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Torsion Bar Adjustment (Pics on Page 5)

167K views 277 replies 119 participants last post by  GregDAP 
#1 ·
Anyone cranked down the torsion bars yet to raise the front end up? I heard its hard on the CV boots in the s-10's. I want to raise my front end up an inch or two but I dont know how many turns it requires.
 
#27 ·
JoseV64 said:
i want to do it, but im afraid im going to f it up.
How's this for f'ing it up...on my first attempt I went the wrong way and *dropped* my truck 2 inches! :lol:

I took some pics, but they turned out really crappy. I tried to do before and after, but I took my afters, and then raised it another 1/2, so my afters aren't even the completely after. Let me get it cleaned up tomorrow, and then I'll post a pic similar to one of my older ones just showing how it leveled it out.
 
#28 ·
Here we go...





I may give it another half a turn just for good measure, but there's an obvious difference as is, and the front and back are pretty damn even at this point.
 
#30 ·
I would check the headlight aim if you raise the front end, it may be blinding others now. (If this matters to you)
 
#31 ·
I've seen different info about dealers doing this. I did a lot of reading on an Avalanche messageboard, and some dealers would do it no problem, and some dealers don't condone it. Its kind of a shot in the dark.

Nothing changed, other than the feeling that you're driving a meaner truck. You can definitely tell a difference when sitting in it. It makes it feel like a bigger truck.

When I took my first drive to settle it in, I could feel every little bump in the road, but after a couple of miles through town, it had settled and gone back to normal. I lost about 1/2" on my initial drive, so I put another inch or so in, and let it settle again. That's where I'm sitting right now.

I'm going to give it another day or two, and make a final judgement on whether its good or not. Then I think I'll have my dealer align it when I get my oil changed in 800 miles.

Yeah...I got flashed twice just going across town from my buddy's place. I had gotten flashed a few times even before I lifted it. Either these lights are bright, or people get pissy about people that drive w/their fog lights on. I'll probably have them crank the lights down when I get that oil change as well.
 
#32 ·
Actually, I found that I had the necessary tool, and went to the headlights myself.

Does anyone know...are they supposed to be level with each other? I'm still used to my '94 S-10 where you had to adjust up and down and left to right to get proper alignment. These lights only adjust up and down, and they seem to work best when they're level with each other.
 
#33 ·
I drive a LOT at night after work. When your eyes are already tired the last thing you want is someone with there fog lights on during a clear night, or worse a rainy night with no fog.

The fog lights are why they flashed you.
I have been known to do that when blinded by them at night.

They aren't designed to be when it's not foggy.
Thus the name FOG lights.

[stepping off soapbox now]

I would guess that they are to be level.
 
#34 ·
On the opposite end of the spectrum, I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna use those lights that I paid for the .025% of the year that I'm actually driving when its foggy.

To offset from the headlights, fog lights provide light in a short and wide area, and anything that's going to keep me from slamming into a deer, I'm gonnna use.
 
#35 ·
okay, so let me get this straight, when adjusting the torsion bars, it only moves the front end correct? and the back end stays stationary right? Do the trucks come w/ the front end lower than the rear from the factory? Once you adjust this, you dont have to mess w/ it again right? like when you get your tires aligned, you can still whack them out of align again, this isnt like that is it?
 
#36 ·
Yes...the front end raises/lowers, but the back is set.

Most of the time, yes. From what I can tell, some trucks come higher, and some come lower, but very rarely will one come level from the factory. Why? I don't think anyone knows.

You adjust it, drive it, and it will "settle". After my initial adjustment, mine settled 1/2", so I had to crank at it again. So you have to adjust it, then settle it to get it to where you want, but once its settled, I don't think it moves.
 
#37 ·
S2k

Pull up to your garage door and start adjusting your lights with them on. Make some marks (on the garage door...with tape or something) where the lights are at the start and them move them from there.

Truck looks great with the "T" bar turned. Like I have said before, I have never had a ZR2 from the factory that didnt need some cranking done to level out the front.

D
 
#38 ·
the reason that the back on most trucks is higher than the front is for when you are hauling somthing in the bed. It is suppose to balance the front and back when the load is heavy. Hauling anything around that pulls the rear lower than the front could be dangerous and add unessecary stress to the suspension.
 
#42 ·
That's strange. I had to go out and buy it, but the 1 1/16 was a winner.

Make sure you post pics when you get it rigged up!
 
#45 ·
I know it looks better but there is a reason they do not come from factory like this i did this once on my older chevy looked great until it blew out both cv axles within 20k.Was smart and did not mess with it on my 95 and 125k later and still on original axles, only people i see needing to replace cv axles are people that try to get lift from cranking on the t bars it's not a matter of if it bust it's a question of when!
 
#46 ·
I researched the crap out of doing this, and heard that it only puts minimal stress on ball joints and CV joints. And even then only takes a few thousand miles away from them.

I take a lot of stock in what bbb had to say about it, as I believe he is a GM service guy. He was the first to do it, and cranked it up 2". He said people have been doing it for years w/no problems, and its a very good way to level the truck. I also had conversations over personal message w/COZR2, who has done this to all of his ZR2s and says its a great way to level the truck w/no evident side-effects.

I'm sure as w/any other mod, it fails in isolated cases, but for the most part I'm reading that the side-effects are minimal, and won't be seen until up over 100,000 miles when you're replacing your ball joints a little early...

Any chance your CV axle failure was a coincidence??
 
#47 ·
Like i said i never touched mine on my 95 and originals are still in new condition im just going on personal experience everyone with axles with blown out boots are the ones who crank the t-bars.My other older s series i went up a 1 1/2" and within a half a year my boots split before i could notice it ruined the axle, and look on zr2.com most that have had to replace axles have cranked on the t-bars so imo it is not good for them.
 
#49 ·
Bigdogx said:
Like i said i never touched mine on my 95 and originals are still in new condition im just going on personal experience everyone with axles with blown out boots are the ones who crank the t-bars.My other older s series i went up a 1 1/2" and within a half a year my boots split before i could notice it ruined the axle, and look on zr2.com most that have had to replace axles have cranked on the t-bars so imo it is not good for them.
Gotcha.

Well, I guess only time will tell. I've done it, and I've fallen in love w/the look of it, so I think it would pain me to go back at this point. ;)

Thanks for the insight either way...
 
#50 ·
I had a friend with a disproportional S-10, and he leveled it as well, using torsion bars.

Never any problem with CV boots, or axles. That was in 70,000 miles of being like that.

I guess your results may vary.
 
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