Solid axles are stronger and lift kits are stronger if installed and more reliable as well as more functional with an increase in articulation. They are also more simple and simplicity is key. Torsion bars are flimsy and they wear out over time. As well as the steering has bump steer problems as well as tie-rod ends breaking and cv shafts snapping.
I don' t know, I guess they like to have the weakest parts just so they can say look at our Camry front suspension. It rides nice. They all went with weaker front ends over the last few years, with dodge already having their flimsy 4-link and coil spring front end.(not saying all 4-links are bad, just dodge's) Ford held out the longest with the bullet-proof tried-and-true leaf spring solid axle front end, but even they now use coils and radius arms on their front axle. It's not that weak, but adding more moving parts is never good, I say. I don't care how it rides, it's a 1 ton truck. Also, diddo to newrideforu on calling out the guy thinking that solid axle vs. independent suspension has anything to do with what the differential does. Sean N has no clue about trucks and should not be answering these types of questions if he thinks The only time a solid axle is useful is for drag racing in a straight line.
Plain and simple- GM stopped using the old reliable solid axle set up on the front of their trucks because of all the babies who started buying trucks as status symbols in the '80's. They didn't like the rough ride that was always a trademark of any truck. The independent front ends allow for a softer ride so that all the wimps would be happy when they should have bought a car in the first place. It's the same reason that trucks are more expensive than cars, people that don't even need them bought them and they wanted all the features of the cars that they should have bought. Now, someone like me, that actually uses their truck for its intended purpose, in my case farming and towing trailers, can't even afford a new one. If I had to replace my 4x4 dually today, It would cost me somewhere around $50,000. Why? Because to get the truck set up the way I need it, I would have to order the new one with a bunch of things I don't need, or even want. I don't need or want leather seats or On-star, but, I would have to pay for them to get other things that I do need. You can't hardly get one with a manual transmission anymore either, and, lock out hubs(?) keep dreaming. That's why I'll just keep rebuilding my old trucks rather than buying new. I own 4 of them by the way, all 4x4's.
The differential is the part that takes car of wheels spinning at different speeds guys. GM is more concerned about the way the trucks ride than anything else so they use the independent front ends on the 4x4 trucks. Dodge and Ford still use the solid ones for the front of the 2500 or 250s or bigger on the 4x4s.
