joshik

yeh its kinda getting tense in here.

4runners are 4runners. doesnt matter if they have a SA or IFS. why wouldnt the newer 4r be 4r? Toyota made them, named them, and therefore they are a 4runner! plain and simple.

IFS or SA they both are great off road. but imho i think the SA are stonger and can wheel in a more "intense" course because they have the ability to articulate more. the ifs can do some pretty ballsy stuff too though! dang... ive seen the recent vids with u'all 4r wheeling and damn, u guys climbed and crawled over some crazy stuff! i was all, dang ... those are all stock or mildly lifted 4r with IFS! i was in awe. i showed my friend, and he was all , "DANG!"

bottom line, a 4r is a 4r!

JDeMello

You also got to ask your self whats harder to install?
A solid front axle or a motor with twice the hp and torq, bigger seats, 4 doors, more towing capacity,bigger breaks,and all those other features the new gens have?

I would rather wheel in comfort for most trails and swap in a SFA. That said I love the runners! I would love to get one

PoBoy

flecker

Hmmm, I have been wheeling a while and have a few thoughts. I first started in a 61 vw baja(go ahead and chuckle, I do). Then a 94 toyota pickup, then a 97 toyota taco and last and by no means least my 1st gen runner. Truth be known the best rig for anything I have been through or on was the vw, wich I still have. I know it sounds dumb... but thats the way I see it. My vdub has 31" rear and the front rides on 30's. The front end has a mega amount of travel and the rear has good flex too. Driver skill does play a key role in any offroad event, but so does vehicle function. A solid axle does have the ability to twist more and keep the frame and body level. Ifs just doesn't perform in that way, however it does have certain advantages. I for one can have fun in most vehicles regaurdless the set up. I can also get to where I need to be in most vehicles regaurdless of setup, only thing that differs is the amount of damage! Just drive and have fun

JDeMello

I really like the old runners! 84-89 those are my favorit but with a kid and everyday living the newer style is way more suitable for me! But thats me everyone has there needs!

rimpainter.com

Well said David.

44Runner

What is up with this thread where you tell everyone stuff they already know in a manner that makes you look, well, not very well informed. I think you need to do a little more reading. Maybe even look up what SAS really means and then see that all this is no big deal. If you want to get technical, 85 is the best year...

44Runner

This section of the trail is not nearly as fun when you are 3 wheelin it with IFS and it feels like you are gonna go over face first:

joshik

yeh my friend had a vdub "baja" (wannabe baja, only had big tires, fenders, bumper.. otherwise stock suspension.) but he go that thru some pretty crazy stuff... mud wise atleast. he pounded that thing thru some crzy mud holes and a rutted out mud hill where driver skill... eh not much but just sheer speed came into play! totally fun though. he sold it and i told him that i missed that thing and that he should get another one. we had lots of fun towing him out of a mud hole and rooster tailing him before we pulled him out.

fpkelly

If you're going to go with a 1st gen 4Runner, you're better off going with an 88-89. You can swap on a (preferably) 84-85 Toyota front axle (Which wont fit a 3rd gen btw.). As a benefit you already get the wider IFS rear axle, the IFS steering box, and an optional V6. Alot of people who have 84-85 4Runners are swapping in the wider IFS rears and putting on IFS steering boxes instead of their push pull SFA axles. Then the next thing they do is start asking questions on how to improve the power on their 22re's. As 44Runner stated above, the first time you have to approach a steep dropoff with an IFS rig and your rear comes up so high that you can basically walk under it then you crack open the torches and cut off the IFS and proceed with a SAS. The reason Im cutting off the IFS is because when you get one of the front tires up on something or down in a hole the whole truck gets cocked to one side where once the solid axle is up there, it should flex enough to keep the truck level.

statelax3

ifs sucks

StoryR

As quoted, the best of both worlds...I do have the best of both worlds I own an 85 runner with a Solid Front Axle, and EFI

It's got about 236,000 miles on it, and the motor was rebuilt at 200k. She is beautiful, with minor front end damage soon to be fixed...and all my mods are listed in my sig

Mad Chemist

44Runner,

You mean something like this?

44Runner

A lot like that in fact

Now just take that, and imagine you were already doing down a steep slope at the time. Everytime i did this spot before the SAS it would take me a week to unclench my ass cheeks. This last time, no big deal...

You know with a solid front axle, you wouldn't lift a wheel there anymore

I think this is the other side of that same place. Obviously I didn't take any of these pictures:

TDiddy

I agree!






You said it!


to both!

INsr5runner

44runner, I PM'd you...

joshik

Solid axle allows you to do stuff like above pic from 44R. id like to see my IFS or anyother do that with all 4 wheels planted! LOL . i maybe could do it, but id be crapping in my pants! hahHAHha. last time i got tipsy i felt my heart stop. guess im not used to that! hehe

oh and 44R , (sweet rig btw)you need to increase your rear wheel well! LOL hehe

one thing that i dont like about wheeling my truck is that it is my daily driver. when i wheel, im always afraid to break it and i hold back. i wish i could just feel, "ah lets try it" (as long as i dont roll)and i cant afford to roll it, beat it, and break something. 1. lack of money, and 2. i cant be w/o transportation. thats why i want my chevy for my dd and a fj40 for my heavy wheeler... then i can use it , not abuse it, but i can still go to work if i break a birfield, or driveshaft... and fix it on my own time.

Plays_with_Toys

I think I can sum up all the arguments in one short phrase.

"My IFS truck could beat your SA truck anyday. Afterschool, at the flagpole."

That is one sweet rig there 44runner. I think for anyone who uses the truck as a daily driver, and as a budget wheeling machine, IFS is fine. So long as you're not doing the rubicon or crawling rock piles in Utah a locker and maybe a mild lift can get your IFS truck where you point it. We're all toyota fans here, so no need to bash our beloved trucks... and 4runners.

Adam F

IFS SUCKS!! Not really, it has its advantages. I'd really like to build up 2 trucks, one long travel IFS desert racer, and a solid axle truck. Anyway, on to my poseur ditch bitch flex pics in the yard










The truck stayed perfectly level the whole time! Soon as I get a welder and build my driveshaft I will have something other than poesur pics!

Forerunner

Thanks all! I have obtained a wealth of information from your replies... while dodging a few fireballs in the process
Many hours of browsing the web were not as productive as reading some of your replies.. The pictures are very nice too.

You guys are the greatest!