baseballstud85

my wife and i bought a 2003 dodge ram 1500 quad cab 4x4 back at the beginning of september. if ya'll haven't noticed just from looking at them on the road, they sit a lot lower in the front than the rear (around 2-3 inches). now there are leveling kits and lift kits out there, but i have also seen on some sites that people have cranked up their torsion bars to level it out. if there are any of you dodge guys/gals out there, can ya'll let me know your opinions? or if anybody has any experience with CV axel angles and how extreme you can go with them before it's too far for normal driving and some light off-roading.

Kantizuni

I have a 2007 Dakota. Love the Dodge.
Torsion lifts are great! As long as you don't go more than 2 inches. It -will- throw out your steering, and depending on how much you lift, you're going to feel like your center of gravity while driving has shifted. If you've ever driven a truck with a body lift, you'll know what i'm talking about.
If you're going to do the torsion bar, just do 1 inch. You'll see the difference in the way it sits.

baseballstud85

that's about as far as i was thinking of going. but i was talkin to a guy at les schwabs (local tire shop) and he said that it was a bad idea. i've been on a truck forum for a couple months and asked about it there and gotten a couple of answers. i'm really torn because i'd really love to have it look better for nothing, but if it's going to thrash my CV's then i'm not so sure.

Ericy321

On my dads Ram we put a little spacer plate up in front to even it out. Sits great now! We got the kit off ebay and it has been good.

Is that the torsion bar lift?

baseballstud85

partially, there are kits out there that have new torsion keys that replace the stock ones and adjusts the height without adjusting the torsion bars. the torsion bar crank, as it's called, is done by going under the middle of the truck and locating the adjusting bolts for the bars. then you just give them each a few turns and it supposedly raises the front of the truck. the problem with this though is that it causes the CV joints/axels to be put at an extreme angle as compared to stock. with the key kits, it adjust the placement of the bars.

Kantizuni

*nods* Exactly. It's much safer to get new keys. I wouldn't trust any of the ones you find on ebay though, unless you hear positive feedback on a truck forum, same as I wouldn't put my life into the hands of an ebay tiburon-part seller without consulting these guys first.

Ericy: Please tell me the "little spacer plate" wasn't a hockey puck... LOL laugh.gif (you truck guys will know what i'm talking about...)

Ericy321

It was metal. LOL I dont remember exactly but its been a couple years and not a problem yet.

tdonnell

A buddy of mine raised the front of his newer dodge ram 1500 2-3" by cranking up the torsion bars, he has had no mechanical problems even after some pretty hard off roading.

You WILL need to get an alignment though as you will have some significant positive camber after you raise the front.

baseballstud85

did he have to get taller shocks? and do you happen to know what size tire he has on it after the raise?