What are the long term affects of using the aftermarket torsion keys?I have done a search and read how they do the same thing as turning the t-bars but I am wondering the bad side affects.By the way,I cranked mine and did not buy the keys,I am only curious.

 

Worn BJs and rough ride as well as sagging and worn t-bars in the future.

 

That about covers it. The suspension only has so much travel. By cranking the torsion bars (or using torsion keys), you are moving the suspension further down in it's range of travel. This means that it will make the suspension easily top out (extended the shocks) when hitting small bumps, potholes, driveways, etc. It also means that it is harder for the suspension to compress with the additional pre-load. But when it does, the torsion bar is twisting more than stock, causing it to fatigue more and eventually sag more.

 

Would longer shocks help?

 

no, not really. you're not really seeing the big picture here. cranking the torsion bars up forces the lower control arm down, putting the cv shafts and ball joints at a harsh angle. expect to see torn cv boots (i tore boots on both shafts when I had my bars cranked all the way) as well as excessive wear on the ball joints. as mentioned, the bar will eventually stretch out and sag. a new pair of these is not cheap, btw.

basically, cranking the bars up fully puts the suspension outside of its stock geometry. aftermarket torsion keys worsen the condition by allowing you to put way too much preload on the torsion bars (crank them too high).

i can see where the appeal is w/ the torsion keys, cheap height increase. the side effects aren't worth it, imo. the only way to lift the suspension without negatively affecting the geometry is via a full suspension lift. fabtech makes a great kit for our trucks, and a good deals can be had on used kits. a body lift is another cheap alternative for some good fender clearance.

 

ive ran keys on my 03 ranger for 4 years with no problem and i do not baby anything i own.. but i didnt crank the aftermarket all the way only bout a 1/2 way. didnt want to crank the stocks all the way because of to much pressure on the bolt

 

I had adjusted the torsion bars and my ranger and sport trac, but ended up putting them almost back to stock. The shocks topped out so easily it made them ride like crap. At factory ride height, the sport trac (same as the ranger) only had 2.5" of down travel from ride height.