torsion bar question

[mswit209]

i searched for a while didn't really come up with anything.

my question is this can u put 4wd torsion bars on a 2wd hardbody. or is there more to it then just the torsion bars?

and does anyone know of any torsion barr upgrades for our hardbody pickups? i found a site called sway-a-way.com that says they have them for 175 but i think thats a piece. and they say they have them at 26mm. does anybody know the stock diameter of the 2wd model torsion bars?

thanks in advance for the advice

-mike

[PEZi]

i'm hoping for a good answer to this question as well man! i need some beefier torsion bars and if they don't need to be made custom that will save me a lot of hassle

[JC87HB]

4x4parts.com

They have some after market T bars with higher spring rate... i think like 30% more?

[Desert Rat]

^^what he said. I dont' believe the 2wd and 4x4 bars interchange.

[Rev_D21]

I agree, the mounting of the bars is different from 2wd to 4wd.

[PEZi]

hmm.... if they don't interchange i guess custom is my only option... 30% more isn't enough for me anyway though

[seang]

Pez, what about coilovers? Custom torsion bars on a 720 would have more of a cool factor than coilovers, and just as much potential IMO, but coilovers are still up there. Just an idea...

[PEZi]

i've thought about it... but its a grey area for my autocross class as to whether or not i can switch to a coilover... and coils have to be custom as well... so why not use something that bolts up in place of a stock piece rather than have to make mounts as well

[seang]

Probably about the same overall price, too. And if there is any torsion bar nay-sayers, (I never know who's gonna retort), just look at the Honda Fit with its rear torsion bar suspension and tell me that it doesn't handle great. The Fit's torsion bars are, however, ridiculously compact, and I hear they can unsettle over rough roads, quite the opposite of longer torsion bars.

[Desert Rat]

The 30% stiffer bars coupled with a lot stiffer antisway bar might surprise you.

[seang]

Isn't it better to rely more on spring rate? I mean, an anti-sway bar is great, but if it's doing more work than the springs (torsion bars) are, isn't that less than optimal? The only reason I feel this is that on Gran Turismo, its always better to bump the spring rates way up, and keep just a modest sway bar setting, rather than rely on softer springs coupled with a extra-heavy-duty sway bar. And for Pez's use, 30% isn't gonna be much better with all that hard cornering in autocross. Now, I realize that 30% is still 30%, and that it would still be an upgrade over stock, so I'm not dogging that idea, but he would be better with more than that IMO (150-200% over stock if torsion bars can even be made that stiff). Don't be too quick to dismiss my little hypothosis, Gran Turismo is very realistic in some ways, and I have all the licenses.

[PEZi]

no idea about the GT thing man.... i know sway bars do a lot and i'll be getting/ making one of those too...

i'm not gonna only do the torsion bars... but the sway is something i'm still looking for more info on... i've heard that the one from the toyota 'camper style' trucks fits and is beefier... but it has not been backed up yet... i'm also not sure anyone makes them... so it may be another custom job

i can't tell you haw badly i wish i knew how to make stuff... my truck would be done already

[Asuncion]

Ditto on that one, I wish I had taken machine shop in high school.

[Rev_D21]

Have you checked the Hellwig catalog?

[BronkStang]

dudes hessianben uses the sway away torsion bars on his frontier. by the pics of his auto x ing he still has body roll even with a rear sway bar and other goods, but im sure its better than stock

i got my belltech rear springs and "nitro drop" shocks from summit then autocrossed my 97, still waiting for the rear sway bar. still the belltech spring in back really stiffened things up, but the front is still uber cushy and rolling. nevertheless i found the front roll helped the rear rotate thereby lessening all the understeer these trucks have...anywy these are the two options i have considered

sway a way bars and pinto/camaro koni adjustable shocks in front, calmini idler brace, addco sway bar rear, panhard bar

same as above but mustang ii (street rod) coilovers (7.6 inches compressed! really short) 500lb/in with qa1 12 way adjustable shocks, and lennening weight by throwing out the torsion bars and other stuff

same as intial setup but larger front coilover and a custom mount if the street rod coilovers cant fit... but i think they will if i cut the bumpstop mount out of the way. both setups though radically different cost about the same cause the bars are 220 and the shocks are 100 each, while the whole mustang ii kit is 380-450

btw pezi check out these sway bars!http://www.summitracing.com/se...dds=1

[PEZi]

nevertheless i found the front roll helped the rear rotate thereby lessening all the understeer these trucks have

btw pezi check out these sway bars!http://www.summitracing.com/se...dds=1

very nice sways man! if i can't end up making my own i'll prolly do those for sure

but yeah the front being softer than the rear is very necessary... once i get the whole suspension done on mine i hope to have basically no roll at all in the rear with just a slight bit up front for the rotation