torsion keys

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bundy34

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I would like to add a couple inches to my 1997 Eddie Bauer. What is better for the vehicle, a leveling kit (daystar 3/2) or just rear slackers and cranking the stock keys? Any real difference?
 

Canadian Expy

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You can get rear coil spacers in 1.5-3" and front you can TT or get keys for 2"
but don't go more then 2"
I did 2" spacers with 2" keys
 
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bundy34

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Thanks for the reply.

I guess what i am trying to ask, is which is better for the vehicle?

I will be putting 2" spacers on the back, but i am not sure whether i should purchase keys for the front, or just crank the stock keys.

I don't mind buying them if they are better, but don't want to spend the money if they are not.
 
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bundy34

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lol...great...alignment cam kit...something else to buy that I know nothing about.
 

cody.agler

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Like Canadian Expy said if you are going to buy the keys DO NOT get anything past 2". I bought my 98 expy and it had 3" torsion keys already installed and they guy claimed he never had any problems. Once I trailered it home I saw that both CV Boots were completely ripped and torn so I replaced those and now I have taken the keys off because I recently broke 2 different front axle housings because of the strain the 3" keys have put on my differential and front axle. I took the keys off and the body lift that was also installed and spent all the money on a 6 inch suspension lift. If only the guy that owned my expy before me would have been on here then he wouldn't have stuck me with all of these problems!
 

Canadian Expy

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I perfer the keys over TT , also TT only gets you 1.5" 2" keys are a PIA to put in but I like the way it rides still.
 

panda24619

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i got 2" out of my stock keys. and i beat the snot out of them and they do fine. i dont get air or anything, but every once in awhile ill hit a bump and slam down hard. just keeps on kicking i guess.
 
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bundy34

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Has anyone else used that alignment cam kit? is it really neccesary?
 

panda24619

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never needed an alignment cam kit. the guys that did my alignment said my ball joints are shot, but other than that the TT isnt bad.
 

K5rnt

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A cam kit is required for an alignment But once you put one in your good forever. See the factory dosent give you a way to set caster and camber. That's what the cam kit does.
Anyway just my .02 don't waste your money on torsion keys they do the same thing as the stock ones just a little more. In my opinion you can get 2" outta the stock keys and if you go any more than that the cv axle angle starts to get nasty.
 

SkyJumper

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The recessed aftermarket keys allow you to use very little bolt to achieve the lift, vs twisting down your stockers till the bolt is almost if not completely tightened up to gain the lift. So yes, there is benefits to buying the new keys, less bind and torque on the bolts equals better life and less chance a torsion bolt from snapping.

But, I just went thru another driverside axle upper boot. The second one in little over a month. The new axle shaft will be in tomorrow for pick up. Luckily, the shaft I bought comes with a lifetime warranty, no questions asked.

I know that the Torsion Twist is doing this, creating the ribs of the boots to rubb constantly against one another as I am driving which in turn is wearing the boot ribs to a thin wall. The sad thing is all the TT I did was 1.5", so I do not know how you all are telling others that 2" would be OK. Especially after I am going thru cv boots like water. And this is with the new lift keys I bought. Even at 1.5" of TT lift, it is increased drive line angles to wear these boots out fast.
 

K5rnt

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How does having more bolt above the nut make aftermarket keys better? If you tighten the torsion bars enough to lift the front of your truck 1" or 2" or even 3" the same amount of tension is on the bars no matter how the keys are indexed.
In other words the more you lift the front of the truck the more tension on your torsion bars and the steeper you cv angles. So why spend $100 on keys that allow you to do the same thing you can do with the ones you already have.
 
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SkyJumper

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I rather have the indexed keys as it requires less torqueing down of the bolts and less bolt threads at top of the crossmember to be exposed to the elements and a possibility of a bolt snapping when needed to remove or lower.

All this about why or why not is only ones wanting to do so or not. If you are cheap and on a budget or if you want to buy them because that is what you want. Buying them should not be rediculed by one to another for doing so. If a person wants to buy them, so be it. Why would it bother another. Is it your dime being spent? There are reasons as I stated that I stand by, as would another. You have your thoughts, that is fine. Let it be that, your and anyone elses opinion and not that of someone being stupid or WTF for buying them.
 
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K5rnt

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I didn't say it was stupid or that you or anyone else wasted money buying them. Sorry if I offended.

To the op, no there is no real difference between stock keys and aftermarket ones.
 
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bundy34

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Thanks all.

I think I will try to use the stock keys for right now, if for no other reason than I have dumped alot more money into this thing lately than I had anticipated.

Skyjumper, I admire your set up on your exp. I was wondering what the specs were on your wheels, as I saw in your previous post that you had issues with it rubbing against the calipers, causing you to have to buy wheel spacers.

Thermo already advised me to use 8" rims, which is what I will do, but in trying to understand backspacing/etc, I was wondering if the problem was from your wheels backspacing or because they are 10" or ???
 

SkyJumper

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The rims are great as they are 16x10, it is not the size that was the issue, it was the offset that was causing the rim to sit on the caliper. But I get alot of comments on the black rims instead of chrome or alloy. I personally hate chrome, pretty soon there will be no chrome on the vehicle.
 
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