A live-axle (also called solid-axle, beam, or dead-axle) suspension is an automobilesuspension that uses a single-piece axle to connect the front or rear wheels, side-to-side. This contrasts with an independent suspension (IRS) design which uses constant velocity joints to link the wheels, allowing the wheel on one side to move vertically while the other does not.
Live-axle is considered inferior to independent suspension because the drive components (shafts, gears, etc) are part of the suspension and move with it, thus greatly increasing unsprung weight and decreasing traction. Until the 1980s it was the most common form of driving axle found in the average rear-wheel drive car.
A typical live axle consists of a solid tube with a central casing containing the differential, with the wheels mounted on each end of the tube. The drive shafts (for driven wheels) run inside the tubes. The whole assembly is connected to the vehicle body or chassis by links and springs. Because the axle follows the road, with the vehicle body moving above it, drive is supplied to the axle via a swinging propellor shaft and universal joints. While relatively cheap to manufacture due to its simplicity, its weight (which is part of a vehicle's unsprung weight) can lead to handling problems.
I-beam axles are either cast or forged, so they have a porous surface that can be more difficult to chrome without leaving nickel shadows in the channel that runs down the center of the axle.
This worked great with the dropped I-beam axles that were available at the time, because the radius rods allowed the axle to move up and down and the flexibility of the I-beam allowed the axle to twist slightly when necessary to accommodate strange torsion loads going up driveways or over speed bumps.
With a dropped axle, split wishbones, and a stock or F-100 steering box in place, the rod that runs from the pitman arm to the spindle (called a drag link) was forced to operate at an unusual angle due to the geometry change.
The greatest advantage of a solidaxle is its increased articulation, and improved amount of wheel travel.
The solidaxle conversion kit is ideally suited for individuals who want to replace their IFS front suspension with a solidaxle.
It is important to remember that the solidaxle kits will increase your ride height dramatically, causing a high center of gravity and usually slower stopping times due to increased tire sizes.
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