Minimum Ground Clearance?

[HighSierraOverland]

For those of you who have seen my posts, I own a CR-V which obviously keeps me very limited on backroads. As a photographer I travel a lot, especially with work I do for the NPS, so I've been looking into buying a Toyota 4Runner for the space, but also offroad capabilities.

I have thought about the TRD Pro 4Runner as I don't plan on doing anything crazy, but want to be able to hit some tougher trails. However after watching a lot of overlanding videos, and seeing everyone's photos, I wonder if it will indeed give me enough ground clearance.

I'm hoping to do most of the trails that are within the Sierra Nevada mountain range, along with areas such as the Grand Canyon, etc. Some of those would include things like Strawberry Lake in the Sierra National Forest, as well as things such as Bald Mountain in the Shaver Lake area.

Would a TRD Pro be able to handle that? The TRD Off Road version?

I guess what I want, being I don't have my own shop or anything like that, is to be able to get the best bang for my buck. I'd hope I don't need to do a major lift, but for instance if the TRD Pro isn't high enough on clearance, then I'd like to save the price difference between that and the Off Road version, and put that money towards a lift on an Off Road.

I believe the TRD Pro has 9.6" of ground clearance, is that plenty for your typical offroading and "light" Jeep Trails? Do you need something higher?

Basically everything the Overland Bound Land Cruiser does is what I'm looking to do, if that helps narrow down the confusion I've probably just caused.

 

[druff6991]

I'd go with the Tacoma trd off road. There's a video where a stock one went down hells revenge

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[Preston Tiegs]

I own an '05 4runner. I've got the same clearance as the current 4runner. Fully sufficient for any rutted road you want to get down, but if you want to go places where the Overlandbound rig goes, you're going to need a lot of upgrades. Lift, tires, lockers, skid plates, and rock sliders.

 

[MBroenkow]

From what you describe, I think the 4Runner TRD Offroad will be great for you.

I have a stock '16 Trail (same model as TRD Offroad, different name) and I've taken it all kinds of places and never encountered anything I couldn't get through. I've been super happy with KDSS too. It handles great on the street and articulates like crazy offroad. I'm also really happy with the Premium interior and faux leather seats, mud and dirt pretty much wipe right off.

Tough offroad tires are all you really need to do at first to get out there and have fun. : )

 

[Daniel Etter]

I have the 2017 4Runner TRD Offroad and it has surprisingly been great with its 9.6" ground clearance. It has great approach and departure angles compared to other suvs in its category. As mentioned, a set of good AT tires will help it immensely off road and if you go up to a 275/70/17 tire, it gives you a little extra clearance.

 

[WildHareAdventures]

My experience is with Tacomas, but I think they're similar enough to share my thoughts. Ive owned two first gen Tacomas with 265/70r16 tires and stock suspension. I never had a problem with them on moderate trails. When I bought my 2nd gen it was a whole different story. Lots of rock stacking and I needed much more careful planning on the same trails. (My wife unfortunately isn't the best spotter and I'm not the best driver...) The length and width was just so much more (I also went from standard to access cab) than I was used to. I'm working with a limited budget so i kept the stock 265/70r16 tires for awhile. I got some used 265/75r16 tires and it helped, but I was still scraping my skid plate more than I liked over trails like Mengel Pass. After a year of that I installed an OME 2.5" lift. It definitely helped, but I was still not happy. (Although i was super stoked on the OME leaf springs!!!) Then this year I got some 255/85r16 Cooper Maxx ST tires and it's completely changed my truck. Everything just seems to work now exactly the way I want it to. From easy rock crawling over Mengel (I didn't need a spotter nor get out to look at it!) to much higher speeds over wash board.

Anyway, I'm not sure if that helps, but it's my experience. Keep in mind I'm hell on two wheels, but I freely admit I'm not great on four. I'm sure a better driver could do a lot more than I can with a stock truck.

 

[HighSierraOverland]

Thanks for the help so far everyone. I definitely knew about the tires thankfully. As far as lockers go, is that even possible in the 4Runner? Is there some aftermarket way to have that done? Not that I would be doing that anytime soon, but I'm curious if that's even an option, or if you have to do some serious swapping out of parts.

 

[20DYNAMITE07]

Thanks for the help so far everyone. I definitely knew about the tires thankfully. As far as lockers go, is that even possible in the 4Runner? Is there some aftermarket way to have that done? Not that I would be doing that anytime soon, but I'm curious if that's even an option, or if you have to do some serious swapping out of parts.

I believe the TRD Off-road is another name for the Trail Edition, the Pro has some trim differences. In either case, it comes equipped with an electronic locking rear differential, and multi terrain select stock.

You can put an ARB air locker in the front, and so long as you don't put 35" tires on (something that would require a ton of modifications to do anyway) you could expect good reliability from it. HOWEVER most people don't put lockers on independent front suspension (IFS) vehicles. There's a great article on lockers in IFS trucks over at T4R.

To your original question. It's not all about the clearance, it's about the line you take. But at nearly 9.5" stock, you will already be amongst the best in class. In short, it's plenty.

When the 5th gen came out, 4Wheeler took two stock 4runners across the Rubicon. They made it with no Trail damage. But they're great drivers and probably did a lot of Trail work along the way.

So, it will take you where you want to go. [emoji4]

 

[MBroenkow]

I got the Trail for the locking rear diff and KDSS.

TRD Pro is only different from the Trail Premium by its suspension, wheels and cosmetic pieces. TRD Pro has long travel suspension and is the only one of the 4 trims (SR5, TRD off Road, Limited, and TRD Pro) that sits higher from the factory, but is not available with KDSS.

TRD Off road (Trail) Premium has the same interior as TRD Pro but no long travel suspension. TRD Off road (Trail) have KDSS suspension and locking rear diff.

The Limited (AWD, not part time 4WD) have X-REAS and center locking diff.

KDSS and X-REAS are systems intended to help with body roll on the road. KDSS is also useful off road by allowing more articulation, and can be lifted up to 3 inches. X-REAS can not be lifted at all.

 

[HighSierraOverland]

The thing I was liking about the TRD Pro was the higher is sat, and from what I read could be raised 2" by just doing the Toytec Lift (which is cheaper than standard kits due to it already using the shocks on the Pro). The obvious special TRD Pro stuff really didn't matter to me, I was just looking for the better thing for me.

I guess now I'm stuck still at whether the Off Road version with KDSS is better, and doing a lift on that (which would total the same as the TRD Pro if not more after a lift).

As mentioned I'm not looking to do anything CRAZY, but definitely would love to hit some really awesome trails. The most I'm looking to do, as mentioned in the original post is the Strawberry Lake and Bald Mountain trails around Shaver Lake, CA. Obviously other trails like that I would like to do too.

Is anyone familiar with those? Could a stock TRD Pro do that? Would I need a Toytec Lift and other stuff?

I don't plan on putting 33" tires or anything like that. Probably would like a bigger tire that wouldn't cause rub, but help it sit a little bit higher.

 

[20DYNAMITE07]

The thing I was liking about the TRD Pro was the higher is sat, and from what I read could be raised 2" by just doing the Toytec Lift (which is cheaper than standard kits due to it already using the shocks on the Pro). The obvious special TRD Pro stuff really didn't matter to me, I was just looking for the better thing for me.

I guess now I'm stuck still at whether the Off Road version with KDSS is better, and doing a lift on that (which would total the same as the TRD Pro if not more after a lift).

As mentioned I'm not looking to do anything CRAZY, but definitely would love to hit some really awesome trails. The most I'm looking to do, as mentioned in the original post is the Strawberry Lake and Bald Mountain trails around Shaver Lake, CA. Obviously other trails like that I would like to do too.

Is anyone familiar with those? Could a stock TRD Pro do that? Would I need a Toytec Lift and other stuff?

I don't plan on putting 33" tires or anything like that. Probably would like a bigger tire that wouldn't cause rub, but help it sit a little bit higher.

You can fit 33" on an SR5 with a lift, 32's will fit in stock configuration... it's the 35's that require the major mods [emoji12]

I've never done those trails myself- but I'd feel confident giving them a go in my stock Trail.

This guy looks to be in a stock TE and seems to be doing just fine at Shaver Lake, and those appear to be the OEM Dunlops that are pretty much a 31" highway tire.

 

[American Overlanders]

I have a stock 2008 Sequoia that comes with 10" of clearance from Toyota. I have never had any issues, and I don't have the superior entry and exit angles of the 4Runner...so with that said, the 4Runner would be a great pick.

 

[Mike G]

I've done the Bald Mountain trail in my stock 4RUNNER and had no problems going up the mountain. I did need some spotting on a couple of the gates. Going down the trail, I bottomed out at the last gate and I bent both my running board's (Driver error). After that trip, I went out and got a 2.5" lift. I say keep the stock suspension until you decide it's time to get it lifted.

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[HighSierraOverland]

Awesome Mike. Good to know it can be done in stock. I might want to do a 2" lift or something at some point, just not sure about when. Obviously that would only help further.

Really still trying to decide between the Pro or the KDSS. Can someone give me anymore of a breakdown from what @MBroenkow did? I guess I'm still too new to figure out what would be better for me when it comes to offroading. Or perhaps I guess why one would want the Pro vs. KDSS and vice versa. Are there situations where one is better than the other?

 

[MBroenkow]

I can't imagine you'd be unhappy with either the TRD Pro or Off Road Premium.

If you search you'll find many philosophical debates about pros and cons of KDSS (as well as through explanations of how it works). Although its 'new' on the 5th gen 4rs, its been around awhile longer on other models around the world, so its already a well developed technology. All I really know about is my experience and I haven't seen any cons to KDSS yet.

The TRD Pro is a slightly different philosophy with the long travel suspension. Its pretty cool that Toyota offers a factory 'hot rod' long travel suspension model. I think this suspension trades some road handling for better old-school (non-computer shit) off road capability. You could easily buy the TRD Pro and not feel the need to modify or upgrade parts, maybe ever.

Something to keep in mind is that according to the Toyota site, the Off Road Premium MSRPs at $39,295, and The TRD Pro $42,400. TRD Pros are in high demand and dealers are getting more than MSRP as people scramble to get them. Lots of people are waiting a long time for delivery. That said, the TRD Pro looks fantastic.

 

[HighSierraOverland]

I've noticed that about them. Have seen some 2016 and 15's, depending on color, being sold for almost $10K more than the 2017 brand new. Insane. Realistically I probably won't be able to afford one until next June, not that I wouldn't expect prices to drop new or used, but I'll have to wait and see what happens, especially if they change anything too on the new vehicles (I think I read a new look might be coming for 2018).

Really just want to get all my research done ahead of time so I know what I want.

 

[MBroenkow]

All of the 4Runner models are well thought out and I think they are all good options depending on your needs and wants.

The SR5 is another direction a lot of people will back up. Its basic but capable. Its optioned best for someone on a tighter budget or as a base for adding the bits and pieces you want when you want. There's no KDSS to remove (no wasted money) and they don't care about terrain control either (I've only played with mine a few times). An SR5 could have locking diffs and after market long travel suspensions beyond what the TRD Pro has. Its just a different more hands-on approach.

 

[ChaseIt]

It might be better to add good quality rock sliders first. That's my next move for my Tacoma TRD Off-Road. I don't have the cash for a good lift yet so I'm investing in protection. I haven't done Bald Mountain before but my fellow Sacramento OB members who have, said I should be fine with my stock lift and sliders. I hope they are right LOL

 

[Doug C]

I've been doing a lot of research lately on the 4Runner and I'm gonna go with a Trail/TRD Off-road. The TRD Pro is too hard to find and too much money. I feel the Trail is plenty capable except for the tires and maybe skid plate protection.


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[PNW EXPLR]

You really don't need a more then 10-12" of clearance. Sometime you just need to slow down and pay attention to the terrain and potential hazards that may be coming at you. I WILL say that skid plates are a must. NOT the average sheet metal ones that come stock. I'm talking about skid plates and sliders that can support the full weight of the rig.