i’m going to be buying a truck or a suv and lifting it. i was just wondering why some people say ifs is better and some say solid axles are better whats the differences?
whats the truck?
Solid axle is stronger than an IFS. Generally. And easier to upgrade. higher spline axles, limited slip/locker. The IFS rears are usually aluminum dana 30 centers and arnt very strong, or easy to source upgrades for. CV joint angle is the #1 killer to a lifted IFS anything, front or rear. A real lift kit for any IFS over 3" should come with a new drop crossmember to drop the diff down to lessen the CV angle. then its a slow game of cat and mouse. 3" lift, no dif drop can let you say run 31" tire, gaining 2 inches of dia, or 1 inch of ground clearance. then the next kit is a 5" lift, but give you a 2 inch diff drop cross member. The 5" kit will let you run say a 33" tire now, 4 inch dia gain over stock, 3" + ground clearance over stock, BUT you lost 2 inches at the center diff cross member, really only giving you 1 inch+ worth of ground clearance at the dif. But yes you gained 3" of clearance at the rockers, and bumpers, etc.
Lots of trucks with IFS fronts and REAL hard core lift kits swap them out for solids… for good reasons. Same for the ass end.
without writing you a book, i prefer a coil spring IFS over a solid axle (for everyday use) and a solid axle over a torsion bar IFS. I fucking HATE torsion bars.
If you’re buying a BA truck and intend on using it as such, go solid.
what he said. There is a reason the Ford Exploder went to an IFS ass end in the 200x and newer… the older solid rears rode like trucks and everyday drivers hated it, so they went for a nice smooth IFS.
What kind of truck or suv are you looking at, I will let you know what the different packages are out there for them.
If your going to wheel a truck, hit trees, rocks and dent/scratch it up dont go IFS. If your going to “Mall Crawl” and try to pick up toothless ladies with your big pickumuptruck… IFS is fine.
krazy i dunno if you noticed, but we are talking about IFS. NOT IRS. Ford did NOT put an independent FRONT suspension in the REAR of the Explorer.
:rofl :rofl :rofl
Edit: and just so its clear, anyone who puts IRS in the BACK of a truck is a pussy. Trucks are made for solids in the rear, so if you want IRS, go get a fucking Ridgeline.
havent picked yet i was looking at small toyota truck or a wrangler or ranger. leaning more to trucks because i have a 4wheeler to haul and very one has wranglers.
My Silvarado was IFS with a 6 inch lift W/35’s and was fine. My jeep is solid axle with a 4 inch lift W/32’s and is fine. I offroad the fuck out of both of them. Shits gonna break on ethier one. The only thing I don’t like about solid axle is death wobble and that it rides like shit. Other than that both were fine. And yes KrazyKid my Silvarado had a diff drop and transfer case drop and all the bullshit :lol
I had a beat up '89 S10 I took offroading and it was fine with the IFS. I didnt do any real deep mudding or rock crawling with it, just trails and water but I didnt have an issue with it from that.
I did wreck a cv axle on it but that happened while on the road and not 4 wheeling.
The Rangers are IFS after '97. Before that they have the I beam front which is kinda like a sfa but not quite.
IFS FTW
LOL I dont know why for some reason I was thinking IRS the entire time! hahahahah.
Yeah IFS, as in FRONT, the limiting factor to how wild and how hard you can wheel it, is what center dif is in there.
My jeep liberty (yes I know, soccer mom right…) has the aluminum dana 30 front and it was weak. I ended up with a 5" lift up front, 5.5" in the rear. Took a 3" coil/shock lift kit from Rustys off road and put that on. Then the lower shock was a clamp on clevis style, so you can simply loosen the clevis, space it out 3/4" or so, clamp it back on, and I welded in 2 tabs to allow it to bottom out on and never slip back down. At that point I was around 4". A member of LOST KJ’s (jeep club) made a set of upper controll arms that removed alot of the camber and took out a bunch of the CV joint bind. Then the lower diff cross member, we added 1/2" flat stock between it and the frame, like a spacer, and it put the CV’s back to the same angles that the 3" lift was at. The rear was a triangulated 3 link, 2 lowers and a triangle wishbone in th center, coils, spacers and springs out back.
The issue with the front dif was the input shaft case was weak and people with lockers when the front would wedge into a rock or bind, they would flex the case so bad it split. So we made machined sleeves that clamped over the case and helped that shit out.
I wheeled the shit out of that truck. A bunch of trips to Paragon, and hairy places around here. I ran it on 31" Durango MT’s and then 32" Procomp At’s. I yanked TJ’s out of places they got stuck and turned around and wheeled right through myself. Impressed alot of people with that soccer mom suv. Put 60Kmi on it, 50 of which were lifted. the CV’s were never replaced, but were a little sloppy when i traded it in, and put it back to stock.
think im looking for a small truck any sugestions?
Go to the capital truck center Line X place just down the road from Griffens Motorsports. I think they still have their 2000 ranger demo truck for sale. its built NICE, and last I saw it was $10K or something like that they wanted.
I would look for a 98+ ford ranger. 4.0L has good power. Auto trans tows 5Klbs (so it says), the manual trans tows a bunch less but gets 18+mpg, my auto gets 16. trans, diff and transfercase are good enough for light to med wheeling. rear end is decent, and some come with limited slips factory. if a locker or LSD can be found on the cheap for them.
suspension kits are nice for them. justs a 3" kit will clear 31’s all day long or 33’s with some trimming. Plenty of quality 5+ kits out there. Plenty of bumpers, rock rails to protect the rockers. 4X4.5 bolt patten so you have TONS of wheels to pick from (stock jeep wheels fit and guys sell them all the time to upgrade) Breaks are good.
I owned 2 rangers, brother has one, my friend CRD had a nice 05 FX Level2 ranger, his father had a ranger, and my father owned 4 for work trucks. I know them inside and out… its a solid platform.
My other choice would be a cheap, 98 and OLDER, ranger. with the stupid front end PJB mentioned. I would get one that runs good, and has a body you wouldnt cry about getting scratched for $1500. Get solid front axle from a junk yard, and put in a solid front triangluated 4 link setup in the front. With an air locker. Out back put the 8.8" in with a locker, big leafs and shocks. trim the fenders, and run 35’s easy. 4.10 gears. wheel the shit out of it, and get a solid 13mpg with it. lol
also the yota 4x4’s, nissan 4x4’s and the rest, for a decent one, not rusted out, or with 120+kmi… your looking at spending $7500 or more. A decent ranger 98+ with less than 100Kmi, can be found for $4000 or less.
looking for somehting i can get for 3000 and get a 1000 lift and 1200 in tires and rims so looking at something in the 90’s
want add right now:
1999 RANGER
ext cab, 4x4, V6, new 2000 eng, 110kmi, needs frt end repair, easy fix, runs great, $750 Johnsonville, NY (518) 753-4255 1999 ranger
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1995 RANGER XLT
146kmi, 4.0/V6, 4x4, newer brakes & tires, PW/PM, keyless entry, very little rust, $3600 B/O West Winfield, NY (315) 822-3145 1995 RANGER XLT
See Category
They do make lift kits for the 98 and older IFS… so this could work.
2002 RANGER EDGE
5spd, 4x4, 89kmi, CD/iPod, step side, Winterforce tires, tow pkg, GC, $5300 Neg Fort Plain, NY (518) 332-0787 2002 RANGER EDGE
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real nice truck… but outa the price range maybe.
or this bomber: would make a hell of a daily! lol
1998 RAM 1500
lifted w/38" radial super swampers, needs nothing, $3500 B/O Rensselaer, NY (518) 763-7833 1998 RAM 1500
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o yea hvcc every day cant wait.
dont worry about road noise, 38" SS’s are near silent on the road.
oo sweet gas pumps here i come.
if you lift anything you’re gunna be seeing gas pumps more often :crazy