Strut wear after Motofab 2.5" level on ORP.

[Whiskey_tango]

I noticed this rubbing on my struts with the paint being worn off so I checked around. Everyone I know who has had the lift or level accomplished by adding a top hat spacer has this rub. The way it was explained to me is, It seems to be because the EOM strut top has a designed angle built in to keep a solid contact surface with the strut housing. When you rotate the strut to allow for the new bolt alignments from most strut spacers the angle is reversed thus creating a bind. This shows up on the boot rubbing the strut and the fact that even though the bolts receive the proper torque, the spacer does not produce equal pressure on the strut housing. This is why some of the cheaper lifts and levels crack even before, or soon after the truck is taken off the lift.
Again, I am no expert. This is how it was explained to me. It is also why I had the top hat spacer removed am and waiting patiently for Bilstein to release their RHA 5100 strut replacement in September or October.

This is exactly what I believe to be true as well. I swapped the MF for Daystar for that reason. Daystar extends the studs rather than offsetting.

I would have liked to do struts, but couldn't wait. Maybe down the road.

 

[rsonedecker]

I can say with personal certainty that the shock top has no angle. You can stand these shocks up upside down on their studs and they stand straight up. I've also taken a few of these apart and also purchased some shock tops new. There's no angle to the top, or to the spring isolator. The increased angle of the shock when lifted is what causes the boot to cant more, you're pushing the lower control arm down and the angle at the shock top gets steeper - there's a bushing in the shock top that allows the piston rod to move at different angles, but the shock top itself does not move. And since the shock boot is sandwiched in between the shock top and the spring isolator, it's angle relative to the shock top doesn't change when the shock piston rod and body change as the lower control arm is pushed down when you lift the truck. I've got the daystar, which does not require you to flip the shocks when reinstalling, and I still have the cant - not as extreme as some because I'm only at 2" lift, but it's still there.

 

[19Jake]

I noticed rubbing on my struts w/paint being worn off. Everyone I know with top hat spacers has rub. I removed the spacers & patiently await Bilstein 5100's.

 

[Grunkster]

dang...i've the motofab 2.5 spacers sitting here ready to go in...anybody want em' for $60 shipped?

 

[VaderRebel]

I don't understand why they present the adjustable strut in a different light than the spacer. Yes, at a certain point you will have longer overall travel, but once you reach max height, you're still pushing the lower control arm down by extending the bottom of the strut, not the top. You'll have the same ride characteristics at full height because the coil is under the same compression. The only obvious advantage is the adjustability... which isn't that great because you still have to compress the coil to move the bottom clip up or down, as apposed to a screw type adjustment that can be done much easier.

Hope they aren't too expensive, might be a hard dent in the old wallet for the same effect from a $50 set of spacers.

 

[Grunkster]

$50 shipped? LOLLLLLL

 

[VaderRebel]

$50 shipped? LOLLLLLL

Seriously, keep them and use them. If the 5100's are $500 and give the same ride quality and shaft angle of a $68.95 + shipping set of spacers... it's not rocket science what the better value is.

 

[Grunkster]

Yea I'm not gonna sweat it...my Laramie does not have offroad pkg anyway so should be just fine

 

[VaderRebel]

Yea I'm not gonna sweat it...my Laramie does not have offroad pkg anyway so should be just fine

No ORP? Then you are fine.

 

[Sgoodwin1]

There is an angle on my 2019 Rebel but not at the top hat it’s the bottom of the strut.