- First Name
- Quez
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2024
- Threads
- 6
- Messages
- 69
- Reaction score
- 131
- Location
- Nashville
- Website
- www.bigdawgstoyotatuning.com
- Vehicle(s)
- 2025 TRD Pro, 2025 TRD Pro 4Runner
- Thread starter
- #1
What's up guys! Doing just a quick post while at work, but here’s my first full trip report about a quick ride at Turkey Bay OHV in KY. I’ve been into Toyotas for about a decade now, and after a lot of seat time in my 2GT and 3GT, I finally got the chance to give my 4GT a proper test after having it for a couple of months.
I took advantage of the great weather in Tennessee and headed to the OHV area at Land Between the Lakes. This was my first time taking the 4GT off-road, so I didn’t expect too much. I was just hoping for a solid ride, especially considering the TRD Pro is Toyota’s top trim suspension.
High-Speed Dirt and Gravel
For a factory setup, I’ve got to say it's pretty good. The TRD Pro suspension is a lot more capable than I thought it would be. I spent a fair amount of time cruising down mixed dirt roads and light gravel. This was anywhere from 20-30 mph, and the truck felt steady and in control the entire time. Never once did I feel like the terrain was too much for the truck.
Just to note, I ran the shocks on setting 1 the entire trip. I normally daily drive it on setting 2. I've yet to try the firmest setting (setting 3) yet, so I can’t tell you how that is yet. I will say I tend to prefer a firmer ride , so I’m curious to see how it'll feels. I'm sure I'll end up sticking with that one if i had to guess.
Coming from a 3GT with Kings, the TRD Fox shocks were obviously a bit different, but they still handled high-speed dirt really well for being a "stock" suspension. It didn’t quite have that “floating” feel my Kings did, but it ate up washboard roads, small mounds, dips, and uneven terrain without feeling like I was going to tap them out. If you enjoy driving fast on dirt roads, this suspension will definitely meet your needs for most weekend riders.
Rock Garden Time
Now, for the fun part. Rocks. Not the kind your local 7-11 bum asks for either, I'm talking about the good kind. I will say this isn't comparable to the Rubicon by any means but I mean come on. I'm in Tennessee. We’ve got to work with what we have. Windrock Park is probably one of the best things around for our state. It's around a 3 hour trip there though, so I'll have to hit that up later this year.
The park was split into two sections:
Section 1:
This section, pictured below, had mostly smaller rocks, ranging from softball to basketball size, with a few larger ones scattered in. The suspension felt a little "bouncy" (for lack of a better term) for my liking, but that’s probably because I was running it on setting 1. I wanted to get a feel for the suspension from top to bottom though. So I can't fault it too much here. No issues getting through this section. Truth be told, the 37s probably did most of the work here. No complaints about it really, just a personal preference. I will admit though, It was a solid warm-up to get used to the suspension in this type of terrain. Pretty easy to handle, but still enjoyable.
Section 2:
This was the more exciting section. It's also pictured below. It was about 50 yards long with larger rocks, ranging from basketball size to beach balls. There were two lines: a more difficult one and a moderate one that had a couple of bigger rocks in the middle. There was also a bypass to the left of both choices, but what’s the fun in that?
I chose the “moderate” line since I don't have skids or actual sliders. The suspension felt similar to Section 1. Soft but controlled. The 2.5” lift and 37s helped keep the body and undercarriage clear most of the time, although I did brush the diff once.
The soft setting paired with the sway bar disconnect gave the truck just the right amount of flexibility to tackle each obstacle with ease.
Overall, the TRD Fox shocks performed great all day. I’m planning to come back and run the same lines on settings 2 and 3 just to see how they change the ride. I might even try it without locking the diff and without disconnecting the sway bar, just to see where the limits are for each setting. It's the perfect opportunity to really learn the truck and what it's full potentials are.
Bonus: OEM Rock Rail Test (Unplanned)
Quick side note: wifey came along for the ride since I needed some content done. She always jokes (is she actually joking though???) about wanting to drive when we’re on the trails. Since it was New Year’s Eve and the park was empty, I figured it was the perfect chance to let her take the wheel. The trail was dry, low risk for the most part, and I could easily guide her through anything she felt uncomfortable with.
After a bit of hesitation (mainly because she was worried about smacking the rocks in our 4GT), she hopped into the driver’s seat. With some instruction on throttle control and braking, she absolutely crushed both rock garden sections by herself.
While we were going through Section 2, she unintentionally tested the strength of the OEM rock rails. I was recording and could’ve directed her a bit better, but either way it happened. Good new though! The rock rail did exactly what it was meant to do. It did bend slightly upward near the body of the truck, but the truck itself didn’t take any damage. I was really impressed (relieved? happy? yes and yes) that Toyota made them strong enough to handle a small drop onto the body like that. If they were the predator steps or something weaker that we see a lot of, my passenger door would've made sweet love with a rock face.
The best part about this though? She now unequivocally understands why armor is a must have on our vehicles. No more questions about “What’s that for? Why do we need it? Blah blah blah”
The other bonus? It’s always fun to have your partner experience firsthand why we love this stuff so much. Makes planning the next trip that much easier lol.
Final Thoughts
All in all, the TRD Pro suspension is a fantastic off the lot setup for anyone who wants a capable trail truck without immediate upgrades (aside from tires, but that’s really up to personal preference). It performs well at higher speeds on dirt and stays true to itself on rocks. It might be a bit soft for my liking, but that could change with a different setting. I'll have to follow up here with that.
I’m excited to keep pushing the limits, learning more about the setup, and testing the different options and vehicle components before I consider making any upgrades to the suspension. I want to see what this truck can do before I throw more parts at it. I’ll upgrade eventually (eventually as in a couple months lol), but I want to push it to the max first. Luckily this place is only 35-40 minutes from me.
Thanks for reading if you made it this far! I’ll update this thread after the follow on testing.
See you guys on the next trip!
I took advantage of the great weather in Tennessee and headed to the OHV area at Land Between the Lakes. This was my first time taking the 4GT off-road, so I didn’t expect too much. I was just hoping for a solid ride, especially considering the TRD Pro is Toyota’s top trim suspension.
High-Speed Dirt and Gravel
For a factory setup, I’ve got to say it's pretty good. The TRD Pro suspension is a lot more capable than I thought it would be. I spent a fair amount of time cruising down mixed dirt roads and light gravel. This was anywhere from 20-30 mph, and the truck felt steady and in control the entire time. Never once did I feel like the terrain was too much for the truck.
Just to note, I ran the shocks on setting 1 the entire trip. I normally daily drive it on setting 2. I've yet to try the firmest setting (setting 3) yet, so I can’t tell you how that is yet. I will say I tend to prefer a firmer ride , so I’m curious to see how it'll feels. I'm sure I'll end up sticking with that one if i had to guess.
Coming from a 3GT with Kings, the TRD Fox shocks were obviously a bit different, but they still handled high-speed dirt really well for being a "stock" suspension. It didn’t quite have that “floating” feel my Kings did, but it ate up washboard roads, small mounds, dips, and uneven terrain without feeling like I was going to tap them out. If you enjoy driving fast on dirt roads, this suspension will definitely meet your needs for most weekend riders.
Rock Garden Time
Now, for the fun part. Rocks. Not the kind your local 7-11 bum asks for either, I'm talking about the good kind. I will say this isn't comparable to the Rubicon by any means but I mean come on. I'm in Tennessee. We’ve got to work with what we have. Windrock Park is probably one of the best things around for our state. It's around a 3 hour trip there though, so I'll have to hit that up later this year.
The park was split into two sections:
Section 1:
This section, pictured below, had mostly smaller rocks, ranging from softball to basketball size, with a few larger ones scattered in. The suspension felt a little "bouncy" (for lack of a better term) for my liking, but that’s probably because I was running it on setting 1. I wanted to get a feel for the suspension from top to bottom though. So I can't fault it too much here. No issues getting through this section. Truth be told, the 37s probably did most of the work here. No complaints about it really, just a personal preference. I will admit though, It was a solid warm-up to get used to the suspension in this type of terrain. Pretty easy to handle, but still enjoyable.
Section 2:
This was the more exciting section. It's also pictured below. It was about 50 yards long with larger rocks, ranging from basketball size to beach balls. There were two lines: a more difficult one and a moderate one that had a couple of bigger rocks in the middle. There was also a bypass to the left of both choices, but what’s the fun in that?
I chose the “moderate” line since I don't have skids or actual sliders. The suspension felt similar to Section 1. Soft but controlled. The 2.5” lift and 37s helped keep the body and undercarriage clear most of the time, although I did brush the diff once.
The soft setting paired with the sway bar disconnect gave the truck just the right amount of flexibility to tackle each obstacle with ease.
Overall, the TRD Fox shocks performed great all day. I’m planning to come back and run the same lines on settings 2 and 3 just to see how they change the ride. I might even try it without locking the diff and without disconnecting the sway bar, just to see where the limits are for each setting. It's the perfect opportunity to really learn the truck and what it's full potentials are.
Bonus: OEM Rock Rail Test (Unplanned)
Quick side note: wifey came along for the ride since I needed some content done. She always jokes (is she actually joking though???) about wanting to drive when we’re on the trails. Since it was New Year’s Eve and the park was empty, I figured it was the perfect chance to let her take the wheel. The trail was dry, low risk for the most part, and I could easily guide her through anything she felt uncomfortable with.
After a bit of hesitation (mainly because she was worried about smacking the rocks in our 4GT), she hopped into the driver’s seat. With some instruction on throttle control and braking, she absolutely crushed both rock garden sections by herself.
While we were going through Section 2, she unintentionally tested the strength of the OEM rock rails. I was recording and could’ve directed her a bit better, but either way it happened. Good new though! The rock rail did exactly what it was meant to do. It did bend slightly upward near the body of the truck, but the truck itself didn’t take any damage. I was really impressed (relieved? happy? yes and yes) that Toyota made them strong enough to handle a small drop onto the body like that. If they were the predator steps or something weaker that we see a lot of, my passenger door would've made sweet love with a rock face.
The best part about this though? She now unequivocally understands why armor is a must have on our vehicles. No more questions about “What’s that for? Why do we need it? Blah blah blah”
The other bonus? It’s always fun to have your partner experience firsthand why we love this stuff so much. Makes planning the next trip that much easier lol.
Final Thoughts
All in all, the TRD Pro suspension is a fantastic off the lot setup for anyone who wants a capable trail truck without immediate upgrades (aside from tires, but that’s really up to personal preference). It performs well at higher speeds on dirt and stays true to itself on rocks. It might be a bit soft for my liking, but that could change with a different setting. I'll have to follow up here with that.
I’m excited to keep pushing the limits, learning more about the setup, and testing the different options and vehicle components before I consider making any upgrades to the suspension. I want to see what this truck can do before I throw more parts at it. I’ll upgrade eventually (eventually as in a couple months lol), but I want to push it to the max first. Luckily this place is only 35-40 minutes from me.
Thanks for reading if you made it this far! I’ll update this thread after the follow on testing.
See you guys on the next trip!
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