adding any kind of spacers, or longer coilovers/struts will limit your travel, because you're effectively pushing your tires down by ~2". So let's say you had 5" of travel from the mid-point of your suspension (10" total, 5 up, 5 down) ... and you add a 2" level kit ... you now have roughly 7" of up travel (maybe a hair less), and only 3" of down travel.

If you add in new upper control arms that won't hit your springs as soon, you may gain a little more down travel (assuming your lower control arm will continue to pivot down and not stop the travel) ... but we are not talking about that ... we are only talking about what happens when you add spacers or longer struts.

The only way to not limit your travel is to add a true lift kit, which adds drop-brackets to the suspension system, steering system, and transfer case if you have 4WD, and longer steering knuckles. This application effectively maintains the factory geometry of the suspension, and allows it full travel or even slightly increased travel in both the up and down directions.

 

ok cool thanks for the response. Im still not getting the coilover part though. If one buys longer coilovers IE some kings for example. That increases the length of the coilover and actual shock correct? i mean they are longer than stock. How would that not increase travel? i get the point that the control arms limit it at some point but the stock UCA and LCA have significant movement left in them that would facilitate more. Also on the king, fox 2.5 and icon coilover websites they claim to a 25% increase in travel when replacing with the coilovers. I completly get the spacer part and how that would not assistance in anything but when the entire coilover is replaced with a longer one it makes sense there would be more travel.

as for the clamp on spacers above i was just interested because i have never seen these before. My fear with those is that while a spacer puts added stress on suspension compenents i.e. ball joints cv axles etc, the clamp on deal would centralize all that stress to the coil itself correct?

Im here to learn so please dont get frustrated guys, just trying to understand what im looking at to help me make more informed desicions about my own truck in the future! thanks

 

I'm gonna draw a picture really quick to show the geometry, and how it's affected by either/or spacers or coilovers. Sit tight ...

 

Ok haha thanks guys but i do appreciate it!
No i usually dont bottom the truck out. I do mainly street driving like most, with the occasional off road hunting season stuff. I am going to do coilovers on my truck and 99% sure of the king coilovers on the front but this thread got me thinking of how even with uca the travel is not increased. Than after seeing the clamp on job it sparked more thoughts as to the fact im not as well versed in suspension as i would like to be.

 

They don't actually clamp on to anything, the part that loops over and under the coil from the main stabilizer body is just an installation helper because sometimes you may need to whack them with a hammer to get them in place, other than that they serve no function at all.

Any deviation of the suspension geometry is going to put stress on other parts, that is a given but the way a coil spring functions negates what you think is stress focalized. When a coil spring moves up and down it is actually twisting the entire time if one were to clamp some type of metal tight between coils then yes you would be focusing on that one or two coils but since nothing is clamped the spring continues to twist (oscillate) up and down inside the spacers as naturally as it always does, given we are taking some of that up down movement away the coil gets tighter and we end up with a little bit stiffer ride, that can be a good thing or a bad thing, depends how you look at it as it is subjective to each person.

My truck and I'm sure every other truck made the same time with the same suspension is too mushy for my liking, so these stabilizers give me the lift I want and tighten it up as well. You won't get the suspension firmness with the spacer on top or coil overs unless they use a stiffer wound coil and/or thicker material.

With all that said I can assure you my 20+ years of suspension and alignment experience allows me to feel very comfortable using them on a $30k+ vehicle.

Sometimes more expensive does not always mean better.

P.S. Due to the nature of the stabilizer it will wear faster than a solid spacer above the strut assembly but given the cost, it really don't matter, throw a few extra in the tool box so when you need to pop new ones in they are right there.

The largest draw back is having a tool to open the coil enough to get the stabilizer in place.
.

 

Excellent thankyou for the response i have done some googling and found alot of the info i was thinking was correct wasnt. I appreciate the responses guys thankyou!

 

See image below. Pics 1 and 2 are of what would be factory geometry, and the limits of the up/down travel of the front suspension.

Pic 3 is what happens when you add either a 2" spacer or a 2" longer strut/coilover. All it does is "flex" the suspension down 2" to add that height to your front end.

Now note that pic 4 is showing where your downtravel limit is ... it "effectively" remains the same because for most people, the travel limit stops when your upper control arm comes in contact w/ the strut/coil.

The aftermarket, longer strut might have more travel built into it than the factory one, but if your UCA is "bottoming out" before your strut is (factory or aftermarket) then you are still at the same amount of absolute downtravel as before when it was at factory spec.

Hope that helps explain it ...

 

Those stabilizer's have been around for awhile...I had them on the front coils on my 1966 GTO when it was new. When I saw them it rang my memory bell!

 

Excellent thankyou guys for all this info! This is why i joined the forum!

 

Yep greatest thing since sliced bread where automotive is concerned.


.