^ the fact that it never sees the dirt/mud, even the kids gotta clean the cleats before they get in

 

Damn, I have a soccer mom car then. Mine has IFS and I get mad when people come in with dirty shoes.

 

I think is less that people are close minded and more that they think about the function based on their use. I used to wheel IFS and I ripped the whole thing apart. I had struts go, CV's go, steering rack go, etc. I just abused it too much. Now I have an '85 with a SFA, I love it, the added flex is nice, it seems to do better on rocks, and it holds up to abuse well. Also, locked SFA is stronger than locked IFS IMO. (lots of letters, haha) So I think it all depends on your use. I would never dare to say that SFA is better at high speed desert runs, but I would also never say IFS is better for rock crawling. I agree that as an all around, light weekend wheeler, IFS works fine, it serves it purpose well and gives a nicer ride on the road. That being said, I don't think SFA is a bad ride either. I just made the 7 hour trip to and from Paragon (PA) from here in MA, and I didn't mind it at all. My only complaints relate to AC and sound insulation, hahaha. I think that arguments can be made for both, but both have a place.

 

nah...it sees offroad dirt, your cool. unless of course your playing golf in your cleats

 

Well, from what I have seen people tend to be closed minded. It tends to be looked down upon to have IFS or LT IFS in the rocks. But, there are plenty of cautious wheelers that do it often without issue.

I think it's fair to say that if you are going to drive like OTTO the bus driver from the Simpsons, a Solid axle with stronger birfs is going to take alot more abuse than any of our IFS units. But, I'd like to think we're all a bit more sane and cautious than that. Offroad isn't black and white, and mildly built IFS can handle plenty of the gray area.

Both types of suspension handle differently as well, articulation and ride. It's unescapable. Learning to handle each is a task in itself, but both can be used confidently.

It's really all preference. I just never hear anyone say SFA sucks, and I tend to think it's because the IFS guys are a bit more open minded. (Here's where the SFA guys say "That's because SFA doesn't suck") hahahaha

We're all making the newbies feel like they can't wheel unless they swap. It's unfortunate. Let's help the newbies.

 

Yeah - that's a big pet peeve of mine. Wheel what you got!