Springs v Spacers

ukoffroad

Well-known member
Jan 13, 2010
2,125
168
Lynchburg, Va
It's all a matter of what you want out of it.

You nailed it, and this gets lost all the time. The first question should always be what do you want the truck to do? West coast stuff is very different from east coast stuff in terms of offroading, etc. I have maybe 60 feet of rope on my winch and an extension. That would make little sense out west, but here I am seldom very far from a tree that works and so there is less load on my winch. If you want bigger tires for esthetics but you are just camping out of it and not really flexing it spacers may be an acceptable compromise.

How many poser trucks are there with 2k in bumpers that have been on nothing harder than a dirt road?
 

az_max

1
Apr 22, 2005
7,463
2
I just need the spacers to level my truck out for a 15yr old OME kit. The driver's side is down over two inches. Whenever someone asks about the lean I tell them it's because of the large cojones of the driver.
 

fishEH

Well-known member
Jan 26, 2009
6,927
201
Lake Villa, IL
Are spacers used just because they are cheaper and easier to find than the correct length and rate of springs?


Any advantage v disadvantage for them. Does it affect the overall goal, height of lift, performance of the spring, travel etc.?

Spacers are cheaper, yes. They are a great solution if you just want to lift the truck and run larger tires without adding a bunch of weight. You should consider dropping your rear shock mounts down to compensate. The front shock length will already be accounted for with the spacers. A spacer will have the least amount of handling side effects. There will still be some, like COG and castor, but less than if you changed spring rates and shocks.

Springs are for people that want to lift their truck AND add weight. If you're not adding weight there's nothing a spring will get you that a spacer won't.
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
561
Seattle
Springs are for people that want to lift their truck AND add weight. If you're not adding weight there's nothing a spring will get you that a spacer won't.

It's important to consider the tradeoffs of any modification. Once you deviate from stock you are going to give something up in one area for an advantage gained elsewhere. Spacers, for example, will raise your truck and allow you to fit larger tires, thereby raising your truck even further. The drawback that comes with this is a higher center of gravity for which the stock suspension is not designed. By fitting taller (and usually stiffer) springs, you mitigate - to some extent - the drawback of raising the center of gravity on the softer stock springs.

Ultimately people are going to do what they want with their trucks for whatever reasons. One guy's good idea is another's head-shaker.
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
It's important to consider the tradeoffs of any modification. Once you deviate from stock you are going to give something up in one area for an advantage gained elsewhere. Spacers, for example, will raise your truck and allow you to fit larger tires, thereby raising your truck even further. The drawback that comes with this is a higher center of gravity for which the stock suspension is not designed. By fitting taller (and usually stiffer) springs, you mitigate - to some extent - the drawback of raising the center of gravity on the softer stock springs.

Ultimately people are going to do what they want with their trucks for whatever reasons. One guy's good idea is another's head-shaker.

It does get pretty interesting at the semi-production level, though.

Check out the AEV Prospector and Prospector XL, and how they've managed the clearance. Obviously there's fender trimming on the XL, but they made a few custom parts to realign things under both units, and supposedly replicate a factory ride as closely as possible.

I kind of want one of those. Shame you have to have one of these new-fangled engines, but we're lucky they're happening at all, I suppose. I'd be pinching pennies right now if I could get away with dropping a 12 valve in the thing.

What the XL is showing us is the magic of trimming. There's the ideal solution for fitting larger tires. Always has been, and always will be. Trim, and try not to fuck with anything else too much. The problem is, it's hard to style, and it looks good on some vehicles, and like ten kinds of ass on others.

I think they pulled it off. That flatbed model ought to be the official Power Wagon.

Cheers,

Kennith