Not jabbing anyone here, just proving a point that everything breaks and solid axles are not bullet proof.
Ifs tips?
- Thread starter totalanarchy
- Start date
IFS is much better than a solid axle. Want to go backwards on technology? great buy a solid axle Ram or Ford. While your at it just saddle up the donkey and go green...
GM's system has its weak links, but IFS in general is not the issue. It is the superior choice when built properly, but it costs a lot of money to build right.
The system below is the IFS on our Fendt tractor, it's a bit beefier than GM IFS, but I still wouldn't trade is for a solid axle tractor.
If I want to go off road and rock crawl- I'll buy a jeep.
I don't like the way solid axles steer, I have the way they ride. all of the prerunner a have ifs and they beat the crap out them!
Ifs rides better.
Let's face it, a Duramax in "race mode" looks badass! :thumbup
I love my sas. The ifs in my truck did not meet my needs and wants of my truck. Looks like there are a bunch of sas haters, but they have their reasons. I also had to switch out my 263 tcase which was a piece of shit. Some people will disagree with me. I beat the f@ck out of the 263 that I had in my truck and it did not last. So, I had to upgrade to a 273.
What it all boils down to is how you use your truck. If doing an sas is right for you and your needs then you're going to be forking out some cash to do the conversion. Granted you can do the conversion for a lot cheaper then 18k.
There are plenty of options to beef up the ifs on our trucks.
The guy who commented above about how you hate the steering of a solid axle... Have you ever tried a truck that is solid axle equipped and has hydro assist? I assume not...
My truck has a solid axle and I have hydro assist. I experience no bump steer what so ever and I can turn rather quickly. I have no problem taking certain turns or corners at higher speeds.
What it all boils down to is how you use your truck. If doing an sas is right for you and your needs then you're going to be forking out some cash to do the conversion. Granted you can do the conversion for a lot cheaper then 18k.
There are plenty of options to beef up the ifs on our trucks.
The guy who commented above about how you hate the steering of a solid axle... Have you ever tried a truck that is solid axle equipped and has hydro assist? I assume not...
My truck has a solid axle and I have hydro assist. I experience no bump steer what so ever and I can turn rather quickly. I have no problem taking certain turns or corners at higher speeds.
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well then did not expect to see all these comments this afternoon hahaha! for the money and what I wanna do 80/20 80% of the time I drive aggressive and drag and daily drive my truck looks like the plan is going to be beefed up ifs, just old school easy to work on I hate doing oil pans on ifs vehicles I think we all agree there :rockon: thanks for the pics and comments!
also forgot to mention I was gunna go with bds 4.5 lift should I have any problems on the track with that some say no some say, didn't phase them !?! too many opinions no facts I think of air dynamics since I used to race cars but trucks are where its at!
F*ck solid axle!!!
"What's that? Death wobble! Oh no, now I have to spend twice as much as I would to bullet proof an IFS- to repair my front end- then I have to spend more money to "prevent" (aka prolong the inevitable) the death wobble! Oh and my truck still drives like crap when I'm done!"
Do what I did; Call Dmaxstore, whip out the debit card- say "stage 3 package please", hang up, await parts- and install! Lol
Exactly what I did! One of the best upgrades I've done
I'll have to get a picture for you in the daylight of the Fendt in "race mode". You can deflate the suspension all the way down or inflate it all the way up. Its only really useful for waxing it, but it does wow a lot of people.
Good catch on the braces and center link should have said it differently but you are correct on braces not needed with straight link.
And I knew the fendt would come up:thumb: sfa has been a headache for us for years with fords and dodges. I do feel dodge has behest sfa in the business but it's old dead tech. Ifs rules in the dirt and in the road, smoother ride and better front articulation and control at full articulation
^^^ hahaha!!! Ifs has better front articulation? And it rides better? My truck rides so much better now with coilovers and a 4 link set up then it did in stock form. Both on and on offroad.
Would you put your sfa up to a competition ifs? 4 link is a good setup but it will never outflex a long travel ifs. Stock ifs has a whopping what 2" compression and maybe 6-8" drop But a long travel set up can 18-24 inch travel. If I was rock crawling or mud bogging I may consider an sfa but that's about it.
Even weight bearing ifs can be made to be stronger. Anyone who has been in or around military up armored Humvee scan see the abuse those systems take with minimal breakage. The uparmored excursions we used had hub issues and with the weight death wobble was just somthing we lived with
I would like to go to 4wd on my old 03 dually and financially an sfa would be the best but I just front want the ride and wear and tear of an sfa.
Yes I would put my sas up against a competition ifs any day.
As far as the humvees go. I have gotten regular ass non up armored ones stuck and up armored ones stuck. In not so deep mud, sand and even high centered. Where solid axles would have prevailed.
IFS 4wd will never out articulate and drive as well in the rocks as a straight axle. Cv's wil always be the limiters. I'd take a straight axle there any day. Now if you wanna go fast and be in control, ifs is the game. Hell look at the king of the hammers cars. In the unlimited class they were 50/50 this year between ifs cars and straight axle. Guess who did better in the desert and who did better in the rocks?
Oh and boys, the front end is just half the battle. All that fun stuff up front doesn't do shit if your ass end can't keep up
James, I was waiting for you to comment on this topic again. You hit the nail on the head with this post ^^^. I can't say it any better. King of the Hammers is a true testament. Was going to mention it but didn't think anyone would know what it was. Except those who are into hardcore offroad racing.
Yes the front suspension is only half the battle...
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Wasn't talking stuck, talking about overall reliability, everything gets stuck in that sand over there it's like baby powder, I'm not gonna say a Humvee never broke, they did springs were a weak link until we got the newer trucks with the ambulance suspension. Speed bumps on base were 10" square blocks.
Anyway I apologize for the articulation coment travel would perhaps be a better word for it. Though I would like to see some trucks scores on an articulation ramp sfa vs. ifs. Fella at work has a sweet buggy all independent pretty nasty lookin rig. I'm not rock crawler or a mud bogger my trucks are used as work trucks muddy fields low water crossings pulling and such it's has held up better for us over the years...
Not to say we don't have an era truck still that has never been broken
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Thanks mang. Each has their place as we all stated. I personally will stick with ifs. If I lived in Florida or another southern state, this thing would be straight axle in a heart beat. After coilovering the front, I can't see a straight axle riding better unless you have a Carli kit on a dodge. It's hard to beat that setup right there but you all have to remember, it is specifically tuned for going fast and built for it. 80% of a good riding truck is in the shocks and suspension geometry. If I had the r and d carli has, I could make my truck surpass their straight axle kits but it wouldn't sell like their stuff. Why? Cost. Ifs long travel is not cheap to do, specially 4wd and again, that adds another limitation.
So in the end, each has shitty trade offs in the current state of every truck offered and offered in trucks past.
And with that said, I'll take my ifs hehe
So in the end, each has shitty trade offs in the current state of every truck offered and offered in trucks past.
And with that said, I'll take my ifs hehe
These threads make me laugh.
single turbo better then compounds?
White or black?
Personally I can't keep tierods or ball joints in this truck. I don't mind the ifs at all. But it's had it's time and I am now SAS the truck. I agree its going back on technology, but to each there own. And the death wobble/tire wear/ride issues.... A properly designed Sfa won't have these. But then again most ppl are here to race.
And before I get the "you need beefed up ifs" I've had sleeved and braced stock components, cognito heims and braced, kriptinght tre/braced oem center link and braced strait center link, Fabtech tre braced oem center link, and exact system. Oem idler pivot with frame gussets for the most of these different kits. Exact was my favorite. And countless balljoints. I've spent my fair share of money beefing up the ifs, time to try Sfa. At the end of the day it's really not that bad to swap back.
End of the day I think alot of my sas desires come from my rock crawling/bouncing life haha
Is CumminGs better then powerstroke?
single turbo better then compounds?
White or black?
Personally I can't keep tierods or ball joints in this truck. I don't mind the ifs at all. But it's had it's time and I am now SAS the truck. I agree its going back on technology, but to each there own. And the death wobble/tire wear/ride issues.... A properly designed Sfa won't have these. But then again most ppl are here to race.
And before I get the "you need beefed up ifs" I've had sleeved and braced stock components, cognito heims and braced, kriptinght tre/braced oem center link and braced strait center link, Fabtech tre braced oem center link, and exact system. Oem idler pivot with frame gussets for the most of these different kits. Exact was my favorite. And countless balljoints. I've spent my fair share of money beefing up the ifs, time to try Sfa. At the end of the day it's really not that bad to swap back.
End of the day I think alot of my sas desires come from my rock crawling/bouncing life haha
Is CumminGs better then powerstroke?