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Need some opinions Keys or lift

Fowlhunter

Fowlhunter

Full Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2007
Messages
353
Location
St. Charles, MO.
I will need to replace my tires before the end of the summer (P265/70R17).  I would like to go taller maybe P285/70R17 which is somewhere around a 33" tall tire.  I've been reading alot of the threads on torsion keys but not yet convinced.  I talked with a guy from my local 4 X 4 shop and he said I may only get 1" if that from the keys.  He also said depending on the angle of the lower control arm they may be against the bump stops which will make for a rough ride.  My next thought was a 3" body lift?  Don't really want to spend $1600.00 on a suspension lift and replace the OEM wheels with 4.5" back spacing.

Thanks.   
 
Cranking up the torsion keys will stiffen the ride, the shop had done mine and it took all the travel out of the suspension, it was like riding on bricks.  I had swapped in the 1500 keys which do the same for a 2500 as ford keys will do for a 1500.  I swapped back for the ride.  A lift is the best way but if you dont want to spend the money definately do the body lift.  The front end will thank you for it.  Keys are hard on the front end
 
I swapped my keys for ford keys about a year ago.  I did it myself.  Took about an hour and 30.00 for parts.  Easy install.  I did NOT crank them up all the way.  Just enough to level it, maybe an inch.  I have never had a problem and I don't think the ride changed at all.  You will get many opinions on this topic.  I would suggest you try it, if you don't like it you can always change back.  You must get it aligned or you will eat up tires.
 
Thanks to both of you for your opinions. Would you receommend the Ford keys or the Readylift keys. I know the Readylift keys are around $230 or so. I also heard the story about taking the travel out of my suspension.
I would like to keep the rake in the rear of my AV so I guess I need to add spacers to the coils in the rear?? Has anyone done that? I see allot of guys that make them level so I have to (I know never assume) assume most guys don't do any towing?

Thanks.
 
:welcome:


hey i live right across the river from you in bridgeton! i have keys and longer front shocks on my truck, had 1st capitol 4wd put it all on. let me know if you want to hook up sometime and you can check out the setup and go for a ride.

 
Very cool!!  We need to hook up.  I would love to see your AV and meet someone new.  I spoke with Kevin at 1st Capitol 4wd and felt like he was trying to talk me out of the keys and into a suspension lift.  Minimal funds, divorced 2yrs.  How much lift did you get from the keys?  Did you add the rake back in the back? 

Thanks, Steffan.
 
Fowlhunter said:
Very cool!!  We need to hook up.  I would love to see your AV and meet someone new.  I spoke with Kevin at 1st Capitol 4wd and felt like he was trying to talk me out of the keys and into a suspension lift.  Minimal funds, divorced 2yrs.  How much lift did you get from the keys?  Did you add the rake back in the back? 

Thanks, Steffan.
Click to expand...

yea ill send you a PM and we can get together some time.

maybe they thought you would spring for the suspension lift? i dealt primarily with brett. he and (i think) kevin told me that they have done many many pickup trucks that way with no issues...my av was the first av they did, but the suspension setup is basically the same. they gave me the impression that getting the right length shock was the critical mistake that most people make and that there werent really any other issues.  they were smart enough to measure and figure out what shocks needed to be in the front so i didnt end up with a pogo stick. ive had the setup since january, so we'll see. no probs so far, truck rides as good as ever, if not better.

im not sure the exact measurement, but the truck sits perfectly level with no load in the back. i did not add the rake back, i wanted a level look. you could get coil spring spacers if you want to raise the back.
 
Personal opinion time?? OK!

Keys or lift.... ???

IMHO... hands down a lift.? As stated above... even if the keys do not make your ride all that stiff, the rest of the suspension components will thank you for not doing the keys.


Disclaimer:? The opinion stated above is a personal one, and will differ from other members in the club.? I personally do not have F-Keys on my Av, but I do have a 6" suspension lift (RCD), and have not had a single suspension issue since the lift was installed back in Sept. of '03
 
Maxx6 Av said:
Personal opinion time?  OK!

Keys or lift.... ???

IMHO... hands down a lift.  As stated above... even if the keys do not make your ride all that stiff, the rest of the suspension components will thank you for not doing the keys.


Disclaimer:  The opinion stated above is a personal one, and will differ from other members in the club.  I personally do not have F-Keys on my Av, but I do have a 6" suspension lift (RCD), and have not had a single suspension issue since the lift was installed back in Sept. of '03
Click to expand...

im with ya... keys was the best available option for me at the time. hopefully it will last at least a couple years without wearing out any major suspension parts and maybe a true suspension lift will be in order after that  >:D
 
Hey coolmagnet.  Don't want to sound like a dumb @$$ but what do you mean you will send me a PM????

I know they make their money on the suspension lifts and I would love to have a 4", just not right now. 
I have heard allot of guys talking about installing the keys and complaining about the stock Bilsteins taking a crap.  Wouldn't that be comon sense to replace the shocks with longer ones??  Good luck with it.  Can't wait to see it!  Yes, keys and coil spring spacers was my thought. 

I measured the height of my AV, probably not the correct way but it measured from the ground or bottom of the tire to the bottom of the rear quarter 38" and the same way in the front about 36". Actually 35-13/16". 
 
Maxx6 Av
That's what I was looking for.  I would rather do the lift but at about $1600.00 just not feasable right now. 

What does the replacement of the keys and the cranking of the torsion bars do to the suspension?

Thanks again for your opinion Maxx6 Av.
 
Fowlhunter said:
Maxx6 Av
That's what I was looking for.? I would rather do the lift but at about $1600.00 just not feasable right now.?

What does the replacement of the keys and the cranking of the torsion bars do to the suspension?

Thanks again for your opinion Maxx6 Av.
Click to expand...

Cranking the t-bars does a few things... first off, it obviously will raise the front end.  In short, it's making the front end stiffer than stock.  This will make it harder for the other suspension parts (Upper and Lower A-arms) move the way they should when hitting a bump.  Rebound will also be much quicker as there is more tension on the t-bars... which in turn is making all parts of the suspension work harder.  The t-bars are your front springs so to speak.  You twist them a little more when adding the F-keys, and this will also reduce the life of the bars.  Another thing is the cv joints... the more of an angle you put on them, the sooner you will be doing high dollar maintenance.

This is ONLY my opinion of the f-keys... I know there are several people out there that will cuss me up and down, and tell me I'm crazy.  But I personally do not like the idea of lifting the Av (or any other truck) by cranking up the t-bars.

In closing, if you can't aford to do the lift now... wait till you can aford it, don't do a "half DONKEY job"!


G'luck in whatever you decide to do with your Av!



Brad
 
One thing you should consider is that any time you change or modify any vehicle in any way, you will be prone to having different issues come up from the issues you will encounter if you were to leave your vehicle stock.
So weather it's lifting it with keys, suspension lift or both, you will be prone to
wearing things out prematurely.  You should do what you need to, to get what you want.  If you are doing the work yourself then replacing some ball joints down the line shouldn't be that big a deal. Also, are you just trying to get a different look or are you doing this for function?  it makes a difference on what you will wear out first and why.  In other words, how hard are you going to be driving it.  If you are just looking to get a 33" tire under it to start and don't have the high dollar lift money now, do the F keys.  You will be changing everything anyway once you go for the suspension lift including going to 35" tire probably because why spend $1,600 to get an extra 1" when you can spend $280.00 plus labor to do F keys, coil spacer in the rear and new shocks all around.  You can even get better upper Control arms for not to much $. check out http://cognitomotorsports.com/
BTW, I did the F keys on mine after I cranked up the stock keys and didn't get as much up as I was looking for. Cranking the stock keys made the ride a bit more stiff but not bad at all. (if they weren't made to be cranked up/adjusted they wouldn't have made it so you could do it) The F keys gave me a 3" up over stock and aren't even cranked up all the way.
In my opinion the stock ride is way to plush anyway. I used to drive a Caddy. If i wanted that kinda ride I would have kept the car.
With F keys I noticed that the ride quality was about the same because of the re indexing and the only thing that I could tell right off was that the stock shocks weren't damping enough at the top end. New diferent rate shocks will fix that.
Body lifts are for getting that extra edge after you do a susp. lift. Or for dudes that don't want to gain any advantage other than looks and are scared to wear anything out. Sheeet the dern trucks gonna wear out sometime. Specialy if you live where they salt the roads in the winter - Fookers'.
Bottom line, if you are worried about life span of parts, gas mileage or getting dirty, leave it stock and be happy your driving an Av.  If not than go for it with whatever budget you have to get what you want.  You will have plenty of time to do more upgrading and you will probably even get a new Av to do it all over again with in the future.

Have Fun and Good Luck!!!
 
Appreciate your opinions.  I don't plan on doing any hard off roading, most of my off road adventures are during duck season and fishing.  I just want my AV to be more capable during those times.  If I choose to do any other off roading the mods (whatever they may be) just make it that much better.  My plan is a 285 or a 33" tire.  I was thinking about the Ready Lift keys but now pondering the thought of the F@*d keys.  Much cheaper!!!!  If I can get 1-1/2"-1-3/4" out of the F@*d keys in the front then I can add the (1-1/2") coil spring spacers in the rear to keep the rake in it.  If and when I do the key mods I plan to replace the shocks with the Rancho RSX (1-1/2" to 2" longer)  Not worried about gas mileage or getting, like I said I use my AV.  I see too many folks around St. Louis (West County) that purchase these awesome vehicles and they never see the dirt. 

Thanks again for your opinions!!! 

Fowlhunter.
 
I would go with a 3" body lift with the wheel well gap gaurds to hide the gaps and stay away from the suspension if you only want up to 3"s of lift.Keep us posted.
 
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