Front suspension spacers

[fridayman]

If I already have 15mm coil spacers on my Ironman struts like these:

Could i replace them with equally thick (15mm) spacers like these:

... and the overall result would be the same lift, but more droop? Or is there something else limiting the droop at the moment e.g. the top control arm? I am trying to figure out if I gain any suspension travel if I do this.

Assuming the spring rate is linear, there should be no change to the ride quality.

 

[Chris]

You might get away with that. I have said on numerous occasions - I know cos I was there when I said it, that you can't fit those top spacers with a suspension lift. But in terms of adding a thinner spacer than I did, that would be different. I'm not sure about those bottom spacers. They don't actually give anymore overall length which is limited ultimately by the length of the strut inside the coil. What they seem to do is scrunch your springs up tighter. Essentially they seem to take a bit of the initial load off the springs possibly make the right better. Or then again...
Without them, the spring simply extends to fill that gap. I don't really understand them. Other than to assist a weakened spring perhaps.

What the top spacers do is effectively increase the overall length of the strut. They work well with standard suspension as you keep all the ride etc you just lift the truck up a bit more. What you have done is already lift the truck by increasing the distance between mount and bottom wishbone - regardless of the spacer rings and you are proposing lengthening the strut. What you have to watch is the top wishbone as it comes down and hits the spring. The only fix is to put a spacer in there t lift the wishbone back up. But so far I have not seen any for a Colorado.

What would be useful would be a series of thinner discs say in 5mm increments that you could slot in until you are happy. All I can say is that with a lift like yours and 30 mm spacers the lift was dramatic. So 15mm spacers will only be half as dramatic, yes?

Trial and error territory I think. And of course you castor / camber angles? will be all over the place too.

Chris

 

[AndyCook]

i was looking at some similar lower spacers yesterday after seeing something on pradopoint
OME sell them, and people sometimes seem to put one e.g. 5mm on the drivers side to compensate for slight lean.
they were called trim packers or spacers
e.g.
http://www.purefjcruiser.com/ome-trim-s ... -3875.html

I wonder if "ball-joint" spacers - which I think you are talking about Chris - I - are available in the US - for the 4runners,
since the 3rd Gen 4runner shares a lot in common with the colorado/prado

4crawler doesnt seem to do them
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/ProductLine.shtml

issue about the suspension-arm/balljoint hitting coils discussed at end here
http://www.off-road.com/trucks-4x4/proj ... 52078.html

 

[Chris]

Yes, 4crawler was who I was looking at. I did wonder about the Surf etc but then suddenly I didn't have a Colorado anymore!!! It seemed as though making a top ball joint spacer wasn't going to be an easy option.

Chris

 

[fridayman]

My current thinking on this is that with the two different spacers of the same thickness, both should give the same overall lift or suspension length. The difference would be that the Fat Bob type spacers add the length on top of the shock pushing the whole lot downwards (or the truck upwards). The Ironman spacers on the other hand extend the shock to get the same effect, but this uses up some of the suspension travel. So it seems that there is some gain in travel to be had with the first option, however there are other limiting factors too e.g. the top control arm. I need to figure out whether the shock is at full extension when the wheel lifts off the ground, or if it is the control arm (or drop link) that is limiting the droop on my current setup.

 

[AndyCook]

ironman call those lower "spacers"

"trim packers"

 

[Chris]

Agreed Andy. I think that is all they do. They settle out differences. Logically if you kept adding rings you still have exactly the same length shock you started with but the spring would be compressed one coil against the other so that it didn't spring at all. No extra lift, but now no travel either. So all the packers do is take up some of the travel making the shocker perhaps slightly stiffer and more resistant to being squashed under static load. In a way they act a bit like one of those airbags that you can shove into your springs. Stiffer, but no actual lift.

Now as Joiner points out, it does depend if your shock is fully extended. Which it isn't and whilst there is travel available, maybe the truck does go up a bit more. But again, it's a bit of an illusion of sorts. You aren't getting MORE lift, you are just getting more of the lift that you should already have. So a bit of a trade off really. Like a Wonderbra, just makes more of what you've got, but doesn't actually give you any more to play with. Err, if you follow me
But you don't want to end up with the strut at full travel whilst on the level as every time you bounce up, the wheel will get lifted!

Chris

 

[AndyCook]

unfortunately, i have to digress from Wonderbra's !

Looking into these spacers/trim packers for OME suspension
they are listed for front and rear (rear is an 80series front spacer)

OLD MAN EMU SUSPENSION SYSTEMS

TRIM PACKER FRONT 5mm OME95PF05
TRIM PACKER REAR 5MM OME80PF05
TRIM PACKER REAR 10MM OME80PF10

e.g. on this USA website
http://www.trdparts4u.com/scripts/prodL ... tegory=-80

I had thought I had noticed my 90series leaning to the drivers side slightly, and measured it last night on flat ground,
its nearly 10mm lower on drivers side, on both front and rear

I dont eat many pies... but in pyrenees probably had more weight on that side of the vehicle with fridge and recovery gear on the drivers side.
so might get some packers to level the vehicle out

 

[AndyCook]

for info - OEM trim spacers from TBR

OME95PF05 part number 3-8812 £8.97 retail inc VAT
OME80PF05 part number 3-8060 £5.44 retail inc VAT
OME80PF10 part number 3-8810 £8.39 retail inc VAT

 

[AndyCook]

Fitted the OEM trim spacers today

the drivers side front of vehicle was sitting 1cm lower than the passenger side
i fitted two 5mm OEM spacers to the driver side and one 5mm spacer to passenger side

afterwards, drivers side has gone up 2cm and passenger side 1cm
so now level and a bit higher

also measured clearance under bash plate under sump, and its gone up 2cm

havent fitted spacers to rear coils yet