torsion bar lift/turn up, lift kit questions and facts

[markhs2]

I have a '99 silverado Z71 4X4, 3.73 gears, sock lift, 265X75X16 tires. I've been doing quite a bit of research into lifting my truck to get some additional clearence for off roading. The looks are not particularly important to me. The following is what I have found out so far:

I found that all the lifts I have seen, mostly 6", do not increase the front diff clearence and give no added wheel/suspension travel, and because they must use a drop bracket to lower the torsion bar rear attachment point, they don't even give that much additional frame clearence.
They do change the suspension geometry from stock and cause things like U, ball, CV and other components to fail rapidly.
They also change the angle of the CV joints so that they are much closer to max droop and because of this compromise the function of the suspension especially for off road application.
I have talked to some guys with lifts who do use thier trucks off road and they have agreed with the above noted info. The majority say they would not do a lift kit again.
Here's some questions:
* I need to say now that I see absolutely nothing wrong with doing a lift kit on a independent front suspension truck like mine purely for looks. So please do not tade offense if this is your preference. But I am not very interested interested in looks only fuction and I do not want to compromise function and drivablilitty for looks. So any comments or corrections so far?
* I only want to raise the truck so I can get more off road and on road funtion, stability, better handling, clearence and get some bigger tires on there for a little more clearence. I think 285x75x16 or maybe 295's would do me just fine. Is there a way to do this?
* Can I tighten up the torsion bars and get what I what? I have read and been told that if I tighten up the torsion bars and go over rocks and bumps off road that the bump will take the turned up torsion bar beyond thier design limit and the suspension will no longer do a good job of keeping the tires on the ground because its already too close to full droop at the bottom and on the bump stops.
* How much can I turn them up without running into compromizing the suspenion function and design?
* What if I put in heavier torsion bars and does anyone know what size to go to? It would seem that if I went to the duromax torsion bars that this would be much to stiff and would ride like a tank because that truck is so much heavier in the front end. So if I go to heavier bars how do I know which ones?
So thanks to all who read my little saga. Any input or expertiese would be greatly appreciated. Any one having a truck like mine with 285's and likes to off road and perhaps tow somtimes? all input wellcome.

[airtight_python]

A 6-" lift from Skyjacker would be awesome for appearance and a little muddin' or hill climbin'. Skyjacker kits are designed to maintain as much ride quality and control as possible. Whatever you chose to do have fun with it. A nice lift definately makes a Silverado stand out in the parking lot.

[buttnekked]

from the stand point of off roading you're best bet (not cheapest) would be a solid axle swap in front. Ifs is not the best scenario for wheeling. For bigger tires you could trim the body and use bushwhacker flares.

I have seen posts about using 3/4 or 1 ton torsion bars and I think you can even get aftermarkets (not sure). I would definitely stay with ones for a similiar engine size as the weight differences will definitely make a difference in handling and ride.
Most people get the truck about even front to back by cranking the torsion bars but not alot of gain beyond that from what I can find.

I would checkout the web sites for some of the four wheel drive mags and see what they have to offer as well.

[mjgjr72]

no lift gives you more diff clearence the bigger tires give u that. as far as travel you would have to do a solid axle swap. and a 4 link setup. big $ and time. i have 6" suspention e-z ride lift ,rides and handles like stock a little stiffer ride but i think most of that is the shocks. took three days by my self in driveway but most of that was running to get sawsall blades ,paint, hardware ect. would not recommend cranking up torsion bars more than necessary to level ft and rear. with change geomety of tires so you need to realign the ft end plus put exsessive strain on cv axles and divers side outer diff bearing you'll hear a clunk when turning slow as it wears out, a body lift is cheaper and a little easeir but i personly do not like them. because of the gap, and most of the bumper brackets are cheesy. i have a 2000 and put on 315's and think the truck looks sharp, check gallery. good luck

[markhs2]

Originally Posted by mjgjr72

no lift gives you more diff clearence the bigger tires give u that. as far as travel you would have to do a solid axle swap. and a 4 link setup. big $ and time. i have 6" suspention e-z ride lift ,rides and handles like stock a little stiffer ride but i think most of that is the shocks. took three days by my self in driveway but most of that was running to get sawsall blades ,paint, hardware ect. would not recommend cranking up torsion bars more than necessary to level ft and rear. with change geomety of tires so you need to realign the ft end plus put exsessive strain on cv axles and divers side outer diff bearing you'll hear a clunk when turning slow as it wears out, a body lift is cheaper and a little easeir but i personly do not like them. because of the gap, and most of the bumper brackets are cheesy. i have a 2000 and put on 315's and think the truck looks sharp, check gallery. good luck

Thanks for the info. Some questions for you:
* Is E-Z Ride the brand name of your lift kit?
* What is your rear end? Mine is a 3.73 and I what to be able to tow with it. I think 285's is about as bif a tire as I can go and still have the gearing to tow.
* Do you tow?
* Did you change your diff gears from stock? to what? How much $ ?
* I think I can crank the Torsion Bars about 1 to 1.5 inches without cusing any problems with the CV's etc.
Your truck looks great Thanks Mark

[mjgjr72]

tuff country e-z ride suspension lift
if your looking to go with bigger tires check out pro comp they had a combo deal for lift, rims and tires.i bought mine seperate and paid 3200 and the package deals where going for around 2000 hell my lift cost 1500 5 tires for 1000 and 5 rims and lugs w/locks for 700
the rear end had 3.73 and was just a little dogy from a start but pulled great at 2000 rpm and higher, had no problems towing my fathers 16' boat or smowmobile trailer, also had bed loaded with a ton and a half of gravel and had no problems. i eventualy put in 4.56 gears but wish i went with 4.10's graet torge but moderate pickup did the work myselp and ft and rear gears and master install set(comes with bearings seals and shim kit) cost a total of about $700.
i have heard that a 285 will fit a 99 just remember if you have abs you have to reprogram the computer for the different tires and speedo ,2000 has a flash programable chip not sure about 99. they also sell a devise you plug in to the wire harness and can ajust the signal . talk to u later.

[jeverett]

You can fit 285's without a lift. If they scrub a little, turn the torsion bars about 3 or 4 rounds. That should not get them out of whack and your tires should clear.

[markhs2]

jeverett, I saw that you have 285's and on stock rims. I would like to go after market rims so I can get 16X8 which is a better rim than the stock 16x7 for the wider 285. The 285X75X16 from bridgestone a/t revo is 33 h, 11.5w my stock 265X75X16 are 31.7h, 10.5w. If I go to 305X70X16 at 33h, 12.2w I get the same height as the 285 and the stability of a wider tire but I would have to go to a 9" rim.
** what can you tell me about these options? I've always thought the wider the better and at the same height/diameter its the same interms of the Torsion B setup.
** also what diference did the K&N FIPK make I've been told the stock intake on the silverado is really very good.
Thanks

[jeverett]

I would agree with what you said about the stability of a wider tire, but there is only 1 drawback that I personally know of besides slight rubbing. I had 33x12.50x15's mounted on some Centerline 15x10 wheels on an 89 F-150 I had. They looked reeeeally sweet and handled good, EXcept for in the rain. WHen it rained hard, the wider tire wanted to try to float on top of the water in the road instead of cutting through it which in turn caused some nearly hydroplaning incidents.

On my Z, they 285's work great on the factory wheels. At a dealer in Tifton, Ga they set up alot of their trucks on the lot (04's) with 285/75/16 BFG All-Terrain KO's and 16x8 American Racing wheels which not only look bad-ass, the one I drove handled loads better than mine.

I have also seen only 1 truck that had 305 M/T Baja Claws on his factory wheels, he also had about a 6" lift though and to me it looked really nice. I still dont see how he avoided the tires scrubbing on the lower A-arm.

I would suggest, that if you want a wider tire, go with the 305's, which like you said have the height of a 285 w/ the width of a 33x12.5, and find some 10" wheels. Be sure you get the proper backspacing on the wheels as to avoid any harsh rubbing, but with the wider wheel, you will probably have to trim the lower air-dam a bit as well as crank the T bars a few turns (no more than 4), which shouldnt really mess up the geometry of the suspension, to keep the tires from rubbing the fender when turned fully to one side.

As for the K&N, I did notice a difference in throttle response, and a slight increase in gas mileage. I bought mine for $170 on e-bay, so I couldn't pass it up. I like having the re-useable filter b/c I live in the country where its reeeeal dusty during peanut season etc... It also looks better than factory to me, it intimidates some people

I hope I helped you out some, I might have not even come close to answering your question, but I will try again if you need me too!

[markhs2]

Jayson,
* what brand/model tire were you running on your F 150? and what condition of tread was on it at the time?
* I've been asking around and looking on the tire rack site. The indication is that the 305's optimal wheel is a 16X9 which is a rare size. A number of people have told me the 305's work great on a 16X8, particularly for off road because it protects the sidwall better. What is your opinion on this?

[jeverett]

I had some Kumho Venture MT's and they were brand new when I got the 10" wheels. THey worked very well off road.

The thing about the 8" wheel, I can understand as the bead of the tire isn't as exposed as it would be on a wider wheel. You can check one thing if your buying new tires. I know BFG and Bridgestone have some kind of "rim guard" or rim protector's built into the tires's sidewall at the bead area. If your into doing some serious off-roading, or especially if you like to air down the tires while off road, I'd look into that. (I've had a tire pop off the rim about 10 miles from town in the rain. lol, not fun) Also of you want to run the tires on a 10" wheel, and want to have that added protection you could look at those. I guess its kind of a personal prefrence which width rim to get, as to what look you prefer. MY buddy has a '02 2500 w/ 285 Bridgestone Dueler MT's and 16x10 weld scorpio's and he has had no problem in the off road department.....yet

[Coyote55]

Another new AF member. Help I have a 2000 Silverado 4x4 Ext, Z71, Stock. I'd like to jump to 285 tires for the extra meat, and a more aggressive tread. I was going to just crank up the torsion bars, as I had heard this would level the truck and give enough clearance for the 285's. But I found the Bars already cranked to the top, and still the nose sags. Is there something worn out already in the suspension system at 77, 000 miles. I'd sure appreciate any info/help on the subject. This is my first experience with these new suspensions, always had straight axels. Thanks! Coyote55

[jeverett]

Originally Posted by Coyote55

Another new AF member. Help I have a 2000 Silverado 4x4 Ext, Z71, Stock. I'd like to jump to 285 tires for the extra meat, and a more aggressive tread. I was going to just crank up the torsion bars, as I had heard this would level the truck and give enough clearance for the 285's. But I found the Bars already cranked to the top, and still the nose sags. Is there something worn out already in the suspension system at 77, 000 miles. I'd sure appreciate any info/help on the subject. This is my first experience with these new suspensions, always had straight axels. Thanks! Coyote55

Mine were the same way. I think the bars can wear out and loose their spring over a period of time. You can get the Ford torsion bar keys which re-indexes the bar inside the key giving you a few extra inches of lift.

[Coyote55]

Thanks Jeverett, I may have to give that a try then. I'm going to look and see if that wear is covered in my warranty, and replaceable. The "Keys" Ok call me uneducated, lol. Are those the adjustable end pieces? Thanks again, Jev, Coyote