Drop spindle question
I have .890 bars on it now and the tire is a 225/45R17. I have not measured the k-frame but the wheel lip to the ground is 25 inches and is right on the stock bump stop. Had it down to 24.5 but ride was too harsh. With the low pro stops it had about an inch of clearance but it really banged hard on bumps. Right side seems worse for some reason... If I bounce the car hard I can get it to bottom out but that is not the feeling I get when driving, it a very harsh, bang, like no shock absorption at all.
Holy crap! .890 bars? That's only a 130 lb/in wheel rate. No wonder you're bottoming out at that ride height.
Like I said when I gave you my specs, I only have about an inch of clearance to my low profile bump stops. And my tires are 25.6" tall, so I have to lower my suspension more to put my fenders in the same spot. I still, although only very occasionally, touch the bumpstops going through potholes etc.
But my wheel rate is
300 lb/in. That's 230% higher than yours. You need more than twice as much available suspension travel as what I run, not the same. Your car is pretty much always on the bumpstops, which gives it that harsh ride and banging. You basically have 0 suspension working for you at that height.
That tire is 25" diameter. I run 24.5" diameter tires which is only 1/4" more on the radius.
I'm 24" to the top of the front fender lip.
But I have 1.14" torsion bars that are almost 3 times as stiff and Bilstein RCD shocks.
You are bottoming out. And check your welds at the lower control arm stud hole on the K-member and check for cracking around the K-member bolt on the frame.
I think you need bigger T-bars or go with dropped spindles if you like the ride of the .89" torsion bars.
Spot on. Banging the bump stops all the time could easily damage something, especially with an unreinforced K member. Stock welds on the K members break all the time, especially at the LCA mounts, even with stock bars and factory ride heights.
If you want to keep the .89" bars, you'll have to use drop spindles. Otherwise, I would suggest getting torsion bars that are at least 1.06". Your car, at your current ride height, would sit about a 1/4" higher than mine with the same size tires. Realistically, I would say you need 1.12" bars to stay off the bumpstops at that height, and I'm talking about the low profile bump stops.
So, either
1. Buy the drop spindles, which will give you about 2" of suspension travel compared to what you have now (which is about what you need with those bars).
2. Buy 1.06 or 1.12" bars and a good set of shocks and swap the low profile bump stops back in (or get 1.03's, but be aware you might still need to raise the car up a little from where you are now to stay off the stops)
3. Raise the ride height back to factory levels and keep all of your current parts.