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Adjusting Torsion Bars

irontrain

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Irontrain,

I tightened up my torsion bars six full turns on the drivers side and four full turns on the passenger side, and it didn't even lift the front end one full inch. The ride was noticeably "stiffer" and it reminded me of my last truck when I hit deep potholes. :7:
After reading about the potential life-shortening implications for various parts, I cranked them back down. I don't feel that comprimised comfort and potential suspension damage are worth 3/4" in front end lift.
I would seriously consider some aftermarket bolt-on alternative means.

Good Luck,

helmet
 
I don't plan on raising the front end of the Av..so I haven't actually looked into what's out there...but I have to agree with Butch..you probably better off going with a bolt on mod that would help you achieve the look that you want, rather than cranking you torsions and putting undue stress on your system.... :B:
 
IMO . . . the front is fine! I want to get the butt down, and retain the load capability. Seems as if a pneumatic load leveling system could get the job done, but I haven't looked into it yet.
 
I have spoken with others who have suggested I level the Avalanche. Personally, I feel its current stance is aggressive, tying in nicely with the front end appearance. Your cause for concern when hauling a load is also warranted. During heavy trailering, you want your front wheels firmly planted on the ground. Leveling your Avalanche can serious compromise this when a lot of weight is resting on the back end.
 
orboater said:
http://www.hill4wheel.com/

Someone had posted this link for a kit to level the Avalanche/Suburban in a previous discussion.

As some of you know the 1500 Hill keys seem very similar to Ford keys, whatever, here are comments from a couple of knowledgeable folks:

Dogmeat - LS1.com 11278 posts ...
Took my "Ford" leveling kit off today...
My *GOD* .... I can't believe how much better it rides, steers, and handles now...
I dunno WTF I ever thought I had to do this "mod" anyways...
For no more ground clearance than I actually got, the wear and tear on the front end is DEFINATLEY not worth it..
I measured the height to the frame at a somewhat "stock" setting, and I barley got 1" of clearance where I needed/wanted it ...
I dunno....
I guess after having tried this both ways I wouldn't recommend anyone doing this, I'd say just save up for a lift and safe yourself a lot of trouble and time... heh

Thread on leveling >:D
 
I haven't tried the keys... and I'm not going to. "Dogmeat" from LS1.com pretty much covers my sentiment. That's how I feel about the torsion bar tweak.

If you really want to try it, go ahead. My money says you'll crank'em back down like I did.

The AV behaves better while grazing. ;D Trust me. She's always hungry... >:D >:D >:D

helmet
 
If you have the 2500, it is easy to lower the rear 2" using longer shackles because the 2500 has leaf springs. The 1500 has coils and the only way to lower is to use shorter coils. Check with Trader's 562-204-2044.
 
Folks, yet another set of opinions: Leveling and things from PUTC

That's not really true.
When you crank up the bars, you're not twisting the bars any more than if you didn't crank them. Twisting is a change in rotation between the front of the bar and the back of the bar. The bars are twisted by the weight of the truck. That and suspension travel is the only force that will twist them. As you crank them up, the truck lifts up but the bars do not have more twist in them. They simply are rotated to another location.
The issue with pre-99 trucks is if you crank them up too much, the control arms get too close to the bump stop. When you hit a bump. the suspension bottoms out on the "down" travel, prematurely, giving you a very harsh ride. They fixed that problem in the 99-up trucks by redesigning the suspension with a much better bump stop. It's soft and relocated so it doesn't hit hard even with the bars cranked up substantially. My HD is cranked five turns.

Response:

That's only partly right, though. With the stock torsion bars/adjuster cams, you DO have to put more preload into the bars to increase the ride height. I know this from experience, because at 4 turns (approx. 1" of height) on my 2500HD 4x4, the ride became very harsh and skittish without actually hitting the bump stops. A kit such as the Hill 4-wheel Drive leveling kit changes the "at rest" position of the torsion bar. To increase height beyond the "at rest" position you have to preload the torsion bar more. The down side to the Hill kit and similar methods of changing the "at rest" position, or ride height, is that it changes the front suspension geometry to a much less than ideal situation. I'm looking at making my own cams to only give me about 1" extra lift at about 1 turn on the torsion bar adjusters over "stock". This, I feel, is an acceptable compromise between height, ride quality, and geometry.
;D
 
So instead of stiff ride will a leveling kit still give you a rough ride or not??? Yes the ride won't feel exactly the same as stock but is a leveling kit an improvement over 4 and half turns on the torsion bars? My tires won't fit under the front fendors unless it's lifted.
 
bradyb said:
So instead of stiff ride will a leveling kit still give you a rough ride or not??? ?Yes the ride won't feel exactly the same as stock but is a leveling kit an improvement over 4 and half turns on the torsion bars? ?My tires won't fit under the front fendors unless it's lifted.

This seems to be one of the mysteries of life, I, frankly have decided to avoid it for the time being, leveld side to side, a smidgeon, aligned and drive. ;D
 
I have the 2500 and I need to level the front end (side to side). The left side is 1" lower than the right. GM must have a shorter assembly guy on one side. Anyways, where do I crank the torsion bars and how many turns do I need to move one inch? or split the diff and move one side up 1/2" and the other side down 1/2". For such modest change, do I need an alignment?
 
Cranked on my bars last week took a measurement before i cranked on the bolt then jacked up the truck on the drivers side and found the bolt was almost all the way out , turned the bolt almost all the way in then did the same on the pass. side found the bolt screwed in a little more than drivers side when all done let truck down and bounced the front end a few times then measured and the truck was one and a half inches higher and almost level ;D ;D ;D
 
nfhjr said:
Cranked on my bars last week took a measurement before i cranked on the bolt then jacked up the truck on the drivers side and found the bolt was almost all the way out , turned the bolt almost all the way in then did the same on the pass. side found the bolt screwed in a little more than drivers side ?when all done let truck down and bounced the front end a few times then measured and the truck was one and a half inches higher and almost level ?;D ;D ;D

I sure hope you are scheduled for an alignment, if not, you will pay in tires shortly. ;D
 
On my previous truck I used a lift spindle that brought up the front end 1 1/2 inches that closely matched the rear. It did not effect the ride whatsoever. And when I loaded my boat and all gear in back of truck, it dropped down a bit but was never lower than the front. I am sure Belltech or someone either has these available now or will soon. You don't even need to change your shocks. If you want the lower option, drop the rear with shackles (2500) and you will get the same reults. If you have the 1500 you will have a ride comfort change with the drop springs. I personally think this truck looks to aggressive (mentioned earlier in thread) to lower, but different strokes for different folks.
 
irontrain said:
I would really like to level my Av.I have read the posts about tightening the torsion bar but those who have done that reported a loss of comfort in the ride.I'm also wooried that with a level truck that when I carry a heavy load that I will sag in the rear.What are some options that I could try?What have some other owners done and what was change in ride and/or overall height of the vehicle?

Doesn't seem worth it to me. You would get minimal lift out of it for a lot less comfort. Just my opinion.
 
I have to agree with the guys on the aggressive look. I too was looking for a way to raise the front end and that is when i posted the Hill link with information to and part numbers to raise the front end.
Every mechanic and tire shop i have talked to has told me the same thing. You are just repositioning the torsion bars and it will shorten the life and it will give you a harsher ride.
I have grown to like the aggressive look with the front end down and the cost of a full lift roughly around 2000.00 i am just going to hang tight with the way it is ..
zeeya.............................02 cents
 
zeeya2000 said:
I have to agree with the guys on the aggressive look. I too was looking for a way to raise the front end and that is when i posted the Hill link with information to and part numbers to raise the front end.
Every mechanic and tire shop i have talked to has told me the same thing. You are just repositioning the torsion bars and it will shorten the life and it will give you a harsher ride.
I have grown to like the aggressive look with the front end down and the cost of a full lift roughly around 2000.00 i am just going to hang tight with the way it is ..
zeeya.............................02 cents
Great decision - a smooth, trouble free ride ain't all that bad - and better for the gas mileage. ;D
 
My first truck was an '87 S-10, I cranked the torsion bars, put a 3" body lift and 30" tires. I used to replace the ball joints every year for inspection. I have not touched torsion bars since then.

-Mark


Also IMHO The Av ride is soooo sweet, why would you want to change that?

 
A question for those with more skills than me :)

I am replacing my plastic facia in 2 weeks with a solid metal bumper, grill and brush guard.

I am wondering if the extra weight will push my front end down farther. If yes, is it advisable to crank the torsion bars a couple of turns or should I look at another option if my front end is dropped by the weight.

Thanks in advance for your feedback.
 
How far can you adjust the torsion bars to level out the Av? I'm assuming that I need to have it realigned.?
 
Anyone adjusted the torsion bars to level the front and back of the AV out?? If so any problems? I adjusted mine and not sure if Im happy with it. Only lifted the front end. It looks good but want to make sure Im not going eat tires or mess anything else up. Wanted to get your opinions. Thanks in advance.

dday
 
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