Here’s another relatively commonly asked question. Enjoy.
Why doesn’t my leveling kit strut spacer measure the same as the advertised lift height? Another variation to theme is why is my 2″ strut spacer only 1-1/8″ tall?
This may be obvious to some, but others who are not as familiar with the geometry of an IFS suspension system may ask themselves these questions once they open their brand new leveling kit. On the other hand, maybe you will read on because you are looking for a good way of explaining your new purchase to your significant other in an attempt for forgiveness. I don’t care, in either case read on.
It’s really quite simple once you look at a simplified line drawing of how the suspension assembly works:
The strut mounts towards the center of the lower A-arm. The tire is mounted to the knuckle assembly at the end of the A-arms via the ball joints. Simply put, the difference in the mounting positions on the A-arm of the knuckle vs. the strut is the reason for the difference in ride height change vs. spacer height necessary when designing a basic leveling kit on an IFS system. The farther out (towards the tire) on the arm, the strut is mounted, the taller the spacer needs to be. Any questions?
Thanks, that was very very helpful