mochester

In another thread somebody mentioned an IFS 4runner with 31s and a locker in the rear made it through the rubicon

I'm just wondering how many of you guys wheel your trucks stock, and what kind of sticky situations you've been able to get out of? anyone pushed one to the extreme of say, what you could call, some sort of rock crawling? or in the least, a really difficult trail? and especially if you did so with small (31 or less inch) tires

my truck is bone stock except headers, and has 235s (about 30"). i kinda want to get an idea of what its limitations are and what its really capable of...if you guys have got some pictures or videos that would be awesome

anyone pushed one beyond its limits and broke something, or had to have a better-equipped truck pull them out?
what couldn't i do with my stock 4x4 pickup?

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

Depends on too many factors to be able to nail down an "exact" capability of the rig. Things like Driver, Terrain, Airing down, care for body damage, etc affect how well your truck does.

With enough skinny pedal, and disregard for body damage, you could get through almost anything.

CLEANSR5

Yea, my runner seems pretty capable. broke my CV once, but that's about it as far as damage goes and im running 285 M/T's. also depends on line too, i have seen people squeeze out untouched on what seems like a killer trail. i just wouldn't recommend rock crawling.

AxleIke

I sort of wheel my ifs. I have almost zero lift in the front, a couple inches in the rear (to elimitate butt sag). I have broken on several trails, always steering stuff.

TC wheels his rig with absolutely no lift. He runs MANY difficult trails, in colorado and moab.

Flygtenstein has wheeled IFS to the limit, covering most of the rockcrawling trails in colorado, moab, arizona. He broke in places you can't get to unless you've got a modified truck. Its part of the game.

He is now swapped, because his IFS was breaking every single trip out, and destroying itself on the easiest of terrain.

IFS can be wheeled where ever you want, it just is a question of how much breakage and carnage you are willing to sustain.

Both of the people i mentioned above have/had full belly pans, and front and rear air lockers. Flygt is running dual transfercases.

bruzer

I beat the crud out of mine rock crawling, broke a my front gears once, but that was because I started hopping the truck real bad on some slick rock, but other than that it does real well with only one locker and the IFS. Alot of the guys I wheel with all run straight axle rigs and are suprised at how well and how many places I can get my runner. Its all about technique and taking it slow.

tc

These trucks are incredibly capable stock. At TTORA's October Moab trip, a guy in a bone-stock open/open Taco did Moab Rim on 29's or 30's, but he had to use A LOT of throttle - more than I would be comfortable with.

A friend of Molly's has done Pritchett Canyon on IFS (with small lift to fit 33's and locked f/r).

IMHO, IFS will take my truck more places than I am willing to go because I care what the body looks like. The decision for me will be to SAS the Runner or build a buggy...

MudHippy

Oh, boy. You betcha buddy have I broke the hell outta my 88. Been stuck more than anybody I know, as well. Two days ago I fancied this _ord jerks pleasure, lettin' him pull me out. Didn't need it, I got 4 ton come-along, an lots o' straps.
What broke so far:
1 CV joint
2 lift blocks
2 rear driveshafts
3 front diff failures, 2 r&p, 1 side gears
1 idler arm
transfer case, full rebuild, all bearings and seals
cracked welds (repaired) torsion bar frame mount, t-case crossmember,
snapped off upper IFS bumpstop bracket, fabbed new one

What's on it's way out:
torsion bars
control arm bushings
radiator mounts
probably a few more

Long story short, I don't mess around when I go wheelin'. How could I fail to mention, I'm stock except 35's, 3" BL, everything else stock option. I like puttin it like this, I can come down ANY trail out there, it's the gettin' up part that can be challenging.

BS Industries

Hard to pin point its capabilities, but I've definitely impressed myself a time or two with what it can do and how easy it can do it. Theres been trail where my buddies on 37's and sas said a stock truck would never make it through, and made it on 32's and open dif. Also, seat time plays a huge roll in what you and your truck can do. Just go find out for yourself

BeaterToyota

That pretty much sums it up. Or you could substitute gearing for skinny pedal.

I ran a spool in the rear and dual cases with my IFS for years. I was running ball joints spacers and 32"s and my junk would go just about anywhere. Of course I don't have a lot of sheet metal to worry about.

Marc P

I wheeled my IFS hard for about 4 years.....then it stared falling apart. I never broke anything. I did rebuild my idler arm 3 times, replaced 4 CV boots, and 2 ball joints.

The end of my IFS was when my upper control arm bushings on the drivers side came apart. To replace those bushings, almost the whole IFS comes off...so why not SAS.

Stomis

So far I am an Axle and Idler arm into it... Hopefully I'll be SAS'd before I really take it from behind but I'm probably $550 into it with repairs.

UKMyers

I could have SASed twice for the amount of money I dropped into my IFS putting it back together. Sounds to me like you don't even wheel or you would probably know the limitations of your rig by now. There is no way for us to tell you what you can or can't go through you have to just try it.

mochester

"Sounds to me like you don't even wheel or you would probably know the limitations of your rig by now. There is no way for us to tell you what you can or can't go through you have to just try it."

well i do know that...i haven't wheeled much, i'd say the most extreme thing i've done was today. (would you say that, if you couldn't get up it in 4 lo, its pretty extreme?) i mean i guess you could say i took it to its limit right there. had to find a way around. im sure i could have done it with a locker in the rear

what i do with my truck, is like to go and explore. most of the time by myself. i'm very careful, i take things really slow, and put a lot of concentration into scanning the terrain in front of me and putting myself 10 feet ahead in my head, and knowing where the tires are going to be when i get there

i like seeing stuff like the post above yours...i mean i know nobody can tell me exactly what its limits are, but pictures like those have already shown me that it can probably do more than i think

dijlop

ur truck will always be able to do more than u think it can. vehicles are a lot more powerful and capable then u would expect. if uv only got one vehicle and its your every day driver as well as ur fun toy, like me, u do have to b careful, and it takes away from the overall experiance, but u can still have a great time. if u think its a tight squeeze, do it slow, if u think ur gonna bottom out, bottom out in the right place. if u think ur truck is gonna land on its nose when u drop of that ledge, do it fast. follow that and where can u go wrong eh?

Victor

The CV joints are definately the weak point. I pounded out the studs and swapped in the same size bolts so that it is now an easy trail fix. I always carry at least one spare with me.

That said the IFS is very capable especially once you take off the sway bar. The Toyota design has very little wheel travel designed into it and the swaybar limits it even more.

SwampThing

And aside from rock crawlin, havin a nice front end replacement really allows for gettin to the good trails. Caint get up the near verticle embankment that your buddy with the 350sbc 5.29 dualed sfa taco on 38's just got up, but caint go around because there's trees all around, just get yourself one of these:



And PLOW through those trees! WHO'S LAUGHING NOW! A really well built FER is essencial. That picture was about a year ago, and by then I had already hit 2 deer and multiple trees, and not a dent! (Schedule 120 steel will do that though )


Edit: P.S. It's a "CREVICE" front end replacment. My bud's offroadin company custom fabs em. Told me to let yall know if anyone's interested!

BadYOTA35s

i beat the ลลลล out of my ifs running 35s and stock gears and have had only minor problems

91ToyTrck

I like running the IFS just because so many people think it's not capable of doing very much as the rest. I tend to prove everyone wrong and leave them on the trail jaw dropped.

Stock Suspension
Sonoran IFS Truss
Idle Arm Brace
4.88 Gears
Rear - Detroit Locker

That's my base...everything depends on how hard I begin to wheel. Such as new springs, sliders, and skids.