2021 Shake

I go off-road while hunting but that is about it.

 

Welcome aboard

I think the trick to a smooth transition into a 4 runner is having your previous vehicle be 10-15 years old. Compared to my 2006 Sienna, the acceleration is comprable, as are the creature comforts. I do miss having a homelink button on my OR, but oh well. (how is that for faint praise lol)

One thing I couldnt really do in my old trusty Sienna is spend all day driving gravel, two-track trails, and legit off road trails. Since buying this beauty, I’ve been welcomed by some regional members in this forum and the taco forums on trips to national forests or other off road adventures (you know who you are...ahem @Thatbassguy @Chris In Milwaukee). And I dont even have to wear a flat billed hat to be part of the group!!!

Well, the bug has struck and this last weekend I went off on my own with a jeep buddy, maps in hand, and had me an adventure in the northwoods of WI. I drove at least 150 mile off pavement on just this last weekend. Plenty of pinstripes to prove it.

I dont have an instagram account, but boy, now I sure feel like I do. Can any other vehicle do that .

 

I'm happy with my set-up, because besides off-road driving, I like a firmer ride on freeways & City.

Down below is the less expensive Dobinsons kit, this is not what I have, I have heard good things about it. Many good choices out there.

Dobinsons 1" to 3.5" Build-A-Kit Toyota 4Runner 2010-21 | Exit Offroad - Other good options, Eibach - Icon - King - Elka and many more.

 

Thanks a bunch

 

Funny, I had to drive a Ram for some errands the other day as my 4R was getting detailed and I was wondering how anyone could drive such a POS... shitty loose steering, cheap interior with rattles everywhere, and the turning radius of a barge. The only positive thing seemed to be the acceleration, but who tf needs to do 0-60 in under 5 seconds in a truck? You say you test drove the vehicle, so did you expect it to magically get faster after purchase?

Please do sell the vehicle as soon as you can snowflake.

 

Is that supposed to hurt my feelings? Ouch. Please don't call me names and say that a Ram is a POS. Hahaha. Not even going to entertain you.

 

as mentioned before - now is the best time to recover your money. GS is a substantial upgrade in every conceivable aspect. The v8 in it is only .6L bigger - but it is also connected to a 6 speed transmission from this century. GX is in a different realm when it comes to the appointments and sense of luxury and quality. It's just as bulletproof, aftermarket often shares parts with the 4runner, and you will STILL get better mileage. Having a transmission that has more than three gears (i know i know...) makes that much difference. Also, that v8 has got so much bottom end torque - unlike the 4runer it moves out effortlessly. It actually took me time to adjust my driving style to stop the neck-snapping coming off the line lol
Towing is what got me to switch initially - and now, I'd never go back. when towing, ~3k total weight @ 66-70mph my 4runner was consistently @ 3600-3800rpm (screaming) and returning ~10mpg. gx460 is @ 1500rpm (it literally does not care that the trailer is there) and averages 13mpg.
All the shortcomings that you identified in the 4runner and non-existent in the GX.

 

Thanks for the info. I understand that alot of my complaints are just because I am not used to it yet. I did get the shake fixed so far. It was a bad alignment from the factory I guess. They did an alignment on it Tuesday and it has driven so much better since then. I ordered a pedal commander and I am waiting on it to come in. I am slowly getting used to it and I do not hate it. My choice of words were not exactly how I felt. It is still a Toyota and very reliable. That is why I bought it in the first place. The Ram was in the shop way too much.

 

I understand 100%. I've seen the same appeal in the 4runner and ended up buying it. Power for me was adequate, bad mileage I expected, and I just loved how tough the truck looked. And, after ALOT of research I've found it to be a perfect platform for overlanding.
But then... I made a mistake of buying a Kawasaki KRX and and got absolutely hooked. Instead of beating on my 4runer and schmoozing on the trails I was now riding an endless rollercoaster and at MUCH higher speeds. The stuff that KRX gets through at speed my 4runner would've have to take serious damage to eventually get through. Then, there is having the ease of mind that if I broke something on the trail - I just have to limp to the trailer and my ride home is still intact. That switch in interests made the 4runner less useful for me and I really HATED towing with it. Hence the switch.

Just sharing my experience with both vehicles. I am glad to hear that you've sorted your issue out - it is a fairly common one for the platform. More often than not it is bad tire balance, and as you're already figured out - sometimes it's the alignment.
Hopefully you now enjoy your new purchase. It is a very reliable and well built vehicle. And if not, market is still good. My 1 year old 4runner with 15k miles on it sold for 8K more than what I paid new. GX, as I said - is on another level.

 

Yet you replied. Too easy

 

Really Tyler? Trolling and name calling? How about you stay on topic and learn something or share your experience instead. Driving a Ram for a few errands is hardly test of it's capability. And keep in mind it is a whole different vehicle than a 4runner

 

There's nothing to be learned, OP is simply just whining and obviously isn't resourceful enough to do a search and read the hundreds of threads on the same topic.

I wasn't testing the Ram's capabilities, just making simple observations while driving on the street. Driven plenty of trucks and used to have an F-150. Ask anyone that knows anything about trucks, Dodge has always been the worst quality, especially with transmissions. That's why we don't use them as work trucks, nor does anyone else. But yeah, I just must have completely forgotten that a Ram and a 4Runner are different vehicles.

 

I'm not much of a Chrysler/Fiat or Ford guy. I have always had GM products most of my life. I have had plenty of riding buddies with both Dodge Dakotas and the new "RAM" rucks and have to say they are amazing machines. Not one rattled or felt strange. And the quality is as good as any other American manufacturer.

Of course not on par with Toyota reliability. OTOH You rarely see Toyota Tundras or Tacomas being used as fleet vehicles. It's almost always Ford, GM, or Chrysler/Fiat.

As far as a work truck my former company had a fleet of Dodge Rams with the Cummins engines. They were bullet proof with the exception of drivelines and rear diffs. It was only because we used them as drilling rigs. Loading them down with power poles and the permanent mounted heavy hydraulic drilling system daily took it's toll. Also young kids in their 20's driving them did not help.

 

Hello Tyler,

I know, OP's approach was not the way it should be on this Forum, I spelled it out in my post to him as well. Hence, It looks like he understood, followed advice, had results and mellowed down. Let's give him a second chance here. We should be all friends, helping each other.

 

Well said Sir!! Name calling and making in fun of someone to just get a reaction is horrible. I also recommend for members to read the Code Of Conduct of this forum before even their first post. All forums have different guidelines.

https://www.4runners.com/threads/4runners-com-code-of-conduct.10025/

I kind of feel bad for the guy. At least he had the fortitude to post up his issue with a new vehicle. I think any of us here would not be too happy to find out we have front end vibrations on a new 4Runner.

 

I said it before, this is a great Forum, and yes sometimes we get passionate, maybe a little too much and react too quickly; called, human behavior.

 

So can you... FYI

Completely agree, we should be helping each other out instead of saying "got your panties in a bunch?" to a fellow member who takes the time to offer a legit reply. Shows the kind of character he/she has, so I'm not really interested in helping anyone out with that kind of shitty, ignorant attitude. I'll help the people that actually appreciate help, not those that feel entitled to it.

 

Four-cylinder two or four-wheel-drive Tacomas with the short cab and rear seat delete and canopy/topper are very common fleet vehicles, at least in California.

 

I understand what you’re saying, I wasn’t happy either.

Hence, when we were kids and did something wrong, we got spanked, when we grow-up and were obnoxious we got an ass-whooping. That doesn’t mean we were thrown under the bus.

 

I have not seen it. For gardening and small companies yes. For heavy duty work trucks and large fleets not so much.

 

I've been leading trail rides (off road) every weekend and air down / air up every weekend. Feel free to check out some of my videos:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC21XgrK1QQQDMUld-U2XYvg/videos

Thusly I've been playing with tire pressures. After off roading this last Saturday, I aired up my 285/70R17 Yokohama Geolandar MT's from 20psi to 40psi and I'm getting tire shake - steering wheel shake. It goes away after the tires heat up.

Previously I was running the tires at 34 or 35 psi - no tire shake.

My recommendation? Play around with your PSI. Try adding a couple pounds or removing a couple pounds.

I found the same to be true with my stock size 265/70R17 Falken Wildpeak AT3W's. A couple pounds difference + tires warming up could = tire shake or no tire shake.

Regarding body roll and nose dive. I have an Eibach Pro Truck Lift (4 Eibach coils 4 Eibach shocks) that significantly improved the on road and off road handling of my 4Runner. Body roll is gone and nose dive is significantly reduced.

I too like my Sprint Booster on pavement. It takes out some of the lag in the acceleration. I turn it off when heading off pavement.

 

There’s a shit ton of them in the bay area because bro trucks don’t fit in half the streets and driveways around here and the Toyotas do really well with the ridiculous amount of driving that is involved.

Gardeners prefer big American trucks from the 90s and Toyota mini trucks held together with duct tape and bailing wire.

 

I for one don't understand. Cyberbullying, name calling, foul language, and trolling should not have to be tolerated by anyone. Hiding behind a keyboard and making threatening remarks is very immature behavior. If it was ever done face to face in person the outcome could get escalated very quickly.

In military law enforcement we learned a lot about deescalation. With some it's a lost cause then other measures have to be taken to the offensive party. Most of the time it simply took an overnight trip in cuffs and leg irons to the "Round Room" (land base brig on CBC base Gulfport MS). In the case of forums, moderators just remove posts and if it continues remove the member permanently.

I did not consider the OP Chris's comments as "whining". He was just upset about something that should have been caught at the PDI. Part of a dealers PDI is checking alignment and all the moving components under the vehicle. The only thing he is guilty of is getting his point across in a agreeable way.

 

Oh, Bay Area!! Yes I can see this. I delivered and serviced generators in the 90's and was hard pressed to fit a 48' flatbed let alone a 53' container trailer through Oakland/San Francisco. all those roads rate right up there with downtown LA in how narrow and tight they are.

Bro Trucks LOL!! we call them Bro Dozers and Rolling Coal around here in Southern California. What is really odd are the guys who waste bed space by punching holes in the front corners of the bed and put smokestacks there like a big rig.

 

The only place you see them around here if you start going east like Vacaville and Dixon because the closer you get to the Bay Area proper you find that you can’t even park one of the damn things or fit down half of the streets.

 

Around here it was Rangers until they have mostly been driven to extinction. I used to see some poor Ford Ranger with three times it's payload of dirt or mulch in the bed towing a flat trailer full of lawn equipment almost daily. They would be rusted, dented and riding on the bump stops.
Now older F150's do most of that work although I did see an old Ranger dragging it's tail pulling a trailer recently.

 

Your reply was in no way legit. You were a smart ass with your reply instead of being helpful and seeing past my frustration. You sure are assuming alot about me just by one statement. I am in no way entitled nor am I a snowflake, I assure you. I served two combat tours in Iraq and have been a roughneck in the oilfields of west Texas so I am no cupcake. Your response to my original post was nothing more than you trying to get a rise from me because in your opinion, I was whining. I have taken others advice on the forum and did not respond to them the way that I did to you because they pointed out my approach was wrong. I said panties in a bunch because you pretty much attacked me for talking bad about a vehicle. So I am going to extend an olive branch and apologize if I offended you in any way. This forum was never meant for two guys to have a pissing match.

 

No, OP was impolite, taking into consideration that he came here for help, sorry, then you approach should be different that's why a lot of members had negative remarks or ignored OP. Btw. Upset (anger) is a bad adviser.

Let me ask you this Chris, have you ever asked for help this way?

I’m a strong believer that being polite will get you further in life, than just being brash. Straightforward is different, sticking to the point that matters.

All that said, I believe that OP thought about it and did very well in coming back posting his positive experience at the dealership, showing that he wants to put all this nonsense behind him and move forward. That’s why I’m the first in line, if I can help, he is more than welcome.