Vanman

So I found out the front (thanks to all you folks) has torsion bars and shocks, as opposed to springs and shocks in the rear (oh, 91 4Runner). Anyway, I had the front shocks replaced under warranty, after ony 2 years. Not expensive shocks, but ones recommended for the truck (at Sears).

Question: Are the torsion bars something that need adjustment or replacement? Don't know why the shock went bad so fast, and the front still seems a little sloppy and bouncy (I know, a good scientific/mechanical description and terminology).

Thanks

Squiddy

1) There are MANY threads here about torsion bars...review some of them for a sense of all this
2) Short version is likely: leave them alone.
3) If you are saying you have a 91, with shocks dating back to 93 or 94 (replaced at 2 years) it's time for new ones.
4) There are plenty of other reasons for a loose front end, ie ball joints, tie rods, etc. Get 'em checked.

TNRabbit

If you want GOOD SHOCKS that will LAST, buy Biltstein HD or KYB GasAdjust. Don't get the KYB MonoMax; I did and they're too stiff and not as good at controlling motion as the Bilstein are.

Vanman

Sorry for the confusion. The shock were replaced two years ago, Monroe sensatrac for trucks, I thinks.

Robert m

iTrader: (2)

how did you get shocks replaced 2 years ago under warranty on truck that was 16 years old?

Just Learning

funny im (we, my daughter and I ) are going to replace my stock tor bars with the 26mm downey ones , for shocks i use ome, heck been on forever and i dont city drive the truck

Vanman

I replaced shocks two years ago.

I am sure the shocks had been replaced before as well.

Just had the shocks replaced under warranty because the shocks were bad, leaking, etc.

My question is why would shocks only last two years?

NYChopshop

Where do you live? what condition are your local roads in? Do you bother slowing down for speed bumps just 'cus you have a toyota (don't be surprised by the question, there are a lot of 'no's' to that on this forum)? do you offroad it? do you take it to places where there is fine particles like sand that can get in the seal of the shocks and foul them up? did you buy cheapo shocks last time? is your vehicle stock in suspension? are you sure the shocks were the right length to begin with? There are a lot of factors in determining why your shocks failed. There are crap shocks out there, and I know living in New York City, shocks get beaten out of the vehicles literally. More information would lead to more help. Sorry I couldn't totally answer your question as yet.

Vanman

The shocks I had Sears put on were Sensatrac (sp) for trucks. They lasted but two years. The only thing I can think of is that I have a SnowSport plow that I use in the Winter, just for my driveway. No off-roading, and I try very hard to not go over any bumps! I can only ASSume Sears put the correct size on. The rest of the suspension is stock. I have a 3 in. ridge I go over into my garage, but I hit that at idling speed or less, just enough to get over it. It is here that I began to notice a "bounce" to the suspension (front), then the bounce at stopping, etc. Took it into Sears, and they said the shocks were leaking. They replaced the shocks with the same Sensatrac. No fine particles of sand, just plenty of sub-zero weather in the winter.

If two years is somewhat normal on a front end, I will get better ones next time.

Thanks!

NYChopshop

salt can do it to the seals, but it does seem pretty out there that your shocks would fail in only two winters... I was referring to real romping on the shocks to cause damage or hitting bone-jarring potholes on an hourly basis (as is unavoidable where I come from). I don't know much about the Sensatrac shocks, but I would probably switch to another brand next time. Rancho, Old Man Emu, Bilstein, KYB, I know all these guys make good shocks. I use ranchos. If you got them replaced under warranty, than all the more power to you! If they bust, it may not even be worth your trouble to have them swapped out for another set of the same, in my opinion. Anyhow, good luck with the shocking issue!

FredTJ

Not sure why you would want to go to larger T-Bars.
You are aware, aren't you, that they have a significantly higher spring rate
than the stock bars. This means a stiffer/rougher ride and less flex all other things considered.



Fred

RX729

Is there a company that sells torsion bars with a lower rate for a smoother ride...?

FredTJ

What's wrong with stock bars ?




Fred

RX729

My mistake, I should of been more specific... Are there torsion bars to lift up the truck but still have a softer spring rate...?

FredTJ

Basically no.
To provide lift over the stock height (using the t-bars) requires creating a steeping angle with the a-arms and that always compromises ride quality.



Fred

FredTJ

One of the fastest ways to kill a shock is by overcompressing (bottoming out going over a big bump fast).
You may want to check and make sure that the shocks are the correctly sized ones for a stock vehicle and that the bumpstops are still in place and look to be in good condition.



Fred

NYChopshop

no, but you can put on a ball joint spacer which utilizes the stock torsion bars and still gives you some lift. If you want more lift than that with soft torsion bars, you're going to be changing arms for longer travel or bolting on a whole mess of metal under your front end to give yourself lift in other ways. At that point, many people decide to go coil-over-shock instead of torsion bars, or even swap out their whole IFS for a solid axle. It's not a cheap process. I myself am not entirely sure whether I'm getting the Total Chaos gen 1 or gen 2 IFS lifts, but I suggest you give their page a look.

FredTJ

Which is EXTREMELY difficult to do on a 2nd gen vehicle.
Matter of fact if you know of someone who gas done that, please post up some photos..




Fred

NYChopshop

total chaos has a bunch of pics of 86-89 IFS coil over packin' yotas on their gen II caddy kit page (can't link the images here, but feel free to go over and check out the slide show) http://www.chaosfab.com/95200.html

FredTJ

Ahhhh, we're talking "long arm" here. That's a totally different bird that just swapping out the t-bars for coilovers.





Fred