Leveling kits are pretty helpful when it comes to ground clearance and the aesthetic look of your vehicle. However, most people join the argument about the spacer kits because they don’t serve the entire purpose of leveling kits.
Some people say these kits sometimes even hamper the performance and damage parts. So, what’s the truth? Are spacer leveling kits bad? What is my Opinion?
Spacer leveling kits don’t affect the ride quality, don’t void your vehicle’s warranty, and increase only a few inches of the front mount. It’s a budget choice for beginners. But they can decrease mileage, reduce the suspension, lower your truck, decrease load capacity, and allow less ground clearance or gaps than before.
Therefore, it would be best to avoid spacer leveling kits if you are not up for an aesthetic look or aren’t on a tight budget. Let’s learn more about the spacer kit’s pros and cons.
An Overview Of The Spacer Leveling Kit
Typically, leveling kits are used to increase the height of the front and rear mount height. However, there are various leveling kits, and a spacer leveling kit is one of them.
A spacer leveling kit is about 1.5 to 2 inches in thickness. It’s placed on the top of the coil springs to increase the height of your truck.
The equipment is made of different materials, such as metal, rubber, dense plastic, etc. You can use spacer kits with higher-grade materials or get poor welds. It depends on your choice.
However, the spacer kits are affordable, which is the biggest reason to use them in different vehicles, especially mini trucks.
On top of that, you can install the spacer leveling kits all by yourself. But keep in mind it decreases the truck’s mileage and doesn’t improve the suspension much.
Read More: do you need wheel spacers with a leveling kit
Reasons To Get A Spacer Leveling Kit
There are some conflicts about the spacer leveling kits, whether they are bad for your vehicle or not! To know that, you must know the bad sides and good sides. Here are some legit reasons why you should get a spacer leveling kit.
Few Inches Of Height Increment
A spacer leveling kit will be perfect for your truck when you want just a few inches of height increment. That’s because it can increase the ground clearance to max 2 inches. As a result, it’s primarily suitable for street-driven cars or trucks.
You won’t need extra heights for some add-on suspension like the off-road vehicles. So, the spacer kits will be a good choice.
Doesn’t Void The Warranty
When you increase the vehicle’s height by a significant amount, it will void your warranty. But the spacer leveling kits will not void your warranty in general.
According to the manufacturers, if the aftermarket changes contribute to the malfunction of your vehicle, your warranty will be void. You can rest assured that a suspension kit installation is capable of such modifications, not the spacer kits. So, the risk is less.
Sole Aesthetic Purpose
We all know that giving an aesthetic and stylish look is one of the primary purposes of installing the leveling kits. Well, it will be done by the spacer kits perfectly.
The spacer kits won’t alter your vehicle’s performance like other suspension kits. So, if you want the look, go for the spacer kits.
Doesn’t Affect Ride Quality
The spacer leveling kits are not designed to affect the ride quality of your truck. But, unfortunately, it’s the job for body lift kits.
However, it will still change the center of gravity of your vehicle. And you will notice the changes while riding without loads. But such differences are insignificant compared to other kits like suspension lift kits.
Beginner Option
If you are a beginner and want to learn about aftermarket parts with your vehicle, you can start with the spacer kits. It’s because they are easy to install and maintain.
You don’t need to go to the repair shops for that. All you need is some DIY tools and proper procedure.
Budget Option
The spacer kits are one of the cheapest options to alter the height of your vehicle. That’s because spacer kits require fewer installation tools, like brackets, bolts, and spacers.
On the other hand, other suspension kits require a lot of components that increase the overall cost. So you will save a lot of money if it’s only for the look.
Reasons NOT To Get A Spacer Leveling Kit
The list of reasons you shouldn’t install spacer leveling kits is a bit larger than its advantages. Here are some more details about the drawbacks:
Decrease Mileage
When you raise the height of the front end of your vehicle, it automatically reduces the mileage. The same goes for suspension lift kits.
However, the spacer kits don’t decrease as much as the suspension kits. On top of that, with the load, it will take more gas to cover the same road.
It Doesn’t Improve the Suspension
Spacer leveling kits don’t affect your vehicle’s suspension, as the height increment is only 2 inches. Therefore, no suspension improvement like other leveling kits. For suspension improvement, you must avoid the spacer leveling kit.
Gaps
Spacer leveling kits create gaps while raising the mount. To get rid of those gaps, you must install gap guards. But the suspension kits don’t leave such gaps.
Lower Your Truck
The spacer kit can lower your truck. And as a result, it reduces the center of gravity and improves the stability of your vehicle. But it will not look nice at the front.
Broken Ball Joints
Typically, the ball joints are limiting devices when you are on down travel. And eventually, they will break or wear off because of the spacer leveling kits, as they don’t increase the height much.
Amount Of Level Is Limited
Most trucks are made so that their front mount stays slightly lower than the rear. Therefore, if you want to level your vehicle, you should avoid the spacer kits as their height increment is limited to 2 inches.
Instead, it would be best if you went for other leveling kits. This factor is more dominant if your truck is for carrying cargo.
Doesn’t Increase Load Capacity
If you want to increase the load capacity of your vehicle, the spacer kits are not for you. Instead, you must install suspension leveling kits.
It will increase the load capacity of your vehicle and improve the suspension so that it can handle the loads while riding on rough roads.
Less Ground Clearance
The spacer kit’s height increment is only a few inches, so it won’t give you much ground clearance. Consequently, they won’t be much helpful in such cases.
Are Spacer Leveling Kits Bad?
You might be wondering, are spacer lifts bad? Well, the answer is positive. Spacer leveling kits are not much help and fail to serve the purpose. However, sometimes it depends on the users whether to get spacer kits or not.
For example, if you want to raise the height of your street-driven car without looking for any suspension improvement, you can install the spacer kits. It won’t affect the ride quality. As a beginner, you can even practice with the spacers.
But when it comes to off-road performance and better suspension, the spacer leveling kit is the wrong call. It can even break the stress ball joints and decrease the mileage. On top of that, you can only have 2 inches of ground clearance at maximum.
Sometimes the spacer kits fail to perform appropriately when there’s a load on your vehicle.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Are leveling spacers bad for your truck?
Getting leveling spacers installed in your truck can have both negative aspects and positive aspects. It all depends on the kind of use you want them for.
For instance, if you want to add a bit of height to the front of your truck to enhance its appearance, leveling spacers are good affordable options.
But if you want to enhance the suspension of your truck, installing leveling spacers won’t do that for you.
These spacers can even decrease your truck’s mileage, wear out ball joints, lower the truck, or create gaps.
On the contrary, they won’t void your truck’s warranty, won’t change the ride quality, will increase a bit of ground clearance, and are very affordable.
So I recommend you try them out for on-road performances and not off-road terrains!
What’s the lifespan of spacer leveling kits?
Typically, spacer leveling kits can last about 8 to 10 years. So, in another way, it can stay up to 200000 miles.
However, experts and manufacturers suggest changing the spacer kits every 50000 miles to avoid any hassles. But as for rough users, they might need to change the spacers more frequently.
What’s the cost of a spacer leveling kit?
Spacer leveling kits are pretty cheap and affordable. You can buy spacer kits for about $70 to $150. Depending on the materials, the price can vary.
However, the cost can increase from $200 to $400 if you install the spacers from a repair shop. It’s because of the labor charge.
Are pickups level from the factory?
No, pickups are not level from the factory. That’s because of the aerodynamic design. The forward pitch helps to carry the load and maintain a decent speed. Its bed drops down while towing as it pushes the nose up.
Are strut spacers bad?
Oh, yes! Strut spacers are not good for your vehicle, to say the least.
Even if you want to install strut spacers to add a few inches of ground clearance for on-road performances, it’s not a good idea.
Do strut spacers affect ride quality?
Yes, strut spacers can affect the ride quality of your vehicle in a negative way by making the upper control arm of your truck hit the coil springs.
It can even hurt the shock absorbers when you’re tackling bumps on the road, and your suspension is compressed fully.
And because of strut spacers, your vehicle’s bump stops are not going to be able to absorb the bumps, as they won’t be as tall as necessary.
So you should avoid strut spacers when you’re looking to add a bit of ground clearance
Final Words
Whether or not the spacer leveling kits are worth it depends on your motive. Spacer kits are not for you if you want some suspension and performance increment. But when you are okay with just a few inches of height change just for the looks and on a budget, the spacer kits are the one to look for.
So, are spacer leveling kits bad? Hopefully, the discussion has reached a clear conclusion for you. Consider your vehicle’s needs and decide on the leveling kit type. Have a comfortable ride!
