Old Man

I am running Downey t-bars right now (for about a year) and am going to take them off today because of ride quality. I put these bars on ahead of time because I was going to buy a heavy bumper, but that never worked out. I have running them ever since. They make the ride much stiffer and you can feel every bump in the road. I really noticed when I drove a buddy's stock runner on how much it affected the ride.

Sorry to steal this thread on this question, but maybe someone can help. I was going to put my stock bars back on, but my markings faded and I can't tell the right from left. I noticed a small difference on the tapering in the head of one the bars. Is there anyway to tell the difference, or am I screwed.

Belize Off Road Team

Yea i'm with you there, back into the lagoon and hope there's no drop off

But honestly i don't very offten travel alone normally in groups of insane rigs. But the jungle is a tough challenge even for the experianced 4X4's/drivers. i always take the safe line for now, when i get some lockers/gears/winch/upgrade suspension then i will wheel the crap out of my rig.

mt_goat

Yeah with lockers I very rarely need a winch on the trails I go on. My feeling is if you don't have the traction to go up with all 4 wheels digging then you won't have the traction to stop coming down with all 4 wheels locked up. Stopping is often much more important than going.

devldogs55

I am seriously looking into OME torsion bars instead of the DOWNEY t-bars. One reason is because all my other suspension components are OME and I absolutely love them... the other reason is because they are only slightly thicker than stock t-bars, while Downey t-bars are much thicker than stock. I only have about 2 1/2" of lift and will soon be putting 33" tires on. I will eventually have an Allpro front bumper and Warn 8000 up there - I am hoping this combination works out well.

mudtoy1986

just get a good set of used v6 tbars and ull have no prob been running those for over 2 yrs and i love em

YOTABP

DOWNEY T-BARS BLOW,
anyone wana buy mine. lol

dirtoyboy

why do they blow?

elripster

Have you read the thread? They don't always blow, but they are often falsely advertised such that people who don't need them end up getting them. They are then unhappy with the results which is not surprising.

You just need to ascertain whether or not you need less flex in your front suspension. If the answe is yes, get the thicker bars, if not stick with stock.

Frank

mt_goat

How much? Where are you located?

trbizwiz

Thread revival. I think Downey makes a thinner diameter bar for the 2wd. I think it is 24 mm instead of 26. maybe this would make more sense for the guys that add a winch or get preloaded going down hills or do light jumping or what not.
I am only researching this because the truck I bought has torqued T bars and the ride is terrible. I am lifting with SDORI's bj spacers, but I broke an adjusting bolt and have some new ones on order from Toyota hopefully here tomorrow. Anyway, I was thinking maybe I need new bars for a softer ride, apparently not though from what I have read here. Hopefully my bj spacers and taking some torque out of the bars will help me. I also am going with OME N98's up front. I am not looking for a Cadillac ride, but I do like my teeth.

elripster

The spacers will help a lot. Stock t-bars will give the softest ride and best flex. The issue is that the torque on the t-bar is reduced when you crank it. It's less preloaded not more. As a result, it twists less and your suspension moves less. That makes the chassis move more and you feel a harsh ride.

Check it out...

Frank

muddpigg

iTrader: (1)

I've been running Downey t-bars for about a year and half. Both prewinch and with. I mainly do mountain trails with lots of roots and rocks. I've liked them, but the stocks that were replaced with them were worn out from years of PO crank lift. I've got a t-max 9000lb winch with trailgear mount plate, with the extra weight of duals and heavier skip plate they do does well and have filled my needs, bottoming out doesn't happen.

I've read all the post on the subject, I think some are thinking too much with theory and not enough from experience but that is an opinion just like some of these theories. I'll say that with time and added weight (or possibly just from added weight) the front doesn't sit as high. After installation and use they did settle, like all springs.

Over all they have served my purpose well and when I SAS am sure they will serve the next guy just as well. This is all based on my opinion from my experience so take it for what it's worth and I'll post these t-bars for sale whenever I SAS. Good luck.

Alex 400

I do some trails and really like how the stockers flex over roots and rocks. What i have started getting to lately is pre running out in the desert. loose gravel roads and some washout stuff. I would like to soften up the front end even a little more. I was thinking of getting 1" BJ spacers and relaxing the stock torsion bars slightly. try to get a little more down travel out of them so it transfers the weight to rear of the truck a little bit more. I have also considered long travel like TC or similar with OME torsion bars, but IMO with the stock length control arms, for stock ride height you don't need much stiffer than stock.

Alex 400

vincentb

The synthetic is about 1/7 weight compares cable. Hopefully you may save 10 kgs or so.