I'd like to start by saying that I've been crawling this forum and others like it for the last few months and have found answers to dozens of questions I had and even more answers to questions I didn't know I had. So, thank you for the advice and tips.

I had an older F-250 gasser that was nearing the end of its life and a few months ago I found a deal on a 2500HD D/A 2WD that I just couldn't pass up. My first diesel and I love it. It leads a pretty simple life. It doesn't tow or haul or do much city driving. It just looks great, sounds awesome, and gets better mileage than I could have imagined.

Since this is essentially an over powered sedan with a huge trunk, I wanted to make it more comfortable to get in and out of and didn't want it to sit up in the air like a 4x4 (and I've always wanted a lowrider!). I started out by installing 2" drop shackles from ground force. That leveled it out, but like most car/truck people "good enough" isn't good enough. So, I decided to go slowly and drop it even farther. I started looking for torsion keys. This is where the story really starts...

I found the brand I wanted from reading forums and talking to a few guys with bigger lowered trucks. McGaughy's seemed like the way to go. I found a few places that sell them for about $110 to $150. Pretty reasonable, but I kept looking around. I then found SpringTech. They appeared to be similar keys, but for $69 shipped! I was happy. Spring-tech.com does not mention anything about torsion keys, but they are available at suspensionmax.com and on suspensionmax's ebay store. I ordered them through their ebay store and received them a few days later.

The following Saturday, I attempted to install them. The factory keys were a tight fit and had to be wiggled off the torsion bar. The replacement SpringTech keys were a different story. They were a 1/4" too big. I slid them on to the bars and realized that there was an inch or more of play at the end of the key where the adjusting bolt engages. I reassembled my truck with the original keys. I was not about to put weight on them for fear of damaging the torsion bars. I was disappointed, but not upset. I figured that they sent the wrong ones or I just got a bad pair.

So, I emailed suspensionmax and explained the situation. On Monday afternoon, after not hearing back from them, I called. I spoke to Jacob. It appears he handles the internet and ebay sales. I explained to him the problem. He went and measured a few keys off the shelf and got the same measurement that I did: 1.75". He agreed that something wasn't right, but he'd look into it and call me back. After not hearing back from him, I emailed him again on Wednesday letting him know that I did some digging and I believed that the keys were cut incorrectly, and I'd like to know how they would handle this because I am going on a road trip in 9 days and I'd like to have keys installed by then.

As you may have guessed, a day later I still had not received a phone call or email from anyone at suspensionmax. So, I sent him a message through ebay reiterating my problem. He did reply through ebay the following morning telling me that a .250 gap is perfectly acceptable and is the exact same as any other manufacturer. He invited me to contact other manufacturers. So, I did.

I first called DJM (not knowing that they do not sell a drop key for a GM HD). They were very helpful. They could not comment on that exact model, but they did say that a .250 tolerance is not acceptable and that it never would have passed quality inspection. He even said 'you wouldn't use a 1-3/4" wrench to turn a 1-1/2" bolt, would you?'. I then called McGaughy's. They went above and beyond to help someone who wasn't even their customer. The rep actually took down my number, found a drop key and a torsion bar, slipped the key on, and measured. He called me back a few minutes later to report he measured a gap of less than .030" and he strongly advised that I not install anything on my bars that fits that loosely. I promptly ordered a pair of McGaughy's keys.

Yes, I understand that the reps I spoke to are competition and may be biased.

To the defense of suspensionmax, they have offered me a refund. But, they have refused to pay for return shipping. They say that simply not wanting a part anymore is not reason for them to pay to have them shipped back. I say that the part is manufactured incorrectly and is therefore defective.

Before anyone has a chance to light their flamethrower, I know... "You get what you pay for."

I just thought that I would share my story. What do you think? Would you install keys that were 1/4" too big?

If anyone thinks I made this up or are exaggerating, I swear I'm not. Ask away.

 

I definitely would not use them. Most likely over time it will damage the bar. You did the right thing.