WHY SPACERS ARE BAD!!!!!
Spacer lifts are common among Toyota owners because they achieve a look for the truck for less than $300 in parts. They are in our opinion a huge dis-service to the Toyota off road industry for a few reasons that we will lay out here. (Facts, not opinions)
Your Modern 120 series Toyota suspension has a bit less than 9" of suspension travel available in its ball joints from the factory. This travel is limited by the stock strut to 8" over all. 4.0" up and 4.0" down on most models. When you lift your truck, you are raising up the front, lets say a standard 2.5" . So now you have 6.5" up and 1.5" down. When the top spacer is added. You now have 3.5" up. as your shock is now your limiting factor, and 1.5" down as your ball joints are the limiting factor on the other side reducing over all travel from 8" down to 5.0"
4 things that this has caused:
1.) Your ball joints are your limiting devise on down travel and will wear them out or break them.
2.) your bump stop is no longer is the up travel limiting factor, your shock is and will cause your shock to fail on a large hit.
3.) the upper control arm can make contact with your strut or springs causing wear on the shock and control arms.
4.) the over extended down travel can cause your CV axles to over extend and wear faster than expected or break while flexed off road.
There is a short video below that Bilstein put out to put this in a visual for everyone as well. Here at Chitown4x4 we won't install spacer lifts as we feel they are unsafe for the truck and the passengers. Pictures below from real examples of spacer lift failures.
Your Modern 120 series Toyota suspension has a bit less than 9" of suspension travel available in its ball joints from the factory. This travel is limited by the stock strut to 8" over all. 4.0" up and 4.0" down on most models. When you lift your truck, you are raising up the front, lets say a standard 2.5" . So now you have 6.5" up and 1.5" down. When the top spacer is added. You now have 3.5" up. as your shock is now your limiting factor, and 1.5" down as your ball joints are the limiting factor on the other side reducing over all travel from 8" down to 5.0"
4 things that this has caused:
1.) Your ball joints are your limiting devise on down travel and will wear them out or break them.
2.) your bump stop is no longer is the up travel limiting factor, your shock is and will cause your shock to fail on a large hit.
3.) the upper control arm can make contact with your strut or springs causing wear on the shock and control arms.
4.) the over extended down travel can cause your CV axles to over extend and wear faster than expected or break while flexed off road.
There is a short video below that Bilstein put out to put this in a visual for everyone as well. Here at Chitown4x4 we won't install spacer lifts as we feel they are unsafe for the truck and the passengers. Pictures below from real examples of spacer lift failures.
