HELP!!! front hieght Torsion Twist compared to rear shackle/add-a-leaf?????? HELP

[PUR PONY]

OK-
I was wondering- right now I have the pro-comp add-a-leaf with warrior shackles in the rear on my 96. I also have the front torsion bars twisted.... from the ground to the fenderlip in rear is 35 inches..... the front is 33- to 33 1/4.... would it hurt the front if i twisted it to 34 inches or 34 1/4 inches to level off the ride??? and get ride or the rake??? how do I know to much twist is to much

thanks

 

[Ray Lobato]

Marc,
The most your gonna get out of the front with the torsion bar twist is about 2" otherwise you are going to bind your CV's. Why are you using both the Warrior shackles and the add-a-leafs? You only need one or the other.

 

[kubben]

Ok perhaps Gerald could response to this thread because this is a route that I am taking, Leafs already ordered actually. From what I took it Gerald maxed out the torsion bar and has Warrior Shackles and Add-A-Leafs. I thought about this and asked Gerald in which he responded that he bought longer bolts. Am I at risk of damaging something doing this?

 

[NoBoundaries]

I know a guy on the board named Dave, can't remember his member name, used both the add-a-leaf's and shackles. I was also considering this, but if it is a problem, which gives you the most lift, the add-a-leaf's or the shackles? Don't want to knock this thread off topic though, just looking for a quick response.

 

[PUR PONY]

the reason I ask was- I had my truck lowered in the beging so I wasnt starting off stock. I have them twisted up and they seem ok- is there anyway of telling I went to much?

also- the reason for the add-a-leaf and shackle is.. I wanted the lift of the shackle but I hate the ride in the rear- wanted to stiffen it up a little.... I have to much of a rake at the moment though- I want it perfectly level- my idea is taking the lowering blocks I had on it and having my friend machine them down a little... then I am going to re-install them so it lowers my truck in the rear a little... so it will be like I dont have the lift of the add-a-leafs but I have the better ride- I love the stiffness of it over the mushy lowering kit I had- I just cant wait to get my body lift on, 32's, and mt fender flares-


kubben:- what do you mean Gerald bought longer bolts- for what?

 

[PUR PONY]

NoBoundaries:-
I tried e-mailing Dave twice but I keep getting a return and saying his e-mail cant be reached... I really wanted to talk with him.

I think the shackles give me lift but not exactly sure- I did botha ll at once so couldnt tell ya-

all I can say it- the shackles are much nicer then the factory- and both were simple to install if ya know how to turn a wrench

 

[kubben]

I thought ok with the Add-A-Leafs and Warrior Shackles even if I maxed out the torsion twist the back will still ride higher than the front. I asked Gerald and from what I took it he said he bought longer bolts for the torsion bars to max out more? But then Ray said no your going to bind your CV's.

Little confused here.

[Edited by kubben on 12-21-2000 at 11:08 PM]

 

[GJarrett]

Yes I did all that. I used only the Warrior shackles until a couple of months ago. That mysterious "leaf-flattening" effect finally started showing up about the time we took the Slabs run, Keith. I have a theory that the phenomenom may be real. The extra flex the shackles provide while pivoting back and forth on the trail may be what causes the phenomenom, since under compression the shackles swing the rear eyelet of the leafpack 3" farther back than a stock shackle and flatten and stretch the leaf more. Then again, just the simple fact that we take our vehicles offroad may be enough by itself to wear out our springs.

To offset the flattening I installed the add-a-leaf which raised my rear a little more than the leafs had flattened, so I twisted up the front torsions to match. I ran out of torsion bolt on the left side and had to buy a longer one and machine the end to match a Ford bolt. I originally had an estimated 1.5" torsion lift so now I am at the 2" limit; maybe a fraction more. Remember that the Warriors never gave me as much lift as others in the first place since my stock shackle length was 6.5" instead of the more common 5.5" or less of most Explorers, so I didn't get as much lift as most everyone else from them. With a flattened/worn leadpack it now takes both addaleafs and the Warriors to get me up 2"+.

An extreme torsion lift should not cause binding under normal use but theoretically will cause accelerated wear. A CV joint will normally take a 22 degree angle before binding up. If you jack up your front and loosen your front shocks to let go, your wheel will droop until the CV binds. Look at the angle of your CV and it will indeed appear to be very close to 22 degrees. Under normal driving with a twist lift you won't hit 22 degrees, but since the CVs are not straight but always working at an angle, I suppose they should wear out faster. I don't know of any reports of that happening yet though. I do know that for whatever reason Ray did in fact have problems at 2" of torsion lift. Mine doesn't. Each vehicle is an individual.

Remember though that any twist lift takes away the same amount of droop that it gains in lift. My droop articulation sucks right now and is not acceptable.

I have further plans to go to a 3" torsion lift. Before Moab I plan to fabricate 2" drop brackets for my front diffy and protect it with a skid plate angled from the front crossmember that now protects it to the bottom of the differential since it will then be hanging lower. This will lessen the CV angle and give me back 2" of droop I have lost. I will then crank up the front an inch and install OME springs in the rear, which combined with the Warrior shackles I'll keep on it should make about a 3" lift. I may have to back off after trying it though since at that extreme the tires may be traveling not only up in down but also at an arc sideways(?).

I have a feeling that's about as close to the edge as any of us can go with our vehicles without buying a "real" lift. It may be over the edge as a matter of fact. I guess I'll find out in Moab.

[Edited by GJarrett on 12-22-2000 at 11:03 AM]

 

[ExplorGM]

Pur Pony

Try upgrading your torsion bars to a stiffer rated bar. You can get them right from the Ford parts counter. They will give you less "settle" whether you have the bolts cranked all the way in or not. They will also firm up the ride and handling and you can get rid of the shackle/add a leaf combo in the back and just go with the add a leaf.
You may, or may not bind with excessive "twist", but you will increase your wear rate on those CVs. I can hear mine make a soft grinding sound when they are cranked all the way up. I keep them mid level on the street and only crank them off road.They clear the 33" tires either way.
Rick


[Edited by ExplorGM on 12-22-2000 at 11:21 AM]

 

[PUR PONY]

Hey ExplorGM-

where in Connecticut are ya??? I am in lebanon.. around willimantic, colubia, Norwich area.... are you anywhere around there-


Happy Holidays-

Marc

 

[wade]

Hi everyone, I really like haveing both add-a-leaf and shackles it does set up a little high in the rear but the ride is nice the back end is more firm but not hard and if you tow eneything this is the way to go, I have had it off road a few times now with this set up and it works good I want to try it out on some harder trials and see how mutch better it is.
Wade

 

[PUR PONY]

WADE-

where did you get the 2000 ranger skid plate and how much did ya have to modify it to make it fit? any.. I have the V-8... do you have any pics of the skid installed and any pics of your explorer with the 31's

thanks

 

[PUR PONY]

Wade-

also how much higher does you rear sit then the front- mine is about an inch lower in the front- I just dont want to over crank my torsion bars-

they seem to be fine-I just drove it out to ohio 2 days ago from CT and do problems or noises yet- ride so NICE with add-a-leaf and shackles- LOVE IT

 

[kubben]

Well I just got done installing 1 side of my Add-A-Leafs. I have Warrior shackles and after I put the tire back on I don't notice hardly any height difference from the side with the Add-A-Leaf and the side without. What's up with that??

 

[GJarrett]

Keith, go run it awhile and work the suspension and see how it measures then. I only got 1" to 1.25" lift out of my addaleaf. Don't expect too much. I don't know how others are getting 2" out of it. I didn't get near that. It WILL lift it though.

 

[kubben]

Is it possible I did something wrong such as torque the leaf pack bolt to much.

 

[GRNMACHINE]

im currently running warrior shackles but was also thinking about installing the rancho add a leafs that others said would work on the sport monoleaf. anyone have opinions on a custom spring added by a professional spring shop, whether it is superior to an add a leaf? i was quoted $220-$240 by a spring shop.

also, wade,
do u have any info or pictures of the skid plate u used off a ranger?

 

[go off road]

Lower control arm stops/rear axle stops

I was thinking about cutting the front lower control arm and rear axle stops in half after I get my body lift and with my 2 inch lift I have now, has anyone done this? Will it help off road wheel travel or will I hit something with my tires like my fenders?