This rig is abysmal to drive on the interstate

2022 Off Road Premium 18k miles. Bought it new about 2 years ago, and i love everything about it …even how normally it tracks on the interstate, going 65-85mph. i came from a 2011 Nissan Titan and that was all road noise and rattle city. this runner just cruises down the road, so easy to keep it straight with just my pinky at the bottom of the wheel. sometimes I turn left, sometimes I turn right, always smooth and simple. theres also a constant hum in the car (not the steering wheel) from Pearl Jam or maybe some Allman Brothers. currently 12mph tail winds and i just step further into the skinny pedal, Moving Forward. awesomly fun to drive. i have had one alignment, new tires (Goodyear AT) and got them balanced. is this ride quality normal?

 

OP, I know exactly of which you speak. 21' SR5P. I put Michelin LTX's on it when new and even had the alignment checked while they were at it. It was always a handful out in the wind especially on the interstate. A good 30-40 mph crosswind was absolutely MISERABLE! Scary almost. Last week I had a set of Bilstein 5100's put on all around (+0.5" up front) by a competent 4X4 shop.

The ride difference is phenomenal. Side roads, interstate, nasty crosswinds, no problem. All of that 'bouncy house' B.S. is gone. It is planted to the road. Night and day. With your mileage you are probably at end of life on your factory shocks anyway which would make it that much worse.

That's what I did. I looked all around on the forums and it seemed like the natural progression of things to try. Much less expensive than upgrading to a GX......

 

I've got a 15 SR5, stock. I make 4 - 5 long road trips @ 75 - 85 mph in TX, NM, OK & CO. Other than during a pretty stout wind the truck tracks, rides and sounds fine.

And when it's windy ya just have to pay a little attention to your driving.

I know, I know, that's a radical idea. But I'm an envelope pusher...

 

"... or maybe some Allman Brothers."

RIP Dicky

 

I lived out in those parts for 20 years. I've never experienced getting blown around the road like that. I'm glad it is fixed now. Maybe I'm just getting old, which I am.

 

In response to your last paragraph, don't know if you've seen this:


Also, I've found it handles very well with a few hundred pounds of mulch and gravel in the back, very tight. So maybe it is just underdamped in the rear or something, like it's tuned for the payload but not the empty weight.

 

I just don’t get it. I have a 2011 SR5 with 167,000 miles on it and it’s rock solid on the road at any speeds or in corners.

no fancy upper or lower control arms just OEM, stock body bushings, stock upper and lower rear control arms, with the only change being Beilstein 5100 on all four corners and Falken WP 285/70/17.

 

im still waiting for white knuckle terror. Lol!! Looks like hes havign a blast!

 

My 4R drives fine at interstate speeds.

that being said, if you bought the 4R to only solo commute with nothing else in the vehicle, that's user error. No one should buy a GR86 and complain about its low ground clearance on oil lease roads.

 

Mine drives like a school bus. Plenty of play in the steering wheel, and wanders. I dont take it over 80, feels unsafe. Even the folks in unmodded passing me at 90, in a truck with stock tires and relatively crappy brakes.

Drive a new Tundra, and you will see night and day difference between a 4runner and it. Like others said, tho, I did build this vehicle for long highway trips or as a daily.

In on aftermarket control arms and Castor as good as it can get.

I recently rented a Rubicon in Sedona on 35s, and felt the same.

 

In this case, in kinda sounds like it might not be normal. It sounds like you have a lift? Do you have upper and lower control arms? Tons of variables on control arms and setup that could lead to actual looseness/play in the steering components

Did you mean stock 4runners are passing you at 90mph, implying that your modified 4runner should also be able to do that comfortably? Because the expectation should be the opposite…a lifted 4runner would be generally be considered less safe at higher speeds due to higher center of gravity, deeper compression travel, etc.

 

It's a truck. It isn't going to drive like a CRV. Know what you are getting into before you buy something and make sure to test drive it.

 

I can tell you that my 2017 SR5 Premium RWD is fantastic on the road. Haha. Seriously, that’s what I bought it for. It is silky smooth right up to 80 mph. Nice Michelin tires an 5100’s probably help. Still have to live with the average 17.6 mpg though.

 

OP made me doubt this truck. It drives fine guys. Your truck has some problem, OP!

https://youtu.be/u4zfk6eNfig?feature=shared

 

That was my point way back. I find the 4Runner lumbering compared to a close to the road sedan, but he said it's hard to keep going in a straight line. It should not do that at all regardless of lack of "performance" handling.

 

Yeah.
OP, do the Viper cut, come back and report, I'm sure you'll feel some improvement.

 

my lifted 4runner handles better than the stock version on and off the road. I am completely confident at any speeds on the highway, even at 80+.

 

KDSS. This is why I have it.

When I test drove, it was a very windy day. I test drove without first to see if it was worth the money. Test drive included interstate with 70mph speed limit and some crazy cross winds and it wandered like crazy. I'm sure I would have gotten used to it but suspension mods were several years down the road and to me it was worth the money.

Even lifted now with tons of top heavy weight I find the sedans and crossovers in front of me slowing down way more than I need to for curves

 

Pushed it too much today, I really got lucky. I was doing 70+ on a windy road. Just watched my dashcam and it is pretty scary. Be safe out there, don't push it too much. I would be in the hospital now if it wasn't for the kdss, 75 instead of 70 and I would be dead now

 

Can you elaborate on the conditions during this MPG? Instantaneous, highway, mixed, fully warmed or transitioning from cold to warm, etc.?

 

Step 1 - Phone a friend with an old worn out high mileage wrangler rubicon. Preferably with the 35 package and mudders.

Step 2 - Drive the wrangler on the freeway.

Step 3 - Go back and enjoy your newfound love of 4 Runner

 

Mostly stop and go suburban driving. About a 30 minute trip to work each way on the interstate averaging about 80mph. My foot is a little heavy too.

 

what type of driveshaft grease did you use?

 

Any off the shelf NLGI#2 grease.

 

That’s a cool video. I agree with the driver that he needed studs or snow tires to really know how it could really do. At some point, if the traction is too poor, it’s hard to assess how well it can be manipulated between under/over steer.

Regarding weight and balance, I’ve found that it’s worth taking the time to balance my camping load out before I’m taking a trip. It rides so nicely and moves wonderfully over unimproved road surfaces when the weight is balanced perfectly. So if I ever rally my 4runner, I need to keep that in mind

I have noticed as I change spring rates and ride heights, the character of how it moves on the road definitely changes. So far, the suspension motion always feels good, but different (right now I think my rear spring rates are too heavy). I think the 4runner body/frame would respond to a rally set up very nicely if you took the time to set it up right. Maybe lower it a little a from stock, get the perfect spring rates and dampers for the racing weight, put a sequential 6 speed transmission in it, and I think it would be a monster lol.

 

You came from a car to an actual 4wd

 

Stupid question maybe, was ever in an accident? I hit a deer lying on the highway with a Mazda 3, might as well have been a house but after 18,000cdn in insurance repairs it was utterly impossible to drive in the snow. Any other situation, no problem. But for whatever
Reason in the snow it was like having slicks on the front right and back left, major alignment issue that couldn't be found by mechanics or duplicated during some mild summers. Maybe they threw a 4r body on a Mazda 3 frame,..

 

Should have gone a RAV4 if you want a car

 

Well Hell, the new 6th gen looks like a RAV and Outback had a baby. IN other news this thread has been bugging me because i think I get lulled by the 5th gen on long trips, it beats the 1st gen Taco by a long long shot. BUT, my wife's Merc coupe is just show comfortable. It cannot make through trails though or turn into an instant sleeping platform.

 

Mine is 11 years old with 172k miles on all the stock suspension and steering stuff. I can't say it's terrible on the highway other than the performance on hills at times. Otherwise, it tracks nice and straight and I don't get any weird vibrations. The steering never requires excess corrections unless it's a really windy day, and that's due to the height and boxiness of the vehicle.

I do find the sweet spot is under 70 mph though, to me the NVH and wind noise can get annoying at speeds higher than that.