Dunno why the difference, but I didn't need to add a spacer to my front shocks - there was still a smidge of travel at full droop. That said, most have had to.

If you already are running longer than stock shocks without a lift, no, you wouldn't need to fret about them. They'll be plenty long enough.

Do you notice the lift? Well sure, she's 1.5" higher now. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Do you mean can we notice any adverse reactions, no, she feels just like stock.

Read thru these links. They'll tell you more than you ever wanted to know...

Clicky
Clicky

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

I have had no problems at all from the ball joint spacers. I did find that I had to adjust the t-bars down about 4 turns to keep the UCA's off of the bump stops.

I think it is a very good alternative to the higher priced lift kits if your only looking for 1-2" of lift versus the typical 4" suspension lift. It is also a great addition to a body lift.

Joel, as for your question about adjusting the t-bars, I would measure fender height before and after and adjust according to your needs. I think you will find that you will get more lift (around 2") if you leave your t-bars in their stock position.

Ryan,

Ive thought about doing the BJ lift, but when you do that your increasing the angle of your tie rods quite a bit and putting alot more stress on the idler arm, also consider the increased stress on those bolts that attach to the upper control arm and the ball joint...for $100 dollars they dont do much for performance, i just bought some Sway-Away torsion bars and i cant say enough good thinks about them, probably the best $120 i spent on my truck yet...

No problem with my TRE's... Well within spec. As for the idler arm, no, any additional stress would be negligible.



Increased stress on the ball joint bolts? Are you referring to some sort of shear loading? The spacer is taking the load (with a shear strength of a couple hundred thousand lbs) - the bolts are more or less just serving to keep the spacer in place & are plenty hardy. They aren't going anywhere.



This is where you get a <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> for talking out of your arse. Anytime you can increase wheel travel on IFS, it's a good thing.



Many (if not most) are already running aftermarket torsion bars, but with that said, torsion bars have nothing to do with this topic... Those are your springs. The ball joint spacers are a lift. Yes, you can crank in additional ride height with torsion bars, but all you're doing is moving the static position of your control arms in relation to your bumpstops. The spacer increases the distance between.

Most folks have already cranked their torsion bars to level their rig, causing a stiffer ride. By adding a ball joint spacer, they can uncrank their bars to have a much more comfortable ride while still having same height or leave some crank in for even more. Personally, I'm currently at .75" over (uncranked .75" from my t-bars) and still have my control arms dead between my bumpstops.

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shame.gif" alt="" />

Yeah, I'm going to back up 4xgeek a bit here...
I've got the Rancho HD T-bars ready to go in, but I'm not doing it to crank or level or lift... I've got a winch and bumper that will need more spring than stock offers. From what I understand, going to HD springs will raise you about .5" if dialed in at the same rate as the stock ones.
I'll be going the BJ Spacer/AAL route for 1.5" inches of lift to fit 32's on the truck, possibly 33's. Not only do you get 1.5" of lift, but also additional travel from the spacer. I don't see how it would put any more stress on steering linkage than crank-lifting would.

Just to confirm, adding 1.5" of lift from the BJ spacer does not increase stress on tierods, etc... anymore than 1.5" of torsion bar adjustment. In fact, because the tie rods are slightly extended, their angle is relieved and the stress is actually slightly less than if you lifted by of torsion adjust.

Frank

I think the balljoint spacer is a great idea, just dont know if i can trust it with serious offroading, i have a suspension lift on my T100, so naturally my idler arm is under enough stress, i suppose without the lift i would go for this solution, although the weight of the truck is resting on the spacer at rest as the front suspension cycles it will put a little bit more stress on a longer bolt, i just wonder if anybody has had any problems with these spacers before, like with failure...

I almost got my feelings hurt by the talking out my arse comment, but then i realized, wow i only know what ive seen not what others think...

well its physics when it comes to the stress, the lower the tie rod linkage is from the idler arm the more tension it puts on the steering components, it is minimul, it ranges from 1-3% more tension on the steering, but add in your 33" to 35" tires and you can easily see an increase of 20% more stress, <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/butwiggle.gif" alt="" />

Wasn't a personal attack... Just feelin' a little froggy. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Like Frank said, the angles can potentially be less after the spacer, so long as you don't leave in a bunch of crank on the t-bars.

As for your idler arm, yeah, you're gonna start tugging it all around when you get wider meats or mess with the wheel offset. Easy solution to it flexing about would be to get an idler arm brace. IIRC, Downey, NWOR & Total Chaos makes 'em... Anyone else?

I'd like to second the idler arm brace, it's a must. I've bent 'em stock, lifted, they just plain bend and need a brace if you wanna wheel.

As for failure, they are very low risk as they are just a piece of metal in compression. The hardware is class 12.9 which is the metric standard and stronger than grade 8 English standard. Let me put it to you like this, if you broke the spacer, well, it would be by far the last of your worries.

Frank