Did I really mess up? 2020 4Runner SR5P

Hi all

New here and Newish to Toyota!

A few months back my wife and I test drove an ORP with KDSS as that's all they had at the time, however at the time I didn't know anything about KDSS and the dealer never mentioned it. It rode pretty good and my wife liked it. I just purchased my wife (as a surprise) a 2020 SR5 Premium that does not have KDSS and after reading a few different sites, I feel like I really messed up.

I don't pick it up until Friday but reading about KDSS has got me all freaked out that the its going to ride horrible and that I should back out and get something with KDSS. She will not off road-it at all and her commute is 5 miles a day, if that, on normal paved roads.

Am I really missing out without having KDSS? My brothers wife had a 2017 Limited that I drove a bunch of times and I don't remember the ride being awful, unless that also has something similar to KDSS in it?

Did I mess this up big time?

 

No.

I have KDSS and shopped and bought a vehicle specifically equipped with it. Glad I did and I am happy with it and I would do it again. But did you mess up? No not at all. You will be very happy with your Runner. KDSS does not make or break these vehicles.

 

This makes me feel a bit better. I didn't even think to look at the OR or ORP because we do absolutely no off-roading whatsoever.

I just hope I'm not missing out on like a ridiculously better ride having KDSS vs not.

 

Ahh ok good to hear!!

 

I've never driver KDSS. I have a non-KDSS and the ride stock was great, apart from the nose dive.
I wouldn't give it a second thought. Enjoy your new rig. The grass isn't always greener.

 

Thank you! I am pumped, my wife has absolutely no idea. I am going to surprise her with it on Friday. She currently drives a 2017 Rogue that she despises and shes been wanting a 4Runner for years so I'm really hoping she loves this!

 

She will love it. Just don't go babbling on to her about KDSS or she may just believe you.

 

Haha definitely will not mention it!

 

I test drove both and read up on it. Not for me, just more to go south down the road. I prefer the non kdss ride

Also like the look of the plain jane SR5 over the limited version 20 inch rims and lower beltline.

 

Thanks everyone! It was driving me nuts so I actually went on my lunch to a dealership close to me and explained the situation and they let me test drive a 2019 SR5, which has the same suspension as the 20 SR5P I bought and it was totally fine. I didnt mind the ride at all and my wife is way less picky than I am so she will have no issues.

Crisis Averted! haha Thanks again! Super happy to be joining this crew!

 

Women Like how the suspension feels on the SR5. My Wife does.

If you ever want to upgrade the suspension, Bilstiens with stock springs at any height with stock rear springs will most likely be wife approved due to Feel. I started at .85 up front and the wife liked it. moved to 2.5 up front with a 1.5" daystar spacer in the rear and it feels exactly the same and the wife still likes it.

 

KDSS is better IMO.

But I wouldn't say its a mistake.

 

She'll never know the difference.

But, if she ever does complain about the ride, you will have saved a bunch of money by not purchasing the ORP w/ KDSS so you can purchase aftermarket suspension parts and fine tune the ride to your wants and needs after the fact.

 

You’ll love it and won’t regret a non-kdss vehicle. Basically... It makes the truck feel a little more like you’re driving a car instead of a truck. That’s it.

The advantage you’ll have is that when it comes time to replace the suspension, it won’t cost you an arm and a leg. And there’s less that can go wrong.

I’m glad I didn’t get the kdss. My truck rides great.

 

Having KDSS won't affect the cost of replacing shocks.

But, you're correct about the ride.

KDSS will make the truck sway less around curves, and allows more wheel articulation when off roading. For some, this might not make a difference.

I'm betting that she'll be very happy with the truck.

Welcome to the forum!

 

Yeah I wasn’t very clear there. I guess I meant if any of the kdss stuff breaks down, replacement parts can get really expensive.

Low mileage failure is pretty rare, but I’ve read about guys having to replace parts at 40k miles and being pissed at the expense. So they bypass (remove?) the kdss and go back to a more normal suspension, losing what they initially paid for.

 

I have heard of that as well, and I really hope it's a few and far between situation. I would hate to have to decide between paying a shitload of money VS losing what I paid extra for. Time will tell.

Good point to bring it up, though. It's definitely worth considering the potential cost if it fails.

 

I would not pay extra for kdss. I just addd some Bilstein 5100’s up front and set at .85 which got rid of the nose dive while braking hard. Now I have 1” front lift and a nice firm front end for way less money.

 

KDSS has no affect on the nose dive.

No aftermarket suspension can duplicate what it does.

 

Thanks for all the replys everyone! This community is awesome. Like I said before I went out and drove a base SR5 yesterday and it was fine after driving myself nuts, I did not hate the ride or think my wife would hate it either.

I know what you mean, there is nose dive when breaking hard and definite body roll but nothing that I don't think she will get used too. I took it on the highway at 65-70 and it was fine, a little floaty but not bad at all. I pick it up tommorow and I cant wait.

I already ordered new tires for it after doing some research on the stock tires and how they are not the best in the snow, my main concern is that she is safe and its great in the snow. I went with some Falken Wildpeak A/T3W's in stock size. Read a bunch of good things about them so for the price I figured I would try them out. Anyone have any experience with them?

I can already see its going to be very hard not to mod this thing right away. Thanks again everyone!!!

 

Michelin Defenders would be the best tire for your wife.

 

It really comes down to personal preference - I bought a 20 ORP without KDSS. One of the things I like best about 4Runner is that it's a truck - I want the stiff ride. If I wanted a car-based SUV, I would have bought another Pathfinder!! I didn't drive a 20 with KDSS, but my guess is that most people couldn't tell the difference either way.
Either way, you got an awesome vehicle so you win!

 

Do the front Bilsteins set @ .85 net you that much lift, or more than that?

 

KDSS will feel “stiffer” than a truck without it. With kdss the ride is less “floaty”.

With that said, my non-kdss 4Runner SR5 is much less floaty than my 3rd gen TRD off road Tacoma was. (I just mention this for the sake of comparison- and kdss isn’t even an option on Tacoma’s).

 

go with KDSS its a nice option for a daily driver...plus a happy wife is a happy life?

 

i test drove an OR with KDSS before buying my SR5 without... ALL things considered, if KDSS was the ONLY difference in vehicles i wouldnt spend a dollar more for it. Just personal opinion...

Id much rather locking diffs than KDSS. Thats the only thing i wish my SR5 had to be honest, i just wasnt willing to go from paying 35K to paying 40K to get it.

 

Same here. The added cost up front plus the cost of fixing it if something breaks... it was a no-go for me.

 

I have a TRD off road premium with KDSS, and I paid $38,600.

It comes down to what you really want. If I couldn't afford the options I wanted, I'd still be driving my Tacoma. I wouldn't settle for less over a little more money.

Most people might not notice or care about the difference. I drove both, and did a lot of research.

From reading some of the posts, it seems like some of the people saying that KDSS isn't worth the extra money don't even know what it is.

That said, it's probably only really beneficial to a small percentage of owners.

 

I never said it isnt worth the extra money to some people... Just isnt worth any extra to me. And i understand KDSS. Isnt that hard to understand. Just not something that would benefit me as much as locking rear diffs.

 

Fair enough. It's definitely not for everyone, and might not work with some builds.

I was referring to other posts as far as not understanding it.

As far as the rear locker, I haven't needed it yet. With A-Trac and multi-terrain, I don't know if I ever will. But, I am glad to have it!