LT or SAS?

Not really better for the rear I would of done a 4 link if i wanted to move the tank. The 3 link just lets you keep the tank in the stock location.

 

Better is a vague term... It may not necessarily perform any better, just maybe a better fit for the truck.

 

Check out this lit from Brian. Awesome stuff. http://www.4wheelunderground.com/3-Link-ToyotaAxleSystems.html
I went with his kit. Soon to be installed.

Good luck.

 

Anybody do a leaf SAS?

 

I have been struggling with the same predicament.... I have a decent mid travel set up right now but I am considering going SAS. It is my DD for now but she could definitely be higher... 98' 3.4l 3" toytec coil overs with camburg uca's, custom suspension 3" leafs with sx8000 shocks sitting on 32x11.5

 

Sounds like you're looking for an all around type of rig which I would consider a LT to be. Great handling at all speeds, great drive-ability at all speeds, Good low speed crawling ability.

A solid axle rig is going to have dicey handling and drive-ability at anything over 60 m/h but excellent low speed crawling ability. Unless you keep the lift mild, in which case your crawling advantage over a LT rig would diminish.

At the end of the day you can fudge either setup any way you want to accomplish your goals. I think the best question to ask is: do you prefer driving fast or slow?

 

That is my delema, SAS may be best for most of what I do off road but IDF would be best the rest of the time...I may just have to get a second truck, LOL!

 

Yeah I don't agree with that statement when built right you can go as fast as the speed limit allows. I've taken my truck to well over 100 off road and never felt Dicey. As well as drove it at 70mph every day for over two years putting 60,000 miles on it my truck is more stable now then it was with the MT fox set up I had before.

 

You just quote sniped that little tid-bit out of my entire post and completely neglected the rest, good job.

If you'll read on you'll see that I clearly mentioned either set up can accomplish w/e you want, which was the entire point of my post, however, if you're comparing dollar to dollar and performance to performance a LT rig will always have better stability at high speed while a solid axle will prevail in strength.

Also I would even go as far to say IFS rigs are right on the heels of solid axles in the realm of crawling type applications. If you don't believe me look up a guy named Shannon Campbell and watch how he decimates every solid axle rig in his IFS at (what some might consider) rock crawling.

 

I read the whole thing and stated i didn't agree with that statement plain and simple. I never said that LT or a solid axle would out preform each other. You were the one that said it's "Dicey over 60mph" and i disagree.

LOL you are really comparing Race cars to a DD tacoma We are talking trucks that are driven every day on the street and wheeled on the weekends not a damn race car! Shannon Campbell has nothing to do with anything in this thread. You can put him in a Pinto and he would decimate He could win the same races in a solid axle rig because he's a great driver!

 

I think a SAS or any modified IFS increases the likelihood of problems at high speeds. If done right, either should perform just fine on the road at any legal speed, up to 80mph or so anyway. I'm still leaning towards SAS.

 

You could certainly build an amateur class racing rig with the amount of cash it takes to SAS a Tacoma. And again, you're taking my comment out of context. It was meant to be a comparative statement not an out right fact but I'm also guessing your truck isn't lifter over 4"? I've owned 3 solid axle trucks that were all lifted 4"-6" and built for crawling and I got speed wobbles at anything over ~60 mph. As a generalization LT go fast, and solid axles crawl. If you want a solid axle that can keep up with an IFS you're going to be spending a lot more money by comparison and vice versa with a crawler built LT.

The Shannon Campbell reference was just a projection of what I foresee. It's only a matter of time before that technology trickles down to a consumer level, and hopefully at a reasonable price, and we start seeing a lot more trail built LT rigs.

 

First off, thank you for your input. I really do want to know what other have experienced with their builds. What were the positives and negatives they ran into. Both, during the build and once on the trail.

I don't disagree with the generalization that LT = go fast & SAS = Crawler. I even made reference to that in my original post. I typically don't go fast in my truck... I have had several lifted trucks over the years, one had 8" suspension lift with 40" tires and solid axles. They all did fine driving down the highway. I don't advise driving ANY 4"+ lifted truck at extremely high speeds on public roads. If the proper time and effort is put in either Solid Front or IFS will do fine on just about any road in the US. Each setup has advantages and disadvantages over the other.

As for your Shannon Campbell reference... I'm not racing anyone in this truck. He is very good at using every advantage his rig offers.

I will have to do a lot of planning before I really decide what I will do with this truck. LT may be the right way for me to go. Just because I get to do a lot more R&D and there is a lot more room for tweaking later, I like the idea of going SAS.

 

Well either way, good luck with the build! And keep us posted.

 

No leaf love on this site but don't rule them out...

They are relatively inexpensive and perform well for DD duty. They are easy to make work well, minimal geometry, and don't require much maintenance even if you live in the salt belt. Burn in a spring hanger, shackle mounts, throw on an ifs box and spend the money you saved on actually wheeling.

 

It's your hard earned cash do what you like sas is way to go!!!