Best way to lift or level kdss system??

Hi All, New here and looking for some intel. This seems like the group to pole.

My 2010 Trail Edition's KDSS system is done. Apparently new lines and pump at minimum. I've heard staggering figures thrown out on other forums/pages about having Toyota do this. Exploring "bypassing" KDSS altogether and potentially removing pump and lines and moving to an aftermarket suspension system, (leveling while I'm at it) ... but with the videos and diagrams in this thread, not sure if that's as possible to do properly as some chatter would indicate.

Does anybody here know if this is actually possible? What the implications would be and cost vs. just having KDSS fixed at dealership?

Thanks in advance for any knowledge.

HC

 

It depends whether the actuator has failed in the open or closed position. If open, it should mostly function as normal.

Otherwise, you could just delete the system yourself and install an aftermarket suspension. A lot of off-roaders will delete their sway bars and don't mind a little extra lean in curves.

 

And... what happens if actuator is closed? The code the computer threw was C1851 which is a low pressure indicator. Had hoped it was just a wiring or corrosion thing that could be cleaned and/or reconnected... but the shop says no.

When you say "delete the system" what steps/components would that include?

Will aftermarket suspension compensate for any sag as the KDSS ultimately loses all pressurization? Not looking for much lift, and would keep the sway bars if possible. Truck is mainly driven on road. Tows a 4000lb boat a few miles a couple times a year and may get into light/medium duty off roading now that we've moved somewhere more accessible to trails.

Appreciate the dialogue!

 

It wouldn't sag. It only affects body roll and low speed articulation. Deleting the system will actually allow even greater articulation, but increase body roll. Most folks with aftermarket suspension and sway bars deleted seem fine with the ride.

You would need to remove the sway bars, at minimum, to disable the system completely. The hydraulic lines, link pins, hydraulic pistons, and accumulator could all be removed as well.

 

I would just rip the system out and run it without the sway bars.

You will have more body roll during cornering, but there are lots of people running trucks without sway bars and no problems.

 

Thanks Folks!

To that end, (from what you know or have heard) does it make sense to increase spring rate to compensate the roll at all?

 

Not really, because you’re sacrificing overall ride quality and you’re dealing with way too much mass and inertia. Just use some common sense and don’t drive fast and furious.

 

Like @LandCruiser said, you would hurt the overall ride quality. Most aftermarket shocks will have better damping than the OEM shocks. This will actually help reduce roll.

 

Thanks, BG. I assumed as much, but... assuming is a dangerous thing. I work with high end mountain bikes, so have a pretty good handle on suspension characteristics, but KDSS is a bit of a different animal. I've also been reading a fair bit on AccuTune Off-Road and found this last night:



While warranty is obviously not a factor for me anymore, wasn't sure about any electronic implications, or unintended consequences of deleting the system altogether. It seems like in a lot of these threads where people have upgraded, lifted/leveled their trucks, the KDSS is still working. I haven't found one yet, where it was cooked and removed. Anyway, I agonize over pulling the pin on stuff like this and will analyze until I'm blue in the face. I appreciate the guidance from this group!

 

I found this video that has great step by step instructions on installing a leveling kit with kdss. Although the guy at the time he filmed this didn’t know anything about the kdss system, he actually installed the spacers the way that a lot of shops are doing it by compressing the kdss piston to get the sway bar back in place. Hopefully it helps someone.

https://youtu.be/dc1Dwr0F2uA

 

Do you undo the brackets at the cylinder and fixed rod or undo the ends at the LCAs? One at a time or undo both at once and just use something to pry the LCA down to get the coilover out?

 

Thanks for the info. So the one bracket at the fixed KDSS rod was the only thing you had to take off and didn't have to undo anything else other than the 3 nuts at the shock hat and the bottom shock bolt? That makes it sound really simple.

 

Thanks for the links to the videos. So you did have to undo either the upper or lower ball joint? There's a Snail Trail or something like that video where he only undoes the upper ball joint and uses a 2x4 to lever the LCA down to get the shock out.

 

Thank you very much for taking the time to post all the great info. For now I'm just going to try and get rid of some of the rake by ordering a Dobinson kit with the 238 front spring that's supposed to lift 3/4" to 1" and leave the rear alone except for the Dobinson shock. For my needs, I'm getting the twin tube shocks. I might do the rear and also more front lift later on when my new 265/70 tires wear out and go to 285s.

So I think I'm going to do the front by undoing the upper ball joint or the lower joint and just try and lever the lower arm down to get the shocks in and out. Do you know what the torque specs are for the front suspension parts? There was a sheet I copied which is kinda hard to decipher but it looks like the lower shock bolt is 70 ft-lbs, the 3 top hat nuts are 21 ft-lbs, lower ball joint is either 103 or 118 ft-lbs, and the upper ball joint nut is 82 ft-lbs.

Thanks again!

 

Thanks again!