This rig is abysmal to drive on the interstate

2018 SR5 Premium 66k miles. Bought it used about a month ago, and i love everything about it …except how absymal it is to drive on the interstate, going 70-75mph. i came from a 2015 equinox 190k miles and it was buttery smooth. this runner just wanders on the road, so tough to keep it straight. sometimes it pulls left, sometimes it pulled right. theres also a constant vibration in the car (not the steering wheel). currently 13mph winds and i’m getting blown around. terribly unpleasant to drive. i have had two alignments, new tires (Dybapro AT) and got them balanced via road force. is this ride quality normal?

 

The Equinox was just a tall car while the Runner is quite literally a truck (body on frame). Check your tire pressures because too much will cause a bad ride and cause the tires to dart around. If it's windy then yes it will catch it. I'd also check to see if the driveshaft was ever lubricated.

 

So many factors to consider. If it's aligned and in spec, and the tires are new and balanced, the next things to consider are suspension and bushings. Did you use the same alignment techs for both alignments? Would they have told you about or pointed out worn bushings? Have you had it checked for worn tie rods, ball joints, wheel bearings? To answer your final question; no that type of ride quality and road behavior is not normal.

 

That's not normal. I have a 2023 with aftermarket wheels/tires and a lift kit and have zero wandering. I've also driven several 4Runners in the years leading up to my purchase and none of them did that.

 

Even without these mechanical issues, 4Runners fucking suck for long trips lmao

 

When I first bought mine (my first body on frame vehicle) I thought it definitely wasn’t as “hands-off” as every other vehicle I’ve owned. It generally seemed to have a soft return-to-center after making a turn. Sometimes it even seemed to need a little bit of help to straighten out the steering wheel that last little bit after making slow speed turn. I think it has to do with the natural steering geometry of the 4runner. Maybe it has to do
with less caster than other vehicles. Or maybe it’s because any steering input has to make it through miles of fat squishy rubber bushings sandwiched between every last component built in to the 4runner.

Either way, I actually found the highway ride to be very entertaining, and it makes me feel more involved as a driver.

Then I lifted my 4runner a couple of inches. And kept the stock upper control arms. That meant, I could almost get it into spec on the caster alignment, but not quite. Of course, that made the 4runner even more entertaining on the road.

It’s the first “responsible” vehicle I’ve owned in a long time that doesn’t make me feel like putting my eyes out from sheer boredom on the daily commute.

When I drive on old, rolling, farm back roads, I feel like Roscoe P Coltrane sawing at the wheel while chasing the Duke boys. I love it, and don’t want to change a thing.

That said, I mostly drive alone, and I don’t ask my passengers to fill out any surveys on their experience

 

A 4Runner is a truck, therefore it drives like a truck.

 

Once tires are ruled out, caster, from what I read here, has a massive influence on the freeway drivability. Aim for 3.5-4 of positive caster.

 

Any modern truck drives better than a 4runner.

 

Our 4R is a precision limo floating on a cloud compared to my straight axle diesel. All depends what you’re used to.

 

The 4Runner drives like shit on the highway.
It sways, has wague steering, a quick turn at 80 mph is a ight mare and the brakes are nothing to right home about. It also has very poor NVH levels and acceleration happens once you jam the pedal.
It is a 15 year old truck and that's that.
It does have a velvet carpet ride and soaks up bumps phenomenally. It is one of the most comfortable suspension setup of any car leaving the luxury barges.
Get a road force balance and a proper alignment and 65-75 in the middle lane with relaxed driving is the sweet spot with this truck.

 

Makes sense, being the current 4runner architecture is 20 years old.

 

I have had many 4x4s and I just can’t relate. My 2002 drove great on and off road, my 2017 SR-5 drives great. Both lifted & larger tires you must have something mechanical going on.

 

I’ve experienced none of these issues in my 2011 or 2022. Both are lifted, on 285/70/17 Falken WP AT3 and have stock upper and lower control arms. Can drive 75+mph barely holding the wheel one handed and she stays straight and planted to the road.

id double check your caster specs and make sure all suspension components front and rear to proper torque specs. Agreed about lubing the driveshaft.

 

I haven’t had any of these issues with any of my 5th gens. My 2016 with 110k drove amazing, for a BOF suv.

 

My 2024 Limited does not have any of these issues. While it is truck, and drives like one, it does not require any extra effort to keep in the lane unless it is very windy day. No vibrations, no pulling, no wandering, no dead center in steering.

 

You need 4.88, and a Viper cut.

 

Stock or modded?

My 2019 drives great on all types of roads and at all speeds that I drive (almost never exceed 80 mph). It's bone stock except the original Dueler tires were replaced with Continentals of the same size at 92k miles. I'm around 130k now.

 

My stock 2020 Limited with 265/70/17 BFG KO2s has NONE of these issues. It drives great on the highway - at 85 mph. I think it drives (tracks, etc.) better than my wife's new BMW X3.

 

What about the extreme body lean?

 

On a serious note, I'm approaching 30,000 miles on my 2023. My rig is lifted and on 34 inch Load E KM3's. Apart from the typical mud terrain noise, no other issues whatsoever. The truck drives fine. It got pretty slow after mods and 4.88 solved that problem. Now it bruteforces the mountain passes. And KDSS takes care of the curves at high speeds. No complaints

 

I would get Viper cut a chance, it cures cancer even I heard

 

Oh yeah, less noise now

 

I am also reckless now on curvy roads

 

I have a 2019. nowhere near as bad as what you're describing but yeah it definitely is not fun on the highway. I have to remind myself often that it was designed to be an off road machine, not a highway ride. I was really surprised that I got 72k miles out of the OEM tires-actually could have waited a little longer.

 

Front locker!!!

 

I've had three 5th gens and they'll all been fantastic highway cruisers.

 

I think mine tracks really good on the interstate on a calm day, if the road is a smooth level surface. But even when it wasn’t lifted, high winds, uneven lanes, undulating surfaces etc required active driving. At least much more active than my highlander, which has a locked in steering wheel feel. That thing wants to return to center so hard it feels like the wheel gets ripped out of your hands lol (in comparison).

And even though it might feel like lash/dead spot in the steering system, in my case, it’s not. The steering is “tight” from a mechanical lash perspective. It’s just that I think the bushings in the LCA have a lot of soft cush….even the bushings in the steering rack are probably extra squishy. Then you have an engine in soft engine mounts, and soft body mounts. All that adds up, and the response and weight transfer will take longer to get to your backside than a vehicle set up for road handling.

If you are driving at interstates speeds on a windy day, or over uneven surfaces, the 4runner really needs to be corrected immediately and with noticeably more anticipation than a road car or road suv. Possibly KDSS or xreas equipped 4runners aren’t as twitchy in those conditions though.


The rest of the 4runners trims don’t get road handling. Instead, we get supple, rich corinthian comfort…to be enjoyed only at stately, distinguished speeds befitting of our station in life

edit: I went eclipse chasing last week. 600 mile day, probably 200 hundred of those miles at “inadvisable ”speeds over old farm roads. The kind of roads that were chip sealed over barely graded surface. It was a FANTASTIC drive!! I felt absolutely alive the whole time…absolute blast. Why? Because I had to drive every last millisecond…no relaxing, no checking the phone, just driving. Similar levels of fun as blasting down those roads on my big dual sport motorcycle. In fact, I replaced my motorcycle hobby with the 4runner, thinking it would be fun to drive something different than the usual boring cars i’ve driven up to now. Absolutely zero regerts!!!! This thing is a blast. It scares me a little in all the right ways. Lol

(I might have regrets though if I convince myself to dump the front sway bar…

 

Drove mine almost 2000 miles home after picking it up from the dealer. Thought it was a great road-trip vehicle.

 

No way your or any 4runner 'drives' better than the X3 on the highway.
Sure your ride quality would be superior and you would feel the road adulations much less compared to the BMW due to the beemers stiffer bone jarring suspension setup but everything else like stability, high speed maneuvering, planted ride and NVH levels are superior in the BMW.
I recently overhauled my complete suspension with brand new everything. 80-85 is rock stable in a straight line but I cannot even think about taking a high speed turn on the same line as a BMW at the same speed. Either I will have to slow down or take a wider turn line.