ifs vs solid axle.

[D Farms]

please read and then comment.
Straight Axle vs IS (independent suspension) | Vancouver Island Off Road


i hear this argument all the time, but this is my general opinion,

ifs is good for high speed travel over rough terrain because it can have more bump travel than a solid axle and is much more controlled over bumps and dips. a solid axle can articulate much more easily over rocks. a solid axle truck is also more comfortable for low speed exploring because the front and rear axle articulate at equal rates, where as an ifs truck basically flexes only in the back and the front just stays basically level with the terrain. ifs flexes easily when speed is added to the equation, but at low speeds sfa wins. obviously a long travel setup changes things but thats not the case fore most stock vehicles. also ifs flexes less once its lifted, a solid axle can handle a wide range of loads and use a higher spring rate but still have great articulation, ifs is usually not good for carrying a variable load.



this thread is totally rediculous, he states the 4runner is just a car and hasnt had a frame since 1995 haha. anyways the antogonist in this thread also argues that because the ifs keeps the wheels flat there is better traction, im guessing he has never aired down, also he had a geo tracker haha.

 

[Taco04]

" the cavalier!! gets a million ks, so did my 80 chev van and every taxi and cop car. cavs have full galvanized body (wont rust for 50 yrs)."

That there is Priceless says it all!

I think this Guy has made a LOT of people rethink IFS...

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Ow... my head hurts after reading a couple posts...

 

[Ol'Blue]

I'll just say this.

You bring your tracker. I'll bring my mostly stocks 99 limited and we will put this to the test and for giggles I'll bring the beast also and he can see the differance .

Blue

 

[KidVermicious]

All kinds of misconceptions, my head hurts. Lets put to bed a few myths.

All other things being equal, IFS handles better at speed because when it hits a bump, it's not as prone to throwing the entire truck into the air. If your suspension is configured right, this can be useful when crawling too - it might leave your diff a little lower than the solid axle, but it leaves your truck lower too.

A solid axle does not inherently have longer travel than IFS. For moderately increased travel it's easier to mod a stock solid axle than a stock IFS because the solid axle pivots in the middle of the truck where the IFS pivots at the control arms. But for extreme travel the IFS will win again precisely because it is independent of the other arm.

A solid axle is normally stronger than an IFS setup because it doesn't have to flex at the same angles or in as many places as an IFS. But with the right money, IFS can be made strong enough to survive KoH and other offroad races, and that's definitely strong enough for almost anybody on this board (also too much money for almost everybody on this board!).

The bottom line is, if you're not breaking CV shafts, IFS is probably superior for your application. If you ARE breaking CV shafts, see if you can correct the problem with a lighter throttle foot and better driving skills before you think about a swap to a solid axle.

 

[Brique]

I also read once, can't remember where or I'd post it, that the solid axle also continues to distribute the weight of the truck fully down onto the wheels when extended, as opposed to ifs which does it much less, even when not fully extended. This is the other part of what makes a solid axle generally better for rock crawling all things held equal.

I can't verify that myself, but figured I'd add it to the discussion.

 

[LandCruiser]

SFA is the cheaper, easier to work on, and marginally (no CV axles) more durable choice.