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Torsion Bars did the trick

jtblue2500

jtblue2500

Full Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2003
Messages
731
Location
Fort Lee, NJ
Man, i just picked my truck up at my friends shop after he cranked the torsion bars and did the alignment. >>>> AWSOME.. the Avalanche is finally looking like a truck!!!! :love: :love:
It makes such a big difference in the look of this truck to have it leveled. I will be putting 285's BFG A/T's on it later this month.

I asked my guy about adding the PLC HD keys to get the height and he said defintly not! it will cause damage in the long run??? Therefore we just cranked the torsion bars and got the truck completely leveled. I got to take pics tonight.

JT
 
Ok, I'll bite. Why are the HD keys so bad? My shop recommended them and PLC have had no issues. Have had them on my truck for almost a year now - no problems.

One suggestion to all torsion cranked or rekeyed guys: don't assume that after you do your alignment sfter the adjust. that it will always be aligned. My shops says to rotate the bigger tires more often (5k miles) and get the alignment checked at the same time or when you get an oil change ($45 or so). The 4x4 shop explained why this is, but it was kind of over my head. The reason I noticed was because my tires were wearing unevenly and it was out of alignment - also had a lot of tire noise I didn't have before. Hope this helps.
 
How much lift did you get with the torsen bar, ??? and how much thread was on the bolt before you started.
 
I am not sure, to the inch, what i gained from it (didnt take the time to measure before and after), nor do i know how much thread was left on the torsion bar, my buddy who ownes a shop did it for me. I do know that the truck when i got it was really low in the front. But i do know it leveled out the truck completely.

One strange thing was: I bought this truck used this past year from a dealer ship with 17K miles on it, and wasnt to sure of what MODs were done, but after the truck was lifted in the front, I am now able to see the shocks, and they are silver with a red lable that had NASCAR / Rancho on them? I wonder if this is what comes stock with the 2500 trucks??? This may be why my ride quality was not changed AT ALL!!

But with the torsion bars cranked, the truck is completely level now, rides the same, looks so much better, and now when i pull up next to those rusty phords and other trucks out on the road, i am close to the same height. It just is a better stance for this truck, but i guess that is just my opp. Some people like the 60's style raked look, but for me that dont look to cool on a truck.

I have just heard from too many people that i have asked about the keys that it is no good. They say you are modifying some thing that is not supposed to be changed. The torsion bars are adjustable from the factory so that you can increase the height of the truck, its ment to be that way. You can even bring the truck to the dealership and ask them to do it, and just pay for an alingment. It is completely safe. putting the keys in runs the risk of wareing out your CV joints. THis is only what i am told, i am not a 4x4 specialist or anything.

I have to take some pics of the truck on level ground to show you guys what it looks like now, its just been to damn cold out side.

JT :B:
 
Hey Rubiconguy,

I understand tire wear may affect your alignment, but normal rotation usually keeps that in check. Is it the larger tires or the new keys / cranked torsion bars or a combination of the two that necessitates checking your alignment every 5 k miles. Unless you live in the potholeville, or you are doing frequent off roading, it seems llike overkill, just my opinion.

JT, can't wait to see the pics, I'm seriosly leaning towards cranking up my torsion bars.

Doug
 
I have a rancho 4 inch and i have been noticing that it seems to be lower in the rear. Is this what i need to do ? I have no idea what "keys" are so little lost here.....
 
Doug, its the other way around - alignment will effect tire wear. As far as the 5k miles, that was just what the guy at 4wheelparts told me. He went through about a 15 minute explanation as to why, had to do with the new GM front ends. Kind of went over my head. In a nutshell, apparently the front end alignment is done from a threaded bolt on each side with nothing to stop it from turning in and out. That is why it takes only about 10 minutes and $30 to get an alignment on one of these trucks.

By the way, I might do this the first couple of times to see if there is any adjustment needed. I kind of suspect the alignment was not done correctly the first time because the truck handles awesome after I just had it done.

The Rancho shocks are not standard, I think my shocks are blue.

Also, not that I know any better, but whether you tighten the torsion bars or rekey them, the angle of the CV joints would be the same (assuming you raised the same amount). So I don't see where the additional wear would come from. I just brought mine to level.
 
Rubiconguy,

I was aware alignment affects tire wear. I was going in the direction of, as a tire wears it gets shorter and or out of balance from normal wear. I figured that this may affect the geometry of the front suspension. Then again, NASA isn't trying to recruit me !!!!!!

I have yet to bring the Av in for alignment, every vehicle I've had prior to this has required a four wheel alignment, with several adjustments including caster/camber, toe in/out, etc. I never got away for less than $65.00, and the thought of doing that 5-6 times a year doesn't sit well. Might as well just buy 2 new tires every year for that kind of $$$$$.

Thanks for the info

Doug
 
Doug ZREX said:
I have yet to bring the Av in for alignment, every vehicle I've had prior to this has required a four wheel alignment, with several adjustments including caster/camber, toe in/out, etc. I never got away for less than $65.00, and the thought of doing that 5-6 times a year doesn't sit well. Might as well just buy 2 new tires every year for that kind of $$$$$.
Click to expand...
My dealer had the truck aligned (they sent it out to a Goodyear store) after replacing the pitman arms under warranty. I complained about it pulling to one side pretty badly, so they sent me back to Goodyear again. I never got a bill, but I hung around while they worked on it the second time. They worked on it steady for at least an hour. I don't think it takes only about 10 minutes, unless that's the alignment that I got the first time.
 
:) Thanks, my 03', wbh, 1500, is 1.75" lower in the front. I have one bolt that only has about .25" of thread, and I don't know if that will be enough to level my truck :(
 
Question: can 2500 torsion bars be installed on a 1500 to lift truck to make it level instead of keys or cranking on the bolts, the 2500 does have torsion bars doesn't it

??? ??? ??? ??? ???
 
I have read if you put the 1500 keys on the 2500, it's the same idea as the ford keys. I don't know about the other way around, though.
 
Sorry for the late response - I was gone over the weekend. Mine is a 2500.

Doug - I had my last one done at Les Shwabs for something like $35. The first one I had at a local 4x4 shop was $65 and I don't think he did it right. Also, You have a point about getting new tires, the problem I had was I only had about 5k miles on brand new TerraGrapplers and the road noise was getting unbearable due to the misalignment. Better now that they are in the back and starting to wear evenly again!!

Also, dude at Les Shwabs was praising how easy these things were to align, although he said the were not good for staying that way!!
 
Rubiconguy,

Sounds like you had a bad alignment first time around, glad things are betten now. I never even though about alignment affecting road noise, that will make you crazy. My wife tells me I'm becoming my dad as I have become militant about tire balance, wheel alignment, & clean windshields.

At least I don't read the obituaries and start every conversation with, what medication I take!!!!!!
 
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