Hi all,

I could use another 10-20 mm ground clearance - I live up a mountain, no racing etc just getting more clearance would be nice.

I have some questions:

The SPACCER lift kit is insanely expensive but it seems it can be inserted without undoing any suspension parts?

Is this kit from EBay (front here) any good you reckon? (from Russia so hm... woudl it poison me lol?)

But in any case the big questions are, for a 20mm arpprox lift-

1) will this change the wheel alignment front and especially rear toe in? I mean things that cannot be adjusted without other spacers etc.
2) will this lift change handling dramatically, trick the ABS, roll whatever systems? Do I need any other stuff to compensate?
3) will this wear out the CV joints faster due to changed angle etc? I tend to keep vehicles until they die (300-400k), so it may be an issue.

So all in all I just want a bit more clearance without getting new springs etc and affecting other stuff too much - esp handling...

Many Thanks!

 

There will probably be enough change in front you'll definitely want to get a wheel alignment done, if for no other reason than to make sure you aren't going to eat up tires.

but no significant change in the rear because it's a beam axle. FWIW it's likely to be found a bit out of specs even without a lift kit installed....so plan on correcting that if needed (and if possible, not all shops will do the shims) when the alignment is done.


VSA (vehicle stability assist) may try to save you a little bit sooner just because of the higher center of gravity. Other than that I don't see it making any other difference.


I wouldn't expect it to, but I guess you'll be the guinea pig on this one LOL

HTH

 

Ok, thanks for the info. I'll call a suspension shop and ask them as well what they think. Right now it is so low it is ridiculous, scraps the plastic plates pretty much all the time.

 

Suspension shop says they have never done it and would charge $600 incl wheel alignment. Oh well.

 

Google something called "spring spacers." Aside from the listings, you can see some chaps from India putting them on their Civic because it always drags on the poor roads when fully loaded with additional chaps.

The spacers will not have a big impact on your static ride height, but WILL prevent your springs from compressing as much when your car is loaded -- or when compressed dynamically while driving. Put another way, if you are scraping the car when you come DOWN from bumps, it may help the body not fall as far so you can avoid that. And you can do it with a jack, easily.

Downside is, does not actually increase your ground clearance. Oh, and it'll ruin your ride quality.

Your "Russian" option above looks to me to be ... not totally unsafe but ... I would guess they will not last very long. You will definitely need a front-end alignment, lowering a car adjusts camber and I expect raising it will do the same (and I don't know if the usual solution of camber bolts will work or not.) If you limit your lift to 10cm (1/2 inch) in the front, your alignment may not be off by too much. Similarly, while big adjustments can wear your CV joints or shocks, that's relevant for you to consider, a small adjustment I wouldn't worry about it. Think about it: if you normally carry 4 people VS 1 in the car, that is going to make a 1cm difference, you wouldn't think twice about the long-term suspension impact.

 

Ok thanks - but it should increase clearance. Ive done it on a 4WD and it definitely increased clearance - static not just dynamic. The whole car body lifts on the springs... ah, unless the spacers do not actually sit on the spacers themselves - aha. On the 4wd the springs sit on the spacers themselves... so either change the springs to higher ones or find spacers shaped as a spring seat... or buy another car lol