LX470 Suspension Upgrade Torsion Bar Issue

[LX450LEXUS]

Hello, i recently upgraded the suspension in my Lexus LX470. The hydraulic suspension failed, and dealer was asking for a Kidney transplant.
Had to swap it in order to save the truck. I went with Strutmasters, after the swap the front end sags a lot. i had the mechanic crank the torsion bar to max, and it still sags. Any ideas on torsion bar upgrades ? Just looking to level the truck out, never goes off-road.

 

[jLB]

It's a little late now, but DON'T DO THE STRUTMASTERS "upgrade", as it is a half assed solution, as they expect you to reuse the OE AHC torsion bars, to support the entire weight of the front end, after removing the AHC system (they're not thick/strong enough).

Probably your best solution, would be to chase down some non-AHC takeoff torsion bars from a Land Cruiser.
Your distant second best option would be to purchase some OME torsion bars.

 

[97 AZ LC]

You say nothing about re-indexing the torsion bars.

 

[LXPlore]

You say nothing about re-indexing the torsion bars.

reindexing torsions bars from an LX with AHC is a waste. Those bars are thin and should be replaced with non-AHC torsion bars or thicker. I replaced mine with Swayaway Torsion bars. They work well and we’re priced right.

 

[Pucker5]

Finding some Stock Landcruiser torsion Bars on the cheap is probably least expensive option. Here’s an alternative aftermarket solution that is pretty cost effective.

Torsion Bar Set – Toyota F100, Land Cruiser (Late Model) & LX470 Gas – Sway-A-Way | Racing Technology

 

[scrappyslexus]

How many miles did you drive prior to the sag in front? I just did same to my 2000 and the shop also used strutmasters

 

[Pucker5]

How many miles did you drive prior to the sag in front? I just did same to my 2000 and the shop also used strutmasters

lots of long threads on this but If you went from an ahc to a shock based suspension the factory torsion for the lx were lighter duty and not meant to support the load absent of the ahc. The strut masters themselves might be okay for daily driving Compared to insert shock brand here but you still need the factory Landcruiser bars or comparable heavy duty tb’s

 

[manh3]

I’m finding out that the previous owner went with the strut master kit as I went to measure the torsion bars and it was right at 1.0 inch. The truck had the ahc removed about 20k miles ago. To me the truck drives fine except on heavy dips and going over bumps over 40mph. I’m guessing it’s because it’s hitting the bump stops.

My question is, should I swap out the torsion bars ASAP even though the truck sees very little off-roading and the bilstein shocks seems to be fine and not leaking. Seems like LC torsion bars are harder to get so should i just go with the OME torsion bars.

thanks

 

[hoser]

If you are mostly stock weight, I'd go with stock, non-AHC bars. I'm sure Slee, Cruiser Outfitters, etc have a bunch of 2nd hand t-bars in the back. Call around the LC specialty shops.

 

[scrappyslexus]

Just a highway driver, what are the cons of leaving the original lx470 torsion bars on?

 

[manh3]

Does anyone know the average cost for labor for swapping out the torsion bars?

 

[nukegoat]

Just a highway driver, what are the cons of leaving the original lx470 torsion bars on?

nothing, in fact, i'd recommend taking an angle grinder to them to remove some of that extra outer diameter that's preventing it from truly leveraging the bump stops to their fullest capacity

 

[nukegoat]

Does anyone know the average cost for labor for swapping out the torsion bars?

The swap isn't hard, but more than likely a shop will recommend an alignment afterward.

 

[MongooseGA]

Just a highway driver, what are the cons of leaving the original lx470 torsion bars on?

Not having the weight of the vehicle properly suspended. Maybe it could lead to some alignment issues a little down the road. Also, everyone will point at you and laugh. That's reason enough.

Does anyone know the average cost for labor for swapping out the torsion bars?

A good tech could probably swap out both bars in an hour or so. It's not a difficult process. The worst part is doing it for the first time and just wrapping your head around how to get them indexed properly.

 

[riffman12]

did the dealer suggest and install that setup?? And were they happy with it when they were done?

 

[suprarx7nut]

Hello, i recently upgraded the suspension in my Lexus LX470. The hydraulic suspension failed, and dealer was asking for a Kidney transplant.
Had to swap it in order to save the truck. I went with Strutmasters, after the swap the front end sags a lot. i had the mechanic crank the torsion bar to max, and it still sags. Any ideas on torsion bar upgrades ? Just looking to level the truck out, never goes off-road.

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I would LOVE to see the suggested repairs from the dealer. That looks like a very clean rig. I hope you/they saved the components they removed. Probably could have sold them for 4x what you spent on the Strutmasters "kit-that's-not-really-a-kit-but-more-of-a-scheme".

As others have said, you should install regular Land Cruiser torsion bars. The Strutmasters kit is a big enough liability I'm surprised their legal team allowed it to be sold. Spring rates matter.

 

[manh3]

I just had ome torsion bars installed on my ahc deleted but was still on factory lx470 torsion bar and it made a huge difference. I now understand how weak and fragile the factory lx470 torsion bars are compared to the ome or factory lc ones.

I know that this might be a crazy statement but knowing what I know now I wouldn’t ride in a ahc deleted on factory lx470 for personal safety reasons. I can’t believe they sold ahc delete kits without replacing the torsion bars.

 

[scrappyslexus]

Does someone have the part numbers for the land cruiser torsion bars? Did the land cruiser have an ACH option?

 

[jLB]

Does someone have the part numbers for the land cruiser torsion bars? Did the land cruiser have an ACH option?

I believe 48162-60030 & 48161-60030 (not terribly cost effective @ ~$400 each, compared to aftermarket options @ ~$200-300 for the pair)

I don't know about ACH, but I pretty sure AHC was an option in 2006 & 2007 on Land Cruisers.

 

[scrappyslexus]

Thank you. My concern was that AHC was an option on the 2000 Landcruiser and i end up getting the same torsion bars i already have If picking the wrong Part number.