Skid Row and Diff drop ?

Gents,
Does anyone have experience with Skid Row plates and a diff drop? I have read in a couple forums that the skid plate doesnt work with Diff Drops and in others just needs a spacer to work with the Diff drop. Does anyone have any personal experience with this set-up? I would like to keep the diff Drop if possible. Skids are on the way this week so I want to be ready. Thanks in advance!

 

Don't even waste your time with a diff drop.

 

Do tell, why is that?

 

Just add a spacer. I believe when I did my diff drop the spacers came with it and I used them on my Skid Row plates. I used silicone glue to hold them in place for when I pull the plates off. Put the glue on after they are installed.

 

Diff drops don't do anything. Besides drain your money. All they do is rotate the diff slightly, making shit worse.

 

Thanks for the info, my Taco came with the diff drop already installed. When I get coil overs, I will get rid of it.

 

They are bad for both trucks, more so worse for 2nd gen no doubt. But they still do the same thing for both trucks. They just aren't worth the headache you will get when something gets ruined

 

I've done the differential drop on two trucks.



The first was a purchased kit from Toytec. It came with 1" spacers. With the kit installed, the skid plate ribbing had to be notched with a grinder (my choice) or it requires some additional skid spacers for it to be bolted on.

Bad: The skid plate no longer had factory clearance- it was not entirely flush with the underside of the truck even with the cutting and grinding. I didn't like it, but I got it back on when I sold it. ALSO- the front arms for the differential support were now hanging lower than the lower A arm bracketry. I saw an internet picture of a guy who got the now much lower diff bracket caught on a rock (after he had installed the diff drop) and it ripped through the thin factory skid & tore his differential case all apart. I think you could see the ring gear. The lower A arm mounts, which are far more sturdy than the differential bracketry, are typically lower than the differential brackets without a diff drop so they offer some level of protection.

Good: The CV angles went from terrible to excellent. My CV boots had blown up, and they rumbled (vibration) at around 30mph. Those problems were solved with the drop. The 1" makes a significant difference in CV angle ON A 1ST GEN TACOMA and I was very happy with the outcome from a driveline geometry standpoint.




For my second truck, I wanted to have cake and eat it. The factory bolts will allow you between 1/4" and 1/2" of spacer to be installed where an aftermarket diff drop kit would put the big 1" aluminum puck spacer (depending on how comfortable you are with slightly reducing thread engagement). I used my own 13/32" (about 0.400") spacer and was able to retain the factory bolts and also get a big improvement in CV angle. The skids will go back on, and I corrected the CV angles. I do not suggest you push your luck with barely threading on the nut- but there is some extra thread you can take advantage of- that's all I'm suggesting.

It is entirely worth it to make efforts to correct the CV angles after a lift. You will lose boots, grease, and you will have vibrations or an imperceptible condition that can lead to increased CV wear if not. The simple explanation is that when the shaft is flat, the parts inside are not moving to account for any angle and thus they wear very little. When the shaft is running at an angle, the internal components are all cycling to account for the angle. Look it up on youtube. It's not the end of the world (the truck does have to turn, doesn't it? Think about that resulting angle...), it's just not where an engineer would tell you the shaft is "happiest" or where they designed it for maximum life expectancy.

So I endorse the Diff Drop (1ST GEN) & I suggest you try the cheap way with some washers and your factory bolts at first for a 2" or under lift. Then try the kit for a 2" or more lift-but be ready for your factory skid plate to not fit like you want it and for your differential mounts to be hanging lower than the A arm mounts in that case. I intend &hope to successfully lower my differential more in the future and get an thicker aftermarket skidplate that doesn't have all the interfering structural ribbing that the stock skid has.


Bottom line- in my opinion the CV joint angle supersedes other things in importance & every little bit helps. Don't neglect the other issues mentioned above for the reasons mentioned, but you can always address them afterwards.



Your truck may never develop issues, torn boots, may not ever vibrate, may go 90 mph for 1,000,000 miles with a 9" coil spacer lift on your stock CVs- if this is you, congratulations. For everyone else, I hope this helps.

 

^^^yes!^^^