North American IFS Types for Toyota Mid-size Pickups and SUVs
To help understand the differences of the Toyota IFS 4WD, please see the following section which comes from our RCLT HD Instructions, Appendix A6.
|
IFS Type I
1986-1995 |
IFS Type II
1995-2004 |
IFS Type III
2003-2015 |
IFS Type IV
2010-2024 |
| RCLT HD Compatible: |
No |
No |
YES |
YES |
| Applications: |
1986-95 Hilux
1986-95 4Runner |
1995-04 Tacoma
1996-02 4Runner |
2003-09 4Runner
2003-09 GX470
2010+ GX460
2005-15 Tacoma
2006-09 FJ Cruiser |
2010+ 4Runner
2010-14 FJ Cruiser
2016+ Tacoma |
| Spring Type: |
Torsion Bar |
Coil over |
Coil over |
Coil over |
| Differential: |
Standard |
Standard |
Clamshell |
Clamshell |
| R & P Size: |
7.5" |
7.5" |
8.0" |
8.0" |
| Rotation: |
Standard |
Reverse |
Reverse |
Reverse |
| Source: |
1979 2WD Pickup |
Land Cruiser
Prado 90-series |
Land Cruiser (V8)
Prado 120-series |
Land Cruiser (V8)
Prado 120-series |
| Steering: |
Gear Box |
Rack & Pinion |
Rack & Pinion |
Rack & Pinion |
| Location: |
In front of axle |
Behind axle |
In front of axle |
In front of axle |
| Outer CV: |
Bell OD: 93mm
Splines: 26 |
Bell OD: 94.5mm
Splines: 30 |
Bell OD: 106mm
Splines: 30 |
Bell OD: 106mm
Splines: 30 |
| Inner Shaft: |
OD: 23.75mm |
OD: 29mm |
OD: 32mm |
OD: 32mm |
| Hubs: |
Manual or Automatic |
Manual or Non-selectable |
Non-selectable |
Non-selectable |
| Brake Rotor: |
OD: 289 to 291mm
Thick: 20 to 25mm |
OD: 296 to 319mm
Thick: 22mm |
OD: 319 to 338mm
Thick: 28mm |
OD: 319 to 338mm
Thick: 28 to 32mm |
| LCA Design: |
Hilux |
Land Cruiser Prado 90-series |
Land Cruiser Prado 120-series |
Land Cruiser Prado 150-series |
| Bump stops: |
2 per side |
2 per side |
1 per side |
1 per side |
Marlin Crawler's Take
Type I: The first 4WD IFS offered in the States left a lot to be desired. The use of a torsion bar limited lift options and resulted in a squeaky off-road experience. While it used a traditional and robust steering box, the idler arm and small tie rods were prone to failure. Small axle shafts with no HD Rock Crawling upgrade options, and a small front R&P lifted from a 1979 2WD pickup. Largest recommended Rock Crawling tire size: 32".
Type II: The Prado 90-series was a major upgrade for IFS 4WD Toyotas. Designed by Toyota's commercial truck division Hino Motors, this IFS features easy to change coil overs, axles with available HD aftermarket upgrades, improved reverse-rotation high-pinion R&P, and a steering rack mounted favorably behind the axle for improved forward-direction strength, it had potential. Largest recommended Rock Crawling tire size: 33".
Type III: The Prado 120-series IFS essentially doubled the strength of Type II in every category except steering. The differential became larger and adopted an improved clamshell design which orientates assembly bolts perpendicular to the pinion resulting in much greater pinion deflection resistance. The R&P is the same used in the larger 8cyl 100-series Land Cruiser and proven reliable with 40" tires. Heavy Duty aftermarket axle options include inboard & outboard 35-spline Dana-60-sized CV joints that include a manufacture guarantee to not fail with tire sizes up to 40" in diameter. Largest recommended Rock Crawling tire size: 35" with proper attention to steering & knuckle strength.
Type IV: The Prado 150-series IFS further builds upon the Type III by featuring larger and stronger lower control arm mounting hardware. In some SUV applications, the brake rotors are 6% larger and 28% thicker, and calipers have 28% more piston area with 36% stronger knuckle mount hardware. Steering strength unfortunately remains the major weak-link of the mid-size Toyota IFS. Largest recommended Rock Crawling tire size: 35" with proper attention to steering & knuckle strength.
