Cranking ZR2 Torsion Bar Limits

[MortallyWounded]

I've read everything here I can find about cranking the torsion bars but nobody has mentioned what the max lift one can get safely with just the torsion twist. All I want to do is level the front with the rear with stock suspension. I tend to beat on my truck a little and expect to replace the CVs again within the year anyway. By the way, has anybody found Kevlar CV boots yet?

[IronZr2]

i did mine a just got about 1/2" out of it. i will tell you one thing it is a hard ride. buy stock in preperation h you will need it

[sonoma-project]

My friend has a ZR-2 and he cranked them like 8 or soemthin and the people that did his alignment cranked it back down to 6 i think, said 8 was too much.

[lebowski1]

do es anyone know how high from the ground to the fender lip you can safely go? right now ive got 33 - 1/8" from what i remember i got about 3-4 full turns on each bolt. is that too much, just right or can i go higher?

[MortallyWounded]

Um, 8 what? Just 8 turns on the bolts? I mean, can I really level the front out without new keys? I would like to do this in the parking lot at the alignment shop (or maybe I should just ask them to do it) this weekend.

[IronZr2]

most shops wont do that for you

[BluGMC01]

I cranked mine 3-31/2 turns and it leveled off my truck. only thing is that after they settle back in the front end will slope a little bit just as it did before, but not as dramatic.

If you are going to do it, jack your truck up so the front wheels are off the ground, then crank them, it's much easier than if the weight of the truck is on them

[Fry98]

Quote: Originally Posted by lebowski1

do es anyone know how high from the ground to the fender lip you can safely go? right now ive got 33 - 1/8" from what i remember i got about 3-4 full turns on each bolt. is that too much, just right or can i go higher?

Do you have a ZR2? The average Ground to flare measurement for a ZR2 is 35-36". If you have a reg. 4WD, 33" is about right. I cranked the bars on my '98 p'up enough to level it, which was about 1.5"...I never had a problem and I had them cranked almost that much after the lift, too. I wouldn't go much more than 1-1.5"...the weak S-10 front end parts can't hold up to the stress caused by cranking much more than that.

[TokoDragon]

Am dumb, i forgot to measure before hand then not even realizing I lowered it 3 turns, so I did 7 turns tighter = 4 actual height turns and both front sides are 36'' from ground to fender lip, and both back are 38'' you said 35-36 is normal ZR2? so can I crank them a little more and go to about 37?''

I haven't got an alignment yet, I was going to tomorrow after I got a reply to see if I can go abit higher. Ride is slightly siffer, but not much (took it for a 2 minute dive)

[89-S-Dime]

1.5 inchs is the max I would go before things start to break and the amount of turns you do on you keys to acheive 1.5 inchs of lift is different for every S10...............it depends on the shape of your T-bars

[TokoDragon]

yeah, I heard others saying the bolts were at the max on some s10s, mine have a very long way to go before the bolts wont turn anymore. It's a 2002 and I don't know if the carmax dealer changed them, but it def looks like these torsion bars were never cranked. Maybe they are new and the installer had them sitting at around 34.5ish because it sitting at 36'' is still higher than it was before I started.

Kind of afraid to crank them, I don't want to wear out the front end of my truck, it drives great now, but the giant rake is really annoying. If the truck is at 36'' now, and the torsion bars have plenty of crank left, one would assume it'd be alright to go to about 37?''

they're tough to turn now, even with the front on jack stands it takes a cheater bar to crank them.

[Tyhackman15]

You can't really get a true answer on how much you can crank your t-bars. every truck is different, so you have to measure your own.

Going by "Z height" is the best bet. Here's a link to help you find out your "Z height" http://www.s-10crewcab.com/og1/modin...ight/Trim.html

Zr2's are around 4.9 inches from the factory.

[89-S-Dime]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tyhackman15

You can't really get a true answer on how much you can crank your t-bars. every truck is different, so you have to measure your own.

Going by "Z height" is the best bet. Here's a link to help you find out your "Z height" http://www.s-10crewcab.com/og1/modin...ight/Trim.html

Zr2's are around 4.9 inches from the factory.

4.9 inchs is the Z trim height, you can't get 4.9 inchs of lift from cranking the T-bars on a ZR2

The question is:
what's the max lift one can get safely with just the torsion twist?
and the true answer is:
1.5 inchs is the max you can before things start to break....................this includes the CVU's, ball jounts and idler arm..............even @ 1.5 inchs of lift from a T-bar tweak your S10 will start riding like a tank

[TokoDragon]

It rides great now (For a truck) but I tried to crank them more today, and I did two cranks and it went up only one half centimeter, and it just felt like it was about the max it'd go, and more cranks were just putting stress on it. There's a slight bow to the torsion bars, which I guess is normal wear and eventually gets worse until they need to be replaced correct? The driver side has one more crank than the pass side to even out, and the driver side should be slightly higher to account for driver correct? it has a nearly full tank of gas.

So I think I may leave it at 36'' in the front, it's higher than it was and most of the rake is gone, rides nice. It'll probably take a lot of cranks to get it to 37.'' it has 4 cranks on pass side and 5 on driver side.

[NC4x4]

Just crank them until you hear a "pop"

[TokoDragon]

sweet, I kept cranking them and now the front is at 40'' the bar thing popped and broke so I used this lead pipe I had, it rides pretty nice when I air down the tires, rides like it has air bags.


Yeah, but seriously I think they're cranked enough, it still has a rake but not nearly as bad, and it still rides pretty comfortable so it'll be going to sears auto shop to get a wheel alignment. Sears actually does have a pretty good staff, the only problem I have had with them is I bought shocks from them and they gave my 4x4 shocks for my 2wd s10, so I drove a few miles with no shocks at all (Didn't want to bother putting the old shocks back on just to take off 10 mins later) Those shocks really do make a difference, I noticed a little different driveing habits with them off

[89-S-Dime]

Quote: Originally Posted by F9K9

If, you read the entire link that he provided (and understand it) you will see that 4.9" has nothing to do with the how much the front end is lifted. If, you have to have an alignment after a TB crank, just print off those specs and tell the alignment shop that you want your "Z" trim height according to GM's own specs. The result will be a raised front end. Worked fine for me.

I understood the link did you? do you own a ZR2 or a ZR5? You have a shop set your non ZR2 S10 set to the ZR2 trim height (including your ZR5) your tweaking your T-bars more then the 1.5 inchs recomended and the last time I checked the ZR2 sits 2 inchs taller then a non-ZR2 4x4 S10

Does that still work fine for you

[NC4x4]

I probably wouldn't take what F9K9 says with a grain of salt. He usually knows what he is talking about. But if you don't believe him, take him up on the proposition!

[NC4x4]

Quote: Originally Posted by F9K9

Now, I am thoroughly confused

What you quoted wasn't exactly what I said, or at least after I edited it. What's so confusing?

[NC4x4]

I said if I were the guy disputing your claims I wouldn't take what you say with a grain of salt...meaning he should take what you say as good information and just not blow it off as crap. That's a good thing. Now if I would have said "Take what he says with a grain of salt", then that would have been a negative.

[TokoDragon]

sears is really strict about protecting themselves, they only so things their way. and I'm sure a lot of shops don't want someone coming in telling them how to align my truck lol.

I would try the GM dealer here, but they'll reqiure I make an appointment, and I can't drive around with my tires this much out of alignment for that long. the edges are already wearing down from the 5 minutes of driving it's had in the last 2 days.

I'll probably try les schwab to do the alignment and give them a copy of the z height sheet.

Thanks!

[TokoDragon]

I took it to les schwab, they made me wait an hour, then called me over and said they can't do an alignment because the right side upper ball joint is bad, so it took them an hour to lift the truck up and wiggle the tire I guess. then they said they wanted 350 bucks to do it. and they can't do it now, need to make another appointment for tomorrow. So I went to a local dealer to see what they would say, they never called and said there was a bad ball joint so maybe they did the alignment anyway. Not saying les schwab is wrong, maybe it is, or maybe it's so slight it really doesn't need to be changed this instant. I can't afford new ball joints, and I can't drive it with how far the tires are out of alignment now.

Les schwab probably would have had a field day if I told them I cranked the torsion bars, they said the tires were wearing on the outside because the ball joints were bad. I'm hoping the local dealer will just align it how it is, and a friend offered to help me change the ball joints later when I can afford it.

[zastrda6]

i cranked mine all the way up in order to clear wider rims and tires, i have had no problems wut so ever. I measured the frame height on it until they were even and did an alignment on it and it seems to ride great besides my wheel vibrations.

[Jigg]

How long ago was that? And how old is your truck?

[TokoDragon]

I took the truck to a local dealer called Commercial Tire, they did an alignment and never even mentioned bad ball joints. I took the truck home and jacked up both sides and both sides have no movement what-so-ever in the directions les schwab described.(they said the upper ball joint on the passenger side was bad.) I bet the ball joints will need to be replaced eventully though, since it's a 2002, and probably never have been changed.

When they do need to be replaced, I'd change them myself, buy moog joints and a friend offered to help me for a free lunch. I have chiltons s10 repair manuel, maybe it'll say how to replace them, if not zr2usa has a write up I'm sure.

This happend 10th and 11th this month.

I didn't crank mine all the way, just to get about an inch to an inch and a half to make the front 36'' and the back is at 38'' It's looks good, has a small rake to it but it doesn't look like it's taking a nose dive anymore.

[zr2guy]

I have a 02 ZR2 and mine is the nose dive special, so I cranked the bars all the way, got 2" out of them never aligned it and have put about 1000 miles on it with no negative effects tires are fine, ride is a lil stiffer but not bad right side is about 1/2 " different then the left but not noticeable just measurable ?????????? so what is the big deal about the bars anyway

[GeorgesBlazah]

You proably have saggins bars if it was a nosedive special. An easy way to find out if your cranked too far is to look at the CV axles angle. if its pretty steep, your too far. A little bit of an angle is fine. There was a "post your CV axle angle" thread in here before I was look around for that to find out about where you are.

[TokoDragon]

I think mine are a little worn out too. I cranked them 5 turns on one side and 6 on the other side and even after cranking them the front was only at 36'' inches and back is at 38'' and I heard 36'' is stock height in front. before I started is was about 34.5-35'' in the front. then I saw T-bars are about 300 dollars, so truck looks great

[zr2 maui]

My 03 sonoma zr2 is the class idiot. My mucho 4wd buds don't want me to be on the same hill as we scoot down/up/sideways....problem is, the friggen front end!!!...the droop has to go!!!.... I've found a coupon for viagra on my seat... I've read a few of the posts here, but their a bit out dated.. here on maui we have limited resources for anyone who REALLY knows what thier talking about..one garage states I need to get steering knuckles and keys [800$] and the other says just to crank it up....any new remarks out there?.......Aloha

[Tim99Zr2]

you can just crank them, about 1.5" max. anything more than that i would suggest just getting the SL 6" kit

also, they dont make "lift" knuckles for 4x4s. only make spindles for 2wds

[4x4zr2GA]

oh man... ok look. this is all you need to know/do. if you just want the back level with front, go get a tape measurer. now, find the lowest crossmember under the front of the truck, measure from the bottom of the crossmemeber (on each side of the truck) to the ground. youll probly get slightly different measurement becuase each torsion bar over time will sag and settle differently. so record or remember those measurements. now jack the front of the up so the wheels are off the ground, and turn each torsion bar adjusting bolt about 4 complete turns, now let the truck back down and bounce on the front bumper to let the truck settle again... now measure again from the same crossmember points on both sides... keep repeating this untill you have about 1.5" more lift then when you started and also adjusting for the difference in both sides. you might have to crank one side more than the other to acheive the same lift. do NOT go over 1" - 1-1/2". anymore that that and youll be wearing ball joints and cv axles out left and right.

[Redneckin86]

i have a 04 s10 stock, i been reading up on tweaking the torsion bars, i dont do any towing or heavy hauling with it. what exactly are you tweaking and what is the effects

[92s154x4]

i got a 92 s10 put lift tkeys in it cranked it until i couldnt go no more and wheel the balls out of her nuttin broke yet lol

[89-S-Dime]

if the keys are set at the factory ride height and your t-bars are in good shape you can go up to 1.5" and still get a desent ride

[89-S-Dime]

Quote: Originally Posted by 92s154x4

i got a 92 s10 put lift tkeys in it cranked it until i couldnt go no more and wheel the balls out of her nuttin broke yet lol

[92s154x4]

lol screw it build it to break it i got cv joints stocked up in the garage

[89-S-Dime]

then your good to go