Diff Drop Kit!

Re: Diff Drop Kit!

Postby 9W6VX on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 4:53 +0000

OK.

I'm stepping in publicly.

As a moderator, I read every single post here and I find you very tiring. You just post without thinking. Many of your questions could be answered if you have bothered to use the search button.

Our other members also feel likewise.

Furthermore you have been warned via PM by the moderators to use the search button.

Enough said!

You are in the sin bin for 7 days.
Cheers

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Re: Diff Drop Kit!

Postby Marshwa on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 8:06 +0000

mmaaxx wrote:Is there any way mate that you guys could make a brakcet that lowers the front diff a full inch only (25mm) and moves it 30mm forward?


Just bumping this back up with regards to Max's question asked above, Was this answered? pretty interested

Mods is it possible for you to remove the last 5 or so comments on this thread

Cheers, Max
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Re: Diff Drop Kit!

Postby Hilux Max on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 8:42 +0000

Marshwa,

yes it was answered via PM a while ago...sorry I didnt report back..but from memory what Brendan said was you needed the rest of the bits to make it work properly like the different steering knuckle....you cant just move the front diff forward without other components needed to be adjusted too.

brendan, correct me if Im wrong here.
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Re: Diff Drop Kit!

Postby Marshwa on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 9:44 +0000

is it possible to just drop the diff by 25mm via all the brackets, rather then just rotating the front 2 like i have now?
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Re: Diff Drop Kit!

Postby Hilux Max on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:30 +0000

its the rear mount thats the problem because it sits above the crossmember unlike the front two that sit below it.....to lower the rear diff mount you would have to make an "S" shape brackets that moves it forwards just infront of the crossmember it is sitting on and then lower it...to effectively be able to do something like that you'd need to have the front 2 mounts matched the same distance forward and then the steering knuckle aswell......Im assuming the steering rack may need some adjustment, not sure...brendan would be the best Man to answer your queries...shoot through a PM to him to reply to the concerns on this thread.
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Re: Diff Drop Kit!

Postby ultimate on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 1:13 +0000

Hi Marshwa,

Max is on the right track. You can't just drop the diff 25mm without moving it forward due to clearance issues between the diff and rear cross member. Due to the confined space in the front end of the Hilux, any significant relocation of the diff requires further modification to other components. This is why we can't retail our diff drop kit as a separate bolt on application as it works in conjunction with all the other parts. Like max said, if you have any further question regarding this kind of diff relocation, please send me through a PM as I don't want this thread to go off track again.
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Re: Diff Drop Kit!

Postby Skog07 on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 7:25 +0000

Marshwa.
Thanks for the reminder. ;)
The thread has been cleaned of OT posts
Ive had a look at this thread as well and got underneath the hilux to investigate. About the best you could do is machine the mounts and get around 1/2" maximum lowering the rear of the front diff..
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Re: Diff Drop Kit!

Postby Hilux Max on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 7:38 +0000

The other crappy design thing with the hilux is the crossmembers are welded between the chassi rails....

if Mr Toyota had made them a bolt on crossmember between the chassi rails the availability of possible aftermarket options regarding modifying the front end would be huge....
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Re: Diff Drop Kit!

Postby Marshwa on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 6:12 +0000

ahhh thanks guys i see the prediciment now. Brendan being the suspension expert you are, do you no of an negative impacts long term or short term of running the diff spacers i have currently? other then then the slight loss of ground clearence
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Re: Diff Drop Kit!

Postby ultimate on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 7:44 +0000

honestly it really depends on the individual vehicle, the suspension set up and the vehicle's application. Some vehicles we have seen have major problems with the wheel alignment (this usually comes from a number of areas in the set up) and like max said;

because of its "rolling forward" of the front diff when fitted also places more stress on the rear diff mount and changes the Universal joint angle to the front diff, thou this shouldn't be by much anyway.


By rolling it forward all that pressure on the back mount is being absorbed by the bolt as it is also being twisted. Long term strain on these components could defiantly develop weak spots.

So far I haven't seen any significant cases with these diff drops but realistically most vehicle's haven't been fitted with them long enough to develop any long term effects.
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Re: Diff Drop Kit!

Postby Marshwa on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 5:51 +0000

ahh all sounds fair enough, been running mine for about 12,000km's now so guess i can only wait and see. Thanks mate
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Diff Drop Down Kit

Postby Surfseeker on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:23 +0000

Guys,
I bought a lift kit from Snake racing. The Kit was based around Tough Dog gear and features Tough Dog coils and adjustable shocks at the front. The kit was supposed to lift the front around 50mm but has actually given more like 65mm. For what Its worth i am very happy with the suspension and would recommend it to anyone.
Included with the kit was a "Drop down diff kit" consisting of two spacers which you place under the front diff mounts to angle the front diff downward and reduce pressure on the CV"s. This seemed sensible and as it was included with the kit i got it fiited along with the rest of the gear.
I have since discovered this site and so am now better informed :lol:
On reading these pages it has become clear that these kits are something of a mixed bag in terms of their usefulness.
Clearly you lose around 25mm of clearance but in all honesty that is not my primary concern.
What I do have issues with is front wheel alignment and i am starting to form the opinion that this may be being caused in part by this kit. I have chopped out the outside edges of all 4 tyres (iv'e been rotating them) in 20000 Kms despite having three wheel aligments in that time.
So to the question.....
I am aware that they may not be necessary but do these kits actually do more harm than good?
In other words should I be removing it form my truck and tossing it in the bin?
Do these kits actually help CV wear or is that "Snake Oil" ? (pardon the pun)
Is the kit likely to be contributing to my alignment issues?
Or should I be looking elsewhere for a fix and simply leave the kit installed?

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Re: Diff Drop Down Kit

Postby Hilux Max on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:26 +0000

Search my friend....theres heaps of topics covering this...no need to start a new thread on it, piggy back on an existing one :ugeek:
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Re: Diff Drop Down Kit

Postby rodw on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 6:32 +0000

I don't know if there has been any discussion about diff drop spacers and alignment, so I reckon this needs to be discussed further.

What I do know is that when you get high levels of lift, you run out of castor adjustment. Some good 4WD tyre shops can fix this to some extent. The caster adjustment issue is one argument for the aftermarket upper control arms which restore the caster to stock angles AND provide better clearance for tyres.

Myself, I have been running a TD kit which gave me 70 odd mm of lift and on my first alignment, noticed that the MT's I run were well scrubed on the outside. I did not observe this with my AT's previously so I have put it down to the MT's. I don't have a diff drop bracket fitted.

The UCA's are not cheap items and you can expect to pay $1250 for a set and I know Monster Rides is working on sourcing these.

So anyway, who else has experienced alignment issues with 65-75mm of lift?
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Re: Diff Drop Kit!

Postby Skog07 on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 7:19 +0000

Finally a succesful thread merge without putting it back to front like I usually do..... :)
Ahh... So merge the first thread into the destination thread......
Surfseeker. As what Mmaaxx suggested please hop on to the back of an existing thread. If there is one that is close to your question ;). It saves a bit of confusion as we have quite a few threads already on Diff drop kits.
Good luck with you question.
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Re: Diff Drop Kit!

Postby rodw on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 7:28 +0000

No wonder I got confused seing a short thread get longer straight away.

So what is the feeling about wheel alignments and thes diff drop brackxets. That is what Surfseeker is on about and I don't think we have answered this anywhere yet.
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Re: Diff Drop Kit!

Postby Steve9R on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 7:52 +0000

ive got the snake racing diff drop kit in mine, but only 2" lift.. ive had it aligned at a proper 4wd alignment place. they told me at the time that it was difficult to do, but they got it aligned perfectly. I get no abnormal wear of tires (ATs or MTs) ..

Ive had the diff drop in for just over 20,000kms..

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Re: Diff Drop Kit!

Postby Twisty on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 8:05 +0000

There is no way for the diff drop kits to effect your wheel alignmentsl. All of the alignment adjustments are in the control arms, so the diff drop kit isn't your problem.

The drop kits will provide a small change in cv angle, which is better for your cv's and boots. Bout the only downside is loosing some clearance under your diff, which worries others more then some. Me personally, I cant notice it any lower from standing back and looking at it, so happy to have them in there and helping my cv's.

I think it might be time to try another shop for your wheel alignment. Post up your location and I'm sure someone on here can recomend a good place to go locally to you.
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Re: Diff Drop Kit!

Postby Surfseeker on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 8:41 +0000

Thanks guys, still finding my way in here....
So I guess if the diff drop kit is not the culprit...and it is already installed.... then it can stay put.
I am in the Rockingham area of WA so if someone knows of a tyre shop that does a good job of wheel alignments please let me know,
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Re: Diff Drop Kit!

Postby Bull on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 5:24 +0000

I agree with Twisty. The diff placement shouldn't have any effect on wheel alignment. You could pull it out and the wheels would still be in the same place.
But if you fit heavier springs and/or spacers that push your front wheels down, then you've changed the angles of the front control arms at ride height and the way they were designed to interact.
A suspension specialist may be able to cure this but a static wheel alignment won't fix the different camber changes that are now occurring if the vehicle is raised up on "tippy toes".
Ultimate went to a great deal of effort to keep the control arms working through camber change that was conducive to handling and tyre wear.
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