Strut Spacers

[Steve9R]

well.. I purchased and fitted 50mm (2") billet spacers into the front of my stock suspension about 18months ago now..

Since then i have done a LOT of 4wding (as many people from here can attest to).. and done a LOT of kms..

Next week i am replacing my suspension with new coils and struts.. reason.. I want a 'bit' more out of the front in terms of cornering feel (I still think the OEM struts springs are very light and cause a lot of body roll).. and i like the 'adjustablity' of the struts im putting in..

As for the spacers in the front.. i have no complaints at all about them.. they lifted the front 50mm and did everything i asked of them.. gave me the extra height and handling was the same as without them..

in fact.. Ill put them up for sale on here if anyone is interested in them next week once ive fitted the new stuff in..

Cheers
Steve

[Chancha_Blanca]

Guys, strut spacers, are they illegal or legal. What does ADR say and the RTA in NSW?

I thought these are a no no....

Thanks,

Marcelo (aka Chancha_Blanca).

[ultimate]

The legality of strut spacers is a bit blurry. As a suspension component they are not illegal. It doesn't say anywhere that the installation of strut spacers for extra lift is prohibited. But technically strut spacers often fall into other problem areas. One of these is the bump stop clearance. The law book says the bump stop clearance cannot be modified by more than 1/3. Most spacers will have a much larger change in clearance. For example one of the guys on the Triton Forum installed spacers which raised the front to roughly 590 and was sitting right on his bump stops. They have a top and bottom bump stop. Therefore on his vehicle the strut spacers are definitely illegal. The other problem with adding strut spacers to the standard struts are your not improving the comfort or handling, the shock is working in the incorrect location (often topping out) and in some cases the spacers raise the vehicle too high and cause the top control to fowl on the coil. Which in itself is dangerous and detrimental to the handling and safety of the vehicle.

[Steve9R]

yeah i hear what you're saying.. but I have been running 50mm spacers (as above) for > 18months.. never had any fouling, no bump stop issues (I have never raised by bump stops), Ive done a LOT of offroad with wheels off the ground and fully compressed thousands of times and not had any issues and i definately push it hard..(this may have been good luck, but it is as it is).. I agree that they dont improve handling or ride comfort (thats a given) as you're still running the original springs and struts, but thats not what the spacers are for..

For me the spacers were an interim measure until i could decide what i wanted to do.. and they worked exceptionally well.. i have no complaints..

Edit: the only thing that i do remember though is that they are not easy for the wheel alignment blokes to get right.. but if you go to a good quality truck aligner they can still do it no problems.. ive never had a wheel alignment issue with them..

Cheers
Steve

[Chancha_Blanca]

Brendan, insurance wise, will they cover one in case of and accident. I know that most Insurance Assessors look at the tyres and suspension (including spacers I guess) in order to "try" to void your claim.

Do you guys ( Ult Susp) "level out" the front of the Hilux with spacers, body or suspension lift?

Thanks,

Marcelo

(you can see I’m keen on "levelling" my front )

[ultimate]

I can't really comment on the insurance agencies as they are all different and it depends on the severity of the accident. If we were to level out the front of the vehicle, it would be with a suspension lift. Our struts are made with adjustable coil seats so it's pretty easy for us to achieve the desired height without needing to install a heavier coil. I must point out though, it's crucial to have the front of the vehicle sitting lower than the rear for proper handling. This set up ensures the correct weight transfer from the rear to the front through braking and cornering. If the vehicle is sitting level, you run the risk of the front lifting higher than the rear when loaded. This is than detrimental the handling as it can reduce traction at the front wheels and the steering becomes light.

[tgibbo]

i have them and never had a problem durin a insurance claim i painted them black and they never noticed them.

[matty87]

iv put em in over a year ago and you cant even tell they are there (2wd lux set up for work in the paddock standard was too low and kept hitting rocks) they look standard as they are machined ally painted black and are dirty most of the time. the Shocks are starting to make a noice like they are running a bit dry but they are standard shocks that are five years old and had more of a work over than most of the 4wds on and off the road ( apparently bottoming them out through the creeks chacing roos is bad) but they seem to be fine even with the spacers in there. i would suggest that most of the time the guys going over cars in the event of accidents dont know too much about small mods like a spacer etc the sticky bit comes if there is a serious injury or a death, i know a guy in serious crash unit here in wa and they know everything.

[PIGD4D]

im getting the ome 2" lift kit on friday could i go the 25mm spacer in the front for my height aswell...?if so do i need to extend brake lines or anything else and dose this mean i could run with 33's

[ultimate]

If you put the 25mm spacers on top of the 2" kit, it will most likely force your upper control arm down and lock it on to the coil. This is very dangerous and provides a terrible ride. Apart from that you also greatly increase the risk of fouling your CVs because it will be forcing too much down travel. In terms of legalities; the too 2 modifications combined will most likely raise your trim height above the 50mm allowable increase which means you need an engineer's certificate.

If you want to run 33's, you really need to do a body lift or a 4" suspension kit. Even with a body lift though most 33's will still scrub on the body mounts and guards unless you do some modifications.

[PIGD4D]

i think im going to stick with the ome 2' kit and run 265/75/16 and hope thats enough height for my offroad wheeling

[Jagerbom2]

Is there by any change some one that can give me a drawing of the spacers for making out of aluminum?
We dont get a lot of accessory's here in SA.I hear some buy a spacer for 50mm lift and after installed it races the front more then 50mm.Why i want to make it myself is for trimming the spacer to get the desirable lift with my bullbar also fitted. Thanks for the help this site rocks.

[Steve9R]

the only reason it'd raise the front more than 50mm is if they removed the UCA/LCA's and the rubbers are tight.. they WILL settle down after time though back to exactly 50mm..

[Jagerbom2]

Where can n find a blow up off the assemble from the front struts?

[PIGD4D]

i rang snake racing today about strut spacers and he said on my 2" ome lift i could go a 10mm spacer and would achieve another 25-40mm but would have to extend brake lines,do a diff drop kit and would cost around the $550 with the spacer is this correct or is snake racing trying to empty my pockets i would be keen if it was just a simple spacer install....

[jarrodpercival]

Hi steve


I am interested in lifting the front of my 05 hilux a bit and
those spaces just might do the trick.
Are they the snake racing spacers?
I am keen let us know how we can do business.

Cheers
Jarrod

[PIGD4D]

snake racing to a good spacer kit for around $200 thier number is 0295701588

[Steve9R]

ok.. ive been asked by a few people how to install front strut spacers.. so here's a doc that explains it..

[reecewat]

Hey PIGD4D, did you ever find out if you need to do a diff drop down kit and extended brake lines when installing the spacers? I too have a 2" OME lift and the difference between the front and rear is extensive. Looking at the 10mm spacers also myself and was advised by snake racing that I would need to do the above also....

[tufflux08]

I also have a 2inch ome suspension lift and decided to get some 10mm snake racing spacers for the front, went to install them and realised you actually have to take the top hat holding the spring down and change the 3 bolts to the new supplied ones. ended up getting them installed by a local mechanic.i definintely dont regret putting them in it lifted the front to level with the back and looks much better. cant see any problems with it yet, no diff drop kit or extended brake lines needed. arb told me i couldnt lift the front any higher then 30mm coz it will run out of camber adjustment. what bullshit that is.....