee that this solution will fix the problem before installing.

 

[Chicane]

^^^Good question, as I was wondering about the rear coil springs myself and if they are a spring rate or two too stiff causing the harsh ride issue more than the shocks.

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