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Torsion Bar Adjustment Bad - Strut Spacers Good

eodblanco

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eodblanco New Member

eodblanco

Posted
Posted

I've noticed I am in the same boat as most people on this site. I am trying to put a moderate front end leveling kit on my '06 1500 Classic. I have seen the Rough Country and other kits that most seem to rave about. I have also noticed that most kits for an '06 Classic and below all involve 'tweeking' the torsion bar. All these sites like ReadyLift, Pro-Comp, etc. claim it is safe and reliable. From what I read here, messing with the T-Bar messes with suspension travel both in dips and bumps. It seems that the brains at Chevy adjusted the T-Bar this way for a reason. Please tell me if I am wrong but it seems like the T-Bar keys, and adjustment is not the best way to go.

 

Having said that, does anyone know of a kit for the '06 that strictly uses the "spacer blocks" (their technical name eludes me right now)? From what I have read those are the way to go. It just seems that they are only available for '07s and above.

 

So how right or wrong am I about these conclusions?

 

p.s. Anyone know anything about the Daystar Comfortride leveling kit?

 

Thanks!

:lol:

Silverado4x4 Senior Enthusiast

Silverado4x4

Posted
Posted

Just crank the adjusters 4-5 whole turns and that will level the truck, I have been doing this since my 1993 1/2 ton, 1996, 2001, 2004 3/4 tons and never had a problem just remember to angle the headlights down also as you will blind oncoming traffic, I went 4 whole turns down on the headlight adjustment screws. And remember to jack the front wheels off the ground to relieve to pressure on the adjusters and the bolt threads.

silverad03 Enthusiast

silverad03

Posted
Posted

The NNBS '07+ have a different front suspension design than the one in your truck. The NNBS don't have torsion bars in the 1500 series so they require a different type of modification than yours to provide the lift.

 

If you have 4wd (all 4wd's have torsion bars in '06) or a 2wd with torsion bars (they do exist) then just try what 96vette suggested above, you may get enough height out of the stock bars to make you happy. Or, just go to a Ford dealer and buy two torsion bar keys for like a 1988 Ford F150 4x4. If you search around the forum here you can find Ford's part number and discussions about how to install them. I picked up a set of Ford keys at my local dealer for about $65 IIRC. I haven't priced a leveling kit from the 4x4 suspension companies - but I'm pretty sure they don't sell you anything different than what you would get with a Ford torsion bar key set - and you'll probably save some $$ over the aftermarket kits if you do the install yourself. As an added bonus, you can drive with the comfort that the Ford torsion bar keys have been installed on millions of trucks and stood the test of time - who knows what you're getting with the aftermarket kits (could be a rebadged Ford key or could be something 'fabbed' up in a shop).

 

Either way, if you fuss with the torsion bar adjustment at all, you'll need an alignment when you're done tweaking.

04z71steve Enthusiast

04z71steve

Posted
Posted

i adjusted mine about 10k miles ago at 56k miles... got the whole 2 inches and still feel comfortable with the ride... in fact in my opinion it softened it up a bit... but i may just be nuts... :crackup::lol:

eodblanco New Member

eodblanco

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks for the help. I think I will look for the Ford keys or just go with the Pro-Comp or ReadyLIFT. My main concern was reliability. From the sounds of it people have had this torsion bar mod for a while with no problems. I plan on owning this truck for a long time. I am always hesitant to change anything that could shorten it's life.

 

Appreciate it. :uhoh:

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