Ground Clearance, WTH?

[DaChronisseur]

I just measured the ground clearance on the 250 and the front skid sits .75" lower than the rear diff (8.5" vs 9.25"). What gives? Every IFS/live rear axle vehicle I've ever owned before has had higher front ground clearance than rear, which makes sense to me since the front drops when the suspension compresses but the rear diff is relatively static.

I honestly won't even consider off-roading this truck until I can put 1/4" steel skid plates on it to protect the incredibly expensive underbelly. I will also definitely be putting the same 1" rear, 2" front lift that I put on my Tacoma as soon as it's available.

Just seems crazy that Toyota would make a Land Cruiser so low to the ground. Also, plastic is what the oil pan gets for protection. Why put anything at that point?

 

[mayonayze]

A little positive rake never hurt anybody’s mpg

 

[DaChronisseur]

A little positive rake never hurt anybody’s mpg

For sure, but given that my 4runner, Tacoma, and Frontier all had rake and had their rear diffs as the low point, I have to assume that Toyota could have figured out how to keep rake without making the front end the low point. I mean, when I lift it, it'll still have rake, it'll just be less rake and the entire truck (minus the rear axle) will be higher.

 

[what_have_they_done]

It's a comfy cruiser SUV that can go on moderate rocky fire roads, but not to rock crawl gnarliest of sierras or deepest of the snows, or go drive across Mongolia stock (stock 100 or 200 can't either), 33" tires and 9" clearance can get you quite a few places, it's about proper suspension flex, generous down travel gives you grip off-road when flexed out, you're much better off putting 35" tires on it than some digressive lift kit that will completely ruin your front end articulation off-road, yes it will feel like you clearing more stuff than stock, but in serious obstacle situation you will be all tippy and rigid and ready to roll over especially with 1958 with fixed sway bar.

Here is example of killing your suspension travel with pricy 3" lift (probably great on freeway) kit and getting smoked by stock vehicle with smaller tire size.

For ifs systems, just get bigger tires, and lift maximum 1" with stock control arm with softest possible shock tune to match factory.

 

[Pavman2473]

I just measured the ground clearance on the 250 and the front skid sits .75" lower than the rear diff (8.5" vs 9.25"). What gives? Every IFS/live rear axle vehicle I've ever owned before has had higher front ground clearance than rear, which makes sense to me since the front drops when the suspension compresses but the rear diff is relatively static.

I honestly won't even consider off-roading this truck until I can put 1/4" steel skid plates on it to protect the incredibly expensive underbelly. I will also definitely be putting the same 1" rear, 2" front lift that I put on my Tacoma as soon as it's available.

Just seems crazy that Toyota would make a Land Cruiser so low to the ground. Also, plastic is what the oil pan gets for protection. Why put anything at that point?

The vehicle slants forward. Most do. You can level it out but MPG suffers more.

 

[DaChronisseur]

The vehicle slants forward. Most do. You can level it out but MOG suffers more.

For sure, but this is the first IFS vehicle I've ever seen with the front being lower than the rear diff. My Tacoma was raked a ton with stock suspension, but the front skid was still a couple of inches higher than the rear diff.

 

[RideWithYanu]

I’m cracking up by this 19 month old thread suddenly being revived without skipping a beat!

The front skid is indeed quite low.

 

[DaChronisseur]

I’m cracking up by this 19 month old thread suddenly being revived without skipping a beat!

The front skid is indeed quite low.

I had to log back in just to reply.

 

[LCOceans]

After doing my lift there is no rake. Something that has kind of bothered me. And now after reading here how having a bit could improve MPGs I really want some back. Maybe 1".
Funny I asked my installer this exact question and was told it does not do anything for fuel economy, but my logic was that it should.

 

[WookieBait]

My understanding is the rake isn't for mpg. It's more for load management i.e. after you throw all your stuff in the back and load people in or towing it's closer to even.

Why they have everything hanging so low? Who knows..

 

[DaChronisseur]

After doing my lift there is no rake. Something that has kind of bothered me. And now after reading here how having a bit could improve MPGs I really want some back. Maybe 1".
Funny I asked my installer this exact question and was told it does not do anything for fuel economy, but my logic was that it should.

Are your front coil overs adjustable? If so, dropping the front a half inch or so should be easy.

 

[DaChronisseur]

My understanding is the take isn't for mpg. It's more for load management i.e. after you throw all your stuff in the back and load people in or towing it's closer to even.

Why they have everything hanging so low? Who knows..

Yeah, more than anything it's so that the front doesn't point up when it's loaded down, but it does have a very small impact on fuel economy, probably around the same amount as the air dams in front of the tires that I removed in the dealership parking lot.

When I lift trucks, I leave a little rake and up the spring rate by enough to support the loads I expect.

 

[LCOceans]

Yeah, more than anything it's so that the front doesn't point up when it's loaded down, but it does have a very small impact on fuel economy, probably around the same amount as the air dams in front of the tires that I removed in the dealership parking lot.

When I lift trucks, I leave a little rake and up the spring rate by enough to support the loads I expect.

I would think it would help w fuel efficiency just a tad. But yes I think the real purpose is like you are saying - so rear doesn't sag when back is loaded down or towing.
Luckily I have adjustable front coilovers so will probably drop a touch. Still relatively new with the setup but might take to someone to help make adjustments.

 

[Scrappopatamus]

I'm guessing the rake on most vehicles these days has something to do with the NHTSA's guidelines for pedestrian impact safety standards? My F350 had the rake and sits lower to the ground than previous models. The 1 single thing I dislike about my F350 is it will lock the brakes and not move if it spots a pedestrian anywhere near the front of the vehicle. I've had to roll the window down, honk the horn and scream at someone standing anywhere near the front of the vehicle. It will not move forward

 

[ultane]

I honestly won't even consider off-roading this truck until I can put 1/4" steel skid plates on it to protect the incredibly expensive underbelly.

Seems legit. Did you ever find what you were looking for?

 

[APIOQM]

I'm not convinced the skid plate is any lower on the 250 than it is on the previous generation 4Runner. According to the following thread, the front skid plate on the 5G 4Runner measures around 8.6" as well. I'm guessing Toyota just reported the ground clearance number differently back then. They use the term "running ground clearance" for the 250 specs, which is probably a more conservative spec.

Toyota-4Runner.org

 

[DaChronisseur]

Seems legit. Did you ever find what you were looking for?

Yeah, I slapped RCI skid plates and sliders on the bottom. Everything's protected by steel back to the T case. It did further lower the truck about a half inch in front and a quarter inch in back, but I'll put a little lift on it in the next month or so.

 

[ultane]

It did further lower the truck about a half inch in front and a quarter inch in back..

Due to added weight? Or thickness/design of the steel plates??

 

[DaChronisseur]

Due to added weight? Or thickness/design of the steel plates??

Both. It added about 200lbs, biased towards the front axle; and it increased the skid thickness by 3/16".

 

[Markarian421]

One of my favorite factory "upgrades" in my 2014 TTUE FJ vs. my 2008 FJ was that for the TTUE Toyota leveled it out, giving the front 1" more clearance. Someday I'm going to have to figure out how to do that to my Land Cruiser.