I have a 98 T100 sr5 2wd and I need some advice on a leveling. Right now I love the truck but I think the 2wd's look like crap because the front ends sit so low. I would get a 4wd but I dont wont to pay for the extra gas and I know I will tear it up going offroad. I have found it extremly hard to find spacers for the front springs. So far I have managed to find one. They are Daystars (1in lift) and I have never heard of this brand and I am worried about the quality. I am also planning on putting on a pair of Ranch rs5609. If anyone knows where i can find some more spacers that would be great. I would also like to know if the Rancho shocks work well on the T100. I only have a budget of around $150. Thanks.
slammer449
First...take measurements from the ground to the top of the wheel well. Write it down. 
You'll have to jack up the front end with the wheels off the ground and then tighten the torsion bars a few cranks. Drop yer truck back down and drive around to settle the suspension. Measure. Repeat as necessary. You should be able to git the 1 inch lift that yer looking for but the ride might git a little stiff.
Keep in mind that you'll need to git the front end aligned no matter which method you go with.
You'll have to jack up the front end with the wheels off the ground and then tighten the torsion bars a few cranks. Drop yer truck back down and drive around to settle the suspension. Measure. Repeat as necessary. You should be able to git the 1 inch lift that yer looking for but the ride might git a little stiff.
Keep in mind that you'll need to git the front end aligned no matter which method you go with.
I hope you know that the Daystars are fer coil spring setups...our T-100 trucks have a torsion bar setup so the Daystars won't work on our T-100 trucks.
The SDORI site http://sdori.com/SDORI_2WD_Spacer_Install.html says it's a 1.5" lift - I suppose it depends on how much you want to crank your torsion bars. Since you're still on stock suspension [in the front], I would think 1.5" is quite acceptable. The spacers are to allow alignment, I believe.
The set is pretty much brand new... I wound up not using these because I got my fabtech A-Arm (which does the same thing, basically) fixed... if I didn't have that to begin with, I'd probably prefer to just go with these. $65 shipped. Paypal is fine.
The set is pretty much brand new... I wound up not using these because I got my fabtech A-Arm (which does the same thing, basically) fixed... if I didn't have that to begin with, I'd probably prefer to just go with these. $65 shipped. Paypal is fine.
After-market torsion bars
Did cranking down on the torsion bars affect your ride at all? I have heard from everyone that has done it has had a noticeable difference. I didn't crank on my stock ones at all but installed Sway-A-Way bars and cranked just a bit but didn't notice any stiffness at all. Just wondering for future reference.
Did cranking down on the torsion bars affect your ride at all? I have heard from everyone that has done it has had a noticeable difference. I didn't crank on my stock ones at all but installed Sway-A-Way bars and cranked just a bit but didn't notice any stiffness at all. Just wondering for future reference.
I don't notice any change in ride when adjusting the torsion bars up or down, as long as the bars are kept at the same tension. I was getting myself in trouble by trying to level the truck through the torsion bars, instead of correcting the actual problem - a frozen shackle in the back - which was giving me a terrible ride and causing the truck to lean.
If you think about it, this makes sense... the weight that rides on each spring is unchanged (about one-fourth of the truck) ... raising the height makes no change to the weight riding on the torsion bar when you put it on the ground, provided you do it evenly, left to right. There is a slight change to the geometry of the a-arm which might cause a slight ride degradation, but it isn't much.
My best guess is that folks who do have problems when they raise their front ends are having some other issue that happens when the geometry changes. Bushing issues, bumpstops, perhaps the same thing I did... etc. etc.....
If you think about it, this makes sense... the weight that rides on each spring is unchanged (about one-fourth of the truck) ... raising the height makes no change to the weight riding on the torsion bar when you put it on the ground, provided you do it evenly, left to right. There is a slight change to the geometry of the a-arm which might cause a slight ride degradation, but it isn't much.
My best guess is that folks who do have problems when they raise their front ends are having some other issue that happens when the geometry changes. Bushing issues, bumpstops, perhaps the same thing I did... etc. etc.....
I can only adjust at the back end of the torsion bars, through the adjusting bolts. I had to read up on spring rate just now, but as I understand it, spring rates are constant for a certain spring. it's a measure of how stiff a spring is. as long as the spring doesn't physically change, neither does the spring rate. that's why you can find spring rates of a certain spring when you buy it.
but back to trucks - here's the situation when you "pre-load" (my example is a T-100 2WD). The truck is on stands, and the wheels and arms are resting against the bumpstop. The torsion bar is completely "un-loaded" i.e. no twist. so the bumpstop is absorbing the weight of the wheel/arm.
now imagine you have someone hold up your wheel, making it "weightless". you can now remove your bumpstop, and let's assume that without the bumpstop, you've got another couple of inches of downward travel.
now, let's say you tighten your adjusting bolt. tightening the bolt would just move the wheel downwards. you tell your buddy to move the wheel down when he feels the wheel pushing down on his hands ... in other words, don't be a bumpstop. when the bolt is tightened, the change in the angle of the arms would roughly match the change in angle of the torque arm (the whatzit that connects the torsion bars and adjusting bolt). you're changing the initial position of your torsion bar, without any load on it. note that because there's nothing stopping the arm from going down, the bolt will "tighten" very easily - there's nothing pushing the bolt and the nut apart as your friend is keeping the wheel weightless.
now, you do the same to the other side, and put your truck on the ground. it'll be higher, yes. that's because the starting position of the torque arm, torsion bar, arms, and the wheel has changed - by "tightening" the bolt. and now tightening the bolt will be hard - because the the corner weight of the truck is applied to the adjusting bolt/nut. in this situation, no more force is transmitted than before you lifted the front end. the corner of the truck weighs the same. that weight is transmitted from the wheel to the arms, to the torsion bar, to the torque arm, to the adjusting bolt, and then to the frame.
why the preload, then? it's because Toyota designed the "unloaded" starting position (through alignment of the bumpstop, arms, t-bar splines) for the torsion bar for stock height, not for us people who want a higher front end. If the bumpstop position for the wheel was lower, the torque arm starting position (unloaded position) would be at at a position where the wheel would be lower (and the truck would be higher), and you'd be higher after you put the truck on the ground.
the main point i'm trying to get across is that the unloaded position is just the starting point for where your torsion bar starts twisting. because of the bumpstop and the limit on how far our arms can drop, we can't set the starting point for our torsion bars to wherever we want. preloading moves that start point so your truck can be higher, but we can't see the suspension in that starting position because of the bumpstop. but as soon as the truck is on the ground, the force that the bumpstop was exerting on the torsion bar is completely replaced by the corner weight of the truck. that weight doesn't change regardless of whether you pre-loaded your torsion bar or not, so ****all else being equal**** your ride quality shouldn't change.
but back to trucks - here's the situation when you "pre-load" (my example is a T-100 2WD). The truck is on stands, and the wheels and arms are resting against the bumpstop. The torsion bar is completely "un-loaded" i.e. no twist. so the bumpstop is absorbing the weight of the wheel/arm.
now imagine you have someone hold up your wheel, making it "weightless". you can now remove your bumpstop, and let's assume that without the bumpstop, you've got another couple of inches of downward travel.
now, let's say you tighten your adjusting bolt. tightening the bolt would just move the wheel downwards. you tell your buddy to move the wheel down when he feels the wheel pushing down on his hands ... in other words, don't be a bumpstop. when the bolt is tightened, the change in the angle of the arms would roughly match the change in angle of the torque arm (the whatzit that connects the torsion bars and adjusting bolt). you're changing the initial position of your torsion bar, without any load on it. note that because there's nothing stopping the arm from going down, the bolt will "tighten" very easily - there's nothing pushing the bolt and the nut apart as your friend is keeping the wheel weightless.
now, you do the same to the other side, and put your truck on the ground. it'll be higher, yes. that's because the starting position of the torque arm, torsion bar, arms, and the wheel has changed - by "tightening" the bolt. and now tightening the bolt will be hard - because the the corner weight of the truck is applied to the adjusting bolt/nut. in this situation, no more force is transmitted than before you lifted the front end. the corner of the truck weighs the same. that weight is transmitted from the wheel to the arms, to the torsion bar, to the torque arm, to the adjusting bolt, and then to the frame.
why the preload, then? it's because Toyota designed the "unloaded" starting position (through alignment of the bumpstop, arms, t-bar splines) for the torsion bar for stock height, not for us people who want a higher front end. If the bumpstop position for the wheel was lower, the torque arm starting position (unloaded position) would be at at a position where the wheel would be lower (and the truck would be higher), and you'd be higher after you put the truck on the ground.
the main point i'm trying to get across is that the unloaded position is just the starting point for where your torsion bar starts twisting. because of the bumpstop and the limit on how far our arms can drop, we can't set the starting point for our torsion bars to wherever we want. preloading moves that start point so your truck can be higher, but we can't see the suspension in that starting position because of the bumpstop. but as soon as the truck is on the ground, the force that the bumpstop was exerting on the torsion bar is completely replaced by the corner weight of the truck. that weight doesn't change regardless of whether you pre-loaded your torsion bar or not, so ****all else being equal**** your ride quality shouldn't change.
Ok I see. It looks like as long as you don't overadjust and perhaps adjust the bump stop adequately, there shouldn't be much of an issue. But I did note in most of the articles from 4x4 etc they do recommend getting an alignment once you have finished adjusting the bars. Thanks for the info!
But I did note in most of the articles from 4x4 etc they do recommend getting an alignment once you have finished adjusting the bars. Thanks for the info!you're absolutely right - if you raise or lower your front end any more than a half inch, make sure to get an alignment. my explanation of the preload was only that - make sure to consult more how-to's on raising your truck.
another option is to get some lift spindles if you have a 2WD T-100. Obsessed has some for the T. I haven't heard anyone comment on them here, though.
another option is to get some lift spindles if you have a 2WD T-100. Obsessed has some for the T. I haven't heard anyone comment on them here, though.
In addition to using the torsion bar adjustment to raise the sagging front end, I also made the change to the '96 T100 2wd 1-ton front shocks. They made a really nice difference in the ride of the truck without being uncomfortable at all. It drives like new and it has 320,000+ miles on it (I take good care of my truck). They weren't special high-dollar shocks, either. I actually think they were less expensive because they were a somewhat common shock that was used on an American pickup as well (It's been five years since I changed so I can't recall exactly).
The front end floated on the interstate and wallowed in corners with the stock replacement shocks. I couldn't stand it. My truck is not supposed to ride like a Chevy Caprice with old worn shocks. Now it is properly damped without being jittery or rough in the least. It has a very controlled and predictable ride on the interstate.
Good luck.
The front end floated on the interstate and wallowed in corners with the stock replacement shocks. I couldn't stand it. My truck is not supposed to ride like a Chevy Caprice with old worn shocks. Now it is properly damped without being jittery or rough in the least. It has a very controlled and predictable ride on the interstate.
Good luck.
I leveled my T by adding BJ spacers 1.5" and turned by torsion bars way down and it is such a better ride! before i tried to even out my truck by torsion bars, it worked but wasnt the look i wanted because it still sat "raked" and was higher in the rear, it also was really stiff and had no flex, granted ifs doesnt flex too well but it was horrible. now that i installed BJ spacers and turned my torsion bars way down it feels amazing! and i actually have alot of flex with ifs, and it sits 1" taller in the front and i love how it looks. 4crawler makes them in .5", 1", and 1.5", if u want more get the 1.5" and sway-a-way tosrion bars and crank them a little to get about 3.5"
What is the Pro and con on the leveling kit. To me I'm been think about not doing the leveling kit install due to the fact that in the long run I'm going to end up fixing everything on the Truck again. For example about the Axles, I know that if the leveling kit is install, won't the axles be at a angel that cause the join in the cv boot more stressed out and will need repair, something like that. I know I have ask about the front differentail drop kit on this site and their is no respond on but then again is it necessary to have the differentail drop kit and the drop sway bar or whatever it is call.
You can always get the manual hubs to stop the CV axle wear to stop and you shouldn't need to have a differential drop since the suspension is still the same just the spacer is installed. You can just adjust the torsion bars on the truck to level it off.
Manual hubs FTW. I reused the old gasket when I got manual hubs.
They are all the same 4 runner/truck. Doesn't matter.
Not sure what you're scared of.
Maybe just leave your truck stock if you don't want to worry in the long run.
I love having 2wd low-range.
When I installed new shocks it seemed to "lift" the truck a bit.
Yes, 2wd low range is great for all kinds of things.
But as to the gaskets for the hubs they are cheap from the dealer if you want new ones.
I think I got the o-rings and all the gaskets for under 18 bucks then I installed mine.
But as to the gaskets for the hubs they are cheap from the dealer if you want new ones.
I think I got the o-rings and all the gaskets for under 18 bucks then I installed mine.
Ill look into it so take I can look forward a little to get the lift going. But for the mean time I'll just have wait for a while to see. The back I'm just running the 1inch Block so that the back want be higher than the front.:thumbsup:
why not just take the block off to level the truck?
my 4x4 T100 sits pretty level
I would say get the manual hubs either way. Little more work getting out of the truck to lock them, but well worth it.
my 4x4 T100 sits pretty level
I would say get the manual hubs either way. Little more work getting out of the truck to lock them, but well worth it.
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