Suspension Thoughts and Questions

I'm a noob to suspension stuff, so looking for some help.

I'm the second owner, so don't know exactly what was done previously. Pretty sure its leveled, looks like a .5" spacer in the front and 285/75/16s on stock OR wheels that slightly rub on the UCA. Currently the measurement from the middle of the hub to the fender is 22" in the front and 21.5" in the rear.

My suspension is shot, so looking to upgrade and not spend boatloads of money. Mostly road driving, but get off-road every couple months on forest service roads that can get pretty rocky and rutty.

Here is what I'm thinking....

Front: Fox 2.5s 1" Lift with DSC Adjusters - #880-06-376
Rear: Not sure if I should do Fox 2.0 IFPs or 2.0 Remote Res or 2.0 RR w/Compensator Adj

Looking to get KO2s in the same size as well.

Four questions:

• Can you confirm I just have a levelling kit?
• What should I get for rears? Not sure if adjustability is needed or worth it.
• Do the rears give me lift to offset the front lift? And are they adjustable to level the truck?
• If I go with Fox 880-06-376 for the fronts, I don't need new UCAs right?

Anything else I'm missing or doesn't check out?

Pics for reference (excuse the dirt, just came off the hunting trails)

 

Sorry, no experience with Fox stuff, but it looks like you only have some front spacers. As for the rear shocks, they won't provide any lift, so you'll need blocks, an add a leaf, or a new leaf pack if you want to lift the rear. Springs do the lifting and shocks do the dampening. In our case, the front uses coil overs so the springs are attached to the shocks, but in the rear, the leafs are independent of the shocks. It looks like the model of coil overs you're looking at max out at 2" of lift, so you shouldn't need UCAs. Those are usually for lifts 2.5"-3".

 

Thanks! Like I said, noob here. So if the coilovers gave me 1" lift, I would need to raise the rear with blocks or ad a leaf to keep it level? Are blocks or add a leaf better?

 

Add a leaf or new pack for the win. Skip the block.

 

If you get rid of your current spacers and set your new coilovers to 1" of lift, it wouldn't quite level the truck, so you wouldn't have to lift the rear. I beleive these trucks have a 2" factory rake, so unless you're already sagging in the rear, you won't need to lift the rear at all.

 

Are you interested in keeping the level or restoring some of the factory rake? I prefer a bit of rake because when I load down the bed, it doesn't look like I skipped leg day. You can do something like a 1.5-to-2-inch lift in the front and throw a 1.5" add-a-leaf in the rear (better than a block, worse than a whole new leaf pack).

With the money you're spending in the front, just don't cheap out in the back. Blocks aren't terrible, but they don't belong on a truck with nice coilovers in the front

 

Thanks for the thoughts, makes sense on add-a-leaf.

Was hoping to keep it level, I only load the bed down a few times a year to haul gear into the mountains or stuff for yard work, I don't do any towing. At the end of everything, I think my goal would be to add an inch to the existing height. I think that translates to 3" front lift (with getting rid of the spacer, and offsetting the 2" factory rake) and a 1" rear lift....sound about right? Do I need a new UCA for that?

 

In that case, you'd probably want to find a front coil over that will go up to 3", as well as a 1" AAL. If you do decide to go up to 3" in front, you will most likely need a UCA and your CVs won't really appreciate it. You can always try to get it aligned without a new UCA, but it might not work out, and coil overs rated for 3" are usually extended travel, so they require new UCAs anyways.

 

True. Is it added wear on the CVs even with the UCA's?

If I just go with keeping the current level stance, I would have to go 2" coilovers. Thoughts on needing UCA's for that?

 

CV angles depend only on your lift height as far as wear is concerned. When you lift to the extremes, you essentially make your CVs operate constantly in a zone that they were meant to only work in periodically while flexing such as off road. Generally the rule of thumb is new UCAs for over 2.5" of lift.