I love the look of my truck with the torsion bars cranked and the 285s, but the stiff ride and high bed are getting old. Been thinking about downsizing my tires from 285/75r16s to the next size down, and cranking the torsion bars back down a little bit.
Anyone ever done this? Would it ride better? Would I see any noticeable increase in gas mileage?

 

Before I did that, I'd check the air pressure in the tires. That can make a huge difference in ride quality. Next, I'd back off the torsion bar preload. You don't need extra height to clear 33's.

 

^id do that first......you will see better mpgs with like a 265 though...and it will ride better without them cranked

 

So I don't need them cranked to run the 285s? Will lowering them down affect turning radius?
What pressure do you recommend?

Hunter, about what size does a 265 equate to? 32"?

 

i had 265's on my rig for a while. with the cranked tbars. it looked slick and rode nicer (mpg went up slighly)(for they are smaller tires)

 

yeah a 265/75/16 is basically a 31.5 by 10.4.....where a 285/75/16 is like a 32.68 by 11.3 depending on make....what really makes for better mpg's is the weight....even though there kinda close in size the weight of them can be substantially different.. i would not be surprised if you picked up 2-3 mpg with the stock size (265) tires

 

For the price of tires , you could do a small body lift , turn down the torsion bars and get the ride and look you desire.

 

A 265/75-16 is basically a 32x10.50 tire so it's only gonna be about an inch shorter and an inch narrower than a 285/75-16 (33x11.50). I've had good luck with 40 psi in most truck tires for daily driving.

 

Yeah, a 265 is really just the next size down. I doubt you would really see a noticeable increase in your mpgs to offset the price of new tires. Crank your t-bars down a little until you get the desired ride comfort. As for psi, I use to run 45 in my old 285's.

 

Well the reason for the thought, is that my tires are getting kinda worn. Plus, one has a nail in it. So, new tires are in the future, just trying to decide on wether to down size, or keep same.

 

285's deff gonna look sweeter....but the 265's WILL help your mpg...and your truck WILL be like it was stock as far as speedo and computer....but its like what they always say on here you gotta pay to play

 

I think I'm gonna try and crank the bars down a bit, and see how it sits. It's just a pain to have to climb into the bed just to get something out. Me being height challenged doesn't help either.
Is cranking the t-bars a hard thing to do?

 

Nope....jack front end up....and i believe its 3/4 socket....and find the bolts that are going into the keys...(cant miss em)...and in ur case loosen em until your satisfied with the height

 

You'll probably need an alignment too from crankin them down

 

Your truck came with 265 70r's.... Lowering your torsion bars are not going to lower the bed either.. "high bed"
If there is still rake to the truck, chances are the torsion bars were not cranked all the way. Might only see a difference of an inch or so when you bring it back down. Nothing noticeable is going to change in mileage. At best going back to a 265 will yield .5mpg, again nothing noticeable. I would keep it where it's at and find other ways to up your mileage. Like E fans, plus youll see some hp gains.