Front axle for SAS...not another noob question

[Dannyboy]

narrowing a Dana 44 was probably one of the easier parts of my SAS. I ground down the weld around the knuckle, pounded it off then cut 6" off the tube, hammered the knuckle back on and welded it up. I now buy a EB inner shaft on the passenger side and a F150 shaft on the driver side, all catalog items, nothing custom about that. If you run a full width and use coils most guys think the wheel offset will help that, but that tire will be all into your radius arms.

Chromoly shafts(Warn HD) and OX joints will strenghten up a Dana 44 quite well according to what I've done on my Dana 44 on 37s and what I was told by the guy that sold me these (he ran 38's with a 502 on that setup and never broke anything) in a jeep.

 

[alkaline747trio]

I thought it was coilovers, but since every other term I was used to in RC has been wrong, I decided to play it safe and just leave any terminology out. I guess it did turn out to be a newb question, but I guess you have to start somewhere.

By roadmanners I should have said more specifically no tires that sounds like paddles slapping the asphalt and no extreme sidewall flex/roll.

 

[Jefe]

road manners with super huge tires is gonna need a Full Hydro or Hydro assist steering along with steering stabilizers.

Road manners and full hydro

 

[appx91]

I agree with dannyboy. Road manners go out the door when you lift a vehicle. The road manners you mentioned are all about tire pressure, alignment, etc. Get it done right and you want have any of these issues to worry about.

 

[XplorerKid]

Road manners and full hydro

especially since Full hydro would not be street legal

 

[alkaline747trio]

I found the tires that should, if I don't have any alignment or chamber issues, and are at the right pressure, preform as I want them to, which is good off-road (sand, snow, rocks in my case) and not feel or sound like tractor tires.

I know my handling is gonna suck compared to stock, but I knew that, I just want it to not ride rough or be loud due to tires, which is pretty much the only thing that you can adjust comfort wise.

 

[XplorerKid]

I found the tires that should, if I don't have any alignment or chamber issues, and are at the right pressure, preform as I want them to, which is good off-road (sand, snow, rocks in my case) and not feel or sound like tractor tires.

I know my handling is gonna suck compared to stock, but I knew that, I just want it to not ride rough or be loud due to tires, which is pretty much the only thing that you can adjust comfort wise.

and these tires would be......

??

 

[Doug]

road manners with super huge tires is gonna need a Full Hydro or Hydro assist steering along with steering stabilizers.

Ever seen a full hydro setup? you're not running steering stabilizers with that... Unless you're running big ass tires on crazy terrain you dont need full hydro, and as stated before it's not street legal.

alkaline747trio, before you start buying stuff and chopping up you're truck you need to research what you want to do before you start doing anything. Some of the ideas flying around this thread are crazy.. but that's just my 2 cents..

 

[XplorerKid]

Ever seen a full hydro setup? you're not running steering stabilizers with that... Unless you're running big ass tires on crazy terrain you dont need full hydro, and as stated before it's not street legal.

alkaline747trio, before you start buying stuff and chopping up you're truck you need to research what you want to do before you start doing anything. Some of the ideas flying around this thread are crazy.. but that's just my 2 cents..

Doug is correct, ive never seen a Steering stabilizer on a Full Hydro, or Hydro Assist setup. I dont see how its needed, since with the research ive done on just hydro assist, i remember reading, that the Hydro ram is the best steering stabilizer you could ever run, if you plan on running 40"+ ide run a Assist..... I plan to eventually doing it on mine.....

 

[appx91]

What tire did u find that met all of you needs?

 

[alkaline747trio]

The Mickey Thompson 35x17.5-15LT MT Baja Belted's

They are a little shorter, so they will tweak the steering less, and are plenty wide for my often sad-filled Expeditions. They also aren't very agressive, and ride fairly silently.

I still have about 2 months before any chopping starts, right now it is too cold to be out in the shop working on anything, and the car-lift wont be installed for another 2 weeks.

About the steering, I don't think that I need to delve into hydro or hydro-assist yet, maybe if I were gonna stick with the original idea of 38's then I would need it, but there isn't anything I plan to encounter often enough that would make the huge tires worth anything.

Since I am going with a Radius arm setup on the full-width Dynatracs that should be in by next Wednesday, the process should be bolt on. I am also going to skip the coil-over idea, and go with a dual shock setup. But, to do that, and achieve about 6-8" (6" if the wide ass 35's fit, 8" only if necessary) of total lift, what kind of coil mounts would I need? http://www.jamesduff.com/broncoII/dualshock.html looks nice, but will it allow for what I need? Also what springs should I use for it? Since I strayes away from coil-overs I have a whole new line of questions, sorry if the thread again became "noobish".

With the rear, to get the same 6" (maybe 8", again, if the 35's fit with 6") would SOA and blocks be fine, or should I get lift springs so the leafs don't "bend over backwards when I do some mad flexing).

 

[XplorerKid]

Since I am going with a Radius arm setup on the full-width Dynatracs that should be in by next Wednesday, the process should be bolt on.

your gunna run Dynatracs? what axle did you get? Why spend that much money when you could have just obught used and did a rebuild on it? Good Luck....

 

[alkaline747trio]

I got the Pro 44 w/ reverse cut and hi-pinion, only reason was because I had the money for it, and thought it would be nice to say I have Dynatracs. I got the money cause I sold my 99' F-250 and wanted to spend it on something that will hold up for virtually forever.

 

[Yomie]

The Mickey Thompson 35x17.5-15LT MT Baja Belted's

Just FYI, my 36" MT Baja's rode Louder and lumpier than my current 36" TSL's

 

[yosh18981898]

TTB is IFS only in the technical sense of the word "Independant".

I've found that once you disconnect the anti-sway bar, the TTB outflexs the IFS by quite a bit. This was my conclusion from comparing my TTB to my brothers IFS Dakota on both flex ramps and off road.

 

[Doug]

TTB is IFS only in the technical sense of the word "Independant".

I've found that once you disconnect the anti-sway bar, the TTB outflexs the IFS by quite a bit. This was my conclusion from comparing my TTB to my brothers IFS Dakota on both flex ramps and off road.

TTB is still IFS, no matter how you cut it. if one wheel moves and does not affect the other one they are independent of each other. And comparing the ford ttb to dodges sla suspension is like comparing apples and oranges. It's a completely different setup.

 

[yosh18981898]

TTB is still IFS, no matter how you cut it. if one wheel moves and does not affect the other one they are independent of each other.

That's exactly what I meant by "only in the technical sense of the word Independant"

I say TTB is closer to a solid axle because, like a solid axle, it has radius arms, a majorly offset (not the little offset on IFS) differential, and is coil sprung (although some 4x4 IFS is coil sprung, while others are torsion bars)

As far as apples and oranges, I'll bet the front suspension on you're truck looks and performs a heck of a lot more like my brother's dakota's front suspension than like the TTB on my explorer.

 

[Robb]

That's exactly what I meant by "only in the technical sense of the word Independant"
I say TTB is closer to a solid axle because, like a solid axle,

It is like a solid axle, it acts like a solid axle, it blah blah blah solid axle. Simply, it ain't a solid axle! A TTB, no matter what area anyone wants to compare with a solid axle to, simply ain't a solid axle. It is two different axle shafts operating indepedently of each other. It is "tighter" than an Explorer SLA setup of course, but it is the same theory, only "tighter." Simple fact, a TTB ISN'T a solid axle, which by default, makes it a IFS. I know, I know, this is a hard fact for TTB drivers to accept because they have slept comfortably for so long thinking they are in a class above IFS guys, but, by no technical sense can the TTB be considered solid, it is a IFS.

 

[yosh18981898]

I never said TTB was as good as solid axle or performed as well as a solid axle. If it did we wouldn't have SAS's going on left and right.

What I said is that it is a far cry from the IFS found on the 95+ explorers (if anyone doesn't believe me than crawl under the truck and look, my dog could tell you that TTB and SLA IFS ain't the same thing). And I do sleep better at night because in my experience it performs better off road and flexes better than the "traditional IFS" (95+ explorer, dakota, etc) that I've had experience with. I'm not claiming to know everything about suspensions (or any more than a lot of guys here) I'm just stating what I found through my experience with both setups.

and FWIW, my TTB explorer out flexed my cousins' solid axle XJ (same wheel base as my explorer, according to the tape measure) on the ramp.

 

[RFR2212]

First of I've seen the MT baja belted tires, and they're a waste. I think alot of Mickeys are like that for wheelin.

Second, in the first post you said you're sick of seeing jeepers on 31s out wheel you? So you fight back by going to 37's? Then, you'll just have jeeps on 37s out wheelin ya. Sounds like alot of overkill...