TRD Pro vs TRD Off Road

trying to decide between a Pro vs TRD OR.

Mainly drive on road but once a month or so will drive for extended time on desert washboards (maybe 60-90 minutes on washboards) and washes and gravel etc.

I’ve seen videos of peoples shocks failing exploding driving on washboards in Death Valley so I am leaning towards to Pro since it has Fox shocks with reservoirs. Im not sure what the TRD OR has, anyone know if they can handle washboards well??

I’ve thought getting a TRD OR and then just upgrading the shocks to ones that are more robust and have reservoirs but not sure what would be involved with doing this and if the price would come out to the same as the Pro in the end.

Is upgrading shocks on TRD OR as simple as buying the shocks and slapping them on and calling it a day or does it involve buying multiple other upgrades and modifications to make everything work in harmony??

(I could care less about KDSS. and probably buy time I’m ready to buy the 6th Gen will be around the corner)

 

Shocks exploding? I’m curious, got any YouTube links? Unless you’re baja racing and bombing a stock 4Runner I can’t picture the shocks exploding some with simple off road use. If you keep your aftermarket lift/suspension to less than 2” you should be okay without needing other stuff, but it really varies from vehicle to vehicle. If you want something nice and forget it kind of deal, I would go for the pro if I didn’t care for upgrades or changing anything. The money you save on an OR, you could use to outfit the OR and make it more capable than a pro. That’s just my .02

 

If you're keeping its stock, yes the Pro will probably be better for your application than just the TRD off-road. The TRD off-road has lower end Bilsteins on it.

However, if you don't mind modifying, you can purchase a better setup than what the Pro comes on it through the aftermarket. The fox set up on the Pro is definitely good for an OEM suspension setup, but it is by no means high-end.

Personally, the biggest difference of the Pro that would make me want to purchase one is the exclusive color. That's really the only thing that can't be easily replicated.

 

Here is link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWYqEinNGUM

I would be driving more conservatively though. Aired down tires and 25 mph +/- Just rather have more robust shocks and not need their full capability vs ok shocks and getting close to their max capability

 

Found the issue, that’s a Honda Ridgeline, not a 4runner

as far as shocks go, either should serve. All depends on the terrain. 25mph on a mild fire road is vastly different than 25mph on dedicated ohv trails. You can get WAY better suspension than what comes on the pro though, and come out spending less overall still. Good luck on your choice! Just keep in mind that you can’t blast through the dessert just because you have “nice” suspension and there should be no exploding shocks!

 

Hmmm. Sounds like if I don’t want to lift it more than 2” I would be ok just upgrading the shocks and nothing else. Might have to run the number$ on this and see. From what I’ve read Bilstien 6100 and Fox 2.5 are most common recommended it seems

 

Here are my thoughts as a pro owner. If you are going to want more than a 1 inch lift, I would go with the orp. I got the pro for a number of reasons, one of them being it handles all the off-road I do (dirt roads to moderate crawling). I also fell in love with the ride when test driving. In addition, I am still covered under warranty if I get drive train or diff issues (see needle bearing), even if they are rare.

If you are going to need more than 1 inch, or do not mind being out of warranty (this probably won’t be an issue, but it was one of the reasons my wife pushed for the pro over me modding out an orp) orp is a better bang for your buck and you can build it more fit for purpose.

The pro is great, I love it and I would get it again given my circumstances, but the ORP is the better purchase for most.

hope that helps.

 

I am sure a TRD Off-Road can handle near everything a TRD Pro can, at this point honestly you are paying for the FOX shocks, and the TRD Pro looks which definitely do surpass every other 4Runner. There are people throwing the TRD Pro grill on non Pros and to each their own, but I just cannot do it. I come from the BMW world. That is like putting an M badge on a regular 3 series to me.

Also, the resell value on a TRD Pro is insane. You basically buy a vehicle you can put as many miles as you want and in today's market, it appreciates in value.

 

Yeah, you don't have to lift it more than 2 in. You can do different lifts depending on your spring choice. Personally I wouldn't go over 1.5 - 2" lift, especially if you don't need to increase tire size. Plus the nice thing about sticking with a moderate lift like that is that you don't need to mess with your upper control arms.

I'm no suspension expert, but Radflo and Elka are supposed to be really good, in the 2-3k price range. The fox 2.5 that you mentioned is another one as well. The Bilstein 6112 is also supposed to be good, and that is definitely on the lower end of the budget scale. A 6112 front/5100 rear combo is only around 1200 bucks, so I don't know how that compares to the OEM Pro or other more expensive options. From what I understand, the Bilstein options are going to ride a little stiffer at lower speeds and on the street. I was considering them for mine, but that fact turns me off. I want a soft ride on the street, not firmer.

 

Excellent info folks.

ya. I don’t see myself needing a lift or bigger tires or rock crawling etc.

just more interested in overkill robust shocks that won’t break a sweat or come close to failing whilst driving desert washboards in remote desolate locations.

 

Personally, I would love to hear from the folks with bone stock non-Pro 4Runners. I’m betting that a stock 4Runner with better tires would get the job done for the majority of us.

Unfortunately, the modified crowd seems to dominate these forums. I’m not dishing the mod guys, I just would like the stock guys/gals to come out of the shadows.

 

you might like this vid. Stock OR doing extended driving in Death Valley washboard gravel type roads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGmXjs8ZbO4

I rented a base trim stock 4Runner SR once a couple years ago and drove it for an hour in and hour out over desert washboards and it held up without shock failure. Wast smoothest ride though, even going just 20mph. Although I didn’t air down the tires.

 

I personally not a fan of TRD Pro shocks. Only rear has a small piggy-bag style reservoir. Front does not have any reservoir. But I doubt you don't have to worry about "exploding shocks" as I've seen stock TRD ORP doing the same route with no issues.

I love my TRD ORP (no KDSS) with aftermarket ELKA suspension. Not only they have big reservoirs they were adjustable to your taste of ride comfort and abuse. They are far more comfortable than TRD Pro shocks. Also after market shocks are designed to give lift and still got really good amount of wheel articulation. I did had to extend my brake lines. (I'm sure you know that there are many more adjustable shocks with big reservoirs out there.)

I don't care about the front skid as I'm scared Toyota oil change guys would mess up the nuts on the skids like my TRD ORP. After market front skids have a oil service cut out so you don't have to remove the skids. And it is anyway good to buy full skids. I'm waiting for my aftermarket gas skid as I have dented my stock one. Fingers crossed I have not dented the plastic tank. I don't want to remove the stock one and see if there is any damage now. I will wait till the new one comes. (Little dying inside about it).

I don't care about current hydraulic KDSS either with some drive time with my buddy's. Planing to do a video some time as some here thinks I don't have experience with KDSS.

But for 2022 TRD it comes with terrain monitor camera system and blind spot monitoring. Terrain monitor camera system is a huge plus IMO. I have installed after market front camera as I have no idea whats in front of me going over an obstacle up hill. I see some poeple say you can get it as an option in TRD ORP. Not sure, may be.

TRD Pro has JBL sound system and its very nice to have. I enjoy when I'm the only one in car. When my kiddo is in the car the sound is at on the lower side because she can't hear her movies played with her bluetooth headphones. When she is sleeping on the trips its off.

I'm not sure about the dual climate control. I keep on adjusting the temp. Its not like I can set 68 and forget it. When outside temp is cold I have to keep it 73ish some its not too cold inside.

I did had minor problems with wheel balance and alignment with the TRD Pro and I paid to fix them, did not go to Toyota for warranty. I wanted to pay a shop and do it right. I did not had this problem with TRD ORP.

I sold the stock Nitto A/T tires and the all season spare tire and got good A/T tires. (I got GY wrangler duratrac and I'm not happy as the KO2 I used on TRD ORP).

I don't like the led highbeam on TRD Pro AT ALL...!!! Pathetic. Worse than halogen highbeam I had on my TRD ORP. I wish TRD Pro got LED low beam and separate LED highbeam or at least separate halogen highbeam where I can get aftermarket 9005 LED bulb.

TRD exhaust is annoying for me and my family too but scared to swap it for regular one as if it would be a reason for warranty issue if I ever had to use.

I haven't found a use for TRD Pro roof rack either. haven't seen any brackets discussed to mount my hi-lift jack and traction boards up there. Its only used to produce wind noise as white noise for my kiddo to sleep. And TRD roof rack would definetly be a problem with my garage if I lift. It would hit the top of my garage door / entrance area if I lift. I would have to waste money if I lift to get a different roof rack for mess with the stock TRD roof rack to remove / cut top bars.I also think my GMRS antenna might not be its best range as I'm unable to fix it on the top of the roof rack as it would hit the garage door. So I had to fix it on lover cross bars and the roof rack bars around it might block some range. I know I can buy a shoter antenna but not for now, I will use the one came free with my gmrs radio.

I know TRD Pro has special colors but for my use I was able to get touch-up paint for my white and Silver 4Runners at my local parts stores. I haven't looked if they have those special colors.

As for stock 4Runner experience I did had some miles with my SR5 100% stock. As some one who loves really soft suspension I loved the onroad comfort. It feels little not right offroad since the suspension is very soft I'm scared I would hit the bottom on a rock or something if I don't modulate my brakes nicely. Its little "boing boing" on rocky trails.. Some people talk bad about spacer lift but after some miles I got a Readylift spacer kit and the ride was not bad at all. I think it was same or softer than Bilstien5100. But it does not have the wheel articulation as the Bilstien5100.


These are few points from top of my sleepy head for now on this topic.

 

Thank you for the video post, I will check it out.

I really enjoyed the video. Sounds like washboard is the biggest enemy to enjoying an off road trip. If I was going to upgrade my suspension, that would be my priority. Improving washboard ride.

 

I drove over 40 miles of washboard garbage dirt roads around the Steens Mountain area here in ORP a few months ago. I wish I had known to air down when I began driving them, but first time and all. Nonetheless, I just ended up driving faster, doing 30-40mph over washboards that when I was driving 10-20 mph my molars were rattling in my head. The ORP is more than capable of handling washboarded dirt roads.

I also drove a few dozen miles of lava rock up and down getting pitched side-to-side and going up and down steep pitches and the ORP handled it just fine (except the nice ding on the stock front end skid plate.

 

You could always get the OR and see how the shocks hold up. If you want to upgrade later, the option is there. As long as you keep lift moderate, all of the other suspension parts can be kept stock.

 

The $10,000 price difference between the Off Road and Pro allows you to modify the vehicle as you see fit.
That was easily one of the reasons I went with the Off Road.

 

While I would like the dual zone climate controls, nothing else really moved me to get a Pro.
Had the Pro been equipped with KDSS as originally planned, it might be a different story.

For those in a position to drive both, I really do recommend driving a KDSS model, as especially living somewhere not flat, the differences are not slight and the trade offs slight.

 

I was looking for an ORP. I think it provides the best bang-for-the-buck compared with the Pro, especially since 95% of dealerships are now marking up TRD Pros and, while some are marking up ORPs, not as many.... HOWEVER... in my search, I could not find an ORP with all the options I wanted that wasn't marked up. I was looking specifically for a moonroof, the MTM 360 camera system, dual USB ports up front, non-predator side steps, etc... NautBlue or Lunar, blah..blah..blah. I also was thinking about adding the Pro Grill, Pro Exhaust, upgraded suspension, aftermarket remote start, etc... but I just could not find it without a $5-8K "market adjustment"....

BUT, in my search, I HAVE found and put a deposit down on a TRD Pro at MSRP. Not my color choice (Black), but it has as standard, all the options I wanted except the side-steps. This particular one also has the option for the dual USB ports. So, yes, it's more $$ than an MSRP ORP... but it's in-line with the markups I was encountering on ones outfitted the way I want, and for essentially the same $$$, I don't have to spend all that money doing aftermarket upgrades. I found excellent rock-slider side steps (ALPHAequipt) for $750 that I will add when it arrives, and I will be perfectly outfitted for the time-being. I will simply put the cash down that I had saved for the aftermarket mods, keep my payment in line with what I was planning for the ORP, and have a fully-warrantied 4R that is equipped the way I want with better re-sale value down the road.

Bottom Line - I think the ORP is a better value up front. I would miss the OEM remote start, dual climate control, etc... but could easily live with that. But at a similar price, for the extras, and no need to spend all the weekends adding the aftermarket stuff on, I went with a Pro.

 

You might do some research on those dual USB ports. Maybe the 21/22 is different but the single USB port in my 2019 OR doesn't charge my cell phone. It's for some sort of data transfer only.

I kept wondering why my cell phone was dying when plugged into the USB port and using Gaia GPS Maps. I read on here or the other board that it isn't a charging port.

I bought and old school mini USB plug from Walmart that goes into the cigarette lighter to charge my cell phone. Works good and charges my phone fast.

 

Ugh, that sucks… My 21 OR has one usb on the center console, but it can charge and data transfer (for example, charge while using apple car play).

I wonder if there is a way to upgrade yours, or if that function is head unit dependent?

 

Yes, same with my 21' ORP.

In my case, the ORP had everything I wanted, and nothing I didn't want.

 

The Pro Bro is never worth it. At the time of my purchase, the Pro Bro was 10K over my TRDP. For that much more I would have gone next door for a Lexus GX because you get more for your money in comfort and drivetrain. I didn't want to spend that much more and the TRDP had everything I wanted.

 

2018 ORP with KDSS. Stock suspension. Michelin LTX A/T2 tires. Aired down to 22-26 PSI it drives just fine on washboards, vary your speed to find the sweet spot. If you happen to blow a shock buy another, or upgrade.

 

Those are great tires!

Ran them on my Tacoma and now my Sequoia.

 

The way I see it… if you can get a trd pro at msrp then it might be worth it.

ORP msrp is between $45-$47k
TRD pro is $52k ( at least mine was)


For the $5k difference I got the color I wanted. Suspension, tires and wheels, dual climate control, trd pro grill, LED headlights, JBL speakers and subwoofer + automatic headlights.

Since I plan to keep the vehicle for a while for me it was worth the price difference.

 

This is true. I would recommend the pro to anyone who doesn't want to modify their 4Runner at all. Not that they can't be modified, but it would be a waste to spend the extra money for the fox shocks if you were going to upgrade the suspension.

I knew I would replace the shocks on mine. Aside from that, I was able to get about $4,000 off MSRP for my off-road, and they never sell a pro below MSRP.

 

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and what works best for one, may not check all the boxes for another.

I'm a value shopper for just about everything and that includes my vehicles and I look for function and reliability first, second comes comfort and features.. When I purchased my 2021 OR on New Year's Eve last year, I negotiated what I think was just about the deal of the century. I drove away from the dealership for $37,850 total including all taxes. That was on a vehicle that listed for $42k. Yes, times have changed and if I was looking today, it would certainly be more - like MSRP.

My OR has only the std OR equipment plus the slide-out cargo tray so no dual zone AC, no push button start, no simulated leather, no heated seats, no turn signals in the side mirrors. But, I've never had any of those features in previous vehicles so no need to start needing them now. I do have the same drive train and traction controls as the TRD Pro and that was what I was looking for.

I'm in process of upgrading to make it what I want it to be including a SSO hybrid bumper, Warn winch, RCI skid plates, CaliRaised rock sliders, Bilstein shocks / Dobinsons lift springs / JBA Upper Control arms and my out of pocket will be about $5k total. So, for about $43k, I'll have a very capable off road vehicle that will do anything a TRD Pro will do and have a lot of left over change in my pocket.

I know that a TRD Pro would be worth more if sold sometime down the road but I plan to keep my OR until the wheels fall off or I die first.

Everytime I see a TRD Pro, I am a bit envious because they do look SO GOOD! However, this is what works for me and I think everyone should do what works for them!

By the way, with some of that left over change, I'm thru hiking the John Muir Trail next summer, doing an 8 day kayak trip through the Everglades in Feb and planning a Colorado Back Country Discovery Route trip with a wheeling buddy......

Cheers,
Bob

 

They do!!! What does it take to replicate the look? Is it just the wheels with the offset difference and a one inch lift in the front?

 

and FJ roof rack and base model side mirrors (without turn indicator)