IFS vs LIVE AXLE, Off-road 

I don’t know anybody else that could have explained it as well as you just did. You should be a lecturer at Uni.

This is the first opinion based RU-vid video that I agree with all the points. I have nothing bad to say. Thank you and good night

Going fast off road: Independent Going over anything off road: Solid

A couple small addenda: 1) Wishbone suspension is one type of independent suspension, but it isn't the only one. The other common versions are MacPherson Strut suspension and Multi-Link suspension. In a MacPherson Strut suspension the shock absorber takes the place of the upper wishbone and the upper portion of the hub carrier. The entire shock absorber twists when the steering turns. The main advantage of this design is its smaller size compared to wishbone suspension, allowing for a wider engine bay and/or a narrower chassis. A multi-link suspension is essentially the same as a wishbone suspension except it has multiple links instead of just two wishbones, which allows for a more complex wheel path as the suspension compresses and/or wishbone-suspension performance in a smaller space, at the expense of durability. 2) There is a form of beam axle called a Torsion-Beam axle, which is partway between a solid axle and independent suspension. The two wheels are mounted to trailing-arms welded to the torsion beam, which allows for some amount of independent movement with the torsion beam twisting when the chassis leans, similar to how a swaybar works in other suspension designs. It is very simple and offers a smoother ride compared to a solid axle, but is not as adjustable as a true independent suspension. It is often used on the rear axles of inexpensive FWD cars, but it can also be used with RWD or 4WD with some modifications to the torsion-beam to allow mounting a differential.

"No one is gonna lift a vehicle to 12 inches." You should really come to the US...

live axles , coil springs ,big rubber, diff locks, You can't beat that combination

“No one is going to lift a vehicle 12 inches..” USA: Hold my beer. 🍺 😂 Horrible idea, but it’s basically a coming of age tradition in some states. 🇺🇸

If I wanted a smooth ride I'd buy a Cadillac. Long live the solid axle

I think what's best between the two is what you can afford in your budget, go and buy that 4wd and have fun with it. Great Video Ronny.

If anyone on here runs live axles, from my experience they can usually outlast anything else on a vehicle if you do a quick clean and inspect on the joints pretty regularly. I always do it whenever I take a wheel off for anything like rotating tires, checking out the brakes, etc. An extra 30 to 40 minutes doing maintenance beats replacing broken joint components in my opinion.

Before people go "IFS is better" or "Live axle is better", think of what you are doing with it. High speed, lots of bumps, IFS is unbeatable. Lower speed, more intense off-roading, live axle is a go-to.

This is why i have both! Long travel tacoma for going fast offroad, straight axle 80 series for rock crawling.

So what I'm hearing is: if you want a nice cushy on road experience that is comfortable and easy, then IFS is your game. If you want any actual hard off road capability, you're gonna need a solid axle. Seems like a good summary.

The most important aspect barely mentioned: WEAR! Here is a list why IFS totally sucks for frequent off pavement use: The bushings mess: 1: The control arm bushings wear out quite fast. Alignment needed after replacement. 2: The upper control arm bushings wear out substantially slower than the lower ones, twice the workshop visits needed. The ball joints mess: The steering knuckle hangs on two ball joints, allowing both steering and articulation: 3: Steering is done through ball joints, as opposed to bearings, and gets heavier as ball joints wear. 4: Ball joints have rubber boots. The boots fail before the metal parts and kill the ball joints prematurely due to lack of grease. 5: Lower ball joints wear out faster than the upper ones, twice the workshop visits needed. The CV shafts mess: The biggest problem are the rubber boots. 6: The outer boots wear out faster than the inner boots. 7: Every time a boot failure is undetected, you start ruining the metal parts. 8: Boot replacement is very labour intensive which is a problem when the CV shaft is old but still good. 9: So there you have CV shaft problems at four different intervals: outer boot bad, inner boot bad, outer CV joint bad, inner CV joint bad. Each time it's a gnarly decision: should I get a cheapo new complete CV shaft even though three quarters of the old one are still good, but the cheapo's quality will be lower? Should I get a new genuine one at a price? Should I have it overhauled? If I replace the boot, should I overhaul the joint while I'm at it? Can I find a rebuilt CV shaft in exchange? The lever mess: The front springs carry a lot more load than the wheel load because they are attached not too far from the middle of the lever that is made up by the lower control arm. 10: Because of the lever action, coil spring rate has to be enormous and the springs wear faster. 11: The lower bushings are generally hopelessly too small for the spring rate and wear out faster than the shock absorbers holding them. 12: If you try to replace these tortured bushings, no one will stock them and your may be forced to get a new shock absorber. 14: The high forces due to the lever can crack the top support of the coilovers on the chassis. The coilovers mess: 13: The coils wear out at different intervals as the shock absorber. Too expensive to always replace both. Twice the workshop visits needed. 14: Many shops can't or don't like to separate and join the springs and shocks and it's not a small job. The steering mess: IFS comes with a steering rack as opposed to a steering box. 15: Tie rod ends wear out faster than the rack end ball joints. Twice the workshop visits. 16: The steering rack does not last as long as a steering box. The rack is generally a replacement item but the steering box can be overhauled. 17: Lots of front end work requires alignment. Generally another time consuming affair in another shop and they will sometimes get it wrong depending on the country you're in. I wrote this as an overlander, crossing country borders for years on end and having no home base. If you live in a 4x4 paradise like Australia you can deal with all of this, but do you want to, provided the car gets lots of hard off-pavement use?

I have always liked Ronny, I prefer coming here than I do 4WD Action. You get real people here, unlike other channels where it’s all scripted and pushing product placement every 30 seconds, it becomes repetitive and fake. Thanks for being genuine Ronny. I would love to get a fourby some time and wheel with you.

Your videos have been popping up on my feed now and then over the years. They just keep getting better and better. Great basic video, no fluff and too the point.

Thanks for such a clear well made video showing off all the pros and cons. I want to build a really good off-roader in BeamNG but didn't know If SFA or IFS is better. I tested both in game and I do notice the IFS does handle a lot better but is a lot weaker then the SFA. But also on the solid axle, the front diff hits the rocks more often. I'm going for Solid Axle for my off-road build.

Very interesting video. A lot of good points like hitting sand dunes in a IFS that I have never considered before. Excellent.

Thanks Ronny for sharing videos and your knowledge. I’ve been watching your post for many years and it’s really helpful. Cheers mate!

This is the only channel that I am very comfortable watching >10min video. Such brilliant yet simply put is the content. Thanks @Ronny Dahl for introducing me to this wonderful world of 4wding.

Awesome content and well-done videos, thanks Ronny please keep it coming! Learning a ton about this great sport/hobby/lifestyle.

Hey Matey you hit the nail on the head really good report, I agree having a number of these buggers over the years, good on you.

One of the best eductional videos on RU-vid. Well done

All the answers to all the questions that I have, thanks Ronny, another informative vid on an often hotly debated subject.

Definitely solid axle, not braking down in the middle of nowhere, is my main concern!

This answered a LOT of questions I had about it. Thank you!

Love your work on these videos, not looking to offroad anytime soon but enjoy learning more and more about it anyway (just in case), you have good and interesting topics and seem to give as fair an assessment as possible.

I have to say I was fumbling thru videos to see what the difference was between the two and this video, by far the easiest and very simple to understand. Thank you.

Love the old school stuff. Always tougher.

Hello! I owned a FJ80 series. Love solid axel! You can feel the robustness! Cheers from Baja amigo 🇲🇽!!!

great, simple explanations for someone like me who loves... LOVES to know/learn about pros vs cons if I change "this" to "that." again, GREAT! thank you!! 👍🏼

This is one of the most informative video for an off-road newb like me. Thank you much.

The difference is that one of these is an excellent off road option that will give years of reliability and great clearance and the other is an independent front suspension.

Always well explained…. Learning a lot from your vids 👍🏽✌🏼

And the visualization with the sticks are the winner!!

Thanks mate, that is an exceptionally well done video. You made it far more easier for me to decide on what kind of off road vehicle to buy. Thanks again.

Very nice ! Your comparison videos are always full of answers ! as a side note i'll just cite the trophy trucks or the Hummvee as examples that Independant suspension can be tough, but of course those are purpose built and high $$

The intro is amazing!!!

So it all boils down to reliability vs. comfort. Awesome, great video. Cheers from the states!

Great clip! Loved my GQ with solid axles, wicked flex and tough as off-road, but as you put it perfectly its what you use it for. I have an IFS truck now used for commuting largely. HORSES FOR COURSES

I always use live axles off road. They are stronger and a pleasure to work on. I get sick of beating my head against the wall replacing wheel hubs that have bonded to the aluminum knuckles on the IFS. Love the videos. Thanks from the U.S.

I always have loved SAS system. I own a IFS 05' Colorado 4wd w/ 2.25" lift, which is the perfect sweet spot. Keeping the CV's in there happy place!

Thank you Ronny Dahl. from germany this is a very good explaination, i have been waiting for it i love the Australian outback and the adventures. im directly subscribed when i watched this video

very potent content and well defined for many who struggles to understand. great job dude.

I think diff locks are important if taking IFS into regular extreme 4WD situations. The lockers allow you to "carefully" crawl slowly, rather than adding extra speed for momentum to get you through the tough patches. That speed increases the chance of damaging the IFS components and putting the wheels out of alignment. However, one may argue that diff locks can increase the chances of breaking IFS CV joints. That's why I used the word "carefully".

Good video Ronny

I'm all about the live axle Great information passed on. Awesome.

Very good teachings and comparison.. Thank you so much

Old School VS New : Old School= Better and stronger New= Weaker but more comfort

haven't owned a IFS 4x4 but I do love my landrovers (D1 and 90 ) and how they perform off road, especially with deccent long travel suspension as you don't necessarily need lockers due to the tyres being in contact with the ground more of the time

Thanks for the video. I got rid of my wrangler (solid axle) and recently got an xterra (ifs). Honestly that was hard thing to overcome was not having the solid axle. Thanks for the tips.

these are the best non bias opinions I've come across.

I'm pretty happy with the twin traction beam my Broncos has. That suspension is super rugged and can be made to jump bug jumps pretty cheap.

Driving a live axle vehicle daily and off road. My dad has an IFS vehicle so I can drive both. Cornering is better and speed bumps are more comfy in the IFS but in general for daily driving the downsides are not that bad. However, off road the solid axle vehicle is heaps better. Overall solid axle wins out because of this.

I really CANNOT understand how 238 people found this video NOT helpful ... One of the best side by side comparisons . Good job , great Vid . My car has a solid axle in the rear and IFS in the front ... loads of fun ...

Solid axles are better for off-roading in most ways. But I do fine with my Toyota ifs.

I will expand on Ronny's point on hitting the sand dunes and compressing the IFS. The general point there is that dependent suspension (solid axle) gives you GUARANTEED / FIXED ground clearance. It may be lower than the nominal ground clearance of an independent suspension. However, you can always (in any situation), count on that fixed amount of clearance with a dependent suspension, while it is very easy for the clearance of an independent suspension to temporarily "shrink" to very low levels. Ronny gave one example with hitting sand dunes. Another classic example is when you drive on a badly undulated gravel road which has side undulations from heavy vehicles' wheels and a high center "crest". With an independent suspension, you are in a constant risk of hitting the crest if the suspension conpresses due to for example sudden braking, going through an undulation, etc. Also, the ground clearance of independent suspension will be constantly lower than nominal as long as the vehicle is carrying a significant load (like five passengers etc.). With dependent suspension, you always have that guaranteed clearance under the axle no matter what.

you Aussies are just Fantastic. most folks in the US don’t understand how closely we’re related & have in common with y’all dann unda. you guys kill me with your lingo…I love it. i.e. Diff Pumkin. perfect. cheers, Mate.

New to the off-road game, needed this complete and easy to understand explanation.

Hello everyone. If Ronny has his land cruiser with Live Axle, it's the best. Thus, the Live axle is the winner. I have a Hilux, so IFS I know it, I worked a long time in the desert, and there were only Live Axle cars like the Fj 40 or 45 were allowed to go far from the camp (Missions between 200km and 1200km). Live Axle is the good one.

i think both are awesome. just really depends on how you gonna use your 4x4. if its going to be an all rounder/family/weekend 4x4 adventures. i think IFS should be the choice cause it will handle perfectly to that. if you are need more of a workhorse/4x4 extreme. then the solid axle would be ok for you. just depends on use and comfortability i guess

Full size 1996 Bronco for me thank you. Has not failed me for 20+ years😊

Awesome video! Nothing more to add. Just perfect explanation and thanks for that!

Ronny, please look into long travel IFS. Great comparison vid 👌

Having owned different models in both setups, I can say I definitely prefer IFS for overall comfort and safety. If I was going to own it just for a toy to play with, than solid axle all the way.

Thank you so much for this. It actually made me come to a conclusion on which 4x4 to buy.

Love all your videos, plain simple and facts. Thank you

There's a duathalon offroad race in the USA called the "King of the Hammers." This race has a rock climbing leg and an open desert leg, so you have to bring a vehicle that is a compromise. It is a hunt for the "best" go-anywhere vehicle. If you want to find a bunch of folks arguing the merits of independent vs solid front, you don't have to look much further. :-) Typically the vehicles built for either element are quite different from each other. For instance, the open desert "Trophy Trucks" are rear-wheel drive only with solid rear and independent front (with a whole lot of travel to handle going airborne!) Rock crawlers traditionally have solid front and rear with four-wheel drive. What's interesting and fuels many debates is to look at which configuration the vehicles on the leaderboard used over the years. You can find videos for the race on RU-vid. Good fun. EDIT: To be fair, the priorities for a race vehicle are different than the priorities for you or I. Cost, robustness, field-repairability without a support team with pit mechanics and a truckload of spares, and so on all factor in for the rest of us. It is probably fair to conclude that a solid axle is a more reliable configuration. It is also true that a solid axle vehicle will go anywhere an IFS vehicle will go, just maybe not so fast or comfortable. It is also arguably easier to service and find parts if you're building a world-roaming overlander. (Gonna find an IFS suspension shop and parts in the middle of Central America?) It doesn't get much more bullet-proof, or uncomfortable and squirly at speed, than leaf-sprung solid axles front and rear. One has to consider their own use-case and weigh the pros and cons accordingly. Whichever is best for you depends entirely on how you will use it.

I love my solid axle in my jeep XJ. But for high speed the ifs wins my vote. Love the videos Ronny. Keep them coming.

Ronny. Hello from New York. I really dig your channel and learn a great deal from your content. I run a rig with IFS and another with a solid axle.

Really educational!! Thanks... I love my jeep even more now!

Solid axle all day for me!

You cant beat live axle for strength and durability.

Thanks for the nice explanation. It really helps for me to understand which one do I need.

superb explanation Ronny. I wanted to know and your video taught me.

Daily driver that you take out on the weekends? Obviously ifs. Dedicated offroad warrior? Obviously solid axle. Nice vid though Ronny.

It's worth pointing out that the main reason that ifs vehicles are built lighter then solid axle rigs. Is because of the market they're intended for. However in extreme off-road competition HD IFS set ups are becoming more and more dominant. It's all really down to the intended use of the components not the design. Personally prefer my solid axle rig. But for touring, beachwork and moderate offroading ifs is king. And like all 4x4s there's room for improvement:)

I am so pleased to have just seen this video. Thank you for making it so simple and easy to understand. I came here to find out why jay leno and the Ford gentleman mentioned independent rear suspension on the new 2020 ford mustang. I didn't know that sports cars came with live axles in this decade still. I thought it might have been the technology of the '60s so for lack of better, they were used. Thank you for this comparison video. perfect! (subscribed).

This information is really informative, for someone who has no knowledge of off road driving.

This convinced me even more to rather get the live axle Jimny than anything else.

Hey Ronny, you say no one gets 12" lifts? Well you haven't been to the states. Look on RU-vid for mud park or mud run. Our boys and girls in the mid-west and south east states lift their trucks to the sky. 12" would be a small lift, they use military axles and big tractor tires and wheels, some of the trucks you need an extension ladder to get into. Check it out, you'll get a laugh! These are not for over landing, they are purpose built for mud runs. Fun if you like to get covered in mud!!

Really good comparison. Appreciate the video, keep em coming!

Very informative! Nice work, and thanks for sharing.

I have an IFS and I'm converting to Solid axle for more strength, and for the ability to lift for much larger tires. IFS has more parts that are weaker and more prone to breaking.

Another informative and easy to understand vid Ronny. Is there any high-speed suspension wobble on your land cruiser? The Jeep Wranglers here tend to have it.

Can't believe I missed this one. Great video Ronny. Thanks

Thank you for this video. You answered questions I didn't even realize I had.

I wanted live axles and manual transmission in a new vehicle so the jeep was my choice. I am truly happy with my decision. I wanted capabilities over luxury.

I gotta get me some Bobust CVs so I can run bigger tires

Thank you so much! My dad has a Hummer and I have a Jeep. My Jeep is Solid Axle and the Hummer is IFS....

I like your stick's explanation 😆 very simple and practical

Leaf sprung solid axles. It's the original because it was easy and economical to maintain. That is what I like in a off road vehicle simple and economical.

I own an IFS Tacoma and I love it, but nobody can deny the superiority of a solid axle. Solid axles have more durability, more articulation, no binding issues, less maintenance. IFS is more comfortable and drives better, but you just cant beat a solid axle for most offroad situations.

Excellent video, very helpful!! Saved me from lifting my Tacoma too much

was good to listen to you today. would have to be one of your best tutorials.Something ifs boys need to learn

I think I like solid axle more. Just feels stronger and I personally don’t really care about comfort. A car is meant to drive, not to chil! Haha

There aren’t many new options for solid front axle in US except Jeeps. If you’re wheeling 90% of the time it’s a no brainer but damn if you have to drive that shit on the road IFS. Plus usually the weak point is the CV those are relatively cheap and easy to fix on the trail. We keep those right next to the wheel bearings in the spare box. We’ve never blown front ring and pinion. CV cooks off way earlier. Had to remove R and P in the rear and come off trail front wheel drive though.

Another timeless video. Thx for the info.

Excellent explanation and comparison!! Now I understand why my 2012 F-150 feels so much smoother than my 2018 F-250.

Iv got a 2017 Hilux. Coming from always having live axle trucks, was pretty apprehensive. Fact is, for me, all of my concerns washed away when I saw how comfortable it is, how well it handles, lower centre of gravity etc. Atleast if they made the 79 with a proper interior and more refinement then it would be hard to beat, but as it stands you have a comfortable, hi-tech modern utes compared to a dinosaur which is no better than any of the older trucks that you can pick up for 10g (apart from the wicked engine)