TRD Pro vs Off road with KDSS

I have a Tacoma TRD off road now, and have been thinking about getting a new 4runner. I don't plan to do anything crazy with it. Daily driver, snow in the winter, hunting in the fall, maybe same over landing type things in the future.

If I went with the Pro, I would basically keep it stock.

Maybe shocks and springs up front on the Off road, just to level it up, and good tires.

Can anyone tell me if the Off road with KDSS actually has better articulation than the Pro?

I wasn't even thinking about the Pro at first, but I can't seem to find any Off road with KDSS that don't also have other options that get the price close to a Pro.

Still waiting for my dealer to get some in so I haven't been able to drive either yet.

Thanks for the help!

 

This thread may help you: https://www.4runners.com/threads/trd-pro-and-kdss.20281/

 

I had this same dilemma and my use case is pretty much the same as yours. I went with KDSS on a ORP because it makes daily driving more comfortable and there is less body roll around corners. Even without KDSS all other 4R trims (except Limited and 2wd only models) are still 90% as capable off road as a Pro in stock form. From what I've read and heard KDSS makes it 98% if not 100% if you put A/T tires on. Articulation does improve with KDSS, however if you ever had plans of modding the suspension it makes it way more or a pain. But for light off roading KDSS will be more than enough while also making the ride to and from noticeably more pleasant.

 

Yes, it does.

Stock, an ORP with KDSS will be better for low speed off-roading. The added articulation will be more beneficial than the Fox shocks and 1" front lift. The PRO will be better for high speed stuff stock.

I tell people that KDSS is great for those who will do moderate suspension work (no long travel, big lift, etc) and moderate off-roading. For hardcore off-roading, a regular sway bar setup and front sway bar delete will be better.

 

The Pro Bro is never worth it.

 

Am I also correct that on road handling will be better with a ORP with KDSS than the pro with fox shocks? I've seen some conflicting reviews on YouTube.

 

I doubt the TRD Pro can beat the Bronco on the ramp, my KDSS did.

 

But I found about about extra flex on KDSS by chance when I was just goofing around. I bought KDSS because it makes the truck less truckee on the road. Test drive both and the difference is quite obvious

 

Buddy of mine is in the process of buying a Gladiator Rubicon. I will report back how KDSS does against a disconnected Gladiator.

 

It will have less body roll due to the heavier sway bars. This was a big selling point for me.

But, the PRO's Fox shocks might provide a nicer overall ride. It's going to be a matter of personal preference.

Between the two, I'd still go with KDSS and aftermarket shocks for the best of both.

 

I'm not sure about kdss. But with the trd pro having 2.5" fox shocks with longer travel helps.

I'm running trd fox shocks without a rear sway bar(due to a perfectly placed rock bent it all out shape) i think it rides great, and sways way less then stock(non kdss, non pro)

 

You removed the rear swaybar?

 

Yeah. With the beefier fox shocks, I can't tell much of a difference during highway driving. It did make the rear ride better.

 

You probably get more articulation in the rear as well. My wheel well has some space at full flex, but the rear doesn't flex to fill it. Front has some space too.

 

I bet you do better. From everything I've read the jeep disconnect fails pretty often.

 

Lol. No, they don't fail pretty often.

 

We have less flex in the rear, but much more in front.

My rear flexes OK, though.

 

My rear doesn't flex as much as yours for some reason. A kitten can crawl up into the wheel well lol

 

As for the front, I still needed A-Trac lol. Missed the ground by a hair

 

Good KDSS review:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ueshf401B0k&pp=ygUUdGlua2VyZXIncyBhZHZlbnR1cmU=

 

Well I stoped tonight and checked a couple 4runners out. They had a new Pro there. I have to say it looked damn good. Me want

 

Save yourself the money and spend it on a good lift on a TRD Offroad Premium

 

I thought about that, but till you add up the price of wheels/tires/lift/front grill and I'm almost at what a Pro costs.

 

Tires on a Pro are a joke

 

The ORP wheels are arguably better than the Pro's - wider and have valve stem protection. Unless you just want the look.

Tires probably need to be replaced regardless.

I think Pro's are just 1" or so higher in front - not a full lift. You can replicate with bilsteins (I think older Pro's used these) for not too much. If you are looking for lift and wider tires, the Pro wheels aren't technically rated for a wider tire (see ORP wheel argument above).

Front grill is an aesthetic choice, not worth the toyota cost of true replacement parts (my opinion) but you roll the dice with aftermarket quality. I chose a cheap flat black layover and put a red layover on the sombrero for an accented look. Much cheaper and I like it better.

To each their own though

 

I personally like the fox suspensions that come with the pro. There’s definitely better out there but also much more expensive.

Tires are adequate in my opinion and much better than the stock tires on any other trims. When it’s time to replace them, I’ll upgrade to better ones (falken or toyos most likely) but it definitely gets the job done until then. If I went with any other trim I would’ve replaced the tires right away which sucks because you lose money on brand new tires.

You can easily spend more money on an orp than a pro but also get a much better set up.
if you think the pro checks all the boxes on what you want straight from Toyota it is honestly a great truck despite a lot of people hating on it.

Also if you care about stuff like dual zone auto climate, auto headlights, remote start, JBL audio, etc… these are stuff that are not on the ORP.
If you don’t care about these, then an ORP is arguably a better choice financially speaking

 

If I could a ORP cheap I would probably go that way. Everyone seems to have another 5k in dumb options added on that I don't even want though.

I know the ORP has wider wheels, but IMO the wider stance of the Pro wheels looks better.

The tires on the Pro are not the best, but I wouldn't replace them right away. With the ORP the tire shop would be my first stop.

I change my mind everyday, sometimes a couple times a day.

 

If you “don’t do anything crazy with it”, then why index so much on the articulation potential of kdss? For the majority of the time your vehicle spend on road, kdss will allow you drive with much more agility. Pro will also have much more droney exhaust.

ORP deals out there all the time. Pros are still at msrp. You should see close to $10k purchase price difference

 

You are the perfect candidate for a SR5 4X4 and keeping lots of money in the bank. Some tires and maybe some Bilstein shocks and you would be perfectly happy.