Hey- I still have my IFS!

But, Im just sayin' the stock config is pretty darn good IMO.

Well it should be a fun project nonetheless. I'd like to see the outcome.

 

SC4Runner--how do you like the 50 series flowmaster on there? How does it compare to the 40? I am in the market for either a 50 or a 60. Want some growl--but not much--close to stock is actually good for me.

 

Having the panhard horizontal when the vehicle is at normal load is the ideal situation. Since the panhard follows an arc the further away from horizontal it gets the more lateral movement there will be as the suspension cycles (e.g. the frame gets pushed/pulled sideways from the axle). In a luxury vehicle, a sloped panhard would probably result in a noticeable deterioration in ride quality but not so much in an SUV. During suspension compression, a longer than stock panhard will cause the driveshaft to be pushed towards the gas tank until the bar reaches horizontal then it will begin moving away from the tank as suspension compression continues. Depending on your amount of lift, panhard length and bumpstop locations you might have issues with the tank (as SC4Runner experienced). IMHO that is why a drop bracket is better at keeping the suspension close to its stock paths of travel than a longer panhard.

 

Thanks Maj! Nice post. Love the technology involved. One day I may have a friend fab up a drop bracket then. Steve used to make them but moved to his adjustable panhard bar instead. I think it is because he can make more money off of them AND it is actually functional. Sort of a marriage of ideas.

 

Same with me and i didn't have to extend the ebrake cable either, it's been almost 2 years and still fine.

For my pan hard I measured the height in lift and dropped my bar that equal amount. I used 2x4 steel stock i had laying around, chopped off the factory mount, drilled a few holes in the stock, and welded it on with a gusset..better than stock if ya ask me, but not sure if my math was right...it's been fine.

 

How stressed of a piece of suspension is the panhard bar? Is it subjected to a lot of movement?

 

The panhard is under the most stress when doing hard cornering. It is what is responsible for keeping the body/frame from wanting to move towards the outside of the axle from the centifugal force. Looking at the size of the bar and the bracketry it is attached to will give you an idea of what Toyota deemed to be sufficent for the forces applied to it.