How to Lift a Truck with Torsion Bars – Guide to Adjust Torsion Bar

Truck owners and car owners often search for lift kits and other suspension systems for their vehicles, but they often forget about the stellar torsion bar that comes preinstalled in the vehicle. There are might be instances where you can get stuck in the middle of the road and need to lift the car without any help. For such cases, one should know how to lift a truck with torsion bars. Before looking at the step-by-step procedure to lift the truck with it, lets quickly go through the frequently asked questions regarding the torsion bars.

What does a torsion bar do?

A torsion bar is a suspension system used in vehicles to make the drive smooth, and it also aids in keeping the vehicle in control. It is basically a long metal rod attached to a vehicle to counter the wheels’ vertical movement. One end of it is attached to the vehicle’s chassis, and the other end is coupled with a lower link of the suspension system on the wheel side. Torsion bars are used as a main weight-bearing spring that is an integral part of the vehicle’s suspension system. 

A torsion bar is mostly used in vehicles having four-wheel drive (4WD). It is used in place of standard coil and leaf springs as it requires less space for installation. This suspension system is mostly equipped on the vehicle’s front-end as an independent front suspension (IFS) system.

How do torsion bars work?

The term “torsion” means twisted force generated due to the applied torque on the object. Torsion bar works on the same principle. When the vehicle passes through a bump, the bar twists due to the wheel’s vertical movement. As the bar is firmly fixed with chassis, it tries to come back to its original position and thus restores the vehicle’s wheels to its standard drive height. This property of the torsion bar makes it unique and is also why many people use it for lifting their trucks. 

How to properly adjust a torsion bar?

It is necessary to adjust the torsion bar properly for lifting the truck with minimal efforts. One can manually adjust the torsion bar using the bolts on the frame or the torsion keys. 

How to Lift a Truck with Torsion Bars

And to help you understand how to make these adjustments and lift the truck, here is a process that describes both simultaneously.

Step 1

Park your vehicle on the side and start taking measurements of the ground clearance and height of the wheel as it will act as a reference point for setting the truck at the right height after adjusting the torsion bar.

Step 2

Lift your vehicle with the help of a screw jack until the vehicle’s desired wheel is in the air. Doing this will release all the stress on the torsion bar.

Step 3

Crawl underneath the vehicle carefully and now search for the adjusting bolt of the torsion bar on the frame rail. Once you have reached the adjusting bolt, turn it in the clockwise direction with the socket head’s help to increase the spring rate of the torsion bar and vice versa. 

Before adjusting the spring rate, always remember and note down the number of turns you made with the help of the socket head in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Noting it down will help you to adjust the front and rear end of the torsion bar properly. Sometimes increasing spring rate will make the suspension harder on the bumps.

Step 4

After adjusting the torsion bar, lower the vehicle and remove the jack. Now measure ground clearance and height of the wheel and compare it with reference readings. It will help you find out that the torsion bar’s adjustments are proper or not. Generally, one full turn is sufficient to give you the desired result, but it is still recommended to follow the guidelines provided in your vehicle’s manual.

Concluding Remarks

Be careful while crawling beneath the car or truck to lift it and make sure that you adjust the torsion bar properly. You can also get aftermarket torsion keys for your vehicles as it can help make the suspension system function better by raising the height a little bit more than those keys that come preinstalled in your four-wheelers. I hope this process and blog help you understand the working of torsion bars and their use in lifting the truck or car.