Outer Limits 4x4 Board

I’ve been looking for a live axle Hilux in good nic but I’m not having much luck.
What If I spent a little more and got a later model (tax deductible because it’s mainly for work) with all the bells and whistles? I’d be probably getting a 3ltTD, IFS (comfort), low k’s, etc.
Now the problem is do I need to spend a $h1t load of money to get it up to scratch? For example, would I get the articulation I would have got out of an older lux with a lift?
I did a suspension upgrade on the old Prado and made a huge difference but not much if any for it’s articulation.
Please help.

Hilux IFS will never match the solid axle version for articulation. People buy IFS for comfort, not off-road ability.

It all comes down to priorities - comfort vs ability. For me, I'm happy to accept the offroad compromises - a front diff lock helps.

-Scott- wrote:.... For me, I'm happy to accept the offroad compromises - a front diff lock helps.

Sorry. Do you meen you would compromise with IFS or Live axle?

Prados wrote:

-Scott- wrote:.... For me, I'm happy to accept the offroad compromises - a front diff lock helps.

Sorry. Do you meen you would compromise with IFS or Live axle?

I have IFS, and no great desire to change.

I had ifs on my 4 runner, never again. Just got a 92 solid axle lux, half the mods, absolutely shits all over my 4 runner, dont have to worry bout gettin a wheel alignment after every time i went out cos it drove like shit afterwards and always replacing steering components sux.

What sort of 4x4ing are you looking at doing? Camping trips? Long-range touring? Hard day trips?

The IFS will never be made to match a live front end - but if your doing a lot or road k's for work you have to ask yourself if you need all that live-axle strength and ability.
Dare i say if it's your work car, you won't be out doing 'dead-hilux hill' on Sunday afternoon.

-Stu

What sort of 4x4ing are you looking at doing? Camping trips? Long-range touring? Hard day trips?

All of the above

...Dare i say if it's your work car, you won't be out doing 'dead-hilux hill' on Sunday afternoon.

I probably will if I knew wher "Dead-Hilux hill" was.
Idealy I should have one car for work and one for play but it isn't possible. So I'm looking at a vehicle for both.

I suppose in short, if you've found the limits of an IFS prado, don't buy an IFS hilux! AFAIK the setups on both vehicles are pretty similar - if anything the prado would be better. As i said before no amount of mods (within reason) will make an IFS work like a solid front.

The other option, of course, is to buy a late model IFS lux and drop ten grand on a solid front conversion - could even go coils then. Probably the best option but you might not be able to claim tax on an SAS

-Stu

I would have so much easier if Tojo stuck with the live axle and introduced soils into the equation.

What about buying an 80 series? Can be got for under 10 g now.

Problem solved.
Lotto tonight.

good luck

I am planning to sell my 95 ln106 DC 2.8D Lux as soon as I get another job. 195K Rear Locker 32" BFG MT, Bars all round, Front Diff moved forward, Ranch adjustable shocks. 2inch lift, High lift mount, Spotties, Tourno cover.

But I do want top dollar as I want to buy a 95 - 97 80's Multi TD
It has been very reliable for the last 4 years, I just want more power and Coil springs.

If interested in waiting and paying good rates I will keep your email address for when I put it on the market.

The IFS cars are good in standard form and when tweaked the right way they are weapons off road, there is a misconception out there that an IFS 4by can't be made to go hardcore.
We have a few of them in our club that do well and a bloody Prado that we struggle to keep up with.. They are always good to watch doing harder tracks as they tend to put on a better show than the solid cars.

HG wrote:The IFS cars are good in standard form and when tweaked the right way they are weapons off road, there is a misconception out there that an IFS 4by can't be made to go hardcore.
We have a few of them in our club that do well and a bloody Prado that we struggle to keep up with.. They are always good to watch doing harder tracks as they tend to put on a better show than the solid cars.

I dare say the drivers know their cars well, and know how to use them. An IFS vehicle will eat the pants off of an equivelent live axle if the driver is superior. The thing is live axles 'usually' just make things easier, but dont just cred the car, the Driver is the most important component in any vehicle, and the driver finding the car they feel suits them is just as essential.

I have 2 IFS lux's and am happy with them, like everyone here has already said, its a horse's for courses compromise thing.
I have taken them everywhere I have needed to go.
I agree Driver ability has a lot to do with it.

Fit a front locker to an IFS and unless you are planning on seriously hard offroad itll do the job fine. I am yet to break a diff although some call them weak as piss. The only breakage I have done was a CV and that was due to too much right boot a V8 and 35" boots.

I have bent about 3 idler arms in 140 odd thousand ks. I recently did some damage to one but that was due to a steering dampner failing. Until recently I have never felt the IFS couldnt do what I wanted. I am now looking to do comps so have purchased a solid axle for that.

I took a 1996 model lux for a test drive. Ahhh! It was so painful. 2.8 non turbo. I can run faster than that.
I’m now sold on a later model 3lt TD with IFS. I’ll just have to spend some $ and get it up to scratch. At least I’ll have a comfy ride during the week.
BTW. What if you fit the locker to the rear diff? Wouldn’t that be better than risking damage to the pissweek front diff?

Prados wrote:I took a 1996 model lux for a test drive. Ahhh! It was so painful. 2.8 non turbo. I can run faster than that.
I’m now sold on a later model 3lt TD with IFS. I’ll just have to spend some $ and get it up to scratch. At least I’ll have a comfy ride during the week.
BTW. What if you fit the locker to the rear diff? Wouldn’t that be better than risking damage to the pissweek front diff?

Nope a locker in the front of an IFS allows it to drive through the front wheels lifting. A rear locker will not, it also means you can attack things slowly rather than use momentum, this also saves the front diff.

Last trip out at Boonah both IFS runners with rear lockers only ended up in sticky situations that the front locked drove straight thru. Some of this was due to the flex in the rear causing the car to twist and lifting the opposing front high in the air. However with a front locker the front wheel on the ground would have enabled them to drive straight over without the need for more throttle.

I agree - I have a locker in the front, and not the rear (but I do have a rear LSD which actually works )

I think locker rear/open front creates more damage. Vehicle gets to a difficult spot, and lifts one front wheel. The rears starts spinning, along with the lifted front - and the front wheel on the ground is not driving.

Driver thinks "I have a diff-lock - I WILL get through" and uses more right boot. Rear wheels / lifted front wheel spin faster, and vehicle lurches forward. Front wheel which was spinning at 60km/h suddenly hits ground at 6km/h. Weak diff + shock load =

With a front diff lock both front wheels are always turning at the same speed - less opportunity for shock load.

I got no gripes with the IFS front , being a ex-Surf owner, but only after fitting a front locker. Blew 3 font diffs without the locker (on 33's) and not one with the locker.
I went for a drive today with some other Surfs and one blew his front diff after having a wheel in the air and then landing on the spinning wheel and clank, clank, clank.
As said, locker in the front with the IFS before the rear. Though both front and rear is better.

have a solid axle lux and it is really good on trips out bush, but its up the sh*t drivig to work in it everyday. But i like 4x4 more than work so i dont care bout the weekday stuff. my front flex's really well and my m8 had an ifs and it had dead set less than 2 inch's of travel in the front with the torsion bars up.. i have 2 inch spring and body with the front springs played with to keep em a lil flatter and longer shocks and id never go ifs after this, i even spent months looking for a new solid axle lux after i rolled the last one and payed top dollar just to avoid dam ifs. My2c

If the Prado took you everywhere you wanted to go and you have no intentions of doing more and more difficult tracks then get IFS.

I used to have a 1997 Rodeo which had IFS and now driving the same tracks as before but in a Discovery with solid front (and coils) it just does it so much easier. Plus tracks I wouldn't even consider in the Rodeo are now options.
Both have 2in lifts but the Rodeo had 31in MTRs and the Disco has 29in BFG A/Ts.

Plus going from a ute to a wagon the Disco drives nicer too.

yeh i just drove the old boys 120 series prado and omg it drives soooo nice, and the ute just seems so old fashiond over that .. mind you the prado is a bit of a plough. and it goes! those new d4d's hammer!!