Not true. Plenty of 200 series have needed new racks; e.g., Removing steering rack - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/removing-steering-rack.1091656/#post-14030154
Every IFS Toyota/Lexus will need a new one at some point.
Barely. I don’t remember the exact numbers but it’s something like 7.8” front travel for the 100 and 8.2” front travel for the GX/4Runner/FJC/Prado/Taco…BUT, you can actually long-travel the 120/150s, whereas you can’t do much to increase 100 travel.
YES. Much better. The 100 still rides like a dream with bumpers, sliders, lift, and bigger tires. In fact, that stuff is barely noticeable while driving other than a little bit of lost pep/power, which t-case gears or diff gears would easily resolve.
The 100 is the rig to take if I want to...
FWIW, I drove a 98 4runner for 16 years, so basically the same as your 96 Taco, minus the rear half of the body and rear suspension. It was great on tight trails and I could maneuver it well, but the more off-road capable I made that truck the worse it drove on pavement. The continual front end...
Don’t they all? Lol. Switching to 15W-40 year-round helped a lot tho.
Agreed.
That terrible rear barn door is a primary reason why I will never buy one. And they’re also just a fancy 4Runner.
I second everything that @jLB and @Trunk Monkey said above.
Very small percentage of the 98-99 vehicles with 2-pinion front diffs have been replaced with an 00-02 4-pinion. I also don’t think ATRAC has much to do with the breakage. Lift a wheel, goose the throttle, and slam that wheel down and...