top plate spacer lift

what is every possible problem that happens when going with a 3" top plate spacer??

and let me add that i dont wheel at all. the most i do is go in grass and in mud but just a straight run path. on the eastern shore of maryland it is completley flat so it's basiclly a street queen as some may call it

 

bump. please help, buying a lift today

 

Use the search feature. Blue bar towards the right.....

NOT a good idea and many reasons why. You can probably get away with a 1/4" thick (1/2" lift) ontop the coilover assembly, but that's about it.

 

Can you give reasons why? The main reasons for not doing this are the same across the board for all 3" lifts. Like modifying the stock geometry, high half shaft angles, less downward travel, bad UCA ball joint angles. I've been running a 3" top plate spacer lift for almost a year with no problems. Theyre not the best option. No additional travel and not recommended if you plan to do any real wheeling. But for a street queen no problem. The dealers install these and offer the full factory warranty on them. Really all they do is lower the top mounting point of a stock shock. Not much different than the billie 5100s that just raise the lower spring seat. If your on a budget then this is the way to go. For the rear though i highly suggest a AAL over a block for many reasons like axel wrap. I do recommend a diff drop kit if you are 4x4 or you will eat through CV boots.

 

They lower the entire suspension and the entire suspension 'throw' down farther than the Billies would. You get MORE downward travel with top plate spacers. That's where the problem is. The downward travel is farther than the downward travel of the 5100's would be. The downward travel puts your upper balljoints at extreme angles /pressure. The upper a-arms could actually hit the coils on down travel.

Sure...if you're a street queen. They're probably OK. But if you plan on doing any wheeling at all, I wouldn't do it.

 

If you love your 06...don't. Save up for some OME or Bilstein 5100's.

 

Dont do it your truck will fall of the frame!

 

This is correct. Top plate spacers of any considerable size can blow out your ball joints way more easily than any other type of lift.

 

This makes sense..... But, wouldnt you have the same problem with the billies? youre not gaining any travel with them by adjusting the lower spring seat. I havn't compared them side by side to see if the shock actually has more travel. But yeah... bottoming out the shock before you hit the bumpstop is bad joo joo. As far as downward travel. is the shock the only thing limiting downward travel?

 

With top plate spacers...you'll bottom out the shock on the UPWARD travel of the suspension - rendering your shocks as a 'bump stop'. This put the entire weight of the truck on the shocks thus breaking your shocks (along with killing your balljoints). See Chris's picture.

No...you shouldn't have the same problem with the billies because the lower control arms should contact the bumpstops preventing further upward travel of the suspension.

Yes, the shock is the only thing (other than clearance - upper control arm hitting coil springs & ball joint travel).

 

What would it take to actually cause this to happen? Big pothole, rut etc that you would see if you spent enough time on dirt roads/trail riding or something more substantial? You would think as long as you were going slow this wouldn't be an issue.

How does this compare to what happens with the Toyota-tec style lift?

 

Way to tell me this 3 days before installing a set. Well shit. now what...

 

Yeah I guess that could.... no I don't really trust myself...

Guess I will see if the 5100s 50 miles away work out on my way by tomorrow on my way to the east coast for the summer. If they do awesome! If not I'll roll the dice. I am doing remote water testing and will be rough road/ trail riding a few hundred miles this summer to get to the wells so this should be interesting.

 

Righto pick up Billi 5100s in the morn. I am going to be so broke, but at least not broken.