Replace the studs that are pressed into the stub axles with bolts. Makes it A LOT easier to get the CV out and back in. Search for "quick change CV" for a link that explains the basics.

I used grade 10.9 M12x1.25 - 30mm IIRC.

 

Not at all the same.

If you are searching for "Quick Change 3rd Gen CV Mod" use "Completely impossible" for search parameters.

Old style IFS is WEAK when rock crawled. The joints and steering all take big dumps. For the last year I wheeled my 95, I killed either a joint, a steering component or nuked an idler arm on EVERY trip. That was some 30 trails over the course of a year.

Late model IFS seems to live with a swaybar and reasonable travel. Other than that, cut it off.

 

yeah, third gen axles aren't the same, but i have no idea how to change one or how long it takes.

 

You need longer a-arms. Bruce has an IFS long travel kit. The tundra axles are longer since they have a wider wheel base. This is an ideal replacement for long travel since they use the same front diff. You can't just plug them into a stock 4Runner/tacoma.

 

Stock IFS will tollerate quite a bit.
Built IFS will take a little more.
Solid axles will take even more abuse.

an M-1 Abrams will take even more abuse and it can kill Jeeps:

 

I agree.

In the last month I have blown up a CV axle (the outer shaft that goes into the hub split in 2) and killed a few idler arms (one per trip, but they are POS Advance Auto Parts ones). It's real fun when you can turn one tire a few inches independently of the other. Lifting tires all day is cool too. My A-Arm bushings are also shot

I've decided with my truck that I'm going to start with the SAS first. Then go from there.

 

When I broke my CV (outer joint) it was due to driver stupidity not weak parts. The only thing that would have helped me is steering stops welded to the lower arms that would have kept the driver's side front wheel from continueing to turn after locking the steering wheel hard over while going down a 45+ degree hill. Even then with that one CV bearing the entire wieght of my Runner it didn't really break. It just came apart at the joint and the ball bearings fell out of the shredded boot.



I do think SA is better but like others have said you can do a lot with IFS and driver experience which I got a lot of that day.

 

A bad driver can break the best parts.

 

And I was a very bad driver for about 30sec's and that was all it took.

 

WOW.

The 86-95 IFS CV's eat it. With a nothing special suspension I was killing them regularly. I am a good driver and was trashing easily destroyed/crappy parts.

Tundra's have a true inner CV that is stronger than standard Taco inner joints.

Those are an easy fix on the trail with ADD, removing manual hubs takes a little more time.

 

Inherently Funked Suspension, ask me how I know...





Good for taking it off sweet jumps, but little else.

 

Hahah Flygtenstein,

I did the same thing too, lorgot to mention that one

Only difference is mine was caused by this:

 

Your truck was breaking CV's. Your torque multplication to the CVs was far beyond what they were designed for.

Good driver is a bit of a gross understatement, for the record.

I think it also bears mention that the truck above is built, and built to crawl. The stocker suspension had been far surpassed, and couldn't hold up.

I also think this example indirectly answers the questions posed when this thread was started about beefing up IFS. I think that if there was a good way out there, then it would have been done on this truck. Can you do stuff to your IFS? Yeah. Will it make it stronger? I have no idea. Is it a good idea? Probably not.

IFS can handle difficult wheeling, no doubt, but there is difficult, and then there is difficult. When you get to the second one, let me know how the IFS is working out for you.

 

Thanks - this was a much better way of saying what I meant.

99.9999% of the people on here and TTORA are not in that situation of being able to drive that well on trails that tough. There comes a point where SAS is a necessity. I don't think many people are really at that point yet, and when they get there, they really need to consider if they want to take a full bodied truck with lots of glass on the trails they are now capable of running...

Just my $0.02...

 

Um, well, i think you actually took what i said in the wrong context. I wasn't saying what you were saying, i was saying what Flygtenstein was saying.

I was saying that good drivers break parts becasue their trucks are built, and that beefing up ifs is sort of silly. "Just wheel what you got until it doesn't cut it anymore", was more my point than anything else. Flygtenstein is a perfect example of that, and his truck, not his driving, was what was breaking all the stock parts.

And "gross understatement" meant just that. He's closer to being expert than good.

 

I agree that IFS is weaker, hands down, no argument here.

BUT, when your're talking about the weakness of the stock steering, you have to take something into consideration. You guys breaking tie rods and turning wheels independetly of others seem to have BJ spacers. Although they improve flex and travel, you have to admit they put undesireable angles on the steering. This to me is weaker than stock. After wheeling my stock IFS and my "longer stock geometry" suspension, I have not encountered this problem yet.

Just wanted to point out that I believe that is the downside to BJ spacers.

 

Hmmm that is a good point about the BJ Spacers and creating a steeper angle on the tie rods.....

 

adrian you crack me up. i was laughing at that picture for a good 30 sec. where was that? holy cross?

 

yeah thats what i was checking on. thanks

 

LOL that 4runner must of had to pee real bad