is it ok to adjust torsion bars to change my cars stance.
OK...put it up to factory ride height and go for a ride.
Then crank them all the way up and go for a ride.
Then tell me the ride is the same.
The farther you pre-load the bars, the harder it rides.... you have changed the spring rates.. just like air shocks or air bags.
This is 100%, absolutely false.
First: Pre-load and spring rate are not the same thing. Once a spring is made, its spring rate does not change. If it is a "progressive" spring, like some coil springs now, it has a rate that changes with compression. But at a given level of compression, the spring rate is always the same. If it is a "linear" spring, the spring rate remains constant regardless of twist or compression.
Torsion bars are linear springs. Wind them up all you like, the spring rate will
never change. This is a simple fact of physics.
Second:
Changing the torsion bar adjuster does not twist the torsion bar. It does not change the pre-load in any way whatsoever. Torsion bar preload is set by the offset of the bar, in the case of factory bars, 30 degrees. If you look at the construction of an LCA, this becomes clear. The torsion bar cup, spindle, and adjuster lever all rotate together. The adjuster therefore does not twist the bar!!! It simply controls the angle of the lower control arm with relation to the torsion bar.
So, changing the adjusters does not change pre-load. Even if it did, changing the pre load does not change the spring rate.
If the car rides differently afterward, its because either 1. The alignment is off, or 2. It been lowered to the point where you're hitting, or even riding on, the bumpstops, or 3. You've lowered it to the point that your shocks are no longer the correct length, and are not working properly.
Also keep in mind that the car will handle better if you lower it. Lowering the center of gravity even 1" makes a huge difference in the handling ability of the car, even with no other changes. This will also effect how the car "feels".
