Long Travel BS Thread

I thought that odd too: https://martecnv.com/products/p/2005-tacoma-trailing-arm-3-link-rear-kit

They're basically running typical mid-travel 12" piggybacks like you'd run on a relocation setup, e.g., PR2512s

 

Gotcha that’s why. Keeping the shocks under the bed and only using a 12” will definitely limit the travel.

 

Looking through their pictures I will mention they are sacrificing a lot of uptravel compared to different setups or a sua setup. Full bump and the axle is almost 6” below the frame

 

Yeah, I think I'll pass at least on that kit. Their shock towers are very similar to mid-travel relocations to avoid going into the bed and the loss of uptravel is worth more than the axle strength. I can do most of my crawling with a mid-travel setup anyways, I just need a lil' more oomph for going fast.

 

Axle strength? You mentioned getting a “solid axle back there” with this kit. The kit uses whatever axle you have or want to use. You can upgrade your axle with any setup.

 

Yeah, I just don't think I'd ever bother upgrading the axle without also linking it. Or run a ton.

Famous last words.

 

yeah that kit looks like it sacrifices a ton to meet a few requirements. I will say it probably has good ground clearance which would help a ton with crawling, a real desert 4 link is shit for clearance with canoe lower links, but mine would pull 24” if I had the right bypass on mine.

 

Yeah the ground clearance is pretty good, no low handing links below the axle or low panhard mount. I honestly dont want a higher axle bump location since I dont want the frame on the ground when I'm at full stuff or bumping up a ledge, your frame height is just that much lower thus that much more to frame out. The bump of their kit will be 1.25" higher than my Chevy 63 leafs are bumped at right now, and thats with negative arching my leafs like 3" or so lol

 

Yeah that kit is a little awkward I don’t understand why it’s just 15” ? because i’m using a 12” CO and getting 18” bumped and strapped at very safe positions. If i freeball it it’s 20”. I have recently been looking at mine and thinking of ditching my big ass links and going to more of a short course set up with a tube link and IBP CO’s and my initial look at it i think a 14” CO would fit with the CO raked back almost at the axle and it still seems like it would cycle 18-20 ?

The position of their CO tower must not be as tucked up as mine is, mine is kissing the wheel well and then my bed cage bolts through…that just made me realize that kit does not have a bed cage ? no way i would run a CO without the towers ties to a bed cage ?

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CtxlLbqRySq/

 

Oh yeah that kit is clearly designed for a crawler with 40's, with a few tweaks they could have it at 18-20"

 

Yeah, they're localish to me and I see them out on Rubicon occasionally. Nick seems to like going fast too but it's definitely crawling oriented.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CmaYbYPBRcV/

 

I see having to deal with bent lowers all too often. The only real advantage I see with it is, is that it makes it easier to bob the frame/bed. If I was to go that route I would consider Ruff Stuff's trailing arms.

 

I'm getting close to tossing the @Basikbiker Tundra rack, JD TC Howe steering kit, and torn if I want to run solid tir rods and inner heims. (I am already running JD double sheer and outer heims. I am running a +2 TC kit now, but was chatting with JD and may grab their solid setup.

Pros / Cons to running solid tie rods? The part that holds me back is that folks mentioning the diff now becomes the weak point. I have a few weeks at least until my rear axle is done.

 

Diff is unrelated to steering. The rack becomes the next thing to break if you’re running solid tie rods and a stock rack. With an upgrade to the rack you should be good to go. The old argument with the front diff was whether we wanted the cv axles to work as fuses instead of transferring damage to the diff with upgraded axles.

The plus side to the slide rack is it adds strength while maintaining the ability to still grab any off the shelf Tacoma replacement rack if it ever fails. The tundra rack is propriety when it gets modified to fit the Tacoma.

 

yah I considered the slide rack. I got a tundra rack with the bolt-in vs weld option and modified goods. In a crunch, i should be able to toss in a stock rack. If it does not work out can always go back.

Yah def I'm likely mixing up going with RCVs or some other 300 axle up front, which I have also been debating.

Any cons to going with a solid tie rod setup since ill have a tundra rack and already running outers? Any other kids you or anyone else suggest? Mainly need the inner kit and the rods at this point. I feel I should YOLO and just do it but never ran a full heim setup so unknown to me.

 

Be a real shame to do all that work and upgrade everything just to bend a tie rod.

With everything else solid there’s no issues running a solid tie rod.

 

I've said it a couple times on the tundra rack pages, but im still just suprised I blew the tundra rack with stock inners and outers. Drivers side slide sideways into a rock face and it popped the seals. Then back to a junkyard stock rack, and I've pretty much done the same situation and just bent like 4 tie rods in the last month lol

 

exactly that's what I was thinking but replacing a tie rod vs a rack may be more of the debate.

Recommended solid setups? Mainly need inner and solid. Figure easier to buy a kit than piece together but could hit up Kartek or JD Fab has a nice setup.

 

Hit up @rc.fabrication on Instagram. He deals in a lot of solid tie rod setups for Toyota. Local guy, he did my spindles.