Desperate need of some cv axle advice (1 Viewer)

[Adamwojo]

So I have a 99 Tacoma that came with a coil over leveling kit but then I added and 3 inch suspension spacers in front and now my CV axles are gone. Its just the boots that are ripped and the grease is out, but it seems that any mechanic I talked to wants to replace the entire axle on both sides and they say it will only last a little over a year with the lift and that they recommend getting something aftermarket but I can't seem to find an aftermarket axel.
I hit found some aftermarket boots that say they are for lifted tacomas but would there be anything bad about putting those on the axle I currently have? Any advice on what to do or buy?

 

[alabamatacomaguy]

Any lift going over stock will increase wear to the cvs or cv boots at the least. I lowered mine down to about 1.5 to 2 in above stock in the front as I got tired of replacing a cv a year at 3in. When the boots started tearing after a month or so(auto store brands, get Toyota if possible they last longer) I figured it would make things last longer to lower everything. I had sway away adjustable co's on that truck but it could be accomplished by swapping in a smaller spacer or going with shorter than 3 in lift springs like old man emus I think make them in most heights desired or bilstein had some adjustable struts for a low price.

With the taco cvs for years people have tried to figure out a good option for lifting them and making them work well. I tried high clearance cv boots, didn't make a difference in my case.

In order to swap out cvs for something different I'm not sure anything cost effective has been found yet as the last time I saw something on the subject it was swapping in Porsche cvs for a long travel type setup.


...via IH8MUD app

 

[jynx]

I'm with AL TACO you have way to much lift for the CV's boots to last any time. The rule of thumb I keep hearing is to look at them at ride height and see if any of the pleats are touching. If they are then they will rub against each other and wear faster. Also they just aren't designed to operate at those extreme angles for any length of time.

Your current CV's are probably rebuildable and a reboot kit from the dealer is about $30, but that won't last long at the angles. Some folks add diff drop kits, but I'm not really a fan. Best practice is to keep the lift within reason and manageable for the boots.

Another option is to look into a manual hub swap. If you have auto hubs the cv's are always turning which accelerates the wear. If you went to a manual hub you could unlock them when on the road so they wouldn't wear so quickly and only use them in off road situations. The hub swap does require changing out the knuckles and cv's from a OE manual lockout rig and adding the lockouts themselves.

If you want the big air, you are gonna have to make a significant change to the rig to keep the front end happy. Of course you could always SAS it and be done with the CV's all together.

 

[SIZZLE]

Too much lift. You could do a 6" lift using drop brackets. Or take out your spacers and cut the fenders if you're trying to clear bigger than 33" tires. I had a 2.5" lift on my first gen and the cv boots were still good when I sold it at 125k mi. I've heard nothing but bad things about aftermarket axels.

 

[ken_79-fj40]

I put cheap chinese op parts brand axles in my old 4Runner 3-4 years and 50k miles or so ago. My brother in law has it now and still no issues. But it's a totally stock truck. You've got WAY too much lift for any conventional style CV axle. I had a 98 tacoma with a 4" pro comp bracket lift and 33" tires for quite a while that kept CV angles totally stock and it rode great. But of course it didn't gain a ton of ground clearance over a stock setup either.

 

[MKtaco98]

3"s of lift is about the max without adding brackets, a couple options you have is a diff drop think the most is 1". you can pick that up at Toytec lifts very easy to install. you could do manual hubs but that will run you about 600 in parts alone. the best option I've seen is the boot slide mod here's the link http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1st-gen-tacomas/146070-boot-slide-mod-no-more-blowing-cv-boots.html

its basically stretching the boot so the ribs of the boot don't rub together and split the boot open

 

[DHwreckage]

firsst off coilovers with 3" spacers on top sounds HORRIBLY dangerous! ditch the spacers, coilover should be able to be cranked down to give you more lift but id say 2.5-3"s is the max id ever go otherwise your CV's will bind real bad. as far as you mechanic wanting to use new CV's, dont let him there insanely expensive from toyota, you could trade them for some rebuilt CV's through certain places and DO NOT run the orielly, napa, vatozone CV's unless its a mall queen that is. if they are the OEM CV have it rebuilt with new sleeves. on my old tacoma i actually can the cv's with ripped boots for quite a long time, not that im advising that!

 

[Brake Weight]

Too much lift. But at a reasonable height of around 2.5", you should be able to take the smaller ends of the CV boot and pull them towards the center of the axle. You may have to cut the metal band and replace it with a zip tie or hose clamp. This will keep the CV joint protected and spread the boot's fins apart to reduce the rubbing against itself.

 

[asiansurveyor]

I agree with jynx with the manual hubs conversion. I am assuming the current ride has to be pretty rough with your current set up... I think the important question here is the end purpose of lifting your truck. If you need the current lift height with setup you have now, even replacing cv axles or boots isn't going to solve you problem because its only a short term fix. Plus, I am guessing the offroad characteristics isn't all that great... If you really need your current ride height which sounds like about 6 inch or so, you have the option of SAS, Fabtech or Procomp drop bracket, or remove the spacer, add a diff drop and do a body lift (I don't recommend, but that is me..), remove the spacer, add a diff drop, and get smaller tires. Oh...and replace you CV axle.

 

[driveshafterw]

you have to drop the front dif its independant so you drop it you still get your lift look but clearance is less .concidering a full axel youre still geting more clearance​

 

[Blownrunner]

Check out Sonoran Steel. Steve is the authority on your suspension due to trial and error, his stuff may not be high priced and ultra bling, but it will dead nuts work. Start with his differential drop for starters.

 

[Blownrunner]

Oh, BTW, I have read the stock CV's are superior to the aftermarket. Might want to just change the boots.