Do 4runners tend to wander more than the average vehicle?

btw i know my alignment is good. one guy just told me that old school SUVs tend to wander more on the freeway compared to other cars. Is this true?

 

I haven't noticed that. My steering is tight and the 4R holds line really well on a calm day. However, it will try to obey the wind every time.

 

So far I haven't noticed a significant difference in highway cruising adjustments between the 4Runner and a couple other crossovers.

 

Too high of tire pressure can cause wandering.

 

I have not had that problem with my 4Runner.

You mentioned having ruled out alignment but excessively high tire pressures can contribute to wandering too.

 

Yes, 4Runner has a short wheel base, big long trucks/SUV’s track best.

 

I don't think that's a wrong statement. If I compare 4runner to relatively long term ownership of Toyota Venza, it has much sharper handling vs 4runner on rural highways with crosswinds, 4runner needs more work than Venza. Venza is not really a low riding sports car, it's has same ground clearance as a GX460 8.1inch. But handles much better. May because of the bodyshape? Electronic Power Steering? All independent suspension? Not sure. But relatively boxy BMW X5 handle much better than 4runner too. Just wanted to say that 4runner doesn't have sharp handling as a car.

 

Tell us about your 4Runner and what you're comparing it to. (Year, mileage, tires, suspension etc).
Neither of my 4Runners wander.

 

Define "good" on your alignment? Specifically, what are your caster measurements?

Too low of a caster can make it wander. After I installed my UCAs, I went from mid 2 degrees to well above 3 degrees. Solved my issues with excessive wandering on the highway.

 

What is your caster angle? You need more caster if you are wandering.

 

2023 sr5 premium 4wd completely stock. Comparing it to my Previous vehicle which was an Audi A4. Also when I use my parents cars (Mom drives a Volkswagen Touareg and dad has an BMW X5)

 

about 3.5 degrees on both sides

 

3.5 degrees caster on both sides. was originally 2.9 but then they fixed it

 

OK, comparing it to those German vehicles will be tough. They will definitely feel tighter.

 

Increasing caster is a trade off with toe. Assuming toe and camber is within spec, it could be the stock tires. If it came with the Dunlops... they are terrible tires. Honestly, they are lightweight so I think Toyota used them to get some mpg improvements.

Probably not great to compare to an Audi A4 or BMW x5 that are designed to perform on the road. Take it off road and see which you prefer.

 

yeah i figured. maybe it’s just the nature of the beast. it doesn’t feel unsafe or anything like that but definitely noticeable. Same thing with brakes. brakes felt really weird and i thought the shocks were already blown because of the amount of nosedive during breaking.. but now i’m used to it

 

yes the off-road capability of this thing even stock blows an x5 away. also long term reliability.

 

Nosedive is due to the super soft stock shocks. A set of good aftermarket shocks will solve that problem quick

 

I have this exact same problem. I'm exploring options. Stiffer tires, bigger wheels with shorter sidewalls, upgrade suspension, all of the above?

 

I felt like stiffer tires helped a bit, but I haven't changed anything else. I figure the aerodynamics are a characteristic that are more easily adapted to than defeated.

 

My new orp wandered a bit, even more pronounced in wind of course. Here are the things that helped.

KDSS improves roll stiffness and one with will wander less than one without.

Correct tire pressure helps a little. Too high or too low both hurt.

Alignment helped a lot. Toe was slightly out from factory.

Bilstein shocks helped a lot. Soft stock suspension wallows and promotes wandering.

 

So, we're basing all of this off of "one guy" that says old SUVs wander more.

Do you feel like your truck wanders too much? If no, then great. If yes, then check one of the possible fixes listed here.

Personally, I start to notice wandering when my tire pressure gets a little low (not low enough for the warning, just under 30 psi).

Another factor is the amount of free play (slop) in the steering wheel. This is how much the tires can move before you can stop it with the steering wheel.

I feel like the 4R has a pretty large allowable slop per factory specs, this is going to make it feel a lot more wandery than any luxury car, and probably most regular cars.

As the steering parts wear, this gets worse and worse, so might be something to check if the car feels unsafe (there is a spec somewhere in the manual of how much free play is acceptable, so a free test).

 

I would say it feels loose. Alignment is fine, but it definitely is not a tight driving experience at high speeds on highway. The only thing “worse” that I’ve owned was a 2005 Trailblazer. Otherwise, between my wife and I, two Accords, an Integra, Elantra, Escape and an Oddyssey, my 4R is certainly the “loosest” feeling of them all at high speeds.

Of course I’ve driven plenty that have been just complete shit , a mid 90’s Grand Am comes to mind haha! Or some early 2000’s 3 ton Sterlings haha!

 

The 4R is nothing more than a truck with a permanent camper shell, you cannot compare it to a non-body on frame vehicle. Compared to my straight axle pickup the 4R steers with superb precision and the truck has had ALL the steering components upgraded(~$5K) from the steering shaft to tires when I rebuilt the entire front end. The joke in HD Dodge circles is that it has built-in DUI steering even when new.

 

If you want to drive a vehicle that wanders less, get one built very close to the ground that runs on like 22" rims and almost no sidewall to the tires. The 4Runner is the opposite of those things. If you want to experience "wandering" I'll introduce you to my Jeep Wrangler!

 

When test driving trucks before, we test drive a Wrangler. At higher speeds it was like "going forward, going forward, SQUIRREL!"

 

I've driven a couple non-Wrangler Jeeps that tracked OK, but every time I drive a Wrangler, I have to fling the wheel all over the place just to go in straight line on the highway. It doesn't help that so many of them have a bunch of free play in the rack.

 

My 2021 stock Venture without KDSS wandered. It was the first vehicle I had ever owned that did, and I'm old My 2023 ORP with KDSS doesn't wander, feels like a sports car compared to the Venture.

 

mine likes to dance when I'm behind a semi at highway speed. other than that, it's pretty solid

 

I can tell you from my expirience with my 2011 Limited 4WD-it's extremely tire dependent. With the stock 20" high quality radial it tracks great. When I put on 17" Wildpeaks it was not so great. Alignment is spot on.