Hi everyone, I’m new here but I’ve had Raptors for a while now. Recently picked up a 2014 Gen 1 Raptor and refreshed the front suspension: axles, tie rods, upper control arms, and ball joints. The previous owner has the factory Fox shocks on mid perch with a 2-inch strut spacer on top for extra height.
The issue is the upper control arm spindle is maxed out. I can’t adjust the camber anymore, and there’s not much travel left in the suspension, especially if I hit a bump. I’m not sure if the strut bolts were trimmed for the spacer to fit.
If I move the shocks back to factory low perch, will that help with the angles? I don’t off-road much, so this is more about saving my tires.
I know the simplest fix is removing the leveling kit entirely, but I’m not sure if my setup will clear without it. I’m running 20x12 -44 wheels with 35x13.5x20 MTs. I’ve searched but couldn’t find any posts with this exact setup. Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!
Take out the spacer and keep it at mid perch. That’s enough for true 35-inch tires. It’ll ride better and won’t wear out your parts as fast. Check that the factory shims are set up right too. There are two: one under the shock tower and one above. The lower shim’s thin side should face out, and the upper shim’s thick side should face out.
Removing the leveling kit and keeping the shocks on mid perch should work fine for the 35s. A 13.5-inch-wide tire is pretty big, so the previous owner probably went with that large offset to avoid hitting the upper control arm.
Mid perch usually gives enough suspension travel for a decent ride and reduces the constant angle on the CVs, which means less wear. Having the upper ball joint maxed out isn’t great either, so this setup should improve things overall.