I have a 97 F150 4x4, Lariat ext cab, 4.6 and new 285, 75 17" tires. I rebuilt the front end about 6-7 months ago. All of it, hubs, shocks tie rods, control arms I mean everything. Have a Meyers ez mount setup and it was suggested heavy duty torsion bars would be a good idea. If so would I be looking for 7700 torsion bars? And I have new torsion bar keys I can crank up which I haven't. Would an upgrade of torsion bars be a wise preventative small investment? Also I am getting added leafs on back. Should I wait and see how the torsion bars affect height before I decide 1 or 2 leafs to add on?
Thanks and always appreciate the insight here. Always someone (so far lol) making a lot of good sense.
Ben
BTW F 250 next year

 

My stock FX4 rides hard enough. I wouldn't change mine. Before I had a 2000 F150ScabXLT 4x4 fro 5 years and 105k miles and it rode softer than my current 02 FX4. So, the FX4 may have stiffer torsion bars.

 

Ford used different torsion bars. The Supercrew trucks had shorter, softer torsion bars which gave better ride quality than the regular cab and Supercab trucks. The 7700lb trucks had stiffer bars. If you are adding a substantial amount of weight to the front end (like a winch, snowplow or replacement front bumper) the 7700lb bars would be a good idea.
Replacement torsion bar keys on the other hand are a terrible idea. They allow you to put way, way too much preload on your torsion bars which will destroy your ride quality and cause premature ball joint and CV joint wear. Just adjust your ride height with the OEM adjustment keys. If you can't "level" your truck with the OEM adjustment keys, your torsion bars are probably sagged out.

 

wandel, I already have replacement keys installed but wide open. Sounds like it accommodate the plow safe and effectively ill get the 7700's. Can I leave these new keys in and just open w not pressure or lift or should I put stock back? Where should I purchase the torsion bars from? Will those 7700's naturally lift front or just stiffen? Last but not least, I may carry a salter on the back. Should I add a leaf to rear leaf springs?
Thanks for the quality insight in advance.
Ben

 

You can just back off the preload with the aftermarket keys since they are already installed. No need for "double work". Just keep an eye on the CV joint angles. The closer to horizontal they are, the better. The 7700 bars should go right into place. I think only the Supercrew bars are shorter, which requires the crossmember to be unbolted and bolted back farther forward. As for the rear, I'd see how much the salter makes the truck squat. If it's a lot, an add-a-leaf would be a good option.

 

Wandel, the after market keys are as backed off as possible and have been since I installed them. However with that being the case I have never inspected the angle (or lack of angle) the cv's are presently at. I don't expect much of an angle since I haven't cranked up the keys at all but in about 30 minutes I'm heading over to advance auto to pick up a master cylinder so ill take a quick look see shortly. If the new torsion bars will stiffen up ride and stop the added weight of the plow from bringing down the front end then I see no reason to close up the keys for lift and will leave as is. When u mention add a leaf do u mean those under or over the leaf add ons?