LC250 CV joints - Should I consider upgrading

[G0ebs]

Thanks guys! This has generated a lot of discussion. If you upgrade the cv, would it be wise to upgrade the diff? I mean more money. But on the other hand , it seems like it the diff breaks you can limp off until you can get a tow on the payment.

 

[RideWithYanu]

Thanks guys! This has generated a lot of discussion. If you upgrade the cv, would it be wise to upgrade the diff? I mean more money. But on the other hand , it seems like it the diff breaks you can limp off until you can get a tow on the payment.

I’m not aware of any aftermarket diffs being available.

 

[Calokie]

I can’t imagine a scenario where a broken CV couldn’t have been prevented. I suppose if I had stayed in the Costco parking lot I’d never have broken anything.

I did something in a last ditch attempt to get myself unstuck and avoid a ~10 mile hike in the snow with my dog to cell service. It didn’t work and we ended up hiking out (and back again because after calling my wife to let her known I was alive I thought of another solution to getting out, which was successful). Sorry to be opaque but I avoid incriminating myself online. I’m happy to tell the story in person over a beer though!

snow + traction... got it

 

[RideWithYanu]

snow + traction... got it

Yeah getting high-centered and buried to the bumpers in icy snow while wheeling alone without an electric winch is not recommended.

Entirely, completely unrelated: if you grew up wheel winching stuck tractors, it’s good to remember that tractors usually have really strong axles.

 

[Calokie]

Thanks guys! This has generated a lot of discussion. If you upgrade the cv, would it be wise to upgrade the diff? I mean more money. But on the other hand , it seems like it the diff breaks you can limp off until you can get a tow on the payment.

if the front dif gears break its highly unlikely that you will be able to limp away... unless its part time 4WD, which the LC250 has no such option (currently) thats a lot of info that you will have to research for yourself
"part time 4wd vrs full time 4wd"
"full time 4wd to part time 4wd conversions" google and chat gpt

the broken tripod style CV scenario on an lc250 you can limp away, its basically a safety net for a full time 4wd system. it appears to be a weak link by design

 

[Mtn40]

Thanks guys! This has generated a lot of discussion. If you upgrade the cv, would it be wise to upgrade the diff? I mean more money. But on the other hand , it seems like it the diff breaks you can limp off until you can get a tow on the payment.

I think a broken front diff on a full-time 4wd means you're not going anywhere.
It's likely the broken diff would stop one or both front axles from spinning so even pulling the front driveshaft and locking the center diff wouldn't help. You'd have to also pull one or both front axles to be able to move.
Then you'll be wishing you'd only broken a CV axle, which can be swapped on the trail if you're prepared.

Edit: @Calokie beat me to the gist of it, but leaving this here since I think I made some different points.

 

[Mtn40]

Right now I'm thinking stick with the tripod axles and just get spares.
The annoying thing about that though is Toyota decided to make them different lengths, so you'd have to carry a spare of each.

Is anyone keeping score on which axle breaks usually? Just from my poor memory, it seems like I've seen driver side more often?

It's weird to me that DSTV didn't just look under the truck to see what had happened. To me it looked like that one was driver side.

 

[ultane]

I just watched Driving Sports TV bust his front CV joint tackling a steep hill on his obstacle course. Then a few months earlier TFL bust their CV joint (Tacoma) on a hill climb. I am a decent mechanic but highly doubt I could change a CV joint in the field. Should I consider upgrading to a heavy duty CV joint?

Welcome to the asylum.

 

[Calokie]

Right now I'm thinking stick with the tripod axles and just get spares.
The annoying thing about that though is Toyota decided to make them different lengths, so you'd have to carry a spare of each.

Is anyone keeping score on which axle breaks usually? Just from my poor memory, it seems like I've seen driver side more often?

It's weird to me that DSTV didn't just look under the truck to see what had happened. To me it looked like that one was driver side.

Excellent point which side is most common!
The 2 incidents I've seen on youtube etc, were the USA driver side.

I converted my 1997 80 Series to Part Time 4WD, as insurance incase of broken front diff etc but 1997 vehicles have minimal electronics im not expecting the LC250 to ever have a part time option

 

[wpage]

Should you consider changing your CV joints?
No...

 

[kidcruiser]

Dissent said they put Tacoma CVs on their rock crawler 250, then are carrying the original CVs as spares when wheeling trails like Fordyce and Rubicon. I don’t think they’ve had to use a spare, which is kind of amazing.

The Tacoma ones aren’t too pricey (3-400 each) and are better with the geometry of a lift. I’ve been thinking I’d copy the Dissent approach when I do a lift. If I wasn’t going to lift, I’d stick with the originals, for all the great reasons mentioned above.

 

[RideWithYanu]

Dissent said they put Tacoma CVs on their rock crawler 250, then are carrying the original CVs as spares when wheeling trails like Fordyce and Rubicon. I don’t think they’ve had to use a spare, which is kind of amazing.

The Tacoma ones aren’t too pricey (3-400 each) and are better with the geometry of a lift. I’ve been thinking I’d copy the Dissent approach when I do a lift. If I wasn’t going to lift, I’d stick with the originals, for all the great reasons mentioned above.

Good intel, those guys know what they’re doing. Do you have a link to where they discuss this?

 

[kidcruiser]

Yeah they for sure know their stuff.

In this video Ben, the owner of Dissent, says Icon (who did their lift) suggested the Tacoma cvs:



EDIT: I think it’s in that a comment on another video where they say they carry the originals as spares. Maybe one of the Fordyce videos? Don’t remember that exactly, but I’ll add it back here if I see it.

 

[RideWithYanu]

Yeah they for sure know their stuff.

In this video Ben, the owner of Dissent, says Icon (who did their lift) suggested the Tacoma cvs:



I think it’s in a comment on another video where they say they carry the originals as spares. Maybe one of the Fordyce videos? Don’t remember that exactly, but I’ll add it back here if I see it.

Thanks! No sweat on the comment on spares, understanding the Tacoma parts bit was what I was after. Thanks again!

Edit: they mention carrying the spares in this video. For anyone else interested in this topic skip to 12:10.

I’m pretty sure I’m going to order the Tacoma axels and try out this mod - anyone think of any downsides to this?

 

[Sugarloafer80]

You would know better than anyone of us as to how much you plan on beating your vehicle. IMHO bub could’ve most likely made that hill with no damage if he would’ve used crawl, but I wasn’t there, not really certain how steep that was. Still unsure why he didn’t utilize crawl, maybe he was in a hurry, I don’t consider myself a professional off roader, maybe he feels rear differential locked and mts is better than crawl???

Also a great way to promote need for parts..............

 

[RideWithYanu]

Also a great way to promote need for parts..............

I hope you don’t mean Ryan of Driving Sports TV. He’s a good dude who skillfully makes really good content that doesn’t promote wanton consumerism. He’s not your average YouTuber.

 

[Calokie]

Perhaps I’ll buy the Tacoma CV axles as spares into remote locations. I’ll have to research the Tacoma CVs topic. Are they standard Tacoma CVs or TRD Pro versions?

 

[basicxj]

I can’t imagine a scenario where a broken CV couldn’t have been prevented. I suppose if I had stayed in the Costco parking lot I’d never have broken anything.

I did something in a last ditch attempt to get myself unstuck and avoid a ~10 mile hike in the snow with my dog to cell service. It didn’t work and we ended up hiking out (and back again because after calling my wife to let her known I was alive I thought of another solution to getting out, which was successful). Sorry to be opaque but I avoid incriminating myself online. I’m happy to tell the story in person over a beer though!

That sounds like a bargain for the price of a beer

 

[Calokie]

For what it’s worth
Mostly confirming previous research on the subject

 

[Blue Sky]

I’m willing to wait and see…

However, I’ve been following the Ed Martin 4Runner aftermarket TRD lift available and they do include an OEM beefed up cv axle, 5:50 mark: