Supposing I could somehow fit huge wheels with no suspension lift - and therefore couldn't fit high-steer - but wanted easier and more durable steering than ye olde push-pull alone, could I just replace the steering stabilizer with a hydraulic ram (and all the plumbing)? Supposing I still break the J-arm at an inconvenient time, would it be reasonable to rely on just the hydro ram to make it home?

 

...Nobody?

 

I'm not completely sure but my guess is that you would break/bend stuff. I mean they don't sell bigger tie rod ends and stronger high steer arms for nothing and that is without hydro assist. Plus you would probably snap trunion bearings and knuckle studs.

 

i think that the ideal hydro assist install implements travel stops in the hydro assist area itself, which would help save parts against being overdriven at the end of the factory steering travel stops.

that said, you'd still have factory components being sandwiched between big heavy tires and the hydro assist system, so you'd end up pushing things pretty hard, as yotard indicated.

for example, i'm running 17" rotary forged beadlocks, that are lighter than factory steelies, with about the lightest 37" offroad tires i could find, and i'm still at ~125lbs a corner... the weight is a big factor, but so is the larger diameter tire, in terms of leverage dynamics, in a rocky offroad situation.

 

This wouldn't be for rock crawling, more of a "tundra buggy" if I had to put a name to it - optimized for unplowed roads and light off-road with heavy snow, not boulders and stuff - but I get that tierods and steering arms would be more stressed. I was thinking just about the weakest point - the J-arm.

I don't see what weight has to do with it. Steering components generally don't fight gravity or inertia, just (relatively slow-moving) geometry.

 

i don't think that's an accurate concept.

"These three concepts of inertia, mass, and weight are interconected. Intertia can be defined by Newton's first law, which states that "an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion." In other words, inertia is the amount of resistance an object has to change. Inertia affects all objects, and all objects have mass. The mass of an objects demonstrates how much matter is within the object. The larger the mass of an object the more inertia it has. Finally, the weight of an object has to do with the the amount of gravity that is being pulled down upon it. Weight can be seen as force, and the equation of a force is F(or weight)=mass*acceleration (gravity)."

 

Weight is a force, the product of mass and the acceleration due to gravity. The latter is basically constant, so for our purposes, "weight" and "mass" are interchangeable, as I've used them. I'm saying that neither weight nor mass of the wheels have anything to do with the durability or performance of steering parts. Assuming they have the same friction against the ground (or whatever terrain), and ignoring gyroscopic effects (because we're not going that fast), a wheel assembly that weighs 20kg won't be any harder or easier to turn than one that weighs 200kg. Am I missing something?

 

my guess is that it would have a little increased friction against the surface because it's heavier and it has a bigger footprint... the greater mass and weight will increase the inertia effect, so it'll be harder to turn... deep snow and mud could also increase the weight, and resist directional changes more.

but i never tried it with a stock system, and the only people i've seen complaining about how hard it is to steer with big tires/no hydro assist are doing it with rock crawling and such.

fwiw, an older thread that may be relevant: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/toyot...ring-arms.html

http://frontrangeoffroadfab.com/keye...-arms-low-boy/