Negatives To Torsion Bar Adjustment

KyRob · June 22, 2007

Mentioned that I was going to adjust my TB's to level my truck a bit and a guy I work with freaked out. Said it would mess up all kinds of stuff and may even break the TB's. Being new to the GM line, I wanted to ask you guys and even though this topic has probably been beat to death over the years, I would appreciate your input on any negatives to doing this. To be honest, I will have to look up what a TB looks like before crawling under the truck. I have read that 4 or 5 turns will get 1-2 inches of lift but may make the truck ride stiffer. That will be great as I think it rides to mushy now. It kinda floats along so if it stiffens it up a bit, that will suit me fine. Anyway, thanks in advance for your opinions.

Rob

J45p3r · June 22, 2007

Shouldn't hurt a thing, just get an alignment done after and you should be set. I've been running my truck for 30,000 miles on a 2" crank and I've had no issues at all.

mikystyle · June 22, 2007

I agree. Shouldnt hurt a thing. Ive had it done for a short period of time now but havent had any problems. Love the way it looks too. makes it ride better in my opinion. I would do anything more than 2.5" though. Then your cv axle angles are gonna be a little crazy. I went 2" of lift and I'm fine.

04z71steve · June 23, 2007

i did the same 2" of lift on mine (approximately 4 cranks) and its fine been running it for around 15k miles now and zero problems, truck rides a little better in my opinion, the only thing you have to keep in mind is if you do it, and you tow anything big or put allot of weight in your bed, expect the SAG i am looking into a pair of either 4" blocks for the back or an airbag helper shock to level it back out, i have 2 boats as well as i tow a utility trailer for work and now thats shes level, it doesn't sag, but it definitely has a little low end look to it!!! good luck just don't crank em too hard!!

steve

omegafiler · June 23, 2007

Well, there are a few reasons why many mechanics don't recommend adjusting the TB's.

Torsion Bar Adjustment Negatives:

You'll need to get an alignment (minor issue).
The front may not be level with the rear.
Increased ride firmness - may be a bit rough.
For 4x4 or AWD vehicles, this can cause added stress to the CV axles and will reduce their life.
Throws off camber/caster of your front wheels (uneven tire wear). An alignment may not be able to fully resolve this.

Note: The significance of these negatives may vary depending on the vehicle and how much you tighten your TB's. Many people do this with no negative effects (or at least none that they notice or care about.)

Torsion Bar Adjustment Pros:

Increased ride height, perhaps to level with the rear.
More room for larger tires.
Cheaper than buying a lift kit!

AcetyleneDreams · June 24, 2007

I agree with omegaflier. I was think of doing the same thing you are, but then there is the issue with the CV axles. I can honestly say, though, that some people get lucky from the factory. I gave both of my TBs about 5 full rotations (which for me was all I could do because the head of the bolt bottomed out at 5 turns), and I got barely 1" of added ride height.

If you get under there and start monkeying away at the TBs, just be warned that you run the risk of wearing out your CVs and putting added stress on your TBs. The best way to get the truck level is to get a front leveling kit from Ready-Lift. Most parts stores (like 4Wheel Parts for example) will put one one for you and do an alignment for the price of about 1 day for the install and $600 + $250/kit = $850.

If I were you, I'd go the ready lift route.

J45p3r · June 24, 2007

I agree with omegaflier. I was think of doing the same thing you are, but then there is the issue with the CV axles. I can honestly say, though, that some people get lucky from the factory. I gave both of my TBs about 5 full rotations (which for me was all I could do because the head of the bolt bottomed out at 5 turns), and I got barely 1" of added ride height.

If you get under there and start monkeying away at the TBs, just be warned that you run the risk of wearing out your CVs and putting added stress on your TBs. The best way to get the truck level is to get a front leveling kit from Ready-Lift. Most parts stores (like 4Wheel Parts for example) will put one one for you and do an alignment for the price of about 1 day for the install and $600 + $250/kit = $850.

If I were you, I'd go the ready lift route.

I just took a look at the ready lift site and as far as I can tell their kit does nothing to address the CV angles. All it includes is a new set of keys for the torsion bar to give more available adjustment (which can be done using Ford keys for much cheaper).

99blackz · June 26, 2007

Yeah, i dont think that cranking the T-Bars hurts it at all. I have had mine done for about 60,000 miles and have had no problems yet, however i have broke one side CV shaft but I am sure it was only because of some stress that only an 18 year old kid in a muddy ditch could put on it.! LOL

Jigsy '00 Silver · June 27, 2007

For what it's worth.....

Raised the front end of my 97 Sierra 1 1/2 inches with ZERO problems.

Brought it to my mechanic and had an alignment done. That was it.

Common sense will dictate what you end up doing.

The more lift you make, the more things are out of alignment.

Best o' luck and enjoy the new ride.....

HuntingEd · June 27, 2007

Dont forget it hurts you MPG (you'll lose 1-2 mpg)

Rolandd · June 28, 2007

Long term impact of raising the front end by cranking on the TB's includes much faster failure of ball joints, bushings, and tie rod ends. These parts normally last the life of the vehicle. CV joints can also be an issue depending on how often you engage 4wd and whether you like to gas it as you turn hard. Changing the angles of the control arms also impacts how the suspension responds to bumps and leaves you with slightly less margin in a critical situation. The ride can also suffer because you are now riding on the end of the suspension travel: the wheel has no more suspension to carry it through a deep hole. Cornering and handling will suffer because you have raised the center of gravity and the suspension responds differently with the control arm angles changed. Personally I would only go up an inch--if you need more get a lift kit, which will maintain the designed geometry of the front end.

KyRob · June 28, 2007

Thanks for the opinions guys. I only had 4 threads showing on the adjusting bolts so I ended up with it being raised about an inch. Ride is better and more to my liking now. I stopped at the GM dealer and asked the service manager about it and he said they do it all the time for people and unless you went crazy and maxed out the keys, it wouldn't hurt anything. He said they have not had any problems or heard of any when adjusted within reason. Guess time will tell.

Rob

superbee · June 28, 2007

Check out Cognito, they make bracing kits for our trucks as well as a leveling kit to provide enough adjustment to align the truck properly after twisting up the T Bars. I think the CV angle thing is a little overblown, 1-2" won't do anything to them. The Idler arm and Tie rods do get more stress this way, ball joints too. The Cognito bracing kit sandwiches the pittman arm to limit the amount of flex (rotation) of the idler which can cause it to wear out early. My T Bars are twisted up about 2" and I don't have any kits or problems, yet. This probably isn't a big deal with a gas truck, it's a bigger concern with the Duramax if you do boosted launches in 4wd, that can cause the tie rods to fold up and quick idler arm failure.

As far as breaking T Bars, it ain't gonna happen. The T Bars are still seeing the same amount of torque as when you started, they are just indexed differently, what I mean is this: Say for instance (fake numbers just for illustration) the bars are twisted 50 out of 360 degrees to hold the weight of the truck (twisting acts as spring tension), you then adjust the key to raise the truck. The Torsion bar is still only deflected (twisted) 50 degrees from one end to the other, the starting point just changed, you've rotated the entire bar from one end to the other.

Hope this helps. Good luck.