after 3+ years: SwayAWay torsion bars (1 Viewer)

[drexx]

28Jul2005 (UTC +8)

After more than three years, or 60,000+ miles, I can say that I'm fairly happy with my Sway-A-Way torsion bars. With my ARB Sahara bar (just a coupla months after the torsion bars), dual battery setup, and now TRD supercharger to load the front end, they've been sagging every now and then so I had to crank up the torsion bars to maintain the lift. So just today I reset the whole thing by removing and re-installing them so that my IFS up-stroke could be better. I guess this longevity factor is an obvious advantage of torsion bars vs. coil springs.

The torsion bars had outlasted a regular set of OME shocks, so now it's running with nice OME LTR for more than a year now. It has also been mated to stiff OME coil springs for the rear --which just dropped down a bit 'coz of the Long Ranger aux fuel tank and Kaymar rear bumper and the often-used 3rd row seats-- but those coils ain't sagging yet definitely.

Would I buy them again? Maybe not, as OME & TJM torsion bars are much cheaper. But anything is better than soft and wallowy Toyota suspension!

 

[calamaridog]

They cost more than double the cost of a set of OME

 

[cruiseroutfit]

What lift range did you acheive with the SAW's, near identical to the OME/TJM setup? Or was it maintainable at higher heights?

 

[calamaridog]

The SAW torsion bars are 31mm vs. 30.? for the OME. Not worth the extra $$ in my estimation.

You may be able to carry them at a decent price, that would be nice. The only people I could find who had them was MAF and they want over $600 for them.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

...You may be able to carry them at a decent price, that would be nice. The only people I could find who had them was MAF and they want over $600 for them.

One of my partner companies (company I do a ton of work back & forth with ) is a SAW dealer... I will see what they can swing. Though, I have only moved a couple of the OME set-ups, I can't see the SAW parts moving either...

 

[calamaridog]

Kurt,

Just curious but I've already got a set of OME in the garage. I just like to know what my options are

 

[spressomon]

I wonder, as the t-bar OD increases, if droop/drop also decreases. Or does travel remain a constant since, theorectically, less pre-load needs to be applied to a larger OD t-bar for a given lift height. Or, since there would be less pre-load/wrap on the larger OD t-bar is overall travel reduced since there would be less spring-inches of movement?

Having said that I do understand there is a point, in lift height, where droop/drop is diminished. It would be worthwhile to plot this data...has anyone done this? Christo?