Alright, let's be honest; who here is considering a 6th gen?

One thing i have found over the years, from modding my stuff to the max, is that once you change stock suspension for aftermarket you are typically chasing better performance and ride quality. HOWEVER it seems the ride quality never gets back to OEM. His 5th gen likely rode like a sack of potatoes on a wooden cart and driving a NEW 6th gen felt like driving on a cloud of pillows. I have done the same, drove a 2012 Limited 4R with Xreas with 2" lift pucks for 5 years and loved it but sold it before it wore out. Drove an Urban runner with Xreas for 5 years with 2" lift pucks up front before it started leaking and swapped it all out for aftermarket like everyone else. First thing i swapped was the aftermarket Bilstein adjustables like everyone else. Used stock springs and i think 3rd notch figuring it would ride great like everyone claims. Honestly it rode like ass, very stiff and harsh on small bumps in the road. I ordered a set of Eibach adjustables and swapped them in with stock springs i believe on second notch. Again it rode like absolute garbage compared to the plush Xreas. Small bumps in the road, buckled pavement was uber harsh. I did research and found everyone talking about the TRD Offroad Tacoma shock and spring assemblies. Found a new take-off set and installed them. The springs are taller, and the springs are actually a bit softer than the 4R springs and the ride was "pleasant" compared to the two sets of aftermarket shocks but they are still "stiff" feeling compared to the Xreas.

I say all that to say this, the owner probably put that $4,000 set of Kings on his vehicle looking for great ride quality and lift and likely got a log wagon on cinder blocks for tires feeling. So riding in something "stock" and "new" rode like a cadillac.

My wifes 2023 with Xreas and 2" pucks up front and Eibach 1" springs out back rides like an absolute dream, i would not have anything else, or have it any other way. Chasing nice ride quality with aftermarket parts has been a long road of losing money and mediocre ride quality at best.

 

Experience right there!! And of course....

 

I'll agree to the extent that, if you enjoy the soft OEM ride, you're not likely to get a softer ride with aftermarket suspension.

I got pretty much exactly what I expected out of aftermarket suspension, which is what I wanted.

 

Yes, the Eibach in my opinion felt as good or better than the Bilsteins
They both feel different than the "soft" OEM stuff
They both feel "planted" and "firm" and "sure-footed"
Everybody talks about the OEM stuff nose diving and having so much body roll in corners and being so much better with bilsteins and Eibach. I will agree, they feel MUCH different in corners, much more planted and level for sure. They dont drive bad necessarily but they are FAR from soft and supple. With the Eibach and Bilstein adjustable shocks you feel different, the vehicle feels taller, more commanding, firmer and level in the corners, its certainly easy to feel a big difference in them in the easy going around town and slow back roads and corners and braking. The only bad thing is the dam cracks in pavement and buckled concrete with the lip edge sticking up. Holy crap how can a 2" wide gap in asphalt feel so rough? Small pot holes make you pucker and hope you didnt bend a rim like you are driving a minitruck with 30 series tires. Those shocks are entirely too stiff on the tiny stuff, they just dont make sense.

 

Based on what I have read about digressive shocks, this is exactly how they are supposed to behave. I feel every tiny little bump I drive over. But, hit a really bad patch of pavement at 85 miles an hour and it feels like nothing.

IMO, the most important thing is to buy suspension that suits your needs and preferences. If you prefer the stock ride, that's what you should run.

 

Hmmm... so maybe i'm just not driving fast enough?

 

I don't know. But, digressive shocks aren't what I think of when I'm thinking about a cushy ride. Progressive, adjustable shocks seem more ideal for a softer ride.

 

You're correct and there are all of 3 people that make progressive shocks for the 4R
1) Rancho = cheap, seals blow out, bushings are garbage, and the ride is apparently so good not a single person in the history of the internet has talked about how good they are. I literally spent a month looking and cant find anybody that says anything good about them on any forum
2) King = top quality, great stuff, maintenance heavy and ride like a ship in high seas if they are not dialed in properly
3) dobinsons = top quality, great stuff, maintenance heavy and for some reason nobody knows how to dial them in to make them ride how they are advertised

If you can find some REAL good comments on any of those 3 i would like to read them. I bet there are only about 10 GOOD comments in total about how those guys ride. Lots of "i love my stuff" fanboy posts but none that are actually informative, accurate, about how the shocks actually work. There are LOTS of them for sale on forums especially the tacoma forums and EVERYBODY talking about how maintenance heavy #2 and #3 are. Its hard to find a set for sale that doesnt say
"15,000 road miles, just rebuilt with all new stuff and updated to the latest and greatest"
like... way'minit.... Why are you rebuilding shocks with 15,000 miles? I cant rebuild my shocks every 3-4 months....

 

You need to go 85 mph everywhere. Screw those school zone speed limits.

 

Or, accept the fact that digressive shocks can be a little harsh at times.

 

This could well be explained, by the sheer number of mechanisms doing their thing under the hood of the 6th Generation. The whole gist (IMO) of going for a new vehicle, is that it is refined, not simply jammed with gizmos. When the number of components that could fail or could add to the general racket level of the vehicle, just goes up and up, my impulse to buy "the new one" just goes down and down. I like simple things I can work on to some extent. I love this 2002 Honda S-2000 for many reasons, but one big one is, the wiring diagram is so simple. The small battery lasts and lasts because there's so little it is expected to do.

 

I think, when we first start seeing "the new ones" the ones we see are sparkling clean, and we've seeing these images interspersed with very carefully curated images on the internet and in other forms of media - some spy shots but usually we see the product precisely as the vendor wants us to see it. To help form up the public's general take on the new design. So to me, this explains your initial reception, and IMO explains why it is cooling.

What bugs me a lot, is how virtually everything in the Toyota/Lexus lineup between the Sequoia and the Rav4, is one iteration or another of the same basic thing. I'm sure Toyota is able to save some money having a lot of interchangeable assemblies, but I feel like a should be able to tell an LC from a 4 Runner from their Lexus counterparts in a glance out of a corner of my eye. I think eventually I'll be able to do this, but 95% of the American Public will not.

Lotsa guys I know, when asked what killed the Pontiac brand, will say too much plastic cladding. Worst thing about many years of Mustang production? Too much plastic. This is a huge gripe for me on the 6th gen 4Runner.

 

Interesting article in the September edition of Motortrend magazine. They pit a new TRD Offroad Premium against a Wrangler Unlimited 4XE Willys '41 (whatever that is). The 4Runner lead almost every category - and particularly off roading. The authors gave the 4Runner the "win" and even said they were surprised at the results.

 

What type of off-roading did they do? A Wrangler should beat pretty much every other vehicle in existence on technical off roading.

 

Quote from the article: "We took both SUV's to a muddy, heavily rutted trail in the mountains near Wrightwood, California, to mimic what people will do most often with their offroad SUV's." There's more detail in the article too.

 

^This. That low CG, solid front axle, and better approach, departure and breakover angle is damn hard to beat. Not to mention a better crawl ratio...

Of course. If they're just doing some rutted out dirt roads I wouldn't call that a technical trail.

I love my 5th Gen but if I'm following jeeps I have to be a little more picky when it comes to line choice and tire placement.
Washboard roads, deep ruts?... IME the 4Runner is a lot more comfortable.

 

Assuming you own a 5th gen, how are you getting that second row seat to fold flat?

 

The article was probably written by someone that daily drives a Prius.

 

lift the bench, fold the back down flat for non limited 5th gens.

https://www.4runners.com/threads/do-all-5th-gen-2nd-row-seats-fold-like-this.34432/

 

6th Gen in Action near Austin, TX. I hope they are ok, probably ok.

 

Well that’s one way to crash a car

very lucky they missed that tree. Looks like they should’ve made it unscathed. Hope that’s the case.

 

Too much torque!

 

That's not flat.

 

The easiest way is to have one with the sliding cargo tray.

 

So 6th gen > Nissan Patrol

 

New recall issued for unintended acceleration in reverse. Dealer will install module to disallow shifting into reverse above 3500 rpm.

 

I don't like any of toyoats newer trucks anything with a turbo in it they can keep. I don't see a small gas engine in a somewhat large 4runner lasting 300,000 trouble free miles without issues on top of 10k oil changes.

I've been buying the older models instead of new before they got rid of the V6 and V8.

 

I have to say following the 6th gen post on Facebook so many buying them. But to have a 1100.00 car payment. WOW!! I read what some are paying!!

 

People are starting to go too far with these parking lot flex pictures.