How High on Torsion Bars?

[duglasfur]

I recently wrote a thread about the torsion bar crossmember hitting the frame w/ turning and riding over bumps. From the responses, I see this is not an unusual problem. I decided to crank in my torsion bar adjusters 4 full turns and the "clunk" is much improved, but still does it on tight sharp turns. I know that dropping it down on the bars messes up the camber, but how high can it be turned up? And how can the rear be raised to match?

[MuddyS10]

you *can* torque the bolt all the way in, but thats going to accelerate front en components wear. as far as lifting the rear, an add a leaf kit, or some universal shackles will get you between 1-3" of lift,

[duglasfur]

Should the truck just be "leveled" w/ the torsion bar adjusters? I'm not really trying to get lift , I'm just trying to fix the crossmember problem w/ extra tension.

[MuddyS10]

really, id say yes. its ok to get like 1/2" of lift, but whats 1/2" of lift? hardly anything, and i cant see the reasoning behind cranking t-bars and accelerating front end wear to get a maximum of 1.5" of lift.

[bristol16]

what about removing the bolts to drop the front? does this do anything besides toss off the alignment? dropping a 4X4 is a biotch.

[MuddyS10]

dropping a 4x4 is just plain stupid.

[bristol16]

why? looks just the same as a 2WD. at any rate, anyone without a moronic comment know of side effects to removing the bolts?

[bristol16]

and before you get really nasty, i didn't get a 4X4 to go offroading. in fact i would rather have a stick 2WD. i got it for the snow, and dropping it 2" is not going to affect how well it drives through the snow.

[MuddyS10]

its not a "moronic" comment, its my opinion. guess you havent heard how bad 4x4 S-10s handle in the snow. a 2wd with sandbags in the bed would do just as well as a 4x4, and yes, i know that for a fact, because a drove a 2wd with weight in the bed, and it did better than both my regular 4x4 AND ZR2. as far as pulling the bolts, if you want your ride to feel like ass, and wear out front end components faster than you put gas in the tank, have fun.

[bristol16]

Quote: Originally Posted by MuddyS10

as far as pulling the bolts, if you want your ride to feel like ass, and wear out front end components faster than you put gas in the tank, have fun.

i don't have an s-10, i have a jimmy. the thing weighs more than 2 tons and it has no problems driving in, on, over or through the snow, regardless of what your s-10s can or can't do. and no, i haven't heard how bad 4X4 s-10s handle in the snow. i just wanted to know the goods and bads about removing the torsion bar bolts and whether or not it is bad for the truck, not get into a debate about what handles better in the snow. thank you for the info, because it is helpful to know that it causes front end wear.

[Scott01]

Quote: Originally Posted by bristol16

i don't have an s-10, i have a jimmy.

You have an S-series made by GM.Same thing only badged different.



If you change the angles of the CV shafts you stand the chance of premature wear.

I am on my third S-series,an 86 4x,98 ZR2 ex.cab,02 ZR2 Blazer.They all handled the snow just fine.Very rarely used 4X in the 98 and the Blazer has Auto trak so it does it itself.

[MuddyS10]

i couldnt take mine out of 4x4, or id just sit and spin the rear tires. that goes for my ZR2 with mudders, too.

[bristol16]

Quote: Originally Posted by blackZR2

You have an S-series made by GM.Same thing only badged different.



If you change the angles of the CV shafts you stand the chance of premature wear.

I am on my third S-series,an 86 4x,98 ZR2 ex.cab,02 ZR2 Blazer.They all handled the snow just fine.Very rarely used 4X in the 98 and the Blazer has Auto trak so it does it itself.

haha, i know they are all made by GM. i was just saying i got an SUV, not a pickup

why would they make the torsion bars adjustable if it does damage all the way down? that souds like a bad design to me. i don't know anything about suspensions or drivetrains though (obviously). is there a way to lower the front the of my truck without changing the CV shaft angle? i have already replaced one of the CV joints and don't need to have it done again. is 2" lower enough to cause problems? thanks guys!

[MuddyS10]

why do they make it possible for people to pour oil in their fuel tanks? why do they make the MAF easily accessible for people who want to mess with it? no, there's no way to lower the vehicle w/o changing the CV shaft angles, that im aware of. you'd have to remove the t-case and front axles.

[Scott01]

And yes 2 inches is enough to do damage.Thats why the 2" suspension lift for these rides is so bad.It doesnt drop the differential to get the lift.

[BluGMC01]

I had a 93 Sonoma 2WD with 14" tires and it did ok in the snow, better than my parents cars (accord and escort at the time). But i have an 01 Sonoma 4x4 (non-ZR2) and it is a beast in the snow. Even without any weight in the back i've gone through 26" of unplowed snow like it was nothing with sh*tty Goodyears on it. I think your 4x4 is having a hard time in the snow either something is wrong with it or your driving is off.

[J45p3r]

I don't have anything constructive to add to this post and I really should just let it be, but I just can't.

I live in Maine and we get frequent large snow storms in this area. My 4x4 S10 had little trouble tracking through ~18" of virgin snow. Not to mention pulling a 2 place snowmobile trailer weighing 1500lbs in a near white-out snow storm passing other people who had gone off the road. This was all without any additional weight in the back. I think a 4x4 S10 is one of the better handling 4x4s I've driven. I like it more than my buddies full size GMC because it seems like I get a better feel from the smaller truck. Very stout in slippry conditions.

As far as T-Bars, I looked in to raising the front as much as I could with them, but anyone I talked to said the benifits do not really out weigh the negatives. I assume dropping them could have similar negative effects.

[MuddyS10]

i know how to drive in snow and bad conditions - ive been doing it for quite a while, and i go out in snow just to drive. well, i did in my trucks, i dont have either anymore. ive gotta say, my FWD Altima does better in snow than either of my trucks. plus, driving through unplowed snow offroad is totally different than driving on semi-plowed, snow/slush covered city roads.

[JayMan8200]

on the torsion bar thing, the "POP" you get is probably from the torsion bar bracket being broke. mine would do that. they arent that expensive, i got mine from NAPA for about $11 each but my father in law is a mechanic and has a business account there, i would say they are about $20 a piece...they kinda look like motor mounts in a way and are where the adjusting bolts are. check them and replace them if necessary and that should fix the "POP"....i have a 1st gen, but i am sure it is the same for others too.

[twodoorblazer]

no idea on t bars, I would say from what I've read on here in the past, Muddy is right, wears the shit out way fast up front, cvs, ball joints.

but man, my 4x4 goes a lot better than in 2wd anyday when in snow

[Snake Eater]

I say crankem till they dont crank no more. I have stiffer tbars cranked 80% or so and have 70k+ miles on them. No premature wear here. Just the common dry cv boots that cracked and needed replaced.

[Penrod]

I realize this is an old topic but I noticed something here. You guys that say a 4wd S-10 doesn't handle or drive as well as a 2wd S-10 or a (POS) Altima , have no idea on tire applications. The width of your tire has a direct correlation to your traction, as tire width increases, traction decreases. It sounds backwards but if you think of it in terms of a different application....say, you have a butter on a countertop, you also have a knife and a rolling pin, now drag either one across the counter top, which one is harder to pull? The knife, it cuts through the slippery surface and grabs the hard counter surface, the rolling pin just moves the butter around. This is why people with mustangs/TA's/Camaros have a horrible time in the snow, they all have really wide tires. Wide tires ride on top of the snow and tend to slip while narrow tires cut through it to the base (concrete/asphault) easier. My beretta would drive through the snow 12" deep all the time (MI), no problem. I would practically be plowing snow over the hood. Until I put 235's on it instead of the 195's, it wouldnt even hardly get down the driveway in 3-4" of snow, hard to believe 1 1/2" of width caused that much trouble, so think of you people with 235-255's, its not gonna move. Most people with a little stock 2wd leave the small (195/205) tires on it and yes, it will inturn handle well, especially with added over-axle weight. So those of you with 'mudders' your traction will be horrible 4wd or not, they are meant for mud (supposed to float over that, not sink through it) not snow. FWD tends to handle better than RWD for obvious reasons but AWD is no doubt better in all ways. It has nothing to do with the vehicle, only 3 significant things considered are; weight over axles, tire width, applied torque (duh, you mash the gas and it doesn't matter what the surface grit is)