I wish I had the money for an Icon stage 7 with billet UCA's, but unfortunately I don't have the budget for that. Should I go with a spacer kit or Bilstein 5100s with a cornfed spacer in the rear. I am going to eventually go to a 275 A/T tire once the idea of spending another 1k or so on tires doesn't piss the wife off. Should I do a leveling/spacer kit, go for the Bilsteins at 2.5 up front and a 1.5 cornfed in the rear or just keep saving for a full suspension lift with UCAs. Like I said in the subject I live in the DC area and 95% of the truck's life is on the pacement, and I don't get off road too much except for playing in some mud, not many rock climbs or trails out this way. I would like it to handle like the factory ride if possible, just want her leveled out...
Well so here is the low down:
If you plan to lift 3 inches in the front, which is what i assume you are going for with a spacer or with 5100s set at 2.5, you are pretty much going to need UCAs. There is no way around it, to get in spec and everything, that basically necessary. you can get by for a short time if the money isn't there just yet... but throughout the forums it is HIGHLY recommended.
Now since you don't do much off roading a spacer will be fine, but keep in mind you are pushing the entire coil over down, which means if you over flex, your front suspension has the ability to over flex potentially messing up your CV joints, and also puts a lot of stress on your ball joints because they pretty much become the limiting stops in this case. this means that when you hit a speed bump way too hard and launch your front end up (doesn't have to be airborn) your suspension will bottom out potentially breaking things. this also means that the limiting factor for up travel is now the shock rod hitting the top of the shock body, which is also not good and could cause damage. You just have to be aware. the rear is much more forgiving because of the fact that it is a solid axle. spacers are generally fine in the rear, unless you plan to load your rear up or you would prefer a stiffer spring for on road riding.
Of course, the #1 piece of advice is always, save up and get a decent set of coil overs with new UCAs and you wont regret it, but the truth is a lot of people just can't justify dropping $1500-4000 on suspension. This being said, it is much safer to go with this suspension as they are specifically designed to work with our trucks.
As for handling:
Spacers keep the stock everything, so theoretically your ride will not change at all with
only a shock TOP spacer. if you get something like the Toytec spacer, you must disassemble the strut and insert a spacer which will somewhat change how the spring reacts. Same goes with the Rear, a spacer just pushes everything up, not really affecting how the stock spring rides.
As far as new coil overs or shocks (FOX, King, Bilstein, OME, IVD, etc.) the ride quality will almost certainly be different than stock, some think worse, some think better, thats all dependent on how you like the ride and which kit you get.
Hope this helps.
