getting the most out of stock IFS...

[cantspell]

Hello, I don't have the money, or the need i think for a superlift lift, but i' am convinced that that stock setup can be imporved - if even a little. I'd like to use the full travel (as limited as it may be)

Removingthe bumpstops helps for up travel, and of coruse removing the sway bars. but the shocks limit the down travel, actully, i think more accuratley, most of the shocks we can get, only have about 4-5" on travel, while the actual suspension allows for about 7- 8" right? waht can be done?


the only thin iw as thinking of, was movign the shock mounts to get a shock with more travel on it....

 

[sk1er17]

shock extensions...... but then those might limit your up travel depending on if your shocks are fully compressed when your suspension hits the bump stops.

 

[Doug]

Shocks and bumpstops are not the limiting factors in our suspension. Balljoints and the CV shafts are the limiting factor. You would have to do alot of work to get more wheel travel out of the front end.

 

[james t]

understand that more wheel travel on an IFS is not allways better. the problem with IFS is that it places no weight on the drooping tire to give traction. if you actually had 8" of travel it wouldnt matter in a crawling scenerio, because the hanging tire will just sit there and hop-spin. no leverage pushing down on tire to keep it planted like on a solid axle rig.

 

[GaSouthern1]

If you want to get the most out of your IFS then I would tear it off and put a solid axle in its place, then you are truly making the best of it.

 

[GJarrett]

Originally posted by cantspell
.... but the shocks limit the down travel, actully, i think more accuratley, most of the shocks we can get, only have about 4-5" on travel, while the actual suspension allows for about 7- 8" right? waht can be done?

The shocks are mounted midway out the control arm, so 4-5" of shock travel does equal 7-8" out at the wheel. Most stock shocks provide all the travel that the CV joint can take. If you do the torsion twist and add big tires, then you can add a 1" shock extension or buy longer shocks.

 

[cantspell]

OK, i forgot to mention that i have shock extensions, hwoever they are 3" and now i bottom out on tmy shocks, but i did gain about 1.5" of down travel...

So without touching the control arms or cv joints, it's all int eh shocks then right?

So how can i get a shock that wil compress to the right amount, using the bump stops, and extend all the way? Re-locate the shock mounts?

 

[sk1er17]

this seems like a lot of work for really nothing to me... you're not going to get that much more out of this, and from what ive been able to do with my IFS it seems the travel I have is good enough..

And like the others said, travel doesnt help because theres no pressure on the tire that is extended to give any traction. If you want to improve something- improve your compression... but if you have the open diffy up front then its still pointless.

unless you're doing a locker up front- i just dont see the point..

 

[cantspell]

I disagree, it's worth getting a little more out of our suspensions if we can. I mean it's a lot cheaper than doing a SAS (although not nearly as cool) and would probally add to a smoother ride (well over bumps, trials, curbs). And of course , it's A LOT cheaper.

I think i'll play around with my shocks and shock placement. Has anyone chnage the lower front mount on their 95+ X? if you could use more common shock design, with eye-let ends, i'm sure a longer travel shock could be used.

 

[Hartman]

Travel up front is limited more by the balljoints and the CVs than the shocks. If you get longer shocks, that should eliminate any chance that the shocks will limit your travel. By removing the bumpstop bracket, I'm not sure how much uptravel you'll actually gain before the balljoints max themselves out. Also, the CVs will limited your travel in both directions.

If it were me, here's what I would do:
1. Custom tubular control arms.
2. Coilovers to replace the torsion bars.
3. MOOG greasable balljoints (allow for a little more articulation).
4. Find a way to lower the front diff a little to straighen out the CVs.
5. Longer shocks.

Of course, not a cost effective solution, but were talking about a front suspension that is meant to dampen potholes and such, not to articulate (even though it doesn't do a terribly good job on or off road).

 

[nissanboy]

just get away from ball joints if you want to do a long tavel IFS... you will need to swap to Heim Joints and od a uniball type setup to get 30-35* of offset at the pivots.

only problem that leads to is that the CVs will bind up and break when they overextend... so you end up taking your CV jopints apart and clearancing them (if you have to ask what it is dont do it yourself) then to regain the strength in them you just cut out by clearancing the CV you will need to have them cryogenicly frozen and then rebuilt with new races and such.

after that you run into the problem of camber on a tail since your wheel will travel in a arc like this ( )....
so when you tire is at full compression it does this / and the other tire at full droop will do this / and lead to very tipsy situations....

*RANT ON*

my theory is that if Pro Rockcrawlers with lots of money and a full fab shop with engineers working for him cant make IFS work right there is no way you are going to get anything better than stock preformance out of the IFS with the excpetion of adding a locker which really does nothing but make up for the suspensions inadequacy.

*RANT OFF*

 

[cantspell]

WOW, there, i know that a SAS is the best way to go, but I know that i love to go wheeling, and i can't afford a SAS. I was just wondering, if there were little mods one could so, such as remvoing the front sway bar and maybe cutting the bump stops to get a little more articulation, even if just to get the rear planted a little better.

Anyways, after going through 3 pairs of front shocks, i actully foudn that most shocks with abount an inch of spacing, i used tight fitting washers (???), will allow the front to droop all the way without interfereing with the bump stop as the uppper limit.

And i've found that using a soflter torsion bar, allows for more atriculation, and you can still get after market torsion bolts to get the same lifted ride height.

 

[Lefy]

Originally posted by james t
if you actually had 8" of travel it wouldnt matter in a crawling scenerio, because the hanging tire will just sit there and hop-spin. no leverage pushing down on tire to keep it planted like on a solid axle rig.

it's the only way to go. james you said exactly what i would have said.


from what i'm seeing may you should go ther route of longer travel shocks, softer torsion bars with Nitro bump stops. now that would be a sick set up although i'm pretty sure you'd have to get rid of your 4wheel drive. but i'm certain it would work pretty good for desert running.

mmm I want nitro bumpstops for my solid front axle.