Solid axle trucks dont ride as well as ifs they can be engineered to ride better with a good set of leaf springs or multi link coils. Depending on what you plan on using your mustang for, an irs or solid rear axle could benefit your setup. For overlanddd, id stick with ifs and a solid rear axle like xterra, 4runner, and many other at least used to be suvs and midsize and 12 ton pickups. Wes your right about the wheel hubs and making it wider. Camber is built into a solid front axle and can only get out if the axle is bent. I think it comes down to power changing directions too many times in an independent setup. Thats why offroaders use sfa solid front axle trucks, and serious offroaders use a 4link and coil setup, or even a complete coilover suspension setup, which works very well but is also very expensive. I could be wrong as to when ford went back to a solid axle on th f350. The ifs or independent front suspension has two axle shafts that opposed to the straight axle, are exposed to the elements and often get caked with mud. Look at that itty bitty axle shaft in the front, lol. So you may not necessarily be better off buying a truck with a solid front axle. Solid axle front end advantages gm truck club forum. Since the wheel has to move up and down and then turn for steering you need both.
Prorock ifs and irs axles from extreme racers to enthusiast and industrial offroad vehicles, independent front and rear suspension systems are gaining popularity, and dynatrac is equipped to provide legendary durability and strength for these applications. Jul 07, 2010 as stated above, the axle provides a decent ride in a forty sedan. I have had a couple of street rods with dropped front axles,newer shocks,better bushings,etc. Im building a new car primarily for rock racing but would also like for it to be able to handle the jumps and woops as wellim pretty far into the suspension design phase and will probably start building in the next couple of weeksbut i feel like i might need to back up and reevaluate what my goals need to be this being the first time ive attempted to build. Independant vs solid axles buggy design plans nc4x4.
Jun 28, 2011 that plate steering arm was designed for a sprint cartbucket with a lot less front axle weight. His plan is to set up the front and rear axles the same keeping them 5 lugs. But it can only flex up to a certian amount of tension. Mar 09, 2020 the base model and top of the line model both have solid front axles. In doing the solid axle swap, all pro off road made the front suspension on my truck very similar to. There is a lot of engineering into a solid front axle set up steering angles, pinion angles, shocks mounted correctly so they work properly etc etc. Cant do a complete front clip since the front end has been totally rebuilt with the frame rails tied in to the. Pretty sure its gonna flex when you turn or hit a bump. Both methods of conversion use a spacer to make the axle wider. I know the front axle and differential is different between the two. Essay on solid axle versus independent front suspension cram.
As the front wheels of a vehicle are steered away from the straightahead position. In an ifs setup, the spring is a torsion bar the simplest type of spring. The ifs hubs put the spacer beteen the roter and the hub and the solid axle hubs put it on the mounting surface. Since 2000 the f350 and f250 are esentially the same truck. The base model has had a dana 30 axle up front and a dana 35 axle in the rear. Mine is used strictly for shows,cruisins,and an occasional ride. Solid axles are also more durable than most independent front suspension ifs axles and can be easily changed in comparison, making axle. Also keep in mind that stock, many trucks with solid front have axles sized just big enough for the stock setup. Ifs will outhandle any solid axle suspension ill admit, a solid front axle is anvilsimple compared to independent front suspension ifs and it can be more durable in the right environments. Ifs hubs on a solid axle, no spacer, stock rotors and calipers. Solid axle suspension also known as rigid beam, or rigid axle is the most elementary form of connecting the upper and lower halves of a vehicle. Weve developed the prorock xd60ifs and prorock 80irs as extreme, hardcore differentials that can be used in demanding. If you look at most ifss on 40s the owners will tell you how much better they ride than the old axle they threw away.
I could have put a body lift on the blazer and run 31s, but the stock front ifs components are not strong enough for the extra stress. Jan 26, 2003 a solid front axle live axle, beam axle, whatever wil lhave a total of 2 joints that allow movement out of the plane of rotation. From extreme racers to enthusiast and industrial offroad vehicles, independent front and rear suspension systems are gaining popularity, and dynatrac is equipped to provide legendary durability and strength for these applications. It costs roughly twice as much to get the same amount of travel out of a 4wd ifs system compared to a solid axle. I have been lurking and learning here for a while now and finally have a reason to post. Up rated tie rods and tres are easy and common on solid axles e. Fsd sensitivity results of the rci drivers seat vs. Yes ifs is of course still very capable off road but it has its weak points literally versus a solid axle in several off road situations. It wasnt that long ago 2001 that the entire jeep vehicle line wrangler tj, cherokee xj. Unlike solid front axles, independent front suspensions or ifs for short allow each wheel to move independently of each other. No change to the rear axle, front axle will be diamond axle 9. Although it gets a bad rap from straight axle fans, the aam 9.
Hytenor you must lost man, im not talking about a disk conversion or even the rear axle, there is a process of taking ifs hub bodies put them on an 85 front soild axle and that makes it 3 wider, i had a question about the rotors and that is why i started this thread. Not only are they stronger in 95% of applications due to the fact that instead of the shafts being put through the stresses of driving, turning, and always changing angle while cycling through the suspension, parts availability and ease of maintenance is also high on the list. Feb 18, 2008 yes this will be 4wd but dont bother with drive axle joint discussion or phasing issues herei think ive got that problem solved for application and no the current design doesnt involve beamscurrently based off more of an aarm setup. Find out if a solid axle or ifs driver wins the 2018 king of the. Ifs on trucks materials technology eindhoven university. And stop making it like daily driving with a solid front axle is impossible and your teeth are gonna fall out when you hit a pothole because oh, ifs is so superior. There are four rubber casings called boots on the ends of each axleshaft.
The 100 is better onroad, including gravel and very mild offroad. If you look at most ifs s on 40s the owners will tell you how much better they ride than the old axle they threw away. They dont have the nicest ride quality, thats why they are not as common these days. But when used for mudding or even drag racing, the independent front suspension performs very poorly. Beam axles were once commonly used at the rear wheels of a vehicle, but historically they have also been used as. I for one cant stand solid axle vehicles and have taken many ifs vehicles. Ifs is more designed for more of a quality ride experience versus the solid axle. What is the difference between independent and solid axle.
Called the shop that put my lift on to find out what it would cost to change the front ifs to a solid axle an they said after buying all the parts an labor it would be somewhere around 8 to 9 grand. Ifss are easy to get out of alignment compared with a solid piece of forged steel solid front axle. Ultra4 takes off the beaten path to its most extreme requiring not. And benefits for ifs for high speed running, certain trails and certain types of mud. Land cruiser 100 series have an ifs front end and the cruiser 105 also called by some a 100 series, due to same size and looks have solid axles front and rear. Nothing can beat the way independent suspension absorbs uneven terrain at speeds upwards of 100mph. As soon as you go up in tire size you need beefier axles. Most steering boxes solid axle will take more of a beating than the steering racks in modern ifs rigs. If ifs was the cats meow for heavy vehicles, 18 wheelers would have it, as many highline truck manufacturers are appealing to owneroperators with high end truck. As the name implies, it utilizes a single piece of metal a common axle for both wheels sprung beneath the cars undercarriage. It all depends on what you want,and how you intend to use it. Another issue is mantaining wheel alignment goemetry. Looking for ifs hubs on a solid axle write up ttora forum. Technically the ifs hub version would probably be stronger but the difference is negligable.
But if youve bought a truck or an suv in the last few years, you probably have experienced independent front suspension ifs in all its glory. They are also easier to work on typically, in the event there is a problem. Mustang irs vs solid rear axles irs vs solid rear cj. Looking to switch out the front suspension from a solid axle to ifs. On the other hand, upgrades to ifs or upgrading an axle on a solid front truck can be done by most shade tree mechanics. The top of the line model, the rubicon, comes with dana 44 axle up front and im not sure about the rear. The leaf springs force the axle to move straight up and down.
The overall consensus from ultra4 racers is that ifs gives you the upper hand through the desert while solid axle is an advantage in the rocks. There are honestly more issues with onroad driving and solid axles than there are offroad. Independent suspension systems have been utilized in the production car market for decades and while it provides a smoother ride over solid axle systems, the debate is heavy in the offroad segment about which suspension setup is best when youre off the beaten path. Front live axle is going to be better for crawling and is considered to be a bit more durable, depending on the unit. The toyota cv axle is actually fairly stout, and can handle some decent abuse. Lets compare a solid front axle jeep with a ford expedition with independent from suspension to determine just what makes ifs so horrible. Ive set up a few ifs nissans that were pushing 1112 inches of travel at the front wheels. I should add, there are different forces at play on any given situation. Also off the shelf solid axle is not the way to go either a large schedule tube is lighter and stronger and way more suited. You would end up grading a deeper section of mud vs the is belly as it doesnt. Offroad suspension setups, independent vs solid axle.
Production independent suspension especially on the front axle suffers from. The next few years is going to be interesting with the advancement of ifs 4wd race rigs pushing the aftermarket for better parts. For example, look at the massive aftermarket for beefy axles for jeeps. The use cases for ifs vs solid vary slightly, solids are cheaper, stronger, and provide more articulation and when you are only articulating one side they can provide better traction on the low wheel than ifs can. All im saying, is if ifs was a strong as a solid axle, every rock crawler and foffer would be running it. When using an independent front suspension in a heavy truck configuration it can reach the. All in all, ifs setups have better handling qualities.
The f250 for 1997 to 2000 or 2001 came in a light duty version with an ifs front axle those trucks look like the 97 f150. The reasons for this preference usually include better obstacle crawling capability and durability. How to rebuild a toyota 4x4 solid front axle part 2. That plate steering arm was designed for a sprint cartbucket with a lot less front axle weight. A beam axle, rigid axle or solid axle is a dependent suspension design, in which a set of wheels is connected laterally by a single beam or shaft. His thinking is that its easier to get junk 100 rear axle if its damaged, rather then making custom axles.
Although it gets a bad rap from straightaxle fans, the aam 9. Do yourself a favor and find a buddy who has a 40 with a ifs and go for a ride. Cant do a complete front clip since the front end has been totally rebuilt with the frame rails tied in to the backhalf. After a decade of proving itself in the truckpulling game, its safe to say the independent front suspension found under 01present gm hd trucks is a viable system to campaign with in the dirt. Have a search on utube for ultra 4s vs rock bouncers. On the other hand, the ifs keeps you lower than the solid axle when flexing, which can prevent an ifs truck from rolling in the same spot thatll put a solid axle truck on its roof. Beam axles were once commonly used at the rear wheels of a vehicle, but historically they have also been used as front axles in rearwheeldrive vehicles. I have searched, to no avail, to find the differences between the 19961997 diesel 4x4 f250 and f350 nondually. Why is ifs so bad independent front suspension vs solid. Solid axles can handle a bit rougher and lead to unexpected steering bumps. Solid axle vs independent trailer suspension patrol 4x4. In this case, a solid front axle can weigh upwards of a few hundred pounds when loaded with a differential, axle shafts and links. Got my hands on a 62 post car with some work already done to it.
Mar 05, 2019 front live axle is going to be better for crawling and is considered to be a bit more durable, depending on the unit. As stated above, the axle provides a decent ride in a forty sedan. When running in mud or water solid axles tend to have more issues with moisture intrusion due to the end of the hot axle usually being stuck into the cold water or mud, an ifs diff is usually riding above the. The rear axle vs irs doesnt make a huge difference in road handling but a solid rear axle is almost always stronger. I went with the ifs,there is no comparison,between that and a straight axle,for handling and ride.
A vehicle with a sa is much more suttle off road and has the ability to have much more travel and flex articulation than ifs. For example, if you plan on frequenting the autocross or road course with your mustang, then an independent rear suspension would be the ideal choice for your build. The use cases for ifs vs solid vary slightly, solids are cheaper. An ifs setup weighs considerably less, due to the front differential being mounted to the chassis instead of on the axle itself. If youre not a truck guru, you may not know the difference between a solid front axle and independent front suspension.