I have heard alot about raising the front end of 4x4 f-150's by tighting the torsion bars. I would be interested in raising the front end a inch or so if there are not bad side effects. Does it wear ball joints out quicker, stiffen ride, or anything else that would be bad. I am going to buy some leaf spring helper springs for the rear, and they raise the rear end about a inch or so and if i could level the front end aswell then it would look better. When you do tighten the bars.....do you jack the truck, suport it on jack stands, then tighten the bars?? Suggestions would be greatly appreiciated!
John
99 f-150 4x4 ext. cab(84k)
rear steel buper..grilleguard w/4 KC lights
tool box..bed linner
dual exaust..K&N air intake...<!-- / message --><!-- / message --><!-- / message --><!-- / message --><!-- / message -->

 

I wouldnt. I did this a long time ago. The truck looked real nice, but the ride was bad. I used to take my truck off road and with little bumps and pockets, the ride was real rough because the wheel doesnt have enough downtravel and the tires would come off the ground. Not to mention that this will wreak havoc on your CV boots. I set it back to stock height soon after. i didnt like the ride and it throws off your camber, you would have to get your truck aligned anytime you mess with the torsion bars. Its just a big headache, i wouldnt mess with it. Also if you crank your torsion bars up, your tires will look like theyre sunken in. Get a lift kit if you want to sit higher, dont crank the bars.

 

I would agree although those helper springs are well worth the money. Your turning capabilities multiply more than 2x because of less bodyroll. almost like a sports car, but yours is 4 wheel drive and will flip easier. Your truck sound real farmiliar. I think i have seen you around somewhere

 

I wouldnt do it. Some people can get away with it. Some have to keep replacing part because it adds wear to them. I think it is the CV joint, will be at a sharper angle, depending on how much you crank the bar, can cause CV joint to wear out really fast. And you will have less wheel articualtion i believe. Not worth it.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I was going to tighten the bars today and now that yall dont suggest it, i guess i am not....Thanks for the warning, i am sure glad that i didnt do it and regret it. I guess my next option is a 2" body lift. Has anyone tried Performance Accesories body lifts?? Good? Bad? Sugestions?
Thanks for the help.
John
99 f-150 4x4 ext. cab(84k)
rear steel buper..grilleguard w/4 KC lights
tool box..bed linner
dual exaust..K&N air intake...<!-- / message --><!-- / message --><!-- / message --><!-- / message --><!-- / message -->

 

They are numer one in body lifts as far as I know. Just curiois, what kind of tires will you be putting under there, or just leave stock for now? Any reason not to go for 3"?

 

As of right now i am running 265/70/17 BFG A/T's, and i will be untill about november or so. When i replace them i will probably get the same tire but a biger size.(probably285/70/17) The reason i was looking at a 2" lift instead of a 3" is because i want to change the ride of the truck as little as posible, as it is i already have considerable body roll. I called Performance Accesories today and talked to a man that told me the kits come with rear bumper brackets, but they are not load bearing......and on my truck i have a replacement steel bumper that i have a hitch on and so therefore cant use the brackets when towing.(If i but the lift on and leave the bumper where it is there will be a 2 or 3 in gap[correct?]i have a picture in my gallery of my rear bumper and on it you can tell that there already seems to be a inch or two gap) And what do you do about the front bumper? If i have a grille guard that attaches the the frame, will that be a problem(seems like it would be a major one). Are there any other "problems" that i might run into?
Thanks
John
99 f-150 4x4 ext. cab(84k)
rear steel buper..grilleguard w/4 KC lights
tool box..bed linner
dual exaust..K&N air intake...<!-- / message --><!-- / message --><!-- / message --><!-- / message --><!-- / message -->

 

SBEII... just a 'for your info'

I have had my t-bars cranked about an inch and a half since november with no change in my ride quality, off road ability, (if not better because of the clearance),
no extra noticable cracking or wear on the cv boots or anything.

Nothing but a slightly higher front end.

Just dont go up more than that, or else it might suffer a stiff ride. But mine has not suffered at all from an inch and a half.
(trust me.. my woman is particular about comfort and she hasnt noticed any change in the ride)

 

I agree with Illateralus,

I cranked mine a little bit (1/2 - 3/4 of an inch) to see what the difference would be and all I can say is that it has been a positive change for me. I found the front end way to bouncy, especially out in the desert. Now with the bars crnaked, I feel that the bounciness has been reduced and I feel like the ride is more suited to my liking. I wouldn't suggest cranking the bars to the max and leaving them, however what most others here on the forum have suggested was to crank to the max and then back them off 2 full turns. Should get you that 1 - 1.5 inch you were looking for. Admittedly there seems to be 2 schools of thought on this issue. Lert us know what you decide.

Cheers,

 

Mine have been cranked since the original owner bought it (90,000 miles ago) with no ill effects to date. Gives the truck a nice look in the front end and I run 285/75R16's on it without any clearance issues.

 

I am glad to hear both sides of the spectrum on this topic. I have a few friends that have adjusted the torsion bars on their trucks with no bad side effects or abnormal tire wear. I have pretty much decided not to buy a body lift because of my existing rear bumper and front frame attached grill guard. I am thinking about tightening my torsion bars, but i was curious if you had to get your truck aligned afterwards. Did yall have to??
Thanks for the suggestions
John
99 f-150 4x4 ext. cab(84k)
rear steel buper..grilleguard w/4 KC lights
tool box..bed linner
dual exaust..K&N air intake...<!-- / message --><!-- / message --><!-- / message --><!-- / message --><!-- / message -->

 

Get it aligned after. Even if you don't crank them enough to throw off the alignment, it isn't worth a set of tires to find out you needed an alignment.

 

Had mine cranked up now for over a year and about 30000 miles on and off road. No ill side affects at all. The ride is a little stiffer but not enough to worry about, no extra wear on any parts noticed by me or the shop. Local dealer said it should be no problem at all. But do go ahead and have the alignment done as couleeman said , it isn't worth a set of tires to find out it was off. Mine didn't feel like the alignment was off but upon checking I needed just a slight adjustment.