Help identify suspension mods

I recently purchased a used 2011 TRD TX, and I am trying to identify what is original and what is aftermarket, preparing to replace suspension components.

There is a part at the top of the spring that looks like a spacer, but not like any aftermarket options I see available, so it could be stock? Anyway, I've read that spacers have the potential to cause damage so I want to know if I should leave it when I replace the shocks or remove it. I don't want to go LOWER though.

Same in the rear. There is a one inch spacer/block in the leaf pack. Is this stock?

 

Neither are stock, both aftermarket. Spacer in the front and block in the rear. Spacers always tend to give you a harsher ride. If you want to keep the same height then get some nice coilovers for the front and some new leaf springs/packs for the rear.

 

Or put in a add a leaf. My suggestion is check out wheelersoffroad.com or headstrong off road. Ditch the spacers. Get some bilstien 5100 with ome 885 coils for the front and do an add a leaf out back. Ran that same setup for 10yrs with no issues. Unless you regularly haul alotbof weight in the bed than upgrade to full leaf pack.

 

Thanks, that's what I was suspecting. I will probably go the Bilstein 5100 route. If I do that, do I need to get student springs, or will the lift from the coil overs make up for removing the spacer? I'm guessing it's is about 1.5 inches thick.

I'll definitely add a leaf and remove the rear block.

 

Student springs never heard of them.
Spacer lift is double the spacer thickness. So 1.5 inch spacer= 3 inch lift.
Measure your hubcap to fender flare on all 4 corners and post the measurements. Then people will be able to tell you exactly how much lift you have.
If it really is 3 inches I would go down to 2.5, unless your running 295+ you don’t need that, and it’s going to cause a lot more problems than that .5 inches is worth.
EDIT: OME springs with 5100

 

Go to a dealer and see if you are eligible for the leaf spring recall, you should be. The 3 leaf packs could snap and puncture the gas tank, so they were recalled and replaced with 4 leaf

 

Oh wow, when did that recall take place? You think it's still active?

 

Is this the factor? Is it the same with the adjustable coilovers? When they say 2" that means the spring mount is moved by 1" on the tube?

I presume this is the case because of the way the strut mounts to the lower control arm somewhere in the middle rather than at the outermost extremity?

Thanks for the info.

 

When a manufacturer such as bilstein says “2 inch lift” they’ve already accounted for the ratio in their claim

The coil mounts halfway up the LCA instead of at the hub, the LCA acts like a lever, math blah blah blah, vector angle ¥%{* and 1:2 is what you end up with.

But ya don’t have to do the math yourself when you adjust. The manufacturer’s chart tells you how much lift you’re setting, not perch height.

 

Thanks. The trouble I've been having is that I don't have that on the parts that came with the truck. I'll measure the spacer, and try to use that to adjust the Bilsteins to achieve a similar hight.

I'm glad you told me this, as I hadn't figured it in. I assumed it was only a 1-1.5 lift on the front, it was more.

I will say that the upper control arm does seem to slightly contact the spring.
That should correct with the Bilsteins, right? They only lift by pre-loading the spring, and they aren't really any longer than stock, is that correct?

I'm having trouble getting detailed specs. I've been lifting trucks since you HAD to do all the math yourself, and all this pre packaged stuff has me scratching my head. Call me old fashioned, but as a mechanic I WANT to know exactly what angles and measurements I'm changing.