I'm in the process now of installing the Tundra/OME lift on my 3rd gen 4Runner. (Rear is done - yay )

Eventually I want to install the modified panhard bar and the diff drop, but can't afford them right now.

I'm planning on driving 8hr to Canyonlands in a few weeks and possibly wheeling Elephant Hill, etc. Nothing too crazy tho.

Will I be ok driving that far and wheeling a bit without having the panhard and diff drop installed?

Thanks!

 

From what ive read from numerous posts; If your lift is greater than 2 inches, its a good idea to get a diff drop, if not the angles of CV joints are too great and can cause them to wear quickly and bad, and im pretty sure its not an inexpensive fix either. I know 4crawler has some really good stuff from what i have read. Check some of his stuff out.

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/DiffDrop.shtml

 

the tundra front lift alone is 1.5". with the spacers, it's still only 2".

at that point, the diff drop is still optional. make sure to get an alignment after you get the front lift on and drive it for about 50 miles to let it settle some.

 

Roll's got it right regarding the diff drop... Roger Brown's kit is nice, and you can also do it yourself with the right trip to a hardware store - the cost ends up about the same.

The panhard drop is important as well, but imo not _as_ important as the diffdrop.

I would suggest finding $25 and doing the diffdrop before doing anything. Remember, the issue with the CV angles isn't JUST and issue in the dirt. The truck is riding on the CVs 24/7. It's _worse_ when you're in 4WD and there's torque being applied from the front diff, but the friction aspect is always there.


(side note: Andy just posted that your total life will only be about 2", so the diffdrop is optional. I'll leave the words above for other folks coming through)

 

IMO, a diff drop is a must, check 4crawler's site, lots of good info.
I still don't know about the panhard drop, I'm also looking for someone to answer that question...

 

What was that place you got lifetime alignments for $129?
Seems like it might be a good deal with all the modifications requiring an alignment afterwards.




I didn't realize the diff drop from 4crawler was only $24.50 (for some reason I thought it was like $60). Guess I might as well pick that up soon, since it's cheap insurance

 

I know Express tire charge $129 for a 3 year, around here, I haven't found one with a life time aligment.

 

I found this thread after searching on "lifetime alignment":
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f16/firestone-lifetime-alignment-23450/


Yeup.

 

D'oh! owned by the search button!

Yep, looks like Firestone is the place to get the lifetime alignments.
I have one close to my house.
I'll have to call them and see if that price is good if you don't buy tires from them and if they have any disclaimers about lifted vehicles.

 

I use 'em... and... I bought my tires from Les Schwab and at the time I signed up I had just put my lift on.

 

I have no diff drop on my 97 and my cv boots are fine (about 45,000 miles with lift) - I think different years have different cv boot s cause at 2.5 - 2.75" of lift I have no fins touching - but I've seen new 4runners with similar lift (if not less) and fins touching on the boots.

but - it probably can't hurt to put it on.

john

 

Resurrecting an old thread to add a word of advice: I just had to replace an axle assembly on my 3rd gen because the inner CV boot split (mind you, the truck has less than 70K on it). The word is that it's likely related to my OME884 Front Coil Springs , N140S Front Struts, N142 Shocks, OME895 Springs, which gave me 3+ inches of lift (less than 2 years old). The guy at the shop told me that he didn't know what the remedy would be, and that I'm likely looking at eventually replacing all of the boots/joints at some point. What about a diff drop? Shouldn't that fix the problem?

 

it wont necessarily "fix" the problem but i think it will help it a lot. it just reduces the amount of wear on the cv and reduces the angle so there is less friction.

 

Are you asking if you can run without a panhard bar? No you can't. That's what locates the axle left/right. If the lift is too much for the factory bar, the driveshaft will hit the fuel tank I think, making a horrible noise.

Manual hubs will protect the CV's too.

 

hes asking if i can run without the modified panhard bar