beefyjw

I have a V6 '91 extra cab toyota pickup on 33s with a 3" lift...(i think procomp? at front and blocks at back). I'm locked front and back. The spartan locker on the front has caused me some trouble....i've broken axles and locking hubs, but never a CV joint. I'm trying to get some extra travel out of my IFS...removing the stock cranked up sway bar is an easy option, but i'm worried it will start breaking CV joints at the sharper angle. Anyone have experience with this? Would it significantly increase my travel? Would it overstress the CV joint? This is an off-road vehicle only, but i do drive it to the trails.

RSR

Diff drop kits are available to help correct cv joint angles. It could overstress the CV joint depending upon the angle. Also, Rockford CV makes boots that minimize tears/the stress put on stock CV angle setups.

91 4Runner

More travel out of IFS, hmmmm. Ever consider installing BJ spacers and then relaxing the T-bars to the height that your truck sits now? Also install a diff drop to hep your CV axles... That setup will be about the best for travel on the relatively cheap...

Just my opinion... Hope this helps...

93Xtra-Cab

^This.

beefyjw

Why would installing BJ spacers help my articulation/travel if i already have an aftermarket 3" IFS lift? (Honest question)

My T-bar is already cranked up to match the lift. I'm thinking to remove it to get that much more independence and travel.

Yes, i may be able to beef up my axles and CV's later, but i'm wondering if anyone running without a T-bar is breaking CV's. I don't think 1"-articulation-increase/breaking-down-on-trail is a good trade-off .

warpigg

the t-bar as your calling it is the front springs if you take it out there will be no suspension so im alittle confused right now...

beefyjw

For those of us who do not drive our trucks except for 4 wheeling it's common to remove the front sway bar. Yes it removes any good suspension in the front. Some add coil over shocks to help. Some just swap the sway bar with 2WD versions that are softer. You can get upt o 9.5" travel without the sway bar. I'm just worried it will cause me to tear up my CV's. I'm a big fan of my truck not breaking. There isn't much close by i can't get over (ignoring Johnson Valley).

vital22re

iTrader: (2)

I have never heard or seen people remove the torsion bars unless they were throwing a solid axle under it. Or they replace the torsion bars with aftermarket or relaxing them and add supplemental coils. Torsion bars hold up the front end. Without them you'd be sitting on bump stops the whole time unless you're drooping and have less clearance. I would think that you'd be more prone to breaking parts going this route.

RustBucket

iTrader: (1)

He means the sway bar. Yes take it off, no problem. It will help independent articulation. It will not change total articulation so should have no effect on CV life.

warpigg

and I removed my sway bar on my runner when I had it an I wished I hadn't because it has a lot of body sway in corners and I didn't really notice anything better offroad wise

Sturmcrow

Rustbucket is correct. The only things that would affect the CVs would be a bigger lift or shaving the bump stops.

FWIW, I removed the sway bar from my pickup and will never go back. The difference on a 70MPH highway with strong crosswinds was unnoticeable. Granted, the truck was unloaded, I have no lift, and stock 28" tires. Maybe the heavier rear on the 4Runner made the difference for warpigg. It only takes 15 minutes to reinstall the sway bar, so I say go give it a try.

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

I also run no swaybar. Ditched it after installing new leaf springs several years ago. Difference was pretty much unnoticeable unless you have a worn out saggy suspension and worn out shocks. It wasnt until I triangulated my rear shocks a few years later that i noticed more sway, even then its still not as bad as a stock 4runner IMO since it has higher COG and coils.

Your CVs will be fine without swaybar. What they don't like is extreme angles when spinning and the only way you're really going to get that is by running cranked tbars, which also makes the ride very stiff up front. The only way you're actually going to break them is by running locked hubs/4wd or with ADD system while Cvs are at said extreme angles - so it could technically be ok for a mall crawler that never gets put in 4wd. Of course driving style, tire size, traction, etc all will have significant roles in CV breakages as well.

Btw, what kind if lift do you have up front that's giving you 3" without any BJ spacers included in the package? What's the distance between center of front axle and the bottom of your fender?

RSR

There are quick disconnect swaybar links that are available. I think that's the safest route. Don't have a link handy, but I think they run about $60, which is 4x to 5x the cost over standard used (looked at them and decided I couldn't justify the $ with my other truck to dos).

But it's important to bear in mind that our trucks were designed and manufactured before all of those Ford Explorers started rolling over in the late 90s/early 2000s and were sued for a $$$. Now all SUVs and trucks over engineer the anti-roll mechanical and computer technology to prevent that.

So if not wanting to roll your truck and driving it more than just for rock crawling, it's a good a idea to leave the modest anti-roll swaybar/end links intact... IMHO at least.

Cyberman

I have the same truck as the OP, and at one time had a 4" lift ifs with a diff drop. Never had the sway bar on the truck and no problems. Of course, I also drove it like a truck and not a race car.

I also never broke anything, so it might be your front locker that caused breakage.

EDIT: your best option to get rid of that tippy feeling, and to stop the frame from flexing is to go SAS.

beefyjw

Thanks guys. I'll take the sway bar out...i guess i need to add a footer that explains my truck set up each time.

HOPottery: Thanks for the detailed answer. If you saw my truck you wouldn't call it a "mall crawler". It looks like a crushed beer can on a truck frame. It's fully locked front and back and I do some pretty hard rock crawling with it for having IFS and 33". I've broken my front axle once, one Lockright limited slip in the front, my wheel hubs three times, my idler arm once, etc. That's why I'm asking about the CV stuff. I put my truck through hell.

I didn't own the truck when the lift was installed so i don't know what it is. It's aftermarket arms that pushed the tires out a bit. It's not exactly long travel, but it's not BJ spacers.

Thanks RSR and Cyberman!

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1991 Hilux XCab 4x4 IFS
3" Suspension Lift
33"x12.5" BFG Mud AT
Detroit EZ locker in rear
Spartan Locker in front
Rancho Shocks all around
Manual Aisin Wheel hubs with 6 ARB studs and 6 pins each
Strong Idler Arm with brass bushings
Custom runner bars/custom roll cage/custom tire carrier (in fabrication)
Tough Stuff winch with quick disconnects front and back

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

always good to hear about an IFS with a raisin body because it actually gets wheeled!

you can take a pic of the aftermarket arms and post them up, somebody will know what you've got for future reference.

as for the specs on your truck - no need to re-write it each time, simply copy and paste what you've just written into the signature line in your user control panel