i got a question for all you ifs + bj spacer guys. my rig right now has bj spacers, bracket, and the thicker downey torsion bars up front. although my flex and ride quality have gotten much better when i installed the spacers, i still feel like i can get better flex and ride quality if i put stock torsion bars back inplace of the downey. what do you guys think???

 

everyone says that the thicker bars will give a better ride. it is stressed less and so it will have a less harsh ride.

 

wrong, my friend...
a torsion bar is just a flat spring...
so, if you want a softer ride, throw on the smaller diameter sotckers back on...
the thicker ones are really for the guys that jump their trucks a lot or if you have a heavy winch/bumper combo up front...

 

i have heard the downey ones are garbeg and they are not much bigger than the stock so you will have throwin money away on somethin you dont need

 

The Downey bars are not garbage, they are good quality bars. Thicker yes, stiffer yes. I like mine with the winch up front.

 

yeah they are definitely thicker than stock and are stiffer. i compare them to my brothers stock ones and big difference. i forget the exact measurements of both. but yeah i bought the truck with the downey torsions. the PO just stacked whatever they could to get the truck high. so now im stuck trying to soften it up!! and i dont nor plan to run anything heavy up front. when we go camping here in hawaii i load a lot of crap in the back which takes a lot of weight off the front. so less flex offroading. i guess ima try find some stockies

 

Stiffer bars are also good when going down steep trails. With desending steep trails more weight gets put on the front. I've bottomed out before even with the 26mm bars.

Have you tried loosening them up as much as possible?

 

Unless you got a winch, I dont think the heavier t-bars are needed. Mine is pretty soft, but its very nice on and offroad. IF only the rear was as soft (that sounded dirty)

 

I like my Downey bars. They work great for jumping and now support my winch bumper/winch great. I've never had a harsh ride from the front(as long as your a-arms arm maxed out and sit up against the stops). If you plan on putting extra wieght on the front end(like bigger tires...) then use the Downey bars.

 

Looks to me like your tbars are cranked out quite a bit. Cranking them back down to where your control are are closer to horizontal will give you a much smoother ride.

 

X2, try loosening the adjustment bolts back as far as possible. Just make sure there are still plenty of threads holding the bolts in. General engineering says (1.5 x the bolt diameter) in threads. My bolts are a little below flush with the top of the nut, but I can still touch the top of the bolts with my little finger. I consider that as loose as I dare go.

 

X3 on loosening them. The stockers if cranked will give you the same lift but have much more torque to get it. I'm running the Downey's and can't really complain went from stockers to them with 33's and stock bumper. With time and a winch plus mount I'm glad I got them.

If you can get the stockers for free swap them and see. But IMO not worth the money if not free. Make sure to measure rim and fender before and after to get them the same.

Good luck.

 

well my t bars are pretty much relaxed. the mechanic that did my alignment relaxed them for me but said that if i put a longer bolt that i could crank them down more. i swap between stock rims and tires and my 33 mt depending on where we go fish. no winch or heavy bumper up front and no plans to do so. light 22re motor. so i figure that my next option to softening up the front and getting more flex is swapping the downey torsions for stock torsions.

 

Check to see which stock bars you have. Toyota has 2 different sized torsion bars. My SR5 came with the larger ones, but I think the dlx model come with a smaller diameter.

Can anyone confirm or correct me on this?

CB

 

really? that makes sense though....i guess ill try and find some sr5

 

According to Downey the stock bars are 22.8mm.

OME (Old Man Emu) is 23.4mm
Sway-A-Way is 25mm
Downey is 26mm

In the past, guys with OME bars & BJ spacers have sworn by the difference in ride both off and on pavement. I'd think these bars would be an obvious choice for numerous reasons but my guess is the $200 price tag pushes away potential buyers.

I bought them just before my 2nd gen was totaled.

A few members here sold their used Downey's and Say-A-Ways...because in other words, "they were too stiff".

Search and research.

 

1mm between stock and OME doesnt sound like a big difference to me but maybe it is. I think that the previous owner just put the torsions in due to the misconception that it adds lift not to support jumping or a heavy bumper...idiot no weight up front for me and definitely no jumping. im just gunna try score some freebie torsions

 

Well, let me throw my hat in this ring, I have a 90' SR5. V-6, 5-spd ex-cab that I bobbed the bed on and wanted a lift kit for it, I installed Downey's bars along with their leaf springs for the rear, and the ride is terrible, my wife and kids wont ride with me anymore in my old 'beater'.....lol. Anyway I have them adjusted according to the instructions with the kit.......13.5 inches from the top of the rim to the bottom of the fenderwell...... which leaves apprx. 1/2 inch of bolt on top of the adjusting nut of the bar/holddown assy. This does leave the truck in a nice stance front to back....but the ride sucks!

 

Throw in some BJ spacers, and relax the t-bars some more. The BJ spacers give you more travel.

 

Does the V6 trucks have larger torsion bars than the 22re trucks?
V6 = heavier engine. Needs larger bars to keep the front end up.
Can anyone confirm this?