Level Spacers

Glocker

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I would really like to do a good suspension lift for my Ranger but I honestly don't see it ever being in the cards for me. I want to do some trail driving; maybe mud, ruts, small rocks. Will a level spacer like the Rough Country product you sell work for me or do I risk having suspension issues if it gets rough? Have you guys installed a level spacer on your truck before you went down the road with the more purpose built suspension?
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Jason@Stage3

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I would really like to do a good suspension lift for my Ranger but I honestly don't see it ever being in the cards for me. I want to do some trail driving; maybe mud, ruts, small rocks. Will a level spacer like the Rough Country product you sell work for me or do I risk having suspension issues if it gets rough? Have you guys installed a level spacer on your truck before you went down the road with the more purpose built suspension?
To be honest, we bag on the stock suspension a little more than it probably deserves. It's not made of glass and won't turn to ashes and dust as soon as you put it on a little dirt.

A leveling spacer (regardless of what one) and a good set of tires can carry you through most light-duty off-roading. You probably shouldn't be ripping around through raw desert at 60mph, but for the occasional trail or forest road off to a camp site/hunting spot, you'd be fine at normal speeds.

We had BDS's 2" Spacer kit on our truck with the base NX2s, and it did fine out on the North side of Lake Pleasant, which can get pretty rough in a few places. You just got to keep in mind that like anything, the more you abuse it, the shorter its lifespan.
 
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Glocker

Glocker

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To be honest, we bag on the stock suspension a little more than it probably deserves. It's not made of glass and won't turn to ashes and dust as soon as you put it on a little dirt.

A leveling spacer (regardless of what one) and a good set of tires can carry you through most light-duty off-roading. You probably shouldn't be ripping around through raw desert at 60mph, but for the occasional trail or forest road off to a camp site/hunting spot, you'd be fine at normal speeds.

We had BDS's 2" Spacer kit on our truck with the base NX2s, and it did fine out on the North side of Lake Pleasant, which can get pretty rough in a few places. You just got to keep in mind that like anything, the more you abuse it, the shorter its lifespan.
I just found the BDS video review and it looked like a good option for me. Is there a benefit to using the BDS style level kit with a preload spacer compared to the Rough Country style kit with just a top spacer? (Other than ease of install of course.)
 

Jason@Stage3

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I just found the BDS video review and it looked like a good option for me. Is there a benefit to using the BDS style level kit with a preload spacer compared to the Rough Country style kit with just a top spacer? (Other than ease of install of course.)
In theory, a preload spacer will keep closer to overall factory travel at the cost of some extra stiffness and loss of overall ride quality while a strut spacer will sacrifice travel, but keep you close to the stock ride.

In practice, there's not much of a difference, especially in applications where you'll only be doing light off-roading and adding bigger, heavier, and stiffer tires at the same time. I would personally just go with a strut spacer for the easier install and then add a set of rear shocks separately to maximize ride quality.
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