Front Coil Spring Spacer Lift Explanation

So... you purchased a new McBay Performance front coil spring spacer lift kit for your 2WD truck or car. It's a solid cast aluminum horse-shoe shaped part and it's only about an inch thick. Your looking at them wondering, "Is this gonna raise my vehicle 2-1/2 to 3 inches?" The answer for most vehicles is YES. (There are exceptions and we will get to that a little later.)

First, a little front suspension education. Your vehicle has what is called a (SLA) short-long control arm (a-arm) or is also known as an unequal length double wishbone front suspension. The upper control arm is shorter than the lower control arm. This design creates an unequal ratio and is not 1:1 when adding length to the coil spring. On average, the lift amount is 2-1/2 to 3 times greater than the thickness of the spacer. Example: Adding a 1 inch thick spacer will lift the vehicle 2.5 to 3 inches.

Most spacers mount underneath the coil spring (some are on top, but only a few) and follow the same coiled design as the end of the spring. Once in place, into the control arm, the spring tension is so great that the spacer will never move from its spot until it (if ever) gets removed.

Exceptions to the lift amount rule: When the vehicle has a straight axle with coil springs it becomes close to a 1:1 ratio. Trucks with a Diesel, extended or crew-cabs will not get as much lift as a single-cab with a 6-cylinder. Same goes for cars with a big-block vs. a 6-cylinder.

So there you have it. Now you know why the spacer thickness has nothing to do with the amount of lift. Please feel free to stop by the McBay Performance web store to get your lift.