Torsion Vs New Keys Leveling Kit

[kurt1993]

So i want to level my truck out, i Just got new shocks RS5000s and i dont want to ruin them can shock extenders account for the 2" because rancho does sell RS5000 for trucks with Lift 2" or 6" i believe, but unfortunately i didnt think about it and just got the stock lift replacement RS5000 so 1. Will Shock extenders work? 2. Which is better Cranking the T Bars or buying New Rough Country 2" Keys? 3. Is Rough Country a good Brand? if no, what is better? 4. What are the concerns of leveling the truck out? rough ride? allignment problems ect.....? 5. What are your experiences with the leveling kit you have installed, Problems? Amount of Miles drivin with kit installed? 6. Anything else i should know before Buying New Keys or Cranking the Bars? 8. If anyone Else has a truck similar to mine and has questions about leveling such as cognito or anything feel free to post because id most likely want to know also

 

Thanks,

 

-Kurt

[8.1HD/ALLISON]

Plenty of adjustment in the stock torsion bars, no need for keys. Shock extenders should work ok. Might stiffen the ride a little but mine seems ok to me. Need to do an alignment asap after raising torsion bars.

[Matt_]

Shock extenders are not a good idea for this application. Your suspension can still compress as far as a stock truck. If you put those extenders on and hit a big bump or rut you'll end up blowing out your shocks.

 

Most aftermarket shocks have plenty of travel... the metal droop stops will limit your suspension travel.

 

There is NO BENEFIT to aftermarket keys unless you can't get the height you want from the stock keys. Search.... there's plenty of discussion explaining this.

 

FACT: the higher you crank the stiffer the ride will get and the faster parts will wear out. Generally speaking 2" seems to be the "acceptable " limit for these trucks.

 

I cranked my torsion bars 1.75" and hated it. $.02

[kurt1993]

Shock extenders are not a good idea for this application. Your suspension can still compress as far as a stock truck. If you put those extenders on and hit a big bump or rut you'll end up blowing out your shocks.

 

Most aftermarket shocks have plenty of travel... the metal droop stops will limit your suspension travel.

 

There is NO BENEFIT to aftermarket keys unless you can't get the height you want from the stock keys. Search.... there's plenty of discussion explaining this.

 

FACT: the higher you crank the stiffer the ride will get and the faster parts will wear out. Generally speaking 2" seems to be the "acceptable " limit for these trucks.

 

I cranked my torsion bars 1.75" and hated it. $.02

 

hes saying the extenders are OK your saying not? the rest makes sense, but i still would think the extenders are necessary because the shocks aren't meant for a 2" lift? right and the 2" extender would fix that.... as for parts wearing out faster all i have to say is why? and what? and for what reason?

[Matt_]

You're not "lifting" the truck, you're resetting the ride height.

 

The distance between the shock mounting points under full suspension compression stays the same after you crank the torsion bars. When you add in 2" extensions then you're making the shock 2" longer under full compressed length... the problem being that the suspension can still compress as far as stock. So you may blow them out.

 

You're increasing the angles on the parts. The steeper the angle the faster they'll wear. Sorry, i really don't feel like typing a dissertation on why.... it's inherent to mechanical design; period.

 

The "what" is upper balljoints, lower balljoints, outter tie rods, inner tie rods, for GMT900s you'll wear the steering rack, for GMT800s you'll wear the pitman and idler arms. For 4wd trucks you'll wear the CV joints.

 

With all that said, keep it at or under 2". If you can take the stiffer ride, just replace parts when they wear and don't lose any sleep over it.

 

As far as shocks are concerned, go outside and jack up your truck from the frame until the tire is hanging off the ground. If the upper control arm is touching your metal droop stops, then new shocks won't do much and you definitely don't need extenders.

 

That's my $.02, spend it how you please. You can search on here and look for posts made by me on the subject... we've gone into detail on this so many times i was hesitant to even respond to this thread.