I am planning on leveling my 2005 LC. Looking to get fox 2.0s, OME 865s, and adjust my factory torsion bars. For this setup would I need the diff drop and UCAS?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Diff Drop / UCA question
- Thread starter Javelin
- Start date
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Depends. Your CVs in the front have been in how long? They are somewhat sensitive to changing their angles. My understanding is they wear a bit of a groove in their location over time and changing the angle moves them out of the groove which could cause failure. The diff drop keeps them in their happy place. I lifted mine and was told to plan on CV replacement in the near future by a nationally reputable shop. I have not yet added the diff drop but it seems cheaper than CV axle replacement. FWIW
Good discussion notes on the diff-drop here
Diff drop...Slee or BIOR?
Diff drop...Slee or BIOR?
Diff Drop:
Aftermarket UCAs:
abuck99 already covered the diff drop with the thread referenced above. There are conflicting opinions as to whether a diff drop is needed, ranging from "mandatory" to "a waste of money". I believe the general consensus is "Not absolutely required, but probably not a bad thing to have"
Aftermarket UCAs:
Again, differing opinions. It seems to depends on how much you want to crank the torsion bars, variances from vehicle to vehicle and/or how sensitive you might be to "steering behaving badly".
If you are literally planning to "level" your 100 series with 865s, your probably in for a learning experience. OME 865s are ~1.5" lift, factory "rake" is ~.75-1.0", meaning you're talking about a 2.25-2.5" "crank" on the torsion bars. There are a number of members on this site that believe "without the .75-1.0" rake, handling goes to s***", I kinda lean towards "excessive cranking on the torsion bars makes the handling go to s***". Whichever case is true, I'd expect that you're not going to be real happy with the handling of "level" 100 series with 2.25-2.5" of front end lift on stock UCAs. You've probably got (2) options to deal with the issue, 1) keep the front-end lift to about 1.5" with the factory rake, 2) See if aftermarket UCAs might help with the lack of "droop" and dialing in some caster.
In summary, yes/no/maybe.If you are literally planning to "level" your 100 series with 865s, your probably in for a learning experience. OME 865s are ~1.5" lift, factory "rake" is ~.75-1.0", meaning you're talking about a 2.25-2.5" "crank" on the torsion bars. There are a number of members on this site that believe "without the .75-1.0" rake, handling goes to s***", I kinda lean towards "excessive cranking on the torsion bars makes the handling go to s***". Whichever case is true, I'd expect that you're not going to be real happy with the handling of "level" 100 series with 2.25-2.5" of front end lift on stock UCAs. You've probably got (2) options to deal with the issue, 1) keep the front-end lift to about 1.5" with the factory rake, 2) See if aftermarket UCAs might help with the lack of "droop" and dialing in some caster.
- Thread starter
- #6
What if I kept the factory springs and just did shocks/crank factory torsions?
What exactly are you trying to "fix" or accomplish with the shocks/springs/crank?
Conventional wisdom on this site says that "you need at least .75-1.0" rake".
I don't know that I buy that 100% because:
1) The fix always seems to be dropping the front (instead of raising the back)
2) The last time we loaded cargo into my son's LC until it was level (or maybe a little "nose up") we didn't seem to experience the typical "rake handling/ride" issues. (We did later upgrade to longer/heavier springs to fix this though)
2) The last time we loaded cargo into my son's LC until it was level (or maybe a little "nose up") we didn't seem to experience the typical "rake handling/ride" issues. (We did later upgrade to longer/heavier springs to fix this though)
(Admittedly, I don't quite get the obsession that some seem to have with "leveling" a truck. Maybe because I don't mind a little rake, maybe because I really dislike the "nose up" stance on a loaded vehicle.)
I'd say give the front bars a little crank and and get an alignment when you get it where you like it. Once you get it where you want it reband the boots.
- Thread starter
- #8
I am planning on doing a full lift in a few years. Getting some new wheels and tires 285/70/17s in a week. Just don't want it too stuffed in the front. It's just something to hold me over for a little bit until I pull the trigger on a full 2.5 lift, bumpers, etc
Technically the IFS torsion bar crank (on OEM bars or aftermarket bars) doesn't add any more room for tires. As long as the offset of the wheels is close to stock, a 285/70R17 should fit the same as a 285/75R16 does. It should work fine without any cranking on the torsion bars, but looks a little better raised up a little bit.
- Thread starter
- #10
The offset will be +30. So equivalent to running a 1.25 spacer. Should I go with a 275/70/17 instead?
So far, I've stuck with factory offset and no spacers.
You'll need to do a little searching on this site to find someone either running wheels with that offset, or using spacers for that effective offset, to verify what will fit without interference.
You'll need to do a little searching on this site to find someone either running wheels with that offset, or using spacers for that effective offset, to verify what will fit without interference.