The only opinion that matters

toyota wanted to move away from kdss as it had too many problems long term. the side effect was that the new gen 4R is geared more toward on road aspects than the 5th gen was geared more toward off road aspects. sales wise most non informed people saw it as mostly a off road vehicle. toyota is trying to cater more to the on road people to get more sales this gen (imo)

personally having the avs in the tundra wasnt the best idea. for me i see the ride is more harsh than our 2018 tundra. from what i have heard more people like the avs in the tundra than not. i am one of the few that dont care for it in the tundra. i imagine it will be the same for the my 4R platinum when it gets here.

KDSS (Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System):

• Primary Function:
  Improves off-road performance by disconnecting the sway bar, allowing for greater wheel articulation and traction on rough terrain.
• Mechanism:
  The system uses a hydraulic system to disconnect the front and rear sway bars, allowing wheels to move independently.
• Benefits:
  Enhanced off-road traction, better ride comfort on uneven surfaces, and improved handling in off-road situations.
• Off-road focus:
  KDSS is specifically designed to enhance off-road performance.

AVS (Adaptive Variable Suspension):

• Primary Function:
  Enhances ride comfort and handling on a variety of road conditions by continuously adjusting damping.
• Mechanism:
  AVS uses sensors to monitor vehicle speed, steering input, and road conditions. Based on this data, the system adjusts the damping of the shocks on each wheel.
• Benefits:
  Improved ride comfort, better handling in corners, enhanced stability, and a smoother overall driving experience.
• Road focus:
  AVS is designed to optimize ride comfort and handling on various road surfaces.

 

IMHO wish Toyota kept it simple. Like;

1) only have kdss in front. So you get more articulation in front and still benefit more articulation in rear non kdss have.

2) have simple on/off button. So kdss owners can keep the sway bar free unless they are on highway. So kdss equipped 4Runner can enjoy the comfort as non kdss 4Runner has on forest roads,gravel or any trail road that you are just cruising.

3) Sub of point 1, when there is only front kdss shock aftermarket can easily can keep parts just front shock and bushing as that's the common wear and tear item. (I have only seen I think max 2 or 3 rear kdss leaks. Always it's the front shock that leaks.) Having aftermarket the part would be very cheap and no big deal just like swapping suspension, even easier than that.

 

I just purchased a new Limited IForce Max after trading in my 2013 Limited with 200K miles. My 2013 had KDSS and the new one has AVS. I had a leak in the KDSS and spent $1k replacing it, the only major repair in my ownership. My first impression of the new one was that it rode noticeably rougher but it was set to Sport+ mode. When set to Comfort it smoothed out considerably. It definitely has better acceleration and torque. Gas mileage initially was 14 but gradually rose to 21 on the first tank. Hopefully it will continue to improve. It has lots of bells & whistles and I'll be studying the manual for a while. Incidentally, I'm not a soccer dad. I live in the Ozark Mountains, down 2 miles of gravel roads and ford a river daily, sometimes at 2' deep. I have run LCs and Tacomas for many years and buy them for reliability in our rough conditions. I liked my previous Limited and decided to stick with it.

 

I think you had XREAS on your limited, KDSS was only on OR and I think Trail trims.

With the mode set to comfort how does it compare to your 2013? Perhaps some 17 or 18 inch wheels with taller sidewalls will help more.

 

You are correct, my bad. I did have XREAS suspension.

It's still a little early to tell but on the highway in Confort mode I couldn't tell a difference with my 2013. Still evaluating the off-road ride.

 

Front diff is the the same as 3rd gen Tacoma and 5th gen 4R. The 4th gen Taco broke it because the engine makes a lot more torque than before. Recall Toyota's fix was a PCM software update with a revised MTS algorithm to incur less driveline shock.

KDSS is worse for more serious off-roading. There you want either a disconnected swaybar or a softer swaybar (like the Currie Anti-rock) depending on the build and terrain.

 

I thought for sure you were gonna say "your wife!". I am sure she is disappointed.
I like his videos way better than most other internet yahoos.

 

I clicked in here wondering who the heck started a thread about my wife....

 

She was next to me when I created it. I quickly edited it to this when she looked away

 

I learned this the fun way!

KDSS is super cool for mild to moderate off-roading and maintaining good road manners. But, I'd probably skip it if I totaled mine and had to replace it.

 

Curious. Toyota/Lexus has been selling vehicles with KDSS for 20 years. How many failures that weren’t owner induced have you personally witnessed?

 

There's a KDSS 4Runner group if you like to join and read some of them from KDSS owners..

In this forum also I remember someone started something like KDSS beware or something like that.

 

Yeah, definitely bad news if you never wash your car.

 

Mia Khalifa

 

Davie504, or Charles Berthoud