There are 2 main designs of spacer kits for Toyota trucks and SUV’s. While no spacer is perfect, ToyTec Lifts has developed a kit that does not put suspension components as risk while still maintaining a factory like ride.
I know these pictures only have 3 studs on the coilovers (they are for a Tacoma) but bare with me.
Coil Spacers:
The coil spacer sits inside the coil/shock assembly and compresses the spring more than normal which creates lift. The advantage to this type of spacer is that it does not change the geometry of the factory setup. However, they can sometimes increase the stiffness of the suspension.
Large Top Plate Spacers:
Coilover shocks are the factory down travel limiter on Toyota Trucks and SUV’s. This means that the OEM shock will stop the downward motion of the suspension before component damage occurs. Parts that may be damaged from over-extension include: ball joints, CV axles, driveline or sway bar components. Toyota Engineers allowed a little leeway for a longer shock, typically about 1/2” to 3/4”. By installing a top plate spacer, you will be increasing the overall length of the coilover assembly by 1” to 2”. This will far exceed the limits of the suspension down travel and highly increase the likelihood of component damage. The most common issue you may notice is a loud “popping” or “banging” noise from the front end as the shock completely tops out. This noise is caused from either the ball joint binding or the upper A-arm contacting the coil spring or coil bucket. This is most noticeable when the vehicle encounters sharp suspension inputs such as a speed bump.
ToyTec’s Design:
ToyTec Lifts has come up with a spacer kit that takes full advantage of each type of spacer kit while at the same time minimizing the drawbacks from each system.
The ToyTec Spacer kit includes both the top plate spacer as well as a preload spacer. The reasoning behind this is that each spacer can share the work of lifting the vehicle while still maintaining factory geometry and ride quality. Since the top plate spacer is not more than ½ inch thick, it will not cause the ball joints and CV’s to overextend. At the same time, this takes the some of the work away from the preload spacer so therefore it can be made smaller which will reduce any negative effects on ride quality. Because of this, ToyTec feels that we have come up with a superior design that does not change the geometry of the factory suspension or degrade the ride quality.
All of our kits are CNC machined from solid T6061 aircraft grade aluminum that will last the life of the vehicle. We back all of our Toytec Lifts branded products with a lifetime warranty.
If you have any other questions feel free to give us a call.
Jeff
