Body Roll & Excessive Bump Steer

I am brand new to the Toyota world, this is my first 4Runner. I am a diesel truck girl at heart! I do love my 4Runner however, I notice some strange occurrences in my front end.
When I purchased this in May, it already had a 2.5" leveling kit installed, after-market wheels, and oversized tires. I have noticed pretty severe body roll at speeds over 70mph and horrible bump steer issues.
I do not know anything about the suspension on Toyotas however I am wondering if the Struts (I believe they are only struts not coilovers) are bottoming out and were not upgraded when the lift was done.
Would any of you have any advice on how to fix the body roll and bump steer issues?

 

Is the front level kit a spacer or actual spring/shocks doing the lift? In my experience a spacer will stiffen the body roll.

Now if it was an all around lift bump steer can be caused by the panhard rod's geometry being altered in such a way that the rear axle is pulled slightly towards passenger side. This will cause bump steer but is easily removed by a lift bracket to get the panhard rod back at horizonal and not at an upward angle. A modest rear lift is usually fine but it's something to consider; that is if your rear is even lifted at all. A good video to watch explaining this linked below:

https://youtu.be/-W5TfPnEBTM?feature=shared

 

Bump steer is just something that happens with the 5th gen's suspension geometry when lifted, not practical to fix without spending several grand on a long-travel kit. Just one of the compromises when modifying the vehicle for off-road use, the on-road handling is worsened.

Need to see pictures of the leveling kit. I notice the 4Runner has excessive body roll (compared to my Tacoma) even when stock. If the leveling kit re-uses the stock springs or has springs which aren't stiff enough, the body roll will be pronounced. The solution is just to get stiffer springs, at the expense of ride quality.

 

This does not match my experiences with my fully stock 24 Limited. It has a little bit of nose dive under hard braking and no noticeable side to side body roll in any on-pavement driving I have done. It is perfectly well-behaved at legal highway speeds and is very predictable on off-ramps or during hard braking in a straight line.

Now, if I were to take my 4Runner auto-slalom racing, I likely would not be happy with its performance, but then exactly what do you expect out of tall off road oriented SUV?

 

Severe body roll at speeds over 70mph? It's a lifted BOF SUV, not a sports car. I test drove the non-KDSS versions of the 4runner and didn't like the wandering at highway speeds when there's wind so I'm going to assume that's what you're referring to. That's apparently just how the 4runner rolls with stock sway bars.

As far as bump steer, I suspect (like others) that you may have spacers in the front. At 2.5" you are probably close to maxing down travel

 

Without details of the 4R model you drive, & the type of lift, it will be hard to offer valid advice. Photos will help immensely.

4Rs have coil springs/shocks, not struts.

 

As mentioned, buying quality aftermarket shocks and coils (to give you the amount of lift you want) is the foundation for a good 4runner lift. The stock shocks are luxo-barge soft and smooth. 4runners have more body roll and brake dive than most modern vehicles. If you add spacers to stock shocks, the body roll would become dangerous if the driver expects to handle like a modern vehicle.

But even after a lifting a 4runner with good shocks and coils, the castor geometry will change and affect the sensitivity of the steering, making it feel more neutral/flighty at highway speeds. If you can’t get used to the “lively” highway ride, the solution is to replace the upper control arms with aftermarket that are designed to allow for more caster angle than what you could get on a stock 4runner.

I’ve never driven a big diesel pickup, but I based on what I see they *must* feel more stable/planted than a 4runner…because around where I live (for better or worse) big diesels pickups are often driven very aggressively and at excessive speeds, even while towing huge loads. I don’t mean that as in insult to all diesel drivers, it’s just that I see it so frequently that I have to assume that the vehicle’s handling must so supremely stable that the drivers are not at all concerned about losing control. If they are that stable, then a 4runner is going to be a bit of a shock.

4runners have a short(ish) wheelbase, and have fairly light/quick steering from the factory. Even lifting it properly it won’t change that, but it’s possible to not make it worse. Mine is lifted about 2.5 inches from stock on good suspension components, and I still feel like I could flip it on its lid if I were to aggressively steer at speed (like to avoid something). Mentally, I don’t allow myself the option of evasive steering much above 65mph. I consider that speed range as one where hard braking straight ahead is the best option.

 

You have a Limited. My experience is based on the SR5. The OP also has an SR5, based on the bumper cover shape and silver roof rails. From Toyota's press kit, the Limited sway bar is 14% stiffer than the SR5's [(1.22/1.18)^4 = 1.14]. The Limited may also have stiffer coils, but Toyota never published spring rate data on any of its recent truck and SUV models.



It also depends on your frame of reference. My SR5 on 2020 SR5 takeoff suspension feels like a boat compared to my 3rd gen Tacoma (back when stock), but handles much better than my 2nd gen Tacoma. If you came from an early 2000s body on frame truck or SUV, I'm sure the 5th gen's handling will seem very composed. However, compared to a modern body on frame truck or SUV, the platform's age really shows.

 

My 2011 Limited, Xreas removed,265/70/17 Wildpeaks on ORP wheels, stock suspension with the exception of Bilstein 5100s front and rear, lifted 1.5"(via the shocks) has the same highway feel. Fine on city streets, but on highway, above 60mph, has sensitive steering, lightest breeze make it even more sensitive and requires constant micro adjustments And has body roll at 70mph+. I had the caster pushed out as far as possible with stock UCA and LCA-they got 3.5 degrees.

 

Is the sway bar still on it? Post some pics of your suspension

 

As others have stated, provide some pictures, also, did you buy this vehicle used? If so, do you know what the previous owner did with the vehicle?

I have a long bed dually and a 4Runner. The dually is significantly more stable on the freeway and the suspension is VERY STIFF, so zero body roll. Completely different vehicles, even though both are "trucks".

When I bought my 4Runner, the stock shocks sucked (SR5 Premium). I upgraded them to 5100s within 10,000 miles and the body roll mostly went away. I started to add more and more weight to it, and the body roll came back. I just upgraded my shocks again with Dobinsons and I drive faster than most sports cars on the road.

I'm guessing you have 2 separate issues that others have stated or alluded to:
1) shocks/springs are tired and need to be replaced
2) Panhard bar correction is needed

The sway bar question is a good one too.

 

I used adjustable sway bar links with my lift and I have had to adjust several times to find my neutral bar position. Extending to far will drive like a Porsche and beat your brains out. Not enough and you get the teeters or boat rock from bars pulling against each other side to side on the bumps.