Has anyone seen the long arm suspension kit that Downey Off-Road is offering for IFS? This seems like a viable option for a strong trail rig, but I am wondering if SAS is still better. Any thoughts?

SAS if definilty stronger, has more aticulation, better for a trail rig.
that long arm kit is better for a higher speed setup, pre-runner type stuff.

but its definitly very cool!!!
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I have had the long travel system on my 4runner for over 8 years now, and it has done well. I loved it for fast travel in the so cal desert where i used to live. Now in the pac nw forest. It does have its weaknesses though. I have managed to grenade the universal joint that replaces the inner cv twice. When it goes, it destroys the slip axle. This usaully ends up costing about 200 dollars to replace. I don't know how much longer Downey is going to keep producing these, and I am not going to buy spares. I plan on sas at the end of this year if i can stay on a budget and collect my parts. Over all, it was a good investment for me. jeff

No, downey came out with a new long travel kit, a copy of the total chaos kit, not the old downey/mega travel kit that you have, this kit comes with new top and bottom elongated a-arms (not just the top arm) and such....

I'm wondering what they got. Got a link?

The last thing I saw from them was a long A-arm prototype kit that used coil springs instead of torsion bars.

I I used to have a long A-arm kit used to have a WCOR long A-arm kit that pre-dates the current Total Chaos stuff and I liked it as far as the advantages that IFS offers, and it was great on the highway, but for most off roading, I prefer my solid front axle.

I don't know anything about the Downey kit, but if I was going to spend money on a long A-arm kit, I'd go with the Total Chaos stuff. They've had years to work out the bugs in the design (and believe me, there were bugs, as I found out the hard way) and I'm sure their current product is about as durable as it gets.

You don't want to be the Guina Pig for Downey. Frankly, I don't trust much of anything they make, but that's just my personal opinion.

Here is the link for the new suspension kit they have.
New Downey Off-Road Long Arm Suspension

Brian, overall do you prefer the SAS even if there was a long arm that is mostly de-bugged?

It really depends on the type of off roading. The long travel IFS is a great for anything that requires super good handling or good rebound suspension, such as sand dunes, jumping, high speed desert running, dirt roads, etc. It works OK for the rest of off roading, and less than OK for anything serious like rock crawling.

Long Travel IFS also has the disadvantage of limited aftermarket support for stronger axle and steering components, whereas the SAS stuff can be built to exceptionally strong levels, with beefy steering and super strong Longfield axles and birfs. You also have a bigger and stronger front diff to work with.

For most off roading and almost any kind of trail running, IÆd rather have the SAS for durability and for the articulation, which really does make a difference. A long A-arm IFS can be built with minmal lift, which does make for a more stable platform and the suspension does articulate very well compared to stock, but you still have the same disadvantage of lack of axle leverage.

If I spent more time on the highway, deserts, dunes, fire/logging roads, the long travel IFS is more enjoyable to drive and offers an exceptional ride and handling.

In the end, I would never buy anything from Downey. Especially something this expensive. They just do not have the experience in designing a good quality long travel IFS, whereas Total Chaos has been working on this system since the early 1990s. The biggest bugs were making the upper arms strong enough to support the weight without cracking. Particularly in the area where the torsion bars attach to the arms. Total Chaos uses better materials and better bracing, which ôshouldö solve those problems. The other issues involve strengthening the steering, which is pretty strong in stock form, except the idler arm, and how the axles are set up for the long travel.

Older kits used a very expensive system that used stock out CVs, custom axles and long travel Porsche style inner CVs that allowed the axles to slip in and out further and the suspension cycled. However, when parts broke, they were expensive to replace. Total Chaos was wise enough to design their kits to allow the use of stock T-100 half shafts, which are a dime a dozen. This limits the travel to less than what the custom axles could provide, but makes the set up much more cost effective.

Whatever you do, donÆt waste youÆre time with DowneyÆs long travel axles as they are not designed to be run at speed.

In the end, I think SAS is the better option for most off roaders. But long travel IFS does have advantages for very specialized types of off roading.

thx Brian, appreciate the input...

i agree, aside from maybe an idler arm truss and some shock hoops i wouldnt buy downey products which your truck relies upon to hold it's mass...i went with the total chaos coil kit...you can pick up a torsion bar caddy kit for nearly the same amount and have a better system with 4wd...

Ya, I did use their idler arm brace. Hard to say if it was worth it or not. I didn't have any idler arm problems, but if I were to do it over again, I'd consider the Total Chaos overbuilt part, depending on how much it cost.

The Downey shock hoops were one part that was VERY easy to install and worked great! Simple bolt on, no welding, using an already existing hole on the frame and the upper bumpstop mount. They worked great and with those, the entire long A-arm kit was a bolt off, bolt on project that I was able to do by myself. The only non-bolting part was having to cut off the stock shock mount with a grinder. Very easy.

If I was rich, I'd probably have two trucks. My SAS and a Total Chaos Long A-arm to play with on the dunes and dirt roads. Actually, make that three....and a Land Cruiser 80. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />