I was just reading through the posts about adjusting the torsion bars. I noticed some folks didn't really know what to expect from it etc, other than the gained lift that is. Anyway, I thought I'd try to help explain it a little for anyone that's interested in it.

The torsion bars are the springs for the front independant suspension. By keeping the torsion bar in a torqued state, it provides a resistive or dampening state.. which creates suspension. There are adjustment screws, as you all know, that can releave some of the torsional force on the bars, or more can be created. However, this does come with a price. How much, depends on how much adjustment is made. When you adjust the t-bars to raise the vehicle, what you are doing is actually taking away from your down travel, the down travel of your front suspension. As your tire tracks across terrian, be it a road or whatever, the suspension allows the tire to maintain contact with it. The more contact that is maintained, the better the control etc. This up and down motion is called travel. When you adjust the t bar to gain upward lift, you are taking away from downward travel. basically, your limiting the travel you have stored in your suspension, to push the vehicle upward. Now, if the adjustment is minor, then it is very likely that you will never miss the lost down travel. However, if too much is used, then you will no longer have a suspension that has droop in it. Droop is the visual downward travel that is seen when you raise a vehicle up on an automtive lift, or jack up a corner of the car, until the tire come off the ground. Using too much is not good. An example of a suspension with no droop would be:

You're going down the road and you enter a washbaord surface . The suspension would normaly drop into the hole (with droop) then rebound upward past the point it started at, as it leaves the other side of the hole, and rolls over the crest, and then come downward again into it's normal position, or through another cylce of that depending on factors. If you don't have the droop, the tire won't drop, and will only cycle upward when it encounters the crest, and can create a basketball dribble effect.

So, my advise to anyone who wants to adjust the t bars is: keep the adjustment to a minimum. If you want to take out some of the rake of the vehicle, then that should be fine. 1" to slightly more is OK. I would not use the torsion adjustment to compensate for a cheap suspension lift, if significant lift is desired.

I would suggest either a re-index key (or cam) or an engineer suspension lift from a reputable company. I have no experience with the "leveling kits" that sell re-indexing keys, but I know they ahve been around a while. I would imagine that they should leave the t bar settings stock, or at least close enough to it that it shouldn't be a problem, but I am only guessing. I would also make sure that the kit came from someone, a company, that has experience with suspension lifts, and is not some fly by night company, that is just filling a void to make money.

Anyway, not trying to come off as some know it all .. just want to make sure that anyone who has no idea about the torsion bars is alittle more informed.

As for myself, I'll probably adjust the t bars slighlty to remove the raked look, or at least minimze it some. I plan to run the stock 33's for now, if not always, so I don't need a real lift. I'll probably keep my eye open for the leveling cams, or keys, but I want to make sure they come from someone who makes a quality product, and at least has some time in the suspension market.

 

Good post and pretty much spot on. If someone does crank the t-bars to the point that their downward travel is limited they could always replace the stock bumpstops with either low profile or ultra low prifile bumpstops, this will give an additional inch or more anf travel and definitely helps smooth out the ride.

 

I put two new keys in had no problems at all love it and i knew what to expect when i was doing it same as the tires. But my theory is you live once and do what you like and in a couple of years i know i be trading it in.

ENJOY YOURSELF NOW.

 

Actually, no it won't help with down travel. Bump stops limit up travel, to keep the suspension from bottoming out. Adjusting the length of the bumpstop, by using a longer or shorter one, will only restrict, or allow more suspension travel upward, not downward. And, that only counts if the upward travel is there to begin with. it won't actually allow you to gain any more up travel, it will just let whatever you have travel further upward. Once the downward travel is used for lift, it's gone. There is no way to get it back unless you adjust it back out with the torsion bars. There is no way to have the lift from the torsion bars, and the downward travel too, Unfortunatly. If you're only using a 1/2" or 1" that's no big deal really.. but if you're going to go higher than that, especially much higher, then it's going to cause issues, which will show up sooner or later.

My main point is, adjust your T bars sparingly. Maxing them out will provide a nasty ride quality, and will wear tires, and the front end components. Minor adjustments are fine, but if you need a substantial amount of lift, then you should look for a different way to gain it.

Anyway, like I said before, I'm just trying to make sure it's clear to anyone who isn't familiar with torsion bars, what to expect from them, and what to be careful for when adjusting them.

 

yes you are correct, I was lookin at it from the other way around for some reason. I need more coffee..

 

Nothing wrong with that line of thinking I guess.. , unless it's done wrong, and you're the next buyer. Using the keys is more than likely a much better solution for gaining any moderate amount of lift. To gain a greater amount, then it's time to pony up and go with an aftermarket suspension system.

I always do, right back at ya..

 

I hear ya, brother. It's easy to get all corn-fused when trying to think of what all is going on, or can go on, when things are altered.

 

Fireman can you explain something. I have cranked my t-bars creating a toe out look. I put a 3" control arm t-bar lift on a Toyota years ago and it created severe toe in (until alignment.) Why is it opposite?


I have to disagree with your bumpstop thinking as they come long and short to open or close available lift as per the application (lift or drop) they are really used as protection rather than creating travel. I think Importkiller is correct as by using low profile stops(meant for a drop kit) on a lift, you are creating potentially more free travel althought it could prove detrimental to other parts. If I am wrong please explain, I agree your first post was great!!!

 

I posted this awhile back. This is NOT my opinion, it is an article put out by a t-bar manufacturer that got sent to my shop.


There still is a lot of misconception about the nature of torsion bars. Hopefully this will help clarify the nature and design of the torsion bar independent suspension setup. To begin with, the torsion bar, like the Leif and coil, is simply a spring. A piece of material which when distorted tries to return to its original position. Like the Leif and coil, the torsion bar can loose its memory [sag], or break. The torsion bar, like the conventional Leif or coil spring is at one end fastened to the frame so as not to move during operation. The other end of the torsion bar is fastened to a pivot [the control arm]. Now as force [weight]

is applied to the pivot end [control arm] it tries to move and take the torsion bar with it, the opposite end being fastened to the frame, can not move so the bar twists and then tries to return to its memory position. This being the point at which the pivot end [control arm] originated. With no applied force [weight], the torsion bar will keep its pivot end [control arm] at the position or angle in which it was originally set. As a constant applied force [set weight] acts upon the torsion bar the torsion bar is resisted from returning all the way back to it's memory or set position. The amount by which the torsion bar can not return to its memory [set] position becomes pre load. Pre load is solely controlled by the amount of force [weight] applied to the torsion bar.

To adjust the ride height of the vehicle by winding the adjuster bolt at the fixed [frame] end of the torsion bar does not add any more force [weight] to the pivot [control arm] end of the torsion bar, therefore the pre load is unaffected, hence ride quality and torsion bar life theoretically remain unchanged. Winding the torsion bar adjuster bolt is the same as installing blocks between the axle and Leif springs or a set of coil spacers; it simply moves the spring to a different position.

The reason the truck may ride a little stiffer is because of the new angle of the pivot [control arm]. As this angle [control arm to ground] becomes greater, the pivot [control arm] exerts less force on the torsion bar effectively reducing the pre load.

Other reasons for a harsh ride after winding the adjuster bolts is YOU WENT TOO FAR. This is when there is not enough room or no room between the control arm and upper bump stops, leaving no room for downwards travel of the control arm. When to replace your torsion bars with larger ones is if you have added substantial weight [winch, large bush bar, heavy bumper, heavier engine, etc.] or if you are looking for a firmer ride. The affected longevity of related components such as c.v. joints, ball joints, spindles, etc. will be the same weather the heavier torsion bars are used or the originals are adjusted, since these components are affected by the selected angle of the control arm. After a height adjustment is made either way, it is a good idea to have an alignment, but you will most times find that everything is still in spec.