I am just dying to hear your explanation for that.


This has been beat to death over the years.

The maximum front ride height for an H3 with stock suspension (stock front control arms and T Bars) is 23.5" from fender lip to hub center. OEM T Bar keys do that. Doesn't matter if it is an I5 or Alpha, or if you swapped out your stock I5 T Bars for a set of Alpha T Bars (100# + spring rate for the added weight of the V8), 23.5" is the max you are going to go without tearing chit up. To produce the lift in the front, the T Bar position is changed so the lower control arm is pushed down further raising the front. The position of the T Bar at 23.5" is identical, regardless of using an OEM key or aftermarket re-indexed key. So why buy something to produce the exact same result as the stock keys already do?

Guys used to say..... oh but I got mine set at 24" or even 24.5", and ...... all of their chit broke in short order. No surprise. Go back and read some of the threads from 6-8 years ago. I especially enjoy the ones where some knuckleheads tries to argue that the re-indexed keys make the ride better than using the stock keys.

 

The Facebook crowd doesn't have time to search for answers we have known for 8 years.

 

Doc, There were many "knuckleheads" that started destroying the h3 almost 12 years ago.

My '07 still starts, runs, drives, and rides...>> like brand new.
with normal maintenance

 

Absolutely wrong. You can only adjust the torsion to a certain point (23.5") before you start wearing out chit, and that point can easily be reached with the stock keys. Aftermarket keys simply position the "tab" differently so that the adjustment bolt is installed at a different depth to reach that adjustment point. On some vehicles, there is not enough adjustment available in the stock key/bolt to reach the desired lift, but that is not the case with the H3. Keep in mind that adjusting the torsions does NOTHING other than change the "at rest" position of the lower control arm; it doesn't change the suspension travel, it doesn't change the spring rate... Since the H3's stock keys will allow all of the adjustment that is needed, there is no reason to change them out to aftermarket keys; you accomplish NOTHING other than a lighter wallet.

 

I see we have a lot of GM engineers on this site, lucky us.

 

Actually smart guy, the torsion bar/key information came from a testing and evaluation engineer who was on the H3 platform. He personally posted That information 10+ years ago when the 06 H3 was just out.

 

Well good, continue to do what your test dummies tell you to do.

I'm sure the design engineers had you in mind when they designed that suspension, knowing that you were going to put (winch, bumper, brush guard, plow, etc) on the front end. Great job you did us all a favor.

 

Looks like some needs to read this. It will explain a lot of what the H3 design engineers thought about ahead of production: https://books.google.com/books/about...d=dqR8GwvmWcUC

 

Although I actually AM an engineer, it doesn't take much intelligence to look at a torsion suspension (on ANY vehicle) and understand just how it actually works. As I said, on some vehicles, there is not enough adjustment in the stock key/bolt to gain much lift; those need different keys or bolt spacers, but that is not the case on the H3. If you can't grasp that, then the mechanics of the system are over your head, and your next purchase after torsion keys should be a throttle body spacer and one of those "turbo" exhaust tips that go "wheeeeeeeee".

 

I do not think anybody had Tainter in mind about a lot of things.

I do not know where you get your info., but I had the pleasure of sitting down for lunch with Hummer's North American Vice President in October 2008, at the AM General's plant in South Bend IN October 2008. What did Mr. McNabb show up in, a red 2008 H3 Alpha with a Boulder Accessories Winch Bumper, stock suspension leveled.

At that time that was only the second BA Winch bumper I had seen. He informed me they were available as dealer accessories and..... the H3 suspension was designed to be adjustable to accommodate said accessories and tires to 35" without modification. He explained that 35" tires were not an available option for the H3 as it would lower vehicle fleet mpg, but he was fully aware of, and expected, that offroaders would be using 35s and winch bumpers etc. He never mentioned Tainter though.

Just sayin.