2019 TRD Sport.. ride not so smooth..

Bilstein 5100 shocks and 28psi cold tire pressure (265/70/17 Falken Wildpeaks) improved the ride of my 2016 TRD Sport dramatically. Rear shocks alone make the biggest difference and are the easiest to change but the stock Tokico/Hitachis are just harsh all around...

 

As others have mentioned I'd start with setting the tire pressure as noted in drivers side doorsill (29psi). Between initial purchase and two tire rotations, the dealer has always filled all four tires to between 36 - 40psi. Reducing that to the recommended pressure significantly improved ride quality for me. Also as mentioned, I keep roughly 100lbs in the bed which further improves ride quality.

If your use case (i.e off roading) doesn't call for new suspension I'd recommend trying the above first for a few weeks prior to spending the money on new suspension bits.

 

My TRD Sport rides
Smoother than my wife’s Forester.

 

But different also. I do enjoy the 30.5in tires for being less affected by bumps / holes.

The wife Forester is taut though.

 

Have you considered the Ridgeline?

In all seriousness, your road conditions, shocks, tires, and tire pressure will be the biggest factors to the quality of your ride. That said, these are still leaf-sprung vehicles - due to being actual trucks - and will never be as smooth (or perceived as smooth) as full coilovers.

 

I got rid of my '04 DCSB OR for the same reason, but it was my wife complaining, not me. I have since bought a 16 Limited, which is just a SR with more options. After a 2,000 mile trip, and her seat getting a chance to break in, she said the '16 was fine! Not as comfrotable as her '15 Highlander XLE, but will do okay for long trips.

Maybe try checking out, swapping the suspension with someone that has a SR or SR5?

 

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say the 2001 rode different from the 2005 and 2013. And I think you know why. I think you also know why the 2019 rides different from the others, too.

Tell us more about how the 2019 test drive experience changed after you took it home.

 

i dunno what to say, i quite like the ride feel in my sport, so much so that i dont have any desire to do suspension upgrades till the newness wears down quite a bit lol. if i compare it against my previous tacos (08 xrunner, 13 or) this definately has the smoothest suspension stock for stock.

 

I have both. This can't be true. Fake news. Foresters are super smooth. Well, I should say I have an older one on the Impreza chassis. Can't speak to the 09+ years.

 

Through 2018, they were still Impreza based. Someone thought that a mile of headroom in the 2014+ was a good idea.


It is a different kind of ride though.

 

The shocks on the 3rd gen Off Road are basically the same as the shocks on the 2nd gen Sport. The 3rd gen Sport uses stiffer shocks. If you like the way your 2nd gen Sports felt, I’d find OR take off shocks and swap out your sport shocks. That or replace with Bilstein 5100s which are also very similar.

 

There are probably OR take off shocks all around you on Craigslist right now..

 

I was going to buy the sport but test drove a couple of OR’s too and I ended up buying the OR for that basic reason ... it just felt better/smoother to me.

 

We have a 2016 Forester, my wife drives. She drove my truck (what was I thinking) the other day, and commented on how much better my truck road than her Forester.

 

Put a couple hundy pounds of something in the bed...go for a drive. If that ride appeals to you, swap out the rear shocks only for 5100s. I did exactly this and it really smooths out that jarring stiff feeling. I love the sport handling front end and now with my 5100s in the rear only it's a dream to drive. Cheap solution.

I also swapped out for 16" OR wheels. Bigger sidewall softens all around

 

I picked up a 2016 Sport with only 8k miles. I looked at a 2016 off road with only 3k but my wife talked me out of the inferno. I just wanted a truck. Had a 1972 Toyota a long time ago. But now that I've been reading all these forums and learning I want to do some intro 4 wheeling. With lifts and suspension upgrades and tires how close to the off road is it worth to modify the sport? Seems like the locking differential and crawl control are for serious trails.

 

If you feel the need for a locker, that can be added and the crawl is not absolutely necessary if you're a decent off road driver. Suspension and tires gets you a pretty reasonable off road truck.

 

Well I'm going to start there. Thank you! I'm new to this but smart enough to know to be prepared and have the right equipment.

 

I did the same thing, 4th perch and a one inch rear block new Toyo open country at2 SL tires. The ride is awesome. Best mod ever!