Pre key vs bar crank
 

I understand the difference between the two, but how does cranking the torsion bars put more wear on the front end than doing the pre key mod on my 2010? The front end doesn't know how it's lifted an inch or two, so what causes the extra stress? In my head, they do the exact same thing to the front end. I'm not looking to lift it big, just level it out, so the only advantage the pre key mod would offer me is the ability to crank it even more in the future, right?

anytime you crank them up it puts more stress on the parts but yes they do the same thing it is just that your 2010 keys don't go as high as older stock ones did because they lowered the trucks in 08 maybe

So is it safe to assume that the trucks with the older keys have more stress on parts from the factory? Since I'm just wanting to level it some, I may do it today if it's not going to wear out anything faster than it would if I had a stock 2007 Ranger.

I don't think prekey will stress the front end the way cranking the bars does...

Does anyone know why though? The front end rotates the same no matter how you turn the bar at the back end, or am I overlooking something?

I went ahead and raised it about an inch and a half anyways, lol.

i asked this question several times, never got a definitive answer... just a "it's just the way it lines up"

make sure you get an alignment RIGHT QUICK, as the t-bar crank makes your alignment go out

I went to get an alignment and they said it was perfect and didn't have to adjust anything.

Cranking your bars adds more stress to the front by throwing everything out of alignment. It isn't as noticeable when just changing to the 07 prior keys because then your just going to stock height for those then people usually add larger tires because they fit which also causes wear and tear on the front end. Its when you crank them further than the 07 stock settings. I have 2" lift keys in mine and I wore out the upper ball joints because i didn't get the camber adjusted and it also messed up a set of tires. So it basically puts more strain on everything by going over the stock 07 height

You can see a little more gap in the front end now.

keys, then no keys and keys bl

The 08 and newer keys sit at a slightly different angle than the older ones so they bring the front of the truck down slightly. It's not that the older keys are bad for the truck, I think they were going for better mileage.

pretty much get it lower to the ground for less resistance

which is total bs the sticker on my 2010 said 14-18 which is a mile less then it used to be

:thinking:

I was getting 14-8 when I was stock in my 08. I'm still getting 17 in the city w/a tune from Fred.

Heck before I lifted my truck, on the highway I was seeing almost 20 if I did the right speed.

I had this question when I was about to buy the Leveling kit from "Ready lift" with includes a forged keys. But after analyzing it is just about the same.

In that website they assure that you wont overtorque your keys, but this doesn´t apply to the Torsion Bars, I mean, the Torsion bars and the rest of the front suspension will be equally affected if you crank the OEM keys or just install the aftermarket ones.

In both scenarios the Torsion bars receives an overtorque. A faster wear on this bars and ball joints will be the result, first one caused by the extra torsion, and the second one by working in a differente range /position than designed.

Anyway I have mine lifted 1" by cranked keys and I think this minor change wont affect to much.

Hope can help.

i have an 06 2wd and am looking to get rid of the "rake-look"...safer to just crank the t-bars or the pre-key? Not quite sure if the pre-key would work on my year or not.......any suggestions??

06 already has the "pre-key". 08+ are the only years that the pre-key applies to.

Your truck already has the "pre-keys". It's the 08+ trucks that don't. You can get a couple of inches of lift on yours with your stock keys. Leveling it out with the back should be no more than a 2" crank, but you will notice the ride getting a little stiffer, and so will your suspension components.


And for the record, on an 08+ truck, cranking your bars 2" or swapping out to the older keys does the exact same thing to the suspension. The end result of either is that the torsion bars are turned up to increase the ride height. The difference is that you will still a good range of adjustment with the older keys.

So how much would prekeys lift my 2010

About 2"

So in other words it would level out my 2010

Yup

What about stock 07 rear blocks are they bigger to? If so by how much?

so with my 06 sport it would be best to just crank the tbars rather than get new keys? also i was planning on puttin new bilstein 5100s in to try and help with the stiffer ride...am i gettin this straight?? able to clear 32's?