Independent vs Solid

[haven]

Thanks for the correction, off-roader! The name Pajero is used by Mitsubishi in countries where people don't speak Spanish! I have edited my post to remove the Pajero reference.

[corsaoceano]

For those who have never owned a Montero it is hard to explain how strong the IFS components are. People like to compare them to Isuzu Troopers, 4 runners, s-10 blazers, etc. The reality is, the Montero IFS is capable of running 37+ tires while rock crawling with out breakage issues. Mitsusbishi uses a higher quality of metal than other manufacturers. The Montero IFS is also the only light duty IFS that I can honestly say is stronger than its solid axle counter parts. I consider it to be stronger and more reliable than the solid axle that was in my FJ80's, and my JK rubicon. It is not uncommon for a Montero IFS to go several hundred thousand miles before needing service. My FJ80's needed to be serviced ever 20K miles. I would have to re-grease the front axle and that can be a pain in the butt. Also every 80K miles I would have to have the whole front axle completely rebuilt because it would start to leak and that is an $800-1000 repair. I think it is a misconception that a solid axle more reliable and cheaper to maintain.

Thanks 4D55. Another question somewhat related to this is ring gear size. From what I know the size of the ring gear in the front/rear diff and the number of teeth can also be an indicator of durability. Correct me if i'm wrong, but from what I can tell the diffs in the Montero seem to be quite strong for the size of vehicle as well.

[corsaoceano]

Either of your vehicles would do perfectly fine on the trip. Its up to you to decide which one you are most comfortable with and the most reliable (if you're into the reliability thing).

Yeah for sure, reliability and simplicity (less things to go wrong) is super important.

[Cruisn]

These wagons are tough as man. you cant go wrong in stock form. I have almost finished my rig for long range touring in rough terrain and I kept all the factory suspension. less a 2" lift of course.

the diffs in these wagons are overkill. seriously. if you grenade a diff you deserved it. haha. same with the front cv setup. I run 33's with zero worries about breaking cv's

keep the ifs and enjoy the ride. your back will thank you later.

[Monterorider]

People drive around the world in all kinds of silly vehicles. Most of driving consists of pounding pavement or worst of it graded gravel. Unless you plan on crossing Darien Gap it really doesn't matter. Even then good IFS like Montero would beat wimpy solid axle day and night. I's all about reliability not articulation or other silly things. Solid stock Montero setup will get you everywhere you want.

[off-roader]

People drive around the world in all kinds of silly vehicles. Most of driving consists of pounding pavement or worst of it graded gravel. Unless you plan on crossing Darien Gap it really doesn't matter. Even then good IFS like Montero would beat wimpy solid axle day and night. I's all about reliability not articulation or other silly things. Solid stock Montero setup will get you everywhere you want.

Well, most places you want to go and especially where the OP is intending to go. I will say it won't get you through the hammers on 38's but I digress. OK, no more afternoon coffee for me...

[Monterorider]

I was thinking " going to drive from Alaska to Argentina" I'm pretty sure Toyota Prius will do just fine if you manage to avoid bad gas. For Darien Gap won't matter be it Hummer, Unimog or whatever. You need road building crew, equipment and few Navy SEALs.

[LaOutbackTrail]

Actually, two feet or a donkey would be most ideal for crossing the Darien. It has been and will remain a Gap for a reason.

[Cee-Jay]

Solid Axle Strengths (on average):
-Better articulation
-Easier and less expensive to work on, replace or lift beyond a couple of inches
-Swapability (for example, you can upgrade a GM 1/2 ton solid axle with a GM 1 ton and it's pretty much a bolt-on improvement that anybody could perform… not so with IFS).
-In the past anyway, it seems the solid axles on SUVs and ½ ton trucks tended to be stronger than the IFS units
-Stability (solid axles all around tends to provide more lateral stability in comparison with rigs outfitted with a poorly articulating IFS and a very strongly articulating solid rear axle... not really the fault of independent suspension per se, but rather the mismatch caused by the common decision to pair a solid axle with an independent unit.

IFS Advantages (on average)
- Much better ride on most types of terrain and esp at higher speeds
- Lighter weight
- Very easy to lift a little bit (assuming the unit can perform well after a torsion bar crank or two... which may not be the case with some units)

Many of the top current model expo vehicles are still solid axle: G-Wagon, Defender, Land Cruiser 70, Jimny, Patrol Y61, Wrangler, etc. And you'll find plenty of vehicles on this website and others that have had IFS swapped out for solid axles. But it is also true that plenty of independent suspension rigs have proven capable: LR3, Montero, Hummer and the Trooper to name a few… and of course the vast majority of Toyotas made in recent decades (and Yotas are among the most successful expo vehicles in the world).

Overall, my impression is that solid axles front and back probably offer the most practical/cost-effective platform if you’re planning to build up your vehicle with medium to larger lifts and much bigger tires to handle extreme terrain. That being said, with modest tires/lift heights, IFS can be just fine... possibly even better depending on the terrain you'll be exploring. And as has been mentioned, some IFS units are downright tough and will handle bigger tires just fine.

With your planned trip and build, I doubt it would even matter one way or the other.

[flighht2k5]

Solid axles have their place in rock crawling and the like. They are strong, cheap and reliable. They are fairly easy to set up and are all around simple. IFS on the other hand is more difficult to do correctly. I personally think that Mitsubishi has done very well with their IFS on the Monteros. It flexes half decently and is plenty strong and reliable. Not all IFS's are built as well. There's a reason you see the Toyota guys ripping out their IFS in favor of a solid axle, and and its that the Toy IFS isn't that great (not as strong as the Montero), and a lot of the Toyota guys are going for rock crawling and need the extreme flex that you can only get with solid axles.

For "expedition" type of stuff, the IFS is really just fine. It rides nicer than leaf springs and in general works just fine with stock-ish tire sizes. The Montero IFS is known to work with 35" tires just fine.

I'm not an expert here, this is just my opinion.

That's not why Toyota guys rip out the ifs.


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