Torsion bars

[busta]

Well last night I finally got the torsion bars cranked up last night on my truck (2000 GMC Sierra 4x4) and what a difference it made...i didnt think it would make that much of a difference and i was wrong...now i am considering even more getting a small lift on it...but i guess that might have to wait a little while

[chris_kucia]

Did you align the front end?

[bigdogxx]

The one time i cranked the t-bars on my s10 it nearly destroyed every suspension component on the front end of that truck.If you didnt align it i would go have it done, that is 100% needed after adjusting the t-bars especially when you do it for a free lift!Dont say i didnt tell you so if your front end starts to ride like a brick and you are tearing thru ball joints/idler arms ect. ect.

[busta]

Well then there seems to be mixed feelings on this...you are the first person to claim this happened to...no i havent gotten it alligned yet...they say to wait a week or so to let it settle...but hopefully i wont have any problems...<knocking on wood>

[slemmer]

When I cranked my torsion bars up 2" to my '95 I had the alignment done - you don't want it to track like a crab, do you? I also added 4 new Trailmaster shocks to compensate for the increased travel. Thirdly, I added leaf spring helpers to give an additional 2" lift at the rear. Cheap mods for a functional appearance. Afterwards, it did ride rougher - a good way to settle down your on the run lunch!

[busta]

When I cranked my torsion bars up 2" to my '95 I had the alignment done - you don't want it to track like a crab, do you? I also added 4 new Trailmaster shocks to compensate for the increased travel. Thirdly, I added leaf spring helpers to give an additional 2" lift at the rear.  Cheap mods for a functional appearance.  Afterwards, it did ride rougher - a good way to settle down your on the run lunch!

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

 

 

Yeah I plan on putting new shocks on after christmas and I will be getting the allignment done here shortly

[FloridaZ]

If you put a suspension lift on a stock truck w/o cranking the T-bars, will the truck sit level?

[busta]

If you put a suspension lift on a stock truck w/o cranking the T-bars, will the truck sit level?

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

 

I'm guessing you would have to put a little bit bigger of a lift on the front or crank the torsion bars up

[slemmer]

I guess you want to ask yourself if you want it level, versus a slight dip for aerodynamics - like it has any...)

[JAF1]

I was going though ball joints and idler arms every 20k miles on my old truck when I lifted mine 1 1/2". Won't do that again on my new one. In the end, it just wasn't worth the effort.

[busta]

So where were all you guys that are against cranking the torsion bars up when i asked about two weeks ago in here weather or not there were any down sides to doing this...the vast majority of the opinions i got that there more than likely werent any problems with doing this...am i really going to run into this many problems

[silverado3500]

From what I remember, generally, you can get away with 1" safely. Anything past that can be "iffy"

 

Keep in mind, that all the trucks come just a little different from the factory. Depends on a lot of different factors, not including what bars GM put on the truck (there are 8 different rated torsion bars, as a result cranking 1 inch on one truck might be the equivilant of 2" on another truck, and vise vers.)

[lrymal]

So where were all you guys that are against cranking the torsion bars up when i asked about two weeks ago in here weather or not there were any down sides to doing this...the vast majority of the opinions i got that there more than likely werent any problems with doing this...am i really going to run into this many problems

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Probably because I've posted pages * pages here on the subject as to why it isn't a COSMETIC adjuster at all. Just tired of re-posting it and was hoping others from the past would jump in. A good search on the subject will reveal answers and solutions.

 

Torsion bar adjustments are done, but not for cosmetic purposes. Basically they are there to compensate for a weighted-down front end, such as from a snow plow.

 

When you measure, don't measure from the ground to the lower body panel. Measuring from the ground to the frame is better. But measuring at the knuckle is far better. See the shop manual. WHAT?! You don't have a shop manual and you do this sort of stuff on your $30,000 truck????!!!

 

Your truck's level will change. Without a load in the back, it will appear level. Put 200 pounds in the back and your truck's backend will appear to be sagging. The back end of a pick up is higher for a reason.

 

Your truck's ride will stiffen. This may not be apparent if you are strictly a city road driver. If your roads are washboard, have expansion joints, and you drive on dirt roads, the ride will be HARSH. That's a nice feeling for a $30,000 truck.

 

Anyway, there are LOTS of messages from years past regarding the torsion bars. Search around. If the search engine doesn't work well enough, then go to GOOGLE and type this:

 

torsion bar site:www.gm-trucks.com Exactly like that.

 

Of, just select this:

 

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=torsi...G=Google+Search

[Cranky1]

I have to agree with Lyrmal. I cranked my 94 k2500 as high as it would go. A few weeks later I cranked the torson bars down slightly (2 complete turns) to get a nicer ride because it was banging as I went over a dip in the road and the tires got air between them and the road.

 

6,000 miles later my steer tires had gone lumpy, I took it into get an alignment done, it needed 2 upper and 2 lower ball joints and an idler arm. The mechanic screwed with it for 2 hours to get it aligned and thought the truck had been bent at one time.

 

Thank god he had the bill done when I picked it up. I told him as I was paying the bill that I cranked it up. I thought he was going to blow a gasket after he found out what I did.

 

Expensive lesson.

 

Ball joints and Adler arm: $780

Alignment: $60

2 Tires $400

 

Proper 2" lift front and rear $600 plus labour. I had to replace the front shocks 1 month after the front end was done because they started to leak. I think it was from the shock fully extending from the travel of the suspension.

[JAMIEZ71]

I've had my T-bars cranked for quite a while. I did 5 turns on them to level the truck. I've not had any problems at all. I didn't have mine aligned due to tires wearing on the inside before I cranked them. Tracks straight and the new tires are wearing even.