SFA vs IFS

[Dark Chaos]

I am just curious on some of your opinions would you keep your IFS or go for a solid axel? The both have pros and cons let me here your pros and cons on theses two systems.
I think the
IFS are awesome when they are setup like the desert racers I have yet to see a desert racer with a solid front axel. Then again it is very rare to see an IFS equipped Vehicle Competing in a Rock crawling championship.
For the majority of us who do not know how to weld taking our vehicles to a shop to have a SAS done is out of the question I went to my local 4X4 shop and they gave me an estimate of $20,000!   The scary thing was we did not talk about what components I wanted on my vehicle.

[WHITE_TRASH]

20k? :fainting:  Holy hell I hope you were talking about buying a complete vehicle not just a sas. 

Ifs does have an advantage in go-fast driving as each whell is allowed to react to whatever the obstacle may be.  Ifs also had better ground clearance and less unsprung weight.  Ifs has a definate disadvantage in strength, if you lock it chances are its a gonner with the quickness.  While a solid axle has major advantages in strength and off road prowess if you are in rocks etc where the tire on top of an obstacle forces the opposite side down for traction.  Ifs can not do that by design unless you spend some real $$ on custom forced articulation. 

I cant think of any real reasons not to do an sas even if you have no welding abillities what so ever.  Everyone knows someone that has a welder and will stop by and lend a hand while they suck down some cold ones.

[Dark Chaos]

Dude that is just to do the SAS!!

[WHITE_TRASH]

Tell ya what Ill sell ya my 90 SASed x cab for 15k if thats the way that the shops wanna do buisness in your area!

[kyle_22r]

you can still have a lot of fun with IFS, but if you want to get really serious, go with a straight axle.

33s are about the max i'd ever want to run on IFS, and don't drop any money into it.  get a body lift or something like that, and run it as-is...you won't gain much going with a lift

as for ground clearance, if you're comparing an axle with ifs, the ifs wins in a static situation.  the straight axle will _gain_ ground clearance as it articulates, whereas the ifs will lose clearance

[BigMike]

Tell ya what Ill sell ya my 90 SASed x cab for 15k if thats the way that the shops wanna do buisness in your area!

And I'm sure WHITE_TRASH spent less then $500 to do his SAS by himself

[WHITE_TRASH]

Um actually it was less than that!

[Brian83]

I doubt he has much more than $500 into the truck

[WHITE_TRASH]

The price went down today.  I just got paid for the engine from the 81, so now I have under $600 in this project.  That just aint right.

[Skinny_Pedal]

i have ifs. it SUCKS

[88runner]

I am just curious on some of your opinions would you keep your IFS or go for a solid axel? The both have pros and cons let me here your pros and cons on theses two systems.
I think the
IFS are awesome when they are setup like the desert racers I have yet to see a desert racer with a solid front axel. Then again it is very rare to see an IFS equipped Vehicle Competing in a Rock crawling championship.
For the majority of us who do not know how to weld taking our vehicles to a shop to have a SAS done is out of the question I went to my local 4X4 shop and they gave me an estimate of $20,000!  The scary thing was we did not talk about what components I wanted on my vehicle.

20K 

I ave like 2000$ can. in mine and everything is new, gear locker birfield gasket bearing, that price also include the high-steer, new shock shock tower,only thing that is not new are the inner axles, for 20K you could buy 10 solid axle truck on good working condition.
Go to that shop and kick the guy in the nuts.

[84runner]

Hey Dark Chaos I don't care what part of the Galaxy you live in , I will fly there and do your wap for ya for $9,999 thats over half off , but dont' wait call now cause you only got 8 min unitl this comercial is over and the operators go home 

[robinhood4x4]

My philosophy is if you have to ask how much or how to do a SAS, you don't need it yet.  Another indicator is if you care about dents, damage or flopping, then you don't need it.  IFS will let you do some relatively tough trails like the rubicon, dusy and even aftershock.  Granted, you have to take it easy, but you can do it.  Along the same train of thought, wheeling with ifs makes you a better wheeler in the long run.  You learn how to read the trail and take the right line.  Ultimately, I plan to SAS, but for now I plan on pushing my ifs as far as it will go and learn to wheel in the process. 

[SWAMPER]

Dark Chaos I feel you man they quoted me 2 and 3 grand when Ive been asking around...and RobinHood I respect your believe but in some cases that just wont go...I may not know a lot about fixing and Ive been wheeling for around a year or more...not much but Ive done trails that only guys with 35's take...not boasting...just facts so If Im not mechanicly inclined then so be it, but that dosent mean I dont wheel hard, just my

[Skinny_Pedal]

well i still say that i dont like having ifs. it does moderetly well on thr trials around here but whenever rocks get involved it just straight blows! u can ask 81toy4x about it. i have to use plenty of throttle why these solid axle guys dont have these problems. a locker wouldnt be bad also

[SWAMPER]

I never disagreed that IFS sucks I just said that Im mechanicly stupid

[Skinny_Pedal]

o i know u weren't. i just thought like adding that in. one day you'll become un mechanically stupid and when the funds are there u can handle the sas yourself.  dont u have shop or autobody, autotech at your high school. thats how i learned to weld and i got tons of knowledge just by taking autobody for a year.

[SWAMPER]

  Im not in HighSchool and anyways there werent those courses in my High School

[robinhood4x4]

But do you guys have lockers front and rear? and a crawler?  Articulation becomes less important with those items.  I'm not saying an ifs can compete with a solid axle on the hardest trails, but a lot of people have no clue how far ifs can take you with the proper modifications.  Lot's of people fall into the "gotta have a SA" trap just because all the cool hardcore people say you have to have it. 

[SWAMPER]

But why spend a bunch of money on something your sooner or later going to cut off :order:

[Skinny_Pedal]

swamper my bad i thought u were in high school still. o well

[SWAMPER]

 Son Im a grown man...I have 4 kids already, that why Im a

[Skinny_Pedal]

i can cps at your door already!

[SWAMPER]

What?

[Skinny_Pedal]

child protective serices. but now im gonna say im thread jacking again

[robinhood4x4]

But why spend a bunch of money on something your sooner or later going to cut off :order:

No no, you don't spend money on it.  I agree with that completely.  Off the shelf ifs lifts are a waste of money.  You do the minimal lift of crank the tbars, 1" BL pound the fenders and stuff in 33s.  The rear locker and dual tcase stay with the SAS.  The front locker...well, you do end up loosing a little money from that unless you get a used locker and sell it for the same price as when you got it.  You'll also end up loosing some money on the driveshaft, but they're not that expensive.  With this setup you learn how to wheel and in the mean time you save up and learn how to do your own SAS.

[SWAMPER]

That or I could just pay you to do it

[brainlessfool]

Im stupid

my frist toy was a 86 sr5 exta cab 4X4 and yes it was IFS.  I never had any truble getting were I wanted to go. ok I did not try the con or dusty butt I ran around a lot on the trails I had here . anyway a IFS is "ok" for 4

x4ing just not as good as SFA in the bad stuff. you'd be better off getting a lock in the rear and maybe gears too. unless your going to head for the con , dusty, hammers, ect. alot of the time. Oh and one more thing,  ifs is way better as a DD. I have thought about doing a IFS swap on my 83. with the wheel base this thing has HARD CORE 4X4ing is out  , so maybe I sould just go for a better DD feel and get a IFS for my junk?   

anyone ever heard of a IFS swap on a older truck?   

[WHITE_TRASH]

Brainless I didnt ever think Id hear even you suggest that!

[brainlessfool]

ever on the move, reaching for new ground, lowering the bar.  I'm brainlessfool!