I'll try to draw a mental picture of our front end using the face of a clock. (digital clocks won't work here).
Our lower control arm pivots on the frame just as the big hand on the clock pivots in the center of the clock. Point the control arm to 3 o'clock and put a wheel there. The torsion bar acts like the clocks motor except it try to prevent the arm from turning.
The stock setup allows the control arm and wheel to travel up from 3 to 1 o'clock and down from 3 to 5 o'clock. The torsion bar holds the control arm at 3 o'clock.
When we level the truck with the torsion bar we are moving the normal position of the wheel from 3 to 3:30 or 4 o'clock.
The range of travel doesn't change, it's still 1 o'clock to 5 o'clock. We have changed how much travel is available up and down in relation to how the truck sits.
Let's say there is a major hump in the road like a railroad crossing that we are going to hit at speed. With cranked torsion bars we have more ability to handle the approach, the suspension can compress from 4 o'clock to 1 o'clock. On the down side of the hump the suspension can only extend from 4 o'clock to 5 o'clock.
In all cases of torsion bar adjustment the range of wheel travel stays the same. Adjustment changes how much of that range is compression and how much is extension.
Changing keys or using heavier bars doesn't change the range of motion either. The stock setup has a limited amount of adjustment. Let's say it allows adjustment from 3 to 3:30. Changing the keys or bars may allow adjustment from 3 to 4 or 4:30.
Make any sense?
kw
Our lower control arm pivots on the frame just as the big hand on the clock pivots in the center of the clock. Point the control arm to 3 o'clock and put a wheel there. The torsion bar acts like the clocks motor except it try to prevent the arm from turning.
The stock setup allows the control arm and wheel to travel up from 3 to 1 o'clock and down from 3 to 5 o'clock. The torsion bar holds the control arm at 3 o'clock.
When we level the truck with the torsion bar we are moving the normal position of the wheel from 3 to 3:30 or 4 o'clock.
The range of travel doesn't change, it's still 1 o'clock to 5 o'clock. We have changed how much travel is available up and down in relation to how the truck sits.
Let's say there is a major hump in the road like a railroad crossing that we are going to hit at speed. With cranked torsion bars we have more ability to handle the approach, the suspension can compress from 4 o'clock to 1 o'clock. On the down side of the hump the suspension can only extend from 4 o'clock to 5 o'clock.
In all cases of torsion bar adjustment the range of wheel travel stays the same. Adjustment changes how much of that range is compression and how much is extension.
Changing keys or using heavier bars doesn't change the range of motion either. The stock setup has a limited amount of adjustment. Let's say it allows adjustment from 3 to 3:30. Changing the keys or bars may allow adjustment from 3 to 4 or 4:30.
Make any sense?
kw