@Taco2Cruiser if you don't mind shedding some more insight. How come most lift kits for 100series and T4Rs offer the addition of a diff drop? I get that if you're getting a 3" or more lift diff drops make sense because of how steep the angle would be, but seem to see that offered even with a 2.5" lift.. Does track width (CV length) play a factor here?
@Markuson nailed really
for the long version. It all started... (que the flashback movie sequence)
When Toyota went to IFS in ‘86, they placed the diff way up between the frame rails. It made sense to drop them as the diffs were complete below crossmembers, and they could be dropped 1” and still not effect skid plate/ground clearance.
Fast forward, Toyota saw the error of their way and began positioning front diffs much lower. The 100 series like all cruisers, is not the newest tech on market. The 100 had torsion bars and rear coils and was built from ‘98-‘07. Compare that tech to a 4Runner, you get the second gen 4Runner of ‘90-‘95.
But when the 4th gen 4Runner showed up, with the new Prado 120 frame, Toyota placed that diff much lower.
That’s were some people stopped, and really looked at what was new, did some testing, and determined it was no longer needed. Others, stuck with habit and thought you should keep it.
One thing else about the new architecture is that how the diff is fitted in the frame, you can’t fully drop the front diff anymore. It is now more of a “diff pitch forward.” So you reduce the CV axle angle, but you increase the pinion angle coming off the front prop shaft.
What Bud likes to bring up is the line “does you CV explode when you turn?” No, and that goes to over 50° with more load than you think due to weight shifting.
This is where some will say, “yeah but imagine turning, while lifted, and off road.” Yep... that how you break things, but a diff drop won’t help with that. I’ve broken 5 ton Rockwell’s so anything is possible when you run a muck.
but this is where I am at. I run at about 3.4” of front lift, and it’s smooth as can be. No vibration. But I believe that if you lift a truck, you do it for ground clearance. So why lift a truck, and then drop components to loose ground clearance? Just lower the truck a bit and that will help with center of gravity.
there’s a reason why those drop bracket lifts are terrible off road, becuase they keep the terrible IFS articulation, but raise the center of gravity to much for IFS.
other fun thinking. My 200, when I bought it nine stock with 68k on the clock, had a bad right CV and lower ball joint. Sometimes, components just don’t hold up. But I’ve added the same mileage to a new CV at my pretty high levels, with a front locker, and in the trails I drive on, and my truck drive straight as an arrow. So when we hear about breakage, we do need to acknowledge that sometimes Toyota doesn’t make good stuff.
