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i am considering getting 1"-1.5" wheel spacers. are they ok to use without damaging the ball joints? i was reading stuff about offset and what is that and what does that have to do with spacers?
How good is your life insurance policy, and could i be a benificiary?? First, most wheel spacers are cast aluminum. Weak and crack prone.
Second, if you do put 1-1/2 inch spacers on there, you will not have enough wheel stud left to properly seat the lug nut.
Offset is measured from the center of the wheel to the hub mating surface of the wheel where it sits in the drum/rotor. The more off set on the front will increase bump steer ( when you hit a pothole with one tire, it tries to turn the wheel. The more offset=more leverage against the steering wheel.) Plus, it will put more stress on your wheel bearings leading to early failure, usually at high speeds.
also is it bad to stack rear leaf spring blocks? my truck had 1" blocks but i got 3" blocks i put on but took off the 1" ones. i want to put them back on to get 4"
For safety reasons Neither of your ideas are any good. The front spacers are very very dangerous and will definately put much more wear and tear on the entire front end (wheel bearings, ball joints, tie rods, and steering gear box), which you wil get any time you use spacers or offset wheels. If you really must have more offset then do so with aftermarket wheels. More money but again how much is your life worth to you?.
As for the rear blocks, stacking these is also very dangerous due to the fact that the more pieces you have between your axle and springs the easier it will be for them to get spit out. Also, in most states they have regulations on how you obtain lift on a vehicle and keeping it legal for travel on the public roadways.
You have 3 options for the rear - stick with 3" blocks only, or put in an add-a-leaf with the 3" block, or just buy 4" blocks.
With respect to the effect on the front end, spacers are no different than wheels whose backspace is less with the exact same amount. However, I'd tend to think that compared to a wheel, a spacer will break earlier, if abused.
do i need special shackles?
ill post pics of the rear shackles im using now tommorow when its light
You need to stay away from "cheezy stuff" like that.
I also responded tp your other post regarding this.
These longer shackles will not work with your "tension" style shackle. Tension means that the shackle faces up, or is inverted, and a longer shackle will actually lower the vehicle.
You will first need to convert to a "compression" style shackle to utilize a longer shackle to gain any lift.
The shackle flip by itself will allow gains in lift.
Keep in mind that you are dealing with many, many saftey issues here.
Saftey, and reliability should be considered when dealing with wheels, brakes, steering, and suspension. A failure here can get dangerous in a hurry.