Rear suspension: independent vs solid axle..

[HAYNES OFFROAD]

The biggest reason for not doing a IRS on a pick-up is cost. The parts count is up there, with driveshafts, control arms, etc. Not to mention an entirely different drivetrain system. Also there is more mass.

Solid axle/leaf sprung setups are very cost effective and extremely durable given the abuse they take. Keep it simple. Low maintenance.

Another issue is mantaining wheel alignment goemetry. The large difference of unloaded vs. loaded ride height is dificult to design for with an IRS. This is less of an issue with an SUV or car, as the GAWR (gross axle weight rating) is less. You can optimize the design for one extreme or the other, but it is difficult to have a design the works well for the entire spectrum.

I won't even get into why it's a bad idea for off road use (besides what's been already stated).

Leave the IRS to the mid/rear engine buggies, SxS, and H1 Hummers.

 

[whoisbigman]

^^^What he said, and wheel travel would be severely limited to geometry of axles...

 

[ManfromSnowyRiver]

I wheel Mitsubishi Monteros on trails as a club. Back in the day they made some incredible products, including the most robust trail SUVs ever made. However as they started to go down hill they rolled out IRS in 2003. What I have seen is its much more prone to breakage, CVs are huge and still snap like twigs. The rear of a truck sees way more stress then the front end and needs to be far more robust. Such as climbing up obstacles. Or say launching with 450HP! Can it be done with IRS? They do it in trophy trucks, but they have lots of money AND lots of room to build it. Parts like A arms and CVS have to massive to have any hope of survival. Just not practical for a consumer driven off-road vehicle. IFS with rear solid axle is a great compromise. Its easier to build IFS to handle the abuse then the rear by miles.

 

[HAYNES OFFROAD]

Yea our axle/CV combo on our buggy runs about $2000 each side. Of course they also have to handle 800hp.... Usually have to service them and replace CVs every season.

 

[The Mav]

 

[Aaron]

Entertainment value has been pretty high here as of late hasn't it?

 

[Ditchplains1]

One last point...with a solid rear axle every time the tire goes over a rock/log/etc. the ground clearance increases as the differential is lifted with the axle. With independent suspension the ground clearance does not necessarily increase in the same situation.
However with independent suspension the tire's ground contact is increased overall, allowing better control most of the time....
Eddie

 

[The Mav]

i aint gonna say much but not only do I think IRS is stupid, but I think IFS is stupid too

 

[Aaron]

i aint gonna say much but not only do I think IRS is stupid, but I think IFS is stupid too

#TTBlyfe #3ftTravel #WinnersUseBeams

 

[The Mav]

Solid axles FTW


https://youtu.be/xm7DnHWAPjg?t=1m53s