KYB JAOS suspension only for 2017+ GX460?

[xychromosome]

So I've been thinking about what I would use to replace my current shocks, springs and struts should they fail (I'm currently at 60k+ miles on ironman4x4 nitros, and no issues thus far, except for a lean that was rectified with a spacer), and have landed on KYB's JAOS product, that offer a japanese made, adjustable ride height (up to 2") and multiple damping settings, all for a reasonable price.
Anyways, while looking at their specs, I noticed that they specify for model years 2017 and above. Since I'm not aware of any differences in suspension between any of the model years (other than air bags in luxury versions), I emailed their tech support and here is their reply:

"... Prior to creating new struts, our engineers will check if an existing strut is compatible with the new year(s). In this case, our engineers determined struts for the earlier GX460 would not work. It could be vehicle weight, position change, damping specs, or a myriad of other reasons. We don’t have the engineering notes, so we aren’t able to provide an exact reason."

Anyone know what the differences are between MY 2017+ and 2010-2016 that may affect the install of these shocks/struts? BTW, the same KYB website states that the KYB JAOS shocks and struts fit the 2003 to 2024 MY 4runner and 2010-2014 FJ cruiser.

 

[Acrad]

I'm curious to hear as well.. not aware of any published reasons why not

 

[xychromosome]

Maybe they did their testing on a 2017 and didn't want to verify the fit on earlier models?

 

[Rednexus]

Odd they mention the 2023-2024 4Runner as the shocks definitely are different. The lower shock mount/bushing is narrower on the '03-09 than on the later 4Runners. Either that shock is too wide for an 03-09 or they have a way to fill the gap (spacer or just crushing the gap during installation).

If it were my rig and I was interested in those shocks I'd personally have no qualms giving them a shot, BUT would buy them from somewhere with a liberal return policy, would do a side-by-side with the OEM struts prior to actually installing them, and would be ready to put the rig back together with the old parts if they don't fit. It looks like the shock body is threaded, in which case it should be easy for you to fine-tune ride height as it would vary between different applications (i.e., 4th gen 4Runner with a heavy V8 and a lighter V6 4Runner).

FWIW, I've used KYB struts/shocks on multiple vehicles. They have rarely lasted more than 50K miles in the rear before getting bouncy. Our old Outback would eat though KYBs every 40K and they have about the same lifespan in our Highlander. The fronts seem to do a lot better.

 

[Pennwestmechanic]

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m.youtube.com

He has a set and has been beating the crap out of them and just did an update video.

 

[rkccs257]

someone on reddit installed KYB Jaos on a 2015 (my year too yay).

 

[xychromosome]

Nice, good to see that someone else decided to be the guinea pig!

I should also mention that the KYB tech I corresponded with offered the following info about their suspension:

Extended length of SR7000 (front) and SR7001 (rear) shocks:

ExT	COMP	STROKE
22.13	17.56	4.57

Additional payload over stock provided by SR7006 rear springs:

Increases payload by about 250lbs