orchids

Hello,
This is my first post to this board. I recently inherited a 1993 4runner from my brother. He defected and bought a new pathfinder last month for Xmas.

This is my first car. This wasn't my first choice, but what the heck I'll take anything to drive at this point. I am a 20something girl that is used to driving cars. I know that this is a truck forum for truck guys so please be nice.

Now, the 4runner runs OK. It has 153,000 miles the last time I looked. This was my brother's car, which he bought new. Now when highway driving, it's really bumpy. The shocks and springs were changed 2 years ago. Bilsteins and coil springs all yellow. And it has new tires as of 1 year ago, Bridgestone Revos.

Is it normal to be this bumpy? I feel bumps driving 65mph on a Smooth new Highway (no bumps to the naked eye) and it gets bumpier on older paved roads. Just seems abnormal to me. There is no lift or other modification on this truck it is pretty much stock.

Is there anything I can do to get it to run smoother? Could the shocks be worn out in 2 years? Should I change the coils and shocks? I will not be using this for offroad (hope not offensive) so want it to run smooth on roads. Feels like I am offroad even if on regular roads. Hope I didn't confuse anyone.

The other question I was gonna ask, was the whole gas mileage thing. But I found multiple posts to find that low gas mileage is pretty normal.

Thanks for any suggestions you may have,

Libby
orchids@gardener.com

NoMoreHeep

I would check your tire Psi. To hi can make even the smales crack noticable...I have found that for street use Bilsteins can be to stiff (tho that take hard fast hits good) I would put some oe shocks on there or I have good luck with reflex shocks tho thay dont last long...and as for fule mileage that has way to much to do with driving stile to give to any info

runethechamp

And just make sure the tires are balanced.

photoleif

check the tires themselves for low spots, cuts, etc. if you haven't already. cupping etc. can develop in poorly balanced tires and not be all that obvious until you look at 'em closely. also, does it drive straight?

orchids

Thanks for everyones replies.... I will check to see the condition of the tires.... btw? what is the recommended tire pressure for 31x10.5 Bridgestone AT Revos?

To answer your question photoleif: the truck does pull a little to the left even after the supposed alignment by the dealer following the steering rod replacement.... should i get realigned and balanced?

To give you guys an example of how bumpy, i had a starbucks coffee w/lid in the cupholder and the car goes up and down so much that the coffee is able to splash out of the little hold in the lid..... even worse with can soda..... and this is just driving on smooth flat highways at 65mph

runethechamp

Somebody needs to come up with a cupholder mod for the 4runners. That thing amplifies the cars motions like crazy. I got coke and coffee splashes everywhere from that one.

I was thinking that the new sprinds shocks are probably stiffer than the stock versions, so that might be a reason for the rather unforgiving ride you're describing. And I don't think anyone would call the 4runner ride super smooth to begin with

photoleif

the alignment issue wouldn't necessarily cause bumpiness but rather i was thinking that over time if the tires weren't rotated, the uneven wear patterns due to it might account for some of the chop. i think runethechamp is right that the shocks are not your friend in this.

maxpower_hd

You will likely never get it to run nice and smooth. These were just not designed that way. They have a short wheel base, kind of like a Jeep, so they tend to be a little bouncy compared to other types of vehicles.

If you can change the shocks yourself or can have someone help you then it may be worth it to change them out. But I don't think you will notice a "huge" improvement in the ride by going back to the OE shocks. So, if you have to pay top dollar to change them out at a shop, it may not be worth doing it until they "need" to be changed.

As far as the tire pressure goes, it will be listed on the side of the tire. I have a Chevy K2500 work truck and it rides like a brick. If I am not doing heavy work, I let some air out of the tires to help improve the ride a little. Mine call for 80 psi though. Yours probably call for something between 35-50 psi. Keep in mind that the tires may wear a little faster if you do this.

leebee

hey orchids!

a buddy of mine found this little tid bit of information on setting tire pressures, it might help you out.

"Find the GVWR of your vehicle (i.e. maximum loaded weight), for my jeep it is roughly 4500
Find the weight distribution of your vehicle. Suppose it is 55% on front tires and 45% on rear tires.
This would give 2475 on front tires and 2025 on rear tires

Find the maximum load that your tire can carry. For my 33x12.50 tires it is 2200 per tire at the maximum inflation pressure of 35psi. Smaller tires will carry less, and tires with a larger maximum inflation pressure will carry more.

This give tires that can support 4400 per axle. We only have 2475 and 2025 per axle.

Divide these two numbers 2475 / 4400 and 2025 / 4400 gives 0.5625 and .4602

Multiple these by the maximum inflation pressure of 35, gives 20 and 16.

So I would set my front tires to 20 and my rear tires to 16.

This is porbably the right settings for my jeep. I run them at 21 and they appear to be inflated properly.
I chose 21 so that I could rotate the tires and not have to worry about inflation."

i havent done this yet but give it a go and let us know what you experienced. ill have to get off my lazy butt and do that tomorrow now. it doesnt pay to read this forum sometimes!!

lee

Robinhood150

Say what, Lee ?!?! Where did all that come from? Unless your running swampers or some other super stiff sidewall tire you should be way higher than that.

Libby, for tire pressures check the sticker on the side of your door jamb, there will be specifications. For the smaller tires it says 26 psi front, 35 psi rear. Most people run around 30-32 PSI for both front and rear.

Do NOT use the pressure that's on the side of your tire, that is for the max load only and will result in poor wear and a rough ride.

Basically, the problem is you have a truck not a car. It will ride like a truck and there's not much you can do about it. The stock shocks might help some. The cup holders are notorious for splashing drinks everywhere.

Wheelbase has nothing to do with it as the wheelbase for the 4runner is way more than jeep and is only 3 inches shy of the Camry.

SimpleMan

Everything RobinHood said is correct. I used to sell tires.

Most truck tires should be around 32-35 psi. Run them at 32 if you want a softer ride.

maxpower_hd

Robinhood,

When I mentioned the wheelbase, I was simply trying to say that it is a short wheelbase vehicle and that one should not expect to get a luxury sedan ride from it. I wasn't trying to say a 4Runner is identicle to a Jeep, just similar.

The wheelbase on a Jeep Wrangler is 93.4" if memory serves and the 1993 4Runner was 103". A difference of 9.6". That doesn't qualify as "way more" in my book since my Chevy K2500 has a 155.5" wheelbase but maybe I have a different book.

If wheelbase has nothing to do with the highway ride of the vehicle then why does this appear in the Jeep literature for the Unlimited? "The Unlimited offers more refined, on-road comfort and quietness due to its longer 103-inch wheelbase."

And this from an Allpar road test: "Because of the ten-inch lengthing of its wheelbase, the new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited has more on-road comfort."

Longer wheelbases providing more highway comfort is a theory all auto manfacturers have accepted for many years.

However, I digress. The point of the response is the same. There isn't a whole lot that can be done to improve the ride quality. It is what it is. Shocks may help a bit but likely not much and lowering the tire pressure may help a little as well but won't make it ride like a Caddy.

Orchids,

I hope you enjoy your new 4Runner despite the bumpy ride. You could always get one of those spill proof cups for your coffee. LOL.

leebee

hey steve!

i just posted the forumula that my buddy provided, i have ridden with him in his jeep with the pressures set to 21 psi and it is a comfortable ride with no 'wiggle' or 'squirmynesss'. he is running 33-12.5x15 dayton mts and they are showing no signs of unusual wear or excessive heat buildup and he has been using this setup for the last 8 mths. he is very meticulous about testing out things and having experienced the ride on and off road, i would tend to give this a try. his last paragraph states he is using the 21 psi setting for ease of rotation, which he does every 1,oookms. i have edited the posting to separate my comments from the formula.

lee

Paul H.

I would switch out the shocks with either Skyjacker Nitros or if you can afford them OME's. Bilstiens do give a harsher ride. They are made for off-roading by the way. Like others say, run your tires at 32psi. That should help also. What coils are on the truck?

Oh yah, welcome to Yotatech