KDSS quick question about problems/non-problems.. (1 Viewer)

[serpico1]

Hi again,

I appreciated all the comments on my previous post about the infotainment/car play and 3rd row seats.

Just a quick question for the group please. I have read a lot of articles on the web and get mixed answers about KDSS

I read KDSS comes on the LC 200. I know the 4runner has this as an option and I have heard that KDSS can sometimes be problematic or have problems down the line in the ownership as the years go by. I guess what I mean is its something that seems SOME people like or don't like because of its reliability.

is the KDSS prone to problems as the years go by? Or is it something I should not worry about. One of the main reasons I ask is this time as I joked I am not moving to NYC and plan to keep this 200 LC for 10 plus years and need it to be bulletproof.

Ok thanks for your comments/thoughts/knowledge in advance.

 

[Madtiger]

KDSS is problem/maintenance free if you keep your LC200 with stock suspension.

The ONLY potential problem is the KDSS valve bolt...prior 2017, it was Allen head, which can be a problem if you need to bleed KDSS after a suspension lift because of rusting of the Allen head. Since 2017, Toyota made change to protruding hex bolt...which hopefully be better as the vehicle ages.

 

[serpico1]

Thanks so much. Yes I plan to keep it 100% stock, no mods whatsoever.
Have a good weekend.

 

[terdrocket]

While the above explanation is wrong, it is correct that KDSS will not cause you issue, if you don't need to open the valves. Significant corrosion can cause issue getting the valves open.

 

[kcruiser200]

Hi again,

I appreciated all the comments on my previous post about the infotainment/car play and 3rd row seats.

Just a quick question for the group please. I have read a lot of articles on the web and get mixed answers about KDSS

I read KDSS comes on the LC 200. I know the 4runner has this as an option and I have heard that KDSS can sometimes be problematic or have problems down the line in the ownership as the years go by. I guess what I mean is its something that seems SOME people like or don't like because of its reliability.

is the KDSS prone to problems as the years go by? Or is it something I should not worry about. One of the main reasons I ask is this time as I joked I am not moving to NYC and plan to keep this 200 LC for 10 plus years and need it to be bulletproof.

Ok thanks for your comments/thoughts/knowledge in advance.

I have no personal experience but from talking with a few people that own LCs and on here, it seems that the general recommendation is to use either marine grease or some sort of a corrosion preventative over the bare metal parts of the KDSS unit so the screws do not get stuck due to rust. I only know 3 people who own LC200s (all neighbours) and they love it!!! none have reported specific issues with KDSS (2 , 7, 6 years of ownership respectively) but none wheel like people on this forum do. all of them are essentially city use with maybe a dirt road or two on the way to their farm houses.

 

[TimCFJ40]

My 2008 has spent it's whole life and 227k miles in the south, and the KDSS valves open normally. Personally, I think it's a great system. This truck flexes better and more smoothly than any other Toyota I've had AND it has very minimal side to side lean in on-road cornering for a vehicle this size. I wouldn't be at all scared of the KDSS. Just grease up the valves on your new truck and keep an eye on them if you ever have road salt, and you'll be good to go.
Even on a stock truck, it is POSSIBLE that you may at some point need to open up the valves to level the system out. I'd go ahead and spend 10 min a year making sure the screws stay free moving just in case...

 

[Madtiger]

KDSS + LC 200 suspension design = flex like crazy! LC200 has the best stock suspension flex of any car not named Jeep Rubicon SWB. And zero maintenance over the life of vehicle.

have cake and eat it too!

And LC200 suspension has significantly better flex than 4runner with KDSS.

 

[bloc]

In three years of paying close attention to this forum section I think I’ve seen one failed KDSS cylinder, which I would consider an actual mechanical failure. This out of collectively thousands of landcruisers on here? There was one KDSS valve block so badly rusted it needed replacement but that is arguably avoidable with proper undercarriage treatment.

TONS of rusted valves and screws... again, treatment from new would prevent issues.

The improved screws will not completely prevent problems, IMO. They will rust just like the allen bolts did.

But.. if you don’t live where rust is an issue your odds of having problems are extremely low.

I can’t speak to issues 4runners may ir may not have had, but you need to understand the landcruiser concept is engineered and tested to a different level, even by toyotas standards. I’d expect any given system on these trucks to be better than a similar system on any other toyota product.

 

[Fishinsea]

My 2018 has the 8mm bolts, I only have 13000 miles on it but I sprayed Boeshield T-9 on them after my lift was installed, mine open perfect but it only takes 2 seconds at most to crack them open and would be a good idea for everyone to exercise them once every 6 months or so .

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

KDSS on a 200 is very different than that on a 4Runner on a durability and integration standpoint.

Every time I’m putting in suspension under a 200, it feels like everything is suppose to be where it is. But when working on 4Runners, KDSS feels like an after thought, which it was.

We get legit endlinks, 4Runners get rubber bushes that the bar drags in and out off. We get a front bar that is mounted on both frame rails, 4Runners pivot off of one frame rail and expand on the other. On 200s when articulating, we maintain the same bar to ground clearance, a 4Runner needs a lot of space for its bar to move up and down, and thus don’t have as much usable ground clearance. That means our front skids can be cut higher. We get a rear bar that is tucked above and forward of the axle and safe from rocks, 4Runners are below and behind, and can can be catch points. We have absolutely 0 electrical inputs to KDSS, 4Runners do.

I love KDSS on my 200, and am happy everyday I have it instead of AHC. But if I bought a 4Runner, I’d never buy the KDSS version.

Also separate of the “200 vs 4Runner” KDSS comments. Just between 2008-2017 200’s 5mm Allen head bolt vs 2018-2020 8mm hex head bolt. My vote is for the old KDSS bolts. It’s much harder to expand a bolt head than it is to round off a bolt head. And I’ve now had enough 2018+ from around the Great Lakes areas that shows me that the new hex head bolts are not that great.