I have a '99 Dakota with a 2" body lift. I'd like to get another couple inches through add-a-leafs and torsion bar keys. My question is to anyone who has done a torsion bar key lift. How did it work? How does the truck handle? And most importantly, where did you find one? I can only find one off brand set so if anyone knows a better route let me know. Thanks!

 

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this is in no way a recommendation from me... if you want to lift your truck do it the right way torsion bars arn't made to lift vehicles.. all the money you would spend on a body lift, add-a-leaf and torsion bar keys you could buy a nice lift kit and have your truck look good and done the right way..

 

I totally agree, but I already have the body lift and the cheapest suspension lift is the Rancho 3" (It's an everyday driver so I don't want to go with the tuff country 5.5") and it's 1700 bucks. Plus I'll still need add-a-leafs cause that kit only comes with rear blocks and my springs are pretty worn. So as far as keeping it cheap goes I'm just trying to find out if it's better to go with keys or just turn them. I read a post from last year where two people had both installed keys and wound up taking them out and just turning them. I'm open for any opinions / suggestions.

 

I've never heard of torsion bar keys. What exactly do they do? How are they mounted? I'm curious.

 

The torsion bars are attached to the lower control arms in front and cams that bolt to the frame at the back of the bar. When you tighten the bolt, it turns the cam, twisting the bar, and puts a greater torsional preload on the bar. The higher that preload, the higher the truck sits. All you're basically doing is changing the spring constant of the spring. The cam has a hex hole in it that is keyed in a certain orientation. Torsion bar "keys" are a aftermarket set of those cams that are keyed 30* off of the factory holes. This gives a higher initial preload and allows you to turn the bars tighter than factory.

Doing this will give a harsher ride, and because the preload on the bar is higher, when the suspension flexes, it will put an even greater load on the bar which in a way limits how far the front end is capable of flexing. The only real upside to cranking the torsion bars is the cost. You can get a body lift and keys for less than $200, whereas the real suspension lift cost 10x as much.

My advice to the OP is to turn the factory cams up as tight as they will go before you buy new ones.

 

Ok, that seems to be the general consensus to crank the bars before buying keys. I was just under the impression that doing keys would give you an inch or two without cranking the bars at all, therefore not adding any preload. BUT it sounds like I was wrong about that and that installing keys will add just as much preload as cranking. If that's the case there's no reason to spend the $ on keys. SO at this point I guess I'm just going to try cranking them, but if you know something I don't PLEASE POST!

 

Also I read on an old thread not to crank more than 8 turns to keep it within OEM specs, can anyone confirm this? Thanks again for all the info.

 

Yes, thats correct. It takes a certain preload to get the truck to any given height. It doesn't matter what set of keys you have, but the aftermarket ones will get to the same height with less turns of the bolt because the inital angle it starts at is greater. Basically, once the bolt is maxxed out with the factory keys and you still want it higher, its time to get new keys.

 

Thanks for the explanation. I get it now. I've actually never owned a truck with torsion bars. I knew what they were, but all my trucks have had either leafs front and rear, or spring/leafs. I never really understood the mechanics of torsion bars.

Out of curiosity, how do you properly lift a torsion bar suspension? I'm not talking about using blocks, I'm talking like, new leafs and what not. Would you get longer torsion bars? Is there some kit that replaces the torsion bars with a spring set-up? I really have no idea, and some day I would like to do a suspension lift, not a body lift.

 

The actual suspension lift for an Independent Front Suspension type vehicle requires replacing your upper and lower control arms with longer/larger aftermarket ones. This is the "right way" to do it, but the cost (especially for dakotas) is pretty high. Rancho makes a 3" full suspension (it was discontinued but I think they brought it back) and Tuff Country makes a 5.5"

Thanks again 95 for your help