- First Name
- Christopher
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2021
- Threads
- 11
- Messages
- 389
- Reaction score
- 1,282
- Location
- Spring, TX
- Vehicle(s)
- GMC Yukon XLT 1500 4x4, Jeep Liberty Limited
- Your Bronco Model
- Badlands
I watched 80% of the KOH this year, last half of lap 1 to 30th finisher, and many of the IFS and IFS/IRS were leading through the 2nd lap. Jason Shehrer was actually pulling away with a 8-10 minute lead before he ran out of gas. After that he got stuck in traffic and finished 5th(?). I also watched the KOH Hill Climb and many of the IFS rigs did well there too. What seemed to be the difference is that the SFA guys just brute force the line relying on a super beefy engine and articulation to throw the vehicle over obstacles. The problem I saw with this is that when things went wrong they took a lot of time resetting and backing down to get a rolling start at the problem. In comparison the IFS vehicles were able to pick routes with shorter lines but they were able to steadily advance.Now, both 1st and 2nd place this year at KOH were by SFA rigs, most years at KOH, Baja, Dakar, etc are IFS, IRS trophy trucks.
Why?
Versatility of IS rigs in extreme crawl and high speed situations make them preferred even though the cost and science is much more complex.
Also I understand that currently the SFA is considered the better choice but how much of that is just due to time spent with the design and broad commercial use? From what I understand the IFS/IRS rigs are only 8-9 years old in the Ultra4 and a few examples older than that in other rock crawling comps. With a mass produced vehicle like the Bronco having IFS it opens up a commercial business opportunity for companies to put more R&D into making the IFS a more capable suspension. Now I'm not saying there aren't limitations to them that SFA won't always be better at but typically competition to engineer something better benefits us all.
Sponsored