Friends Don't Let Friends Run Spacers
It’s that time of year again friends! Spring is coming and we’re itching to lift some trucks. There are a lot of posts asking about whether this or that spacer lift is a good means for lifting a 2005-Present Frontier or Xterra. Unless you’re planning on budgeting for aftermarket upper control arms, the answer is NO.
On the 2005 to present Frontier and Xterra, Nissan positioned the forward leg of the upper control arm directly above the coil bucket. This is uncommon, most other manufacturers will have their UCA wrap around the bucket.
When you add a spacer to the top of your coilover, you’re increasing the overall length of the coilover assembly. With this added length, the lower control arm (LCA) is pushed further down than it would be without the spacer.
The LCA is connected to the spindle of the truck, which in turn is connected to the upper control arm (UCA). When you add a spacer and push the LCA further downward, you’re pulling the UCA with it.
There’s not a lot of space between the UCA and the coil bucket on a stock coilover assembly when the suspension is unloaded, maybe 1/4” to 3/8”. When you add a spacer, you create a clearance issue called coil bucket contact. Even a 1/4” thick spacer plate that gives 1/2” lift can cause coil bucket contact.
In extreme cases, coil bucket contact can cause a UCA to fail. OEM UCA’s are stamped sheet metal. Coil bucket contact creates an audible clunk whenever the suspension cycles and the UCA hits the coil bucket. It'll also leave a tell-tail mark where it's worn the chassis paint away from the coil bucket.
To correctly and safely run a spacer, it’s necessary to run an aftermarket UCA with high clearance built into it. Having to budget in aftermarket UCA’s makes a spacer a non-budget-friendly means of lift. After spending money on a spacer kit and UCA’s, you’re just about to the cost of an aftermarket suspension lift kit. If you're already running spacers and would like to eliminate cbc, check out our UCA's below.
Coils are a much safer and better means of lifting these trucks and that’s why we created the Rckilla as a lower-cost alternative to a full lift kit.
Rckilla for the Nissan Frontier