so ive been wondering what you guys think of different front suspensions such as twin I beam, independent, and straight axles??????

 

I think each is the best idea/worst POS ever put in a vehicle, depending on what it is.....

 

My truck has TIB's. They seem pretty good to me.

 

I don't know that much about the, but IFS seems to be the norm for most vehicles these days. Probably for some prety good reasons.

TIB was supposedly pretty rugged, but I have heard that there is an issue with 'jacking'. I'm not sure what it means, but it doesn't sound good. I think that it only comes into play in high stress situations. I had it on a couple of trucks, and I had no problems.

Straight axles are apparently the strongest, and you'll see guys on FTE converting to them. They're still used in heavy trucks I believe. I think that they're far from ideal for lighter vehicles. I also don't think that they handle all that well on twisty roads and the like.

Just my (uninformed) .02

hj

 

Ive owned all three. IFS has the best ground clearance and can have the longest travel but is the most complex, with four CV joints. I actually liked the TTB for offroad, but the highway handling and tire wear issues are its downfall. Solid axles, especially with leaf springs have insufficient travel and I was always hitting the bottom of the housing on rocks. This is my stock experience with Ford and Toyota 4x4's. I do not modify my vehicles, so no slamming or lifting way in the air.

On a 2WD, IFS is not at all complicated and I think its the only way to go. GM has used it on light trucks since 1960.