Priority of Suspension adjustments--DC Shaft and Panhards (1 Viewer)

[Lugboot]

I understand that panhards can affect driveline grrr when the axle is sitting off center on the vehicle on a lifted truck. If I have driveline grr, suspected from a combo of the items, which does it make sense to replace first? Install adjustable panhards to re-center the axle and see what happens, or do the DC shaft first and see what happens?

I have not measured how much, yet, but the axles are obviously visually off center on the truck.

It appears I can do both panhards for about the same money as a DC shaft for the front.

Thanks!

 

[Nay]

Your sig says OME 2.5"+. How much lift do you have? Enough panhard shift can cause a compound u-joint angle, but that is unlikely on 3" or so of lift.

If you only want to solve for vibration, I would pull the rear driveshaft and have it balanced. They take hits offroad and are pretty old by now. I had thought my front was vibrating until I candy caned the rear yet again crawling, so I pulled the rear and for $50 had a perfectly smooth driveline. It was like a new rig.

As for panhards, it makes sense to correct them. You can't do a DC unless you have aligned the pinion for one, so you have to figure that part out before thinking a DC is going to solve any problems. A stock driveshaft on a 3" lift with say OME CC bushings is pretty unlikely to be vibrating, but if you put a DC on that same setup you can about guarantee it will because the axle end u-joint operating angle is not ~0 degrees (measure to know for sure).

 

[landtank]

your sig says you have caster plates so you must be at a height where both the shaft and panhards should be done. I did my shgaft first and then at a later time did the panhards. The panhards definitely smoothed things out more even though I thought the truck was running fine.

 

[Nay]

Apparently I should read. Odd to have CC plates but no DC - probably time to do both panhards and DC.

 

[Lugboot]

your sig says you have caster plates so you must be at a height where both the shaft and panhards should be done. I did my shgaft first and then at a later time did the panhards. The panhards definitely smoothed things out more even though I thought the truck was running fine.

Yes--your plates drilled at 7* of correction. I'm running Heavies front and back on a pretty light truck. So, I'm sitting more around 3.5" or so of lift...hence the "+".

Your sig says OME 2.5"+. How much lift do you have? Enough panhard shift can cause a compound u-joint angle, but that is unlikely on 3" or so of lift.

If you only want to solve for vibration, I would pull the rear driveshaft and have it balanced. They take hits offroad and are pretty old by now. I had thought my front was vibrating until I candy caned the rear yet again crawling, so I pulled the rear and for $50 had a perfectly smooth driveline. It was like a new rig.

As for panhards, it makes sense to correct them. You can't do a DC unless you have aligned the pinion for one, so you have to figure that part out before thinking a DC is going to solve any problems. A stock driveshaft on a 3" lift with say OME CC bushings is pretty unlikely to be vibrating, but if you put a DC on that same setup you can about guarantee it will because the axle end u-joint operating angle is not ~0 degrees (measure to know for sure).

I replaced Ujoints on both driveshafts . . . the back one didn't look beat up but I did not have them balanced so that still could be a culprit.

Still have decel grrr in the right speed range.

If I add weight later and drop the truck a little, could still compensate with the adjustable pnhards, go to spacers, or whatever to keep teh same geometry, right?

 

[landtank]

I thought you had my plates but wasn't sure. I'd go and read up on making a front DC shaft from a Tacoma donor. This can be done rather easily and cheap as long as you have a good drive line shop available.

Start with car-part.com and look for any extended frame Tacoma (extended cab or double cab) and try for a local one so you can be sure the slip yoke is intact.

 

[Lugboot]

I did browse around there before--I'll have to go back again. Seemed like I wasn't in a good area--had to get around 50 miles away to find stuff . . . and it was pushing $200 or more for a shaft.

I'll look again, though, and spend more time doing so.