UCA's and 5100's

[drew02a]

Maybe a should make an illustration in Photoshop or something?

 

[taco4x4rar]

Maybe a should make an illustration in Photoshop or something?

Maybe later, explanation seems pretty straight forward to me

 

[fsbrain03]

There are 2 different types of spacers out there, there are the ones like toytec and revtek sell that are a preload spacer and mount inbetween the coil and strut, and then there are the ones that are that are considered a top plate spacer which mount on top of the strut rather than inbetween the coil and strut such as the HBS and fat bobs spacers. They both have their pros and cons. The top plate style won't effect your ride because there is no change in the spring simply moves the strut as a whole down, the cons to this is you now have a longer shock assembly which will cause all kinds of problems with out limmiting straps, ball joints become maxed out very quickly and will quickly fail and god help you if you have a 4x4 as it will also over extend the CVs causing boot and joint failure rather quickly along with the possibility of separating the CV from the diff. The preload style spacers don't extend the shock assembly to longer than it should be so there is no harm from excessive down travel however it does yield a harsh ride as you have preloaded the coil thus changing it's effective spring rate but travel stays within what the suspension was designed for, the preloads also cause excessive coil and shock wear from the strut being constantly preloaded, for example I am now only sitting at about 1.75-2" of lift from a 3" preload spacer lift due to the coil collapsing from the constant preload. So there you have it as simple an explanation of spacer type lifts as I can provide with their pros and cons. That being said I would never recommend anyone a top plate style spacer lift as it can cause some serious damage to drivetrain and suspension components, the preloads seem to be the lesser of the 2 evils as they only cause normal wear and tear just a an increased rate.

Good to hear. I have the top mount spacer. What I am getting from your write up is, don't drive. As soon as they get in stock, I'll pick up some of the adjustable 5100's, as drew suggested. Then preferred would be an OME setup with longer coils. Those would only put me at 2" of lift, then I would still need to get a spacer from them to add the little extra I would need.

 

[taco4x4rar]

Good to hear. I have the top mount spacer. What I am getting from your write up is, don't drive. As soon as they get in stock, I'll pick up some of the adjustable 5100's, as drew suggested. Then preferred would be an OME setup with longer coils. Those would only put me at 2" of lift, then I would still need to get a spacer from them to add the little extra I would need.

No need for the spacer, the adjustability of the 5100 is exactly the same as a preload spacer, just instead of a machined block preloading the spring there is a movable collar on the strut itself that does the preloading. The top plate is just fine if your truck never gets the suspension drooped out (doesn't leave the street) but as soon as it does hit max droop things will bind and they may not break the first time but something will fail if you continue doing it.

 

[fsbrain03]

No need for the spacer, the adjustability of the 5100 is exactly the same as a preload spacer, just instead of a machined block preloading the spring there is a movable collar on the strut itself that does the preloading. The top plate is just fine if your truck never gets the suspension drooped out (doesn't leave the street) but as soon as it does hit max droop things will bind and they may not break the first time but something will fail if you continue doing it.

It will get a full droop. Itdoes leave the pavement, and when it does, it does hard. I didnt want to max out the 5100. Who knows what I'll do. Give it some time, and see what happens and what i end up wit

 

[Silverback]

Anything over 2.5" will max out a 5100. I'm sure if you wheel it enough you will see its limitations and go with a full coilover.

 

[fsbrain03]

Coilover it is. I have been checking out OME setups. Since the 5100's are not in stock, maybe its a sign to go all out with these. http://www.wheelersoffroad.com/ometaco.htm 881's or 2's

 

[Silverback]

OME is better than a 5100 setup.

 

[fsbrain03]

A few more buck initially, but maybe save me some money in the long run. We'll see if I can come up with $1200, and due the entire gig all at once.

 

[taco4x4rar]

Well the most ideal setup would be some extended travel coilovers with some good uniball UCAs. Crank the COs all the way down so as to max out travel and then just cut everything so that the tires fit at full stuff/lock.

 

[fsbrain03]

Well the most ideal setup would be some extended travel coilovers with some good uniball UCAs. Crank the COs all the way down so as to max out travel and then just cut everything so that the tires fit at full stuff/lock.

I don't really like the work "cut" right now. So we'll have to see how it goes. I don't want to use a smaller tire though. Do wat I need to do to make it work, and function like a champ.

 

[taco4x4rar]

I don't really like the work "cut" right now. So we'll have to see how it goes. I don't want to use a smaller tire though. Do wat I need to do to make it work, and function like a champ.

Yea that option isn't for everyone, it's just ideal way to get max travel with a certain tire size. A full OME setup should be more than the average offroader ever needs.

 

[fsbrain03]

Yea that option isn't for everyone, it's just ideal way to get max travel with a certain tire size. A full OME setup should be more than the average offroader ever needs.

Then I must have it, but that may need to be a next year purchase. I have spent way too much this year. Time to save, and payoff.

 

[jdmcq]

There are 2 different types of spacers out there, there are the ones like toytec and revtek sell that are a preload spacer and mount inbetween the coil and strut, and then there are the ones that are that are considered a top plate spacer which mount on top of the strut rather than inbetween the coil and strut such as the HBS and fat bobs spacers. They both have their pros and cons. The top plate style won't effect your ride because there is no change in the spring simply moves the strut as a whole down, the cons to this is you now have a longer shock assembly which will cause all kinds of problems with out limmiting straps, ball joints become maxed out very quickly and will quickly fail and god help you if you have a 4x4 as it will also over extend the CVs causing boot and joint failure rather quickly along with the possibility of separating the CV from the diff. The preload style spacers don't extend the shock assembly to longer than it should be so there is no harm from excessive down travel however it does yield a harsh ride as you have preloaded the coil thus changing it's effective spring rate but travel stays within what the suspension was designed for, the preloads also cause excessive coil and shock wear from the strut being constantly preloaded, for example I am now only sitting at about 1.75-2" of lift from a 3" preload spacer lift due to the coil collapsing from the constant preload. So there you have it as simple an explanation of spacer type lifts as I can provide with their pros and cons. That being said I would never recommend anyone a top plate style spacer lift as it can cause some serious damage to drivetrain and suspension components, the preloads seem to be the lesser of the 2 evils as they only cause normal wear and tear just a an increased rate.

Thanks for the specifics. I didn't have the specifics as to the pros and cons, but knew that there were both. Good info to have.