TTB Any bad times??

[BroncoXLT85]

Hey Guys (& gals?)

I always hear people bad-mouthing the TTB(Twin Traction Beam) Personally, I know for myself I have wheeled my 85 Bronco very hard. Everything from playin in the mud with buddies, trail rides to full blown racing(stock form in Farmersville,NY) I have got plenty of air under the tires in that race as well as jumpin it on my own time. All of this on the stock, worn-out suspension. No new shocks, bushings u-joints,nothing. And I have yet to brake anything in the front end. Also, with a good lift and some new extended radius arms, I would have tons of flex and articulation. Now, can anyone tell me what is so bad about the TTB? If anyone has any stories about carnage in the front of a TTB Bronco(or any ford TTB) please share them. I would love to hear them and then maybe I won't get so offensive when someone rips on the TTB. Thanks for readin!!! B)

 

[va92bronco]

The biggest complaint I have heard about the TTB is after lifting the vehicle( and in some cases in stock form) front end alignments are impossible to keep correct. For a vehicle that only sees the trail this is no big problem, but if it lives mostly on the street. Then the issue becomes pretty important.

The cost to lift the vehicle is also about double what you would pay for a straight axle lift. And the TTB is better than a SA in some ways. A lifted TTB can be better at playing in the mud because the articulation can help the tires get traction. Baja trucks almost all have a TTB type of front suspension.

As far as ride quality goes, the TTB is probably better than a SA, but it is still a truck. It is only going to get but so good with a vehicle as high as a truck even in stock form. though isn't this the reason we drive trucks and not cars?

So basically it goes down to what it always does. Personal preference and driver experience. I am doing a SAS because I already have 90% of the parts from my 78 Bronco I just got rid of. It already had a lift so I will end up saving money. If I didn't have these parts, I would be lifting the TTB.

 

[SoFlaSwamper]

The biggest complaint I have heard about the TTB is after lifting the vehicle( and in some cases in stock form) front end alignments are impossible to keep correct. For a vehicle that only sees the trail this is no big problem, but if it lives mostly on the street. Then the issue becomes pretty important.

The cost to lift the vehicle is also about double what you would pay for a straight axle lift. And the TTB is better than a SA in some ways. A lifted TTB can be better at playing in the mud because the articulation can help the tires get traction. Baja trucks almost all have a TTB type of front suspension.

As far as ride quality goes, the TTB is probably better than a SA, but it is still a truck. It is only going to get but so good with a vehicle as high as a truck even in stock form. though isn't this the reason we drive trucks and not cars?

So basically it goes down to what it always does. Personal preference and driver experience. I am doing a SAS because I already have 90% of the parts from my 78 Bronco I just got rid of. It already had a lift so I will end up saving money. If I didn't have these parts, I would be lifting the TTB.

I have an 88 F-150 with the TTB still in place. I have about an 8" suspension lift and a 3" body lift and 44" super swampers. I have wheeled this truck for 6 months AT LEAST twice a month HARD and have not yet broken anything in the front end. I did break a driveshaft because i actually CRACKED the HOUSING on the TTB and it turned the meatball down so the driveshaft didn't line up and it snapped off, but i replaced that with an old housing and welded a plate where it snapped before and now its fine /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

I do have a dana 60 waiting for the swap when it does break /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[Seabronc]

Doing and keeping it aligned seems to be the major complaint. It may be that the alignment proceedure is not understood by some shops so they bad mouth it rather than learn how to do it properly. I've never done the proceedure but have read thru the shop manual on it. It seems very dooable to me, probably time consuming, but dooable. I could see where a lazy mechanic wouldn't want to do the complete proceedure.

Good luck,

>-

 

[BroncoXLT85]

Thanks for the support guys. I used to work at Monro Muffler and I aligned my Bronco myself in the shop. It is sitting on the stock suspension and 33's. The alignment worked fine and it is still ok. It is simply lazy techs in my opinion. I love my TTB. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[ocalabronco]

And the TTB is better than a SA in some ways. A lifted TTB can be better at playing in the mud because the articulation can help the tires get traction. Baja trucks almost all have a TTB type of front suspension.

I'm sorry, but i really must beg to differ. In my own personal opinion, solid axles are far superior to TTB's, especially in terms of articulation. the problem with a TTB is that the only time when a tire is actually forced in one direction or another is on compression. otherwise, it just hangs there, letting the weight of the tire/wheel dictate how far it extends. with a solid axle, you actually get forced articulation where the compressed tire acts as a lever towards the other tire, thus forcing it downward giving you the potential for more flex and thus better traction. tires in the air dont go anywhere. baja trucks actually run true IFS suspensions, with equal length I-beams if they are 2wd. and they run coilovers with variable rate springs that provide the little forced articulation that they really need when traversin whoops and sand washes. high speed desert racing is about the only place i can think of that a TTB would potentially be better than a solid axle

As far as ride quality goes, the TTB is probably better than a SA, but it is still a truck. It is only going to get but so good with a vehicle as high as a truck even in stock form. though isn't this the reason we drive trucks and not cars?

have you ever actually ridden in a solid axle bronco that originally came with the TTB? its a night and day difference. there is no vagueness whatsoever in the steering and tracking, and you can ACTUALLY FEEL all four tires planted firmly on the road. if you want something that rides smooth, go buy a freaking car

aligning the TTB isnt that hard to do, i can do a driveway alignment in 20 minutes. but imagine having to do that every time you go wheeling. and also replacing the wheel bearings that TTBs love to eat. it gets old. since i did my swap, i have not once had to re-do my alignment, even with bent tie rods. its not a matter of laziness, its a matter of when is enough, enough? if you dont wheel your rig hard, dont frequently get into high-traction situations such as rocks, or you dont have the mechanical know-how, then the TTB is fine. otherwise, its one of those great-on-paper-and-theory deals. I am by no means bashing the TTB, i wheeled the snot out of mine and the 8.8 rearend gave up the ghost before the TTB did. i just got tired of aligning it and i knew it was only a matter of time before it left me stranded