shadow88

Hello all,

Thinking of leveling out the 05 and i went to Les Schwab today to check and see what is the best way to go and the guy provided me with two options.

Option 1) Is the Coil Spacer. I have seen these for sale everywhere and they seem simple and easy enough to not be a problem.

Option 2) Is an adjustable Strut. I havent seen these before and they go from 0 to 2.5" of Difference.

I am not sure of the best route to go. The price difference is about $100.

Any insight would be much appreciated or maybe a picture if you have one of these options.

Thanks.

2004lariatkindofguy

I have the rancho quicklift struts on my 05 fx4. And matching Rancho 9000xl shocks in the rear. I would suggest going with the complete strut assembly. That way you get improved ride quality and new parts. I absolutely love my Ranchos

blessedcajun

Do you do much offroading in that thing? I've been wanting to upgrade also but need something that can survive weekly trips to the deer camp, duck blinds, etc. Not talking about full on prerunner stuff but I need something durable.

Bruce4

Coil spacers are fine for most applications, but taking them off road is where you feel the difference between the spacers and the adjustable struts. No matter which type of coil spacer you use, the suspension travel is decreased, so your off road ride will be rougher than stock. The adjustable struts are manufactured to limit the decrease in travel by leveling. This youtube video explains it very well, worth the watch.


That being said, most people buying adjustable struts on this forum go with the rancho QL leveling struts or the bilstein 5100s. From the reviews I've read, it appears many feel the ranchos have a "rougher" ride than the bilsteins.

However there is a third way to level you didn't include in your post, and that is a full coilover replacement. Fox, Icon, King are major brands who make these. These are the most expensive route to level, but you get what you pay for. If you want your suspension to perform the best off and on road, definitely check out some coilovers to level your truck. They are usually adjustable from 0" to 2.5", just like the ranchos or the bilsteins.

I personally was about to pull the trigger on a set of bilstein 5100s until I rode in a buddy's F150 off road with FOX adjustable 2.0 coilovers. I was blown away, now I'm saving up for a pair of them myself, the ride was THAT good.

bonz50

I took mine to deer camp and out on our farm all the time in stock form with some decent tires. I added a 2.5" spacer kit to mine, mostly for looks since I don't do hard core off-road stuff. if I were going for real off road I would not bother with a simple level at all and go for a real lift along the lines of Rough Country or Rize (if i had the coin). spacers should not limit shock travel, they should maintain stock amounts of travel just from different starting points, there is no extra compression on the them just a relocation of the mount point, however they may not allow as much as a strut kit which ~could~ be set for additional travel over a stock setup

just my thoughts, I could be wrong :P

Toshbar

This is correct.


OP, what were the prices you were told for each? I got my 2" lift spacers on amazon for $60(billet aluminum, not poly). I also went ahead and got the camber kits and I think they were $15 or so per side, add a $70 alignment so a grand total of $160 + 3 hours of my time to install. Actual time under the truck was about 5 hours because I replaced lower ball joints at the same time.

shadow88

I Was told 383.00 for the Spacers and thats with Mounting and alignment
and i was told 454.00 for the struts with alignment.

2004lariatkindofguy

I don't go off road on a daily basis but every weekend I do. Sometimes i get carried away and beat the wee out of my truck and it always holds up. The Rancho quick-lift struts ride awesome and the adjust-ability of them is really nice.

Darkstarskater8

My truck has always had level spacers since I bought it used 4 years ago.
Recently installed Monroe quick struts myself and I must say, the truck now does look higher in the front. Hasn't leveled out after 2k miles or more, I feel like it never will, but its not terrible just a bit annoying looking.
Also, with the spacers my upper control arms DID HIT THE COIL SPRING when fully extended/all weight off suspension. THere was a small nic in the old coil spring.
With the new struts and shocks, handling is so so much better, but with it being just a tad taller, if I hit a speed bump or something just right I hear it clunk... I dont like it but I don't have many choices on that just have to live with it, weight does not go on the side of the spring, the control arm just rests on the spring when no weight is on strut.
ALSO, I DO NOT offroad. Most off the road I go is in a cow field slowly.

Toshbar