torsion bars?

[toyota pete]

hey i was lookin at a aftermarket catalog and saw new "heavy duty " torsion bars ,to raise up the front and blox to do the back . they said that if i cranked the stockers up to get the two inches i want that it would be too much stress and ride way too ruff. is it true ? do i need to buy new ones or can i just crank mine up ? also is it hard to change them/ do i need any special tools ? thx 4 the help C-ya

[Arnold]

I would stick w/ the stock bars unless you got a heavy bumper and winch up front.

[B43]

I installed the heavy duty 26mm bars in my DD 4runner and got about an 1 1/2 lift the ride is ok, I also have roachos rs 9000, and they have to be set on #2 for a decent ride

On my last pick up I just cranked the stock t bars for the same amount of lift, the ride was way better...sticck with the stock bars, also if your gonna do this pick up some new low profile bump stops

dont try for 2" of lift you'll just F s@#t up

[dkc1657]

Originally posted by toyota pete
hey i was lookin at a aftermarket catalog and saw new "heavy duty " torsion bars ,to raise up the front and blox to do the back . they said that if i cranked the stockers up to get the two inches i want that it would be too much stress and ride way too ruff. is it true ? do i need to buy new ones or can i just crank mine up ? also is it hard to change them/ do i need any special tools ? thx 4 the help C-ya

Hey man, thats a bunch of bs. Cranking up the torsion bars will make it ride ruff NOT because you're putting more stress onto the stock bars. When you crank up the torsion bars, you lower the relative position of the upper and lower arm which gives you the extra lift. When you do this, the distance between the upper arm and its bump stop is decreased which means you have a less front end droop. This gives you a rougher ride because everytime you go over a pot hole your front end will bottom out. So what I'm trying to say, is if you use those "HD" torsion bars and crank them up, they'll do the same thing.

When you "crank up" a torsion bar, all you're doing is changing the relative position of the torsion bar and front suspension compared to its stock location. Its like putting a block under your leaf springs. You're just changing the position of the spring, not over loading it.

[toyota pete]

thx to all you guyr really know your stuff!! you are bein a big help . I think this will help me and my toy alot since i signed up in this forum :D :D :D :D

[Pazuzu]

OK, I have slightly cranked aftermarket bars, they are WAY too stiff, I plan on going back to stockers. I'm also running 35s, and the springs just won't flex.

Second, if you're gonna change them/adjust them...

GET NEW ADJUSTER BOLTS AND NUTS. About $30 from Toyota, you'll probably have to order them, so do it now for an adjustment in a week or two. The stock bolts are stressed, and very likely will snap when you torque them. You'll be happy you have the replacements instead of a dead truck :D

[whitemtns]

OK, I have slightly cranked aftermarket bars, they are WAY too stiff, I plan on going back to stockers. I'm also running 35s, and the springs just won't flex.

i'll second that. i went with the 26mm (hd) bars, and they where stiff at hell. i figured the addtional weight of the 350 would require them.

save your money....

[buchvilleman]

your increasing the preload and limiting downtravel so its not truly a "lift" since a lift would increase ride height and allow same if not more wheel travel.

yota IFS seems to be better than ford (my epereince is with ford) but TT lift wears parts out quicker. cv axles, and wheel bearings are warn under more stress.

[SteelHorse]

Isn't it bad for the cv's if you crank the torsion bars? I know it is on chevy's. Maybe yota's handle more angle?

[Pazuzu]

Originally posted by Vulture65
Isn't it bad for the cv's if you crank the torsion bars? I know it is on chevy's. Maybe yota's handle more angle?

Isn't EVERYTHING we do to our rigs bad for some other part of the rig? :D

Yes, you put more stress on the CVs, but if you do all of your street driving with the hubs unlocked, it's not that bad. Also, the Toy IFS axles are stronger than people give them credit for, I've been wheeling mine with NO outer boot for months. The boots shread pretty quick when you have the t-bars cranked over 1.5 inches.

[Colorunner]

Originally posted by Pazuzu


I've been wheeling mine with NO outer boot for months. The boots shread pretty quick when you have the t-bars cranked over 1.5 inches.

LOL...that's funny, my junk is STILL IFS too and I just recently ripped the drivers outer boot in the past year...took 10 years of thrashing it to do just that, granted most if not every piece of my ProCrap 4" lift is bent beyond repair, but she just keeps on truckin...and that lift's been on there since '95. Now I got a garage of my own so it can go under the torch...

Oh, and as most have stated, the oversized torsion bars are the biggest waste of $$ you can spend on lifting a yota. The stock bars will "lift" every inch of what an oversized one will, but will remain WAY softer. Buddy of mine put on some Downey 26mm bars years ago and the ride was so rough. My 15 year old stockers are super plush!!!:D

[rcurrier44]

We cranked the torshon bars up on a buddys 94 toyota truck 6 years ago to give him a little more height + added larger shackles in the rear. It worked well. I just ran into the girl who bought it from him a couple of months ago and she says it is still working great. She thinks the truck lost a little height since she got it (under an inch). But it is still higher than stock.

A couple of words of advice.

Replace those adjustment bolts, they are more than likely rusted in place by know (I know they were back then). That and we broke one when we found that the thread didn't go far enough. It all of a sudden got harder to turn, we assumed it was more rust in the threads untill the bolt broke and the truck came crashing down on the bump stops. Turns out we ran out of thread.

Replace the CV boots with some high angle ones from downey (or a similer company). The boots will tear and let moisture and dirt into the joint, this is why most CV joints fail.