Hope there's no wind

Man, I forgot how bad these things get blown around by wind. It's like a giant sail instead of a truck. Going over a bridge and I get pushed around. Today on the highway a truck passes me and I get pushed by the air pocket. Add in it was pretty windy today and I had a death grip on the wheel all the way home.

My 3rd gen was bad with it and I see no difference with my new 5th gen. I was in some deep soft sugar sand and it performed tremendously! But if you sneeze near my truck it'll rock side to side.

 

I just got into 4runner pros and cons recently and a frequent topic is handling in general. Very interested in reply to your post. Mine has new XREAS system and rides fine but I'm still going to tackle the highway handling now that the holidays have past. Has anyone found an upgraded sway bar package? Or felt the need to consider.
For Limited.

 

our '18 and 19 Runners do a little shimmy if we're in the burble behind a semi but otherwise no worse than the Blazers/Trailblazers I drove back in the 90s. That said, the vehicle was originally designed more for off road than the highway so I never expected it to be super smooth.

 

I expected it to be a bit unsteady when a hard or stiff wind blows. I mean, it's a body on frame truck that's almost 10 inches off the ground. A higher center of gravity is gonna mean more body roll. The really shitty thing about a strong wind is when it's a HEAD wind.

Then I get blown all over the road AND my MPG's drop by 4 - 5 (or more) MPG. I experienced this a few weeks ago in Dallas. The wind was strooooooooooong that day my friend. I usually get 20-ish MPG's while driving to and from work. But that day when I was driving home, I got 15MPG.

 

They do get blown around some, but, I have to say not nearly as much as my previous FJ brick.

 

Putting bilstein 5100’s shocks helped my off road on the highway quite a bit. Still not great but better.

 

On our move from MD to New Mexico in September, the MPG's were brutal west of Oklahoma City ... constant strong head wind dropped me down to ~11.5 MPG.

 

These 4.0 engines fail when it comes to head winds. If Toyota could send diesels to us it would be great.
I drive a Duramax and still adjusting to my new to me 4runner. Don't get me wrong they are nice SUV's but under powered. I still cringe when thinking about a 4 cylinder in them. I'm Oklahoma with those winds.

 

Increase caster to maximum of manufacturer recommended range. That improves straight line stability. Helped a lot with my 2020 Limited. This truck will never be as relaxing a highway cruiser as your typical SUV. BOF, 10 inches of ground clearance, a suspension made for off roading and the aerodynamics of a brick all add up to some wandering at highway speeds. It is what it is. But upping the caster sure helps. Any shop that does alignments can do it for you.

The downsides are minor but do exist. First, you increase steering effort and reduce turning radius a bit (which of course makes perfect sense when you think about the fact that increasing caster gives you better straight line stability by pushing the wheels farther toward the front of the truck). Likewise, if your tires are a bit on the large side, eg knobby ATs, you may get a slight bit of rubbing when both turning and backing up in reverse. I did on new tires. But it was very slight, only occasional, causes no problems and stopped once the tires wore a bit. You can also heat the inside of the fender liner to push it forward a bit to eliminate this entirely. If however you are running actual oversized tires it could be more of an issue. See the 1 million "will it rub" threads on the forum .

 

What was your caster reading adjusted too?

 

once you upgrade the struts/shocks it reduces it a lot

 

I can't find the alignment report at the moment, but our AI overlords claim that the manufacturer recommended range is 2.0 degrees to 4.0 degrees, and that tracks with my recollection of mine being adjusted to about 3.9.

 

Higher the caster # the better

 

Just steer into the wind like they do with 777s

 

Plan your route to get a tailwind, then you will smile at the mileage.

 

I don't remember mine been that dramatic even having a roof cargo box. In route to Wyoming the LED displays said 75mph gusts. Just little effort needed to correct it. Maybe poor alignment on OPs 4runner making the steering very loose on the road? Skinny over inflated tires?

 

We just went through getting blown around a little, add in some slick spots, oh ya, interesting. Having good numbers on caster on the alignment helps high speed stability, suspension upgrades help a little for the body roll, but I'm thinking these 4Runners are always going to be susceptible to the effects of wind. It's really not 'dramatic', it's just that we all seem to describe things differently.

 

It sure does get rocked around. Especially if it’s on the stock shocks/springs that come on the SR5 and Off-Road trims. If you don’t need the off-road clearance, but you like the 4runner, heavier rate aftermaket springs/coils help a lot. I bet if you lower it a couple inches from the stock height, get larger wheels that will let you run lower profile tires, and remove all the roof rack hardware, it will handle strong crosswinds like most other cars. But then it be like most other cars.

By the way, most real trucks/semi’s get blown over by strong wind gusts. The 4runner isn’t that bad in comparison. If you mean to compare them to pickup trucks, they’re not a fair comparison since they don’t have a backside to get pushed around like a sail.

 

In 45-50 mph wind nothing is good on the road. I'm guessing by 'strong' wind gusts you're talking 60+ mph, it's real dangerous to be on the road with high profile vehicles in that wind. We only had 25 maybe 30 mph wind, gusts and it was no fun, with suspension up-grades. Does it seem realistic someone would modify the shit out of their vehicle just to deal with wind? Maybe you're on vacation with the roof rack full... going across Wyoming, the wind gust capital of the U.S. It'll be OK, but when I see birds flying backwards, I take notice. The 4Runner is just not aero quality.

 

Interstate 80 in Iowa, cross winds were insane. First time experiencing that kind of wind and how it pushes the truck. We saw semi trailers rocking so we called it quits. Got off and stayed at a hotel for the night. Sometimes you have to acknowledge that mother nature will always win.

 

Just curious what the OP had as a vehicle prior to/as compared to a 4R?

 

Cross wind is best served on ice! That way you can experience the real thrill of the wind physically pushing you 1-2 lanes in the direction the wind is going as you slide sideways at speed on the ice.

 

I came from a Chevy Silverado. But to be honest, my Harley doesn't get pushed around as bad either.

 

Not really a good comparison. Lots of variables. Hopefully you'll get used to it.

 

I wasn’t sure how much the OP wanted to keep his 4runner, so I was just listing out what would probably be needed to make a 4runner feel a little more stable in gusty winds. And no, personally I don’t think it’s reasonable to do all those things…unless you really really love the 4runner “form factor”. Which might be a possibility. After all, driving the 4runner to work and back is a positive part of my day, that I usually look forward too. I haven’t really had a car before that I liked this much.

The OP might also just be making an observation, not necessarily regretting his 4runner. I admit, it’s a pretty spicy ride in gusts. But depending on one’s frame of mind, it could be entertaining.

As far as 60mph gusts, I don’t think most people really have the experience to appreciate what gusts like that can do to anything that’s outside, much less on the interstate. The wind is bad enough, but I would worry more about lawn furniture, garbage cans, or other unsecured/liberated liberated debris getting thrown your way. Can you imagine getting a trampoline through the windshield at interstate speeds? .

 

I understand what you're saying, just didn't want to hear someone complain that they spent $5,000 on suspension and still have an aerodynamic brick/kite. Iguess I look forward to driving the 4Runner too, it's been a long time since I had my '86 Toyota pickup, which I loved, and by the way, it was a handful in the wind also!

 

Haven't had an issue with wind, can comfortably drive with two fingers at highway speeds (75mph+) in Kansas. Tire pressure is key, a good suspension goes a long way and not driving around with a bunch of crap on the roof is always helpful. Hell, opening the windows can help but it may mess up ones hair.

 

Worst I've ever experienced was the panhandle of Texas. 25mph constant wind. 50mph gusts. I had a 3" OME lift and the time. I was holding the wheel 20-30 degrees off center to go straight. Passing an 18-wheeler turned into a guessing game trying to find center again.

As others have stated better shocks and high caster does seem to help with stability. But wind is wind...

These things have the aerodynamics of a refrigerator.

 

I just drive it. My 2010 DCSB Tacoma got blown around too but I would get a kazoo whistle due to the windshield seal configuration.

A derzul just for wind?

 

I was one of the last cars on the Bay bridge tunnel in Virginia before they closed it for a squall. Couldn't tell if it was rain or waves hitting the roadway at times. 18 miles totally exposed, good times.