Hello all, I went to crank the t-bar bolts on my 08 4x4, but the drivers side looked maxed out (bolt head up against the bar), while the passenger side had about 1/2 in or 1 in to go. I didn't turn them because I was so confused.

I'm the 2nd owner, and the previous owner was a security company so i doubt that they would fool around with ride height, so what's going on?

 

Someones messed with em. Pretty normal for the pass side to have more adjustment as drivers side always has a driver and fuel tank sagging it more.

 

And just as a heads up

The torsion bars are the front SPRINGS, which are set for the vehicles WEIGHT on the front axle
If you "crank" them tighter then you are changing the SPRINGS, which is why the truck will go up in the front, it is now "over sprung" for the weight, so you will have a stiffer ride because there is not enough weight for the spring loading

This is why pickup trucks are stiff in the rear, most have springs rated for an extra 1,000lbs, 1/2 ton rating, so when bed is empty they are "over sprung", cranking torsion bars does the same thing to the front of the truck

 

 

If the torsion bar is turned tighter it increases the amount of weight needed to twist it in the opposite direction, that's just simple physics

If you buy a mattress with springs made for 150lbs person, and you weight 250lbs then it will feel too soft to YOU, if springs were made for someone who's 500lbs then springs would feel too hard to YOU.
Suspension, like beds, is a personal thing, some may want less dip when cornering, some may want softer ride, i.e. drives like a boat, lol, really up to you

Shocks are not part of the "suspension", they do not hold any weight, but need to be rated FOR the weight, and length of travel for the suspension
Shocks dampen spring deflection, they have oil inside and plates with small holes, as spring deflects in either direction the oil has to pass thru the holes, this slows the springs deflection, the size of the holes decides how much and how fast it slows down the spring against the weight of the vehicle.
Shocks can make ride stiffer, but not softer than spring rating, shocks prevent springs from doing what springs do, keep on bouncing if not dampened.

Remove top or bottom of front shocks, then put your weight on front of truck, should go down easily, if you weight say 200lbs, if not springs are way too tight
Crank torsion key, try it again, if your happy I am happy, lol.
I like soft ride

 

No. Total waste of money. Lift keys will destroy your ball joints and tie rod ends. Crank your stock keys to get 1.5 inches or so of lift and call it a day.

 

Also, think alignment. When I cranked mine up it went out of alignment pretty noticeably. To get as much lift as possible, I just had the garage crank them all the way up before doing my alignment. My driver's side also was much farther up than my passenger (still is). Like the other post mentioned that could be the gas tank and/or driver offsetting the weight to the driver's side. I got about an inch out of them myself, when I went in for an alignment I asked them to see what they could get out of it. They got just shy of 2 inches on both sides after the suspension settled. If you can't figure it out this might be an option for you, you might need an alignment anyway after doing them yourself.

 

He will definitely need an alignment. Whenever the tbars are played with, the truck should be aligned.

 

Agree with 00Green Ranger, its a total waste of money and nothing at all.