Does anyone know what kind of changes were made from the 2nd gen, (ie: 94 4runner) to the 3rd gen which decreased odds of having a rollover? I know that the width was increased, and the the tires coming in 16" rims also helped, but aside from that I'm not sure. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

Kevin.

 

Suspension set-up...

Bigger roll bars, lack of torsions, etc.

 

Wer're torsions also used in the rear? Or were they leaf?

 

No leafs or torsions in the rear...

I dont know much about 2nd gens, but from what I do know I think they are a straight axle/coil-on-spring set up, with rear sway bars just like the 3rd gen. They do have a tendancy to have a sagging rear (as you might know) which was pretty much weeded out by the 3rd gens (although you will still see some 3rd with sagging rears).

 

the 16's are only on 4wd models the 2wd still had 15's

my 94 went skiddin sideways down the interstate at 75mph and hit a guardrail headon but didnt roll, i think they are fairly safe

yea the rear setup is very similar to the 3rd gen

 

And aren't the 3rd gens a tad wider than the 2nd gens?

 

Yeah, if you include the fenders (Ltd).

2nd gen:

Length - 176.x
WIDTH - 66.5
Wheelbase - 103.x

3rd gen:

Length - 178.x
WIDTH - 66.5
Wheelbase - 105.x

 

3rd Gens are wider 58 versus 60 or 61"

Flares really help roll-over properties though, I should add them.

 

Is that the track? 61" is still not wide enough. They got it right for the 4th gen.

 

Well, I guess it depends on what you mean by "right". A narrower track can be an advantage in a lot of situations off road. The 4th gen is designed to be more like a car.

 

Toyota's just like everyone else - they're trying to compete. They're not gonna please the minority of owners who take theirs off-roads, that's why they made it bigger and more comfortable.. but it's still a 4Runner. The Highlander, now that's "designed to be more like a car".

 

He didn't say it was wrong of Toyota to do so. He said it was more like a car, and I agree. It's larger and thus rides better, and has more power to compete in the market class with the trailblazer/Explorer/GrandCherokee/Pathfinder. It suffers offroad compared to the earlier models however due to new dimensions.

 

When I first got my '95 Runner I did notice a bit of a tendancy to tip in the corners so I would just take it easy and be safe. But now that I have my Tech1's on there...no problems at all, I wouldn't be surprised if I could corner better than a 3rd genner

Fink

 

Well you're right, but "suffer" is a little strong. It's still a capable 'ute. It can be a beast if you mod it correctly. Witness "Good times' and "fourunabilly's"(sp) to name a few.

 

origionally posted by oakboy
The second gens had torsion bars up front and coils in the rear.