60 guy needs tacoma advice
- Thread starter BlueBoxFJ60
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riding better totally depends on where you are driving
Please elaborate. While you're at it, please explain how an "aftermarket locker is much stronger" than the stock e-locker.
well if you are driving down a normal road then it doesnt really matter what kind of suspension you have as it should be nice and smooth anyways. even off road it can really depend on ALOT of things. i have a 99 taco and a 96 LX450 that i will use for examples.
my taco rides like poo, now i know the IFS is nice but when you have a leaf sprung rear and a light weight bed in the back wash board roads become a nightmare but the lexus with coil sprung solid axles is a dream yet it is also heavier so it smooths it out more.
IFS being nicer doesnt really matter if the other 2 wheels are hooked to a live axle with an ancient leaf spring design. it totally depends on the vehicle and road conditions. ever been in an H1? they have IFS all the way around yet drive like crap. now i know thats a bad example because they are meant for heavy loads and off road military use but that is IFS and it does ride like s***.
i could go on and on but my point is no 2 are alike and just because your BMW has nice ifs doesnt make a tacoma ride good on ifs, sorry but its true.
as far as the rear axle goes please use a search, its been covered many times. the stock toyota rear has a larger ring gear making it stronger than the TRD axle. if you want to tell me that my detriot locker is weaker than a stock TRD locker then please show me some proof and then while you are at it show me how you TRD front end will do when put up to my front end with an ARB in it. i love how you all flame me yet obvoiusly refuse to do a search on it. the TRD has a smaller rear axle than the regular one, its weaker, and if you are doing mid level off roading with tires in the 35 to 37 inch range it will give sooner than the regular rear end.
my taco rides like poo, now i know the IFS is nice but when you have a leaf sprung rear and a light weight bed in the back wash board roads become a nightmare but the lexus with coil sprung solid axles is a dream yet it is also heavier so it smooths it out more.
IFS being nicer doesnt really matter if the other 2 wheels are hooked to a live axle with an ancient leaf spring design. it totally depends on the vehicle and road conditions. ever been in an H1? they have IFS all the way around yet drive like crap. now i know thats a bad example because they are meant for heavy loads and off road military use but that is IFS and it does ride like s***.
i could go on and on but my point is no 2 are alike and just because your BMW has nice ifs doesnt make a tacoma ride good on ifs, sorry but its true.
as far as the rear axle goes please use a search, its been covered many times. the stock toyota rear has a larger ring gear making it stronger than the TRD axle. if you want to tell me that my detriot locker is weaker than a stock TRD locker then please show me some proof and then while you are at it show me how you TRD front end will do when put up to my front end with an ARB in it. i love how you all flame me yet obvoiusly refuse to do a search on it. the TRD has a smaller rear axle than the regular one, its weaker, and if you are doing mid level off roading with tires in the 35 to 37 inch range it will give sooner than the regular rear end.
Do some more searching on TTORA - look at how many guys run big tires with the TRD with no problems.
Besides doing 'mid' level wheeling with tires in the 35 to 37 range - your rear axle is the least of your worries - I think your front end is going to be the limiting factor.
Maybe do a search on pirate and see how many guys like the stock 8" rear - without stating the obvious, I think you know the answer.
Yes, it does. Your suspension will make a dramatic difference on handling and ride comfort even on smooth roads. IFS/IRS will handle better. Why do you think all cars have IFS/IRS? Handling wise, look at race cars. Do you see any of them sporting solid axles?
You are comparing apples to oranges. First of all, offroad, it doesn't matter what you're in -- it will ride rough. Then you compare the ride of your LX450 that weighs 1000+ lbs more than your Tacoma, not to mention the leaf springs that's made for load capacity not riding comfort?
Compare apples to apples. Try riding in your 450 then hop in a 470. Which do you think rides better? I can guarantee if the Tacoma had a SFA, it would ride worse than the IFS version. This is fact. This is the reason why Toyota pickup's went to an IFS, GMC went to a IFS, Ford and even Jeep went to an IFS design. Unless you're smarter than the engineers of these car manufacturers with $$$$$ test facilities and loads of cash for R&D....And the H1 has Independent FRONT suspension all the way around? Wow. And actually, they didn't ride too bad at all.
Who was talking about an axle? You stated the rear locker. Do you know the difference? Besides, as nickwood stated above, 8" to a 8.2" or 8.4" ain't that big of a difference. People have blown both rear ends. COULD they have made them stronger? Sure. But is it NEEDED for a truck that came STOCK with 31" tires? No. Same reason you CAN'T put on 35's without a lift in stock trim (OMG, what was Toyota thinking??!!
) When you start modding and putting 35-37" tires on, you're on your own and should do your research before over-stressing the drivetrain and blowing stuff up. And I'm not just talking about the rear ends, either.
My Tacoma with a stock e-locker has been bullet proof for almost 120k miles. So have countless members with stock e-lockers in their Tacoma's and 4Runners. And so have countless other members with FZJ80's with their stock e-lockers.
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typo police i see, i typed IFS so many times i slipped on it one for RIS, in stock form the TRD axle is weaker, thats the point i was trying to make and you cant say that isnt true. IFS does not always ride better either because its not apples to apples just like you said. i was pointing out times it doesnt make a crap. every vehicle is different and just because a taco has IFS doesnt make it ride any better for the simple fact the rear has a leaf spring live axle setup which totally kills anything you gain from the front end when it comes to bumpy roads and as far as comparing race cars to a land cruiser i hope you dont try to take corners fast in an suv. basically the point i was trying to make is if you are going to buy one why not have all the info you can and get one without a locker that would be cheaper and then put a stronger locker in it???? its just common sense to do it that way.
edit: i just assumed that on an off road forum someone might actually (GASP!!!) take the truck beyond stock and go off road with it but i can see most of the people here probally lift a truck to just look cool.
edit: i just assumed that on an off road forum someone might actually (GASP!!!) take the truck beyond stock and go off road with it but i can see most of the people here probally lift a truck to just look cool.
other than the obvious, the TRD rear is weaker and smaller and that was my whole point and you have yet to come out and say that it is slightly weaker and if you were building a truck for wheeling it would be nice to know that information ahead of time.
I read this thread with interest and everybody makes some good points. Slow95z's comments are just that - comments - based upon his experience and research. Me - I drive my stock 1998 Tacoma TRD wherever my pucker factor permits. I don't thrash the thing and it's taken good care of me.
As far as the locker goes, I've used it as a last resort on two or three different occasions in Canyonlands back country where I foolishly drove too slow over "notches" and got stuck. And the psychological benefit of knowing I have it in case I need it has allowed me to go through stuff I wouldn't normally go through. Maybe one of these days it will get me in trouble though by giving me too much self-confidence.
One last remark - last week I was driving through North Hatch Canyon (east of US95 in southwest Utah) and I came upon a particularly knarly spot. Had to get out and fill a hole with some rocks in a washout and thought I'd better get into LORange with the locker engaged before I attempted the crossing.
So I shoved the 4WD drive lever forward, stuck the truck in 1st, engaged the locker, and proceeded through the rough stuff with absolutely no problem.
Little did I know that I actually moved the HILO lever forward out of 4WD instead of over and left into LO. The RR Locker dash indicator did come one even though the truck was in 2WD. Oh well I guess God watches over fools, especially those in the boondocks...
As far as the locker goes, I've used it as a last resort on two or three different occasions in Canyonlands back country where I foolishly drove too slow over "notches" and got stuck. And the psychological benefit of knowing I have it in case I need it has allowed me to go through stuff I wouldn't normally go through. Maybe one of these days it will get me in trouble though by giving me too much self-confidence.
One last remark - last week I was driving through North Hatch Canyon (east of US95 in southwest Utah) and I came upon a particularly knarly spot. Had to get out and fill a hole with some rocks in a washout and thought I'd better get into LORange with the locker engaged before I attempted the crossing.
So I shoved the 4WD drive lever forward, stuck the truck in 1st, engaged the locker, and proceeded through the rough stuff with absolutely no problem.
Little did I know that I actually moved the HILO lever forward out of 4WD instead of over and left into LO. The RR Locker dash indicator did come one even though the truck was in 2WD. Oh well I guess God watches over fools, especially those in the boondocks...
