RichT wrote:As I worked it out:
The strut spacer goes between the top strut mount and the chassis, therefore makes no change to the space the coil has to fit into, so doesn't compress the coil.
It does alter the effective length of the whole strut though, and alter the relative positions of the bump stops.
Compared to the standard set up - The upper bump stop (droop stop) is closer to the chassis, so droop is reduced. The lower bump stop (compression stop) is farther away from the chassis, therefore upward travel available is increased.
I've just fitted a 25mm strut spacer to my 2009 L200 Trojan, 285/75/16 AT2s on 0 offset 8x16s now fit with slight trimming to the mud flaps, the tyres are close (but don't touch) with full suspension compression & full lock.
The truck rides fine, just some extra tyre rumble. All in all a cheap way to get 285s under the truck without major trimming or drive train issues.
SinWolf wrote:RichT wrote:As I worked it out:
The strut spacer goes between the top strut mount and the chassis, therefore makes no change to the space the coil has to fit into, so doesn't compress the coil.
It does alter the effective length of the whole strut though, and alter the relative positions of the bump stops.
Compared to the standard set up - The upper bump stop (droop stop) is closer to the chassis, so droop is reduced. The lower bump stop (compression stop) is farther away from the chassis, therefore upward travel available is increased.
I've just fitted a 25mm strut spacer to my 2009 L200 Trojan, 285/75/16 AT2s on 0 offset 8x16s now fit with slight trimming to the mud flaps, the tyres are close (but don't touch) with full suspension compression & full lock.
The truck rides fine, just some extra tyre rumble. All in all a cheap way to get 285s under the truck without major trimming or drive train issues.
Ultimate... Could you please comment on this ??
I also fitted spacers beteen the strut and the body, and did NOT strip the strut to fit spacers inside the strut assembly !
Which means that the coil's compression stayed the sam....
ultimate wrote:The spacers do raise the vehicle but are not recommended. The strut spacers which go on top of the assembly still produce too much downwards pressure and limit compression. The coil compression is not changed but the strut will bottom out before it reaches the bump stop meaning you will not have the same up travel as normal. Because the strut spacer is pushing down on the strut assembly, it is trying to force too much down travel. On most vehicles this will cause drive line and CV failure as the droop is pushed beyond the vehicle's limits.
Because the L200 Triton has a bump stop restricting droop, the CVs are somewhat protected. This has other affects though with the spacers as the bump stop clearance is significantly reduced and in most case the vehicle is continually riding on the top bump stop. This will cause bump steer and is dangerous and uncomfortable for the driver.
For a vehicle's suspension to work properly, you need adequate travel in both directions. This allows the suspension to react to the changing road surface for steering, absorbing bumps and keeping the tyres in contact with the ground. Without adequate down travel, the suspension cannot work properly and the ride quality and handling characteristics of the vehicle are compromised.
Pictures tell a thousand words so here are a few photos from the Hilux forum of damage caused to struts and ball joints as a result of strut spacers. Some of the spacers are a bit extreme but the principles and risks are still the same. In my opinion, stick to longer struts and coils customised to suit your vehicle and application. It may be a bit more expensive in the beginning but is far better for the reliability and safety of the vehicle.
These images were taken off a Hilux at static height on flat ground. As you can see, the coil spacer is raising the vehicle too high and pushing the top control arm down. This control arm is continually contacting the coil when in motion which is incredibly dangerous and will eventually cause major damage.
boostedbmw wrote:I did it with a Snake spacer and it stuffed my shock. I went over a hump on the beach and got a bit of air which in turn forced the spring pressure down on to its mount on the shock and sheared it clean off. Had to get towed home. DON"T DO IT. Save up just a bit more and get a set of lifted coils. Although i do still use the shackle extensions from snake. I bogged up the logo, painted them black and sprayed some rust proofing on the so the cops/rta find it harder to spot the mod
RichT wrote:QUOTE - "The use of Coil Spacer Kits (shown in yellow) limits the amount of up-travel achieved in a vehicle with IFS. For example if the vehicle is fitted with 2” coil spacers between the top coil seat and the body mount the shock assembly is now compressed an extra 2”, as a result the shock will now bottom out sooner resulting in a significant 2” decrease in up-travel. This compression of the coil assembly is also theoretically increasing the coil rate, which means the shock absorber is working outside of it’s specifications and the ride is harder than if an aftermarket shock and coil is used."
As I worked it out:
The strut spacer goes between the top strut mount and the chassis, therefore makes no change to the space the coil has to fit into, so doesn't compress the coil.
It does alter the effective length of the whole strut though, and alter the relative positions of the bump stops.
Compared to the standard set up - The upper bump stop (droop stop) is closer to the chassis, so droop is reduced. The lower bump stop (compression stop) is farther away from the chassis, therefore upward travel available is increased.
I've just fitted a 25mm strut spacer to my 2009 L200 Trojan, 285/75/16 AT2s on 0 offset 8x16s now fit with slight trimming to the mud flaps, the tyres are close (but don't touch) with full suspension compression & full lock.
The truck rides fine, just some extra tyre rumble. All in all a cheap way to get 285s under the truck without major trimming or drive train issues.
NowForThe5th wrote:The problem is 35mm over what? I've read of members here who've been down to 520mm front while the standard for MLs was around 550mm and for later MNs up around 580mm. Unless you take before and after readings and then express your lift as the difference of 2", it all means diddly squat.
A comfortable maximum for a Triton is around 595mm, some have more and have no issue, others have a bit less. There's a lot more in the Ride Heights thread.
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