can someone explain to me what they do?

 

Torsion bars are on trucks, not stangs

 

And VW Bugs, at least the old ones.

Basically a torsion bar is a type of spring, but instead of compressing up and down, it's a bar or sometimes a bundle of wire that twists. In torsion bar suspension you'll typically have an arm that is attached the the wheel/spindle/axle etc that moves up and down with the wheel, but pivots on the end of the torsion bar itself, so as the arm moves upwards it twists the torsion bar and loads it. It functions in much the same way a spring would in that it absorbs, stores, and releases energy.

I believe sway bars are considered a type of torsion bar, but transfer the upward/downward movement to the suspension on the opposite side of the vehicle.

 

oh ok, thanks i was just wondering

 

Most ifs 4x4 trucks have them vw air cooled bug and most mopars people love like the charger had them.Its a spring just shaped different they was used where space was too tight for even a coil spring.A stabilizer bar which is way a nascar uses instead of a sway bar is basicly the same thing.

 

Almost all Chrysler products used torsion bars in the sixties. They take the place of a spring. One end connects to the lower control arm at the pivot point and the other end goes back about as far as the front seat. On the lower control arm there would be an adjuster bolt that loaded the spring tension on the torsion bar by adding twist. You could change the ride height and stiffness just by running that bolt up or down.

 

i think i have both
torsion bars and leafs
i dunno i'll post a picture when i get home
they might not be torsion bars..maybe some other thing
there's just two bars that run under my leafs

 

They aint torsion bars there traction bars you can't have both leafs and torsion bars.Torsion bars have never been used on the back of anything they where always in the front.If that bar is under the leaf its a traction bar over its a load leveler type.