Solid Axle Swap BS Thread

That's more tech info on PSC than I ever knew...but it makes sense LOL. One of trickiest parts is finding room in the already crowded engine bay to mount the res higher than the pump.

Very true lol!

Good points. Maybe people were still saying just toss tons under them back then because everybody started going crazy with tire size.

Remember when 35"s were considered the holy grail when Tacomas first started getting SASed? Then everybody wanted 37"s...then 40"s (talking about street driven trucks...the trail-only crowds always ran big tires).

Now 40"s are considered small. You see guys running 42"s and bigger on daily drivers, at least on the southwest, which is crazy to me. Every time I remove/install a tire in my truck I am greatly reminded that I have zero desire to go any bigger lol

Count me in. I would rather buy a Rubicon as well. Real lockers front/rear from factory, solid front axle, HUGE aftermarket support, etc. The lesser of two evils for sure.

 

Yeah I had to do some digging to find out why the PSC res was all that. They don't advertise much about it for the price but there's a reason why I guess they're the standard for full hydro setups


mounting it up high enough is slightly problematic. I think i recall seeing one rig where it was poking through the hood lol

 

A 2" ram is never going to work well speed wise with a Toyota steering box, or any non-big bore box because of the limitations on flow through the box regardless of the pump you have on it. Toyota pumps definitely have a limited life running assist compared to a good TC pump based on the group's experience that I wheel with so that alone make the TC pump worth it to me. I replaced mine last year that was from 2006 because it was finally getting weak.

I ran a 1.75"x8" ram for 8 years and it was okay enough, just a little slow on the street with a TC pump. I recently just ordered a 1.5" ram to speed up the steering on the street and I'm putting a Radial Dynamics check valve breather on my PSC resi to add some pressure and cut down on the high RPM cavitation noise. If I did not have a resi to start with, I'd just pony up for a Radial Dynamics resi. The PSC vent system kinda sucks and you're $375 into it by the time you add the RD vent. I'm not putting a huge thermal strain on my steering so I didn't see the need to get the extra fluid flow/exchange that you get with an RD resi either.

 

Yep. Mine's not protruding through the hood but it is as high as possible, barely clear the hood. It is above all engine bay components.

I definitely like the size of the reservoir, changeable filter, and fitting location designed.

 

Agreed, if I was driving the truck on the street I'd go to a 1.5" ram. It's not very street able nor registered so I'm not too worried about it

 

2 inch ram? Damn....

I'm running the psc 1.75x6.75 ram with 40s and it's think that's plenty. There's a difference between 1.5 and 1.75, even though it's just a quarter inch.

 

That sounds tough even on trail but I deal with a lot more woods to get to trails that you do out west. I'd get annoyed trying to run quick between trails when I needed faster steering.

 

I do think it's okay to run less than a 40"+ tire like so many folks are doing these days. Driving something on the street with a wheel and tire that heavy is taxing...fuel mileage, tire costs, and just being a turd from a power perspective where you start to not be able to hold OD, etc. I think it's more popular these days because the second gen+ Tacoma and JK/JL has gotten so big compared to years past that they require 40"+ tires to not be a total trail tampon. Plus the powertrains have come a long ways in recent years power wise to push the big tires.

Tons turn into rock anchors on 37's, and the alternatives aren't all that good compared to Toyota axles. Waggy D44's? A lateral move at best, more likely a downgrade with smaller RCV bells than Toyota stuff. JL Rubi 44's? They'll hold up to 37's with a truss but you're $4k into a set of bone stock axles before you gear them or add chomo parts... 609's....well, ballers gonna ball.

 

It's slow but on leaves with 14.5 wides and 22R power you're not turning or going anywhere too fast anyways I need to play with the timing and vacuum advance because it tops out at 30-40mph at altitude. Truck isn't really bumped for it either hahaha

 

42+ is the new status quo
40 is the new 37
37 replaces 35

I recall up to about a few years ago, those that run 40s are considered ballsy. Now, it's the norm.

 

I have the 1.50 and it seems to work relatively well on my application. It provides a faster steering response on the street (which I really like), at the expense of not feeling as powerful on the trails. It is a compromise I can live with. If it was a trail-only rig, I would probably go a bit bigger with the ram. Good to know that the 1.75 works well too.

Agree with everything you said. The bigger trucks definitely changed the landscape for tire sizes going insane.

I have no regrets in going with the D60/14bolt and 40"s combo. But...my 98' is not a daily driver at all, so I can live with it. Just the cost of the tires alone should be an attention grabber for people. Way too much money on tires just wear them out daily driving.

Perfect summary! Absolutely true.

I never really thought things would get to the point where 40"s were considered the norm...or even "small" LOL. But here we are.

 

Mine won’t be a daily by any means, but I know that I’m not a good enough driver to hit the trails that require 42+, and I’d like to be able to take this thing on long weekend trips sans trailer. Which is why I’ve settled onto fj80 axles. Sure they won’t be as strong or economical as tons, but they’ll do exactly what I want for the time being.

Hell, we all have fucking IFS Toyotas that we have (are going to in my case) chopped up to put solid axles under. None of us picked the best choice for a wheeler from a financial or strength perspective.

 

Sure, I could have bought a bouncer but why? I want to able to drive this crawler to the grocery store as well or pick up my kids from school from time to time. Everyone have their own idea of the term "crawler". Some crawl with IFS while dummies like us drop a cr@p load of money into a sport we will get maybe a quarter out of every dollar we spend on it when we decide to leave. I built a few crawlers and each was not satisfying to my enjoyment and sold them all. Each to their own.

 

I’m not talking bouncers necessarily. But I’m with you. All has to do with why we’re in the hobby and which parts of it we enjoy / what we want out of it.

 

That’s probably a wiser decision than tons and 42’s. I’m starting to fall back in love with the Tacoma. It’ll be really nice to have AC and heat on the trail and a place for the family when the kids are older.

I could see a V8 gladiator taking that role in the future if it was decent at hauling a bouncer since they’re only around 4500#. I’ve never been a jeep fan aesthetically, but the bobbed bed with 40’s caught my eye honestly. Still long as shit though.

 

Hard to argue with that last point in your reply LOL.

You could make almost any axle work for the purposes of your project. Guys in good faith simply try to pass their hard-earned knowledge onto others. I think that's the reason why the "go with 1tons" (or custom built equivalent) continues sounding like a broken record

 

Oh I get that for sure. I think for the size of this thing it’ll do what I want for the next 5ish years on fj axles and 37’s / 40’s.

Once it’s at a point where I’m not constantly making modifications or building it up then I’ll get bored and sell it then build something bigger bodied with more power on tons. Maybe find me a wrecked 5th gen runner or buy that 2nd gen Tacoma back from @Snowy.

 

Go with tons

 

Has anyone ever talked about super duty axles here?

 

But why not start with the 1 tons from the start then?

prices.

Quite extensively I think.

2005+ are pretty much the best option