chucky2
Member
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2009
- Messages
- 83
- Reaction score
- 1
- Points
- 8
- Location
- Chicagoland, IL USA
- Vehicle Year
- 2003
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Engine Size
- 4.0L SOHC V-6
- Transmission
- Automatic
I'm the original owner of an '03 FX4 Level II, which basically is stock...it's got 190k mi on it. I've got persistent inner tire wear, which after this last alignment seems to be doing a little better but still is not correct. It's not the brand of tires, it happened with the last set which was a different brand altogether. It's also not something inherent with my truck, as the original BFG AT KO's didn't have this uneven tire wear issue. I believe I did new Ford Bilstein OEM (to FX4's) shocks at 100k.
What I've noticed that is making me wonder if the torsion bars need to be replaced is two things:
1. For a long while now, when going say slow over a dip (so, going from high to low), the truck seems to really bottom out in the front. I never remember it being like this, it always soaked up even minor things well (such as going from a yard with a curb back into the street.
2. When my truck was much newer I thought I could fit it into my parents job for an oil change - our Aerostars had always fit so I had it in my mind the Ranger would fit. Well, it didn't. The top of the cab would end up hitting the trim for the garage door. This past weekend I had to check the front brakes so I pulled it as far into the garage as I knew I could get, got out...and was shocked that not only could I squeek into the garage, I now had inches of clearance I did not have before. There is no way the garage has settled that much, nor are my tires that worn (they're fairly new actually).
I had always thought for some reason that torsion bars were like leaf springs, that they just lasted forever...but now I'm not so sure. Can it be I need new torsion bars?
Thanks for any insight on this!
Chuck
What I've noticed that is making me wonder if the torsion bars need to be replaced is two things:
1. For a long while now, when going say slow over a dip (so, going from high to low), the truck seems to really bottom out in the front. I never remember it being like this, it always soaked up even minor things well (such as going from a yard with a curb back into the street.
2. When my truck was much newer I thought I could fit it into my parents job for an oil change - our Aerostars had always fit so I had it in my mind the Ranger would fit. Well, it didn't. The top of the cab would end up hitting the trim for the garage door. This past weekend I had to check the front brakes so I pulled it as far into the garage as I knew I could get, got out...and was shocked that not only could I squeek into the garage, I now had inches of clearance I did not have before. There is no way the garage has settled that much, nor are my tires that worn (they're fairly new actually).
I had always thought for some reason that torsion bars were like leaf springs, that they just lasted forever...but now I'm not so sure. Can it be I need new torsion bars?
Thanks for any insight on this!
Chuck