Coil Spring Spacer Problems?
 

Hey everybody, I have a 2006 2500 4x4 5.9 and I had a warn 12,000 lbs winch installed along with 2" coil spring spacers about 7 years ago. I run 285's on the truck but it seems like there has been issues ever since. Right after the install i got an alignment but began to experience the 'death wobble' soon after. The factory 265's wore out very very quickly after the install. I have replaced ball joints and wheel bearings because they wore out. It just doesn't seem like I should have to be shopping for the 4th set of tires for the truck at only 93k miles. Do the coil spring spacers affect front end geometry and travel that much or is it all in my head? I've read elsewhere that spacers can affect toe-in even after an alignment or that they cause ball joints to operate in a range they weren't designed for. Thanks for hearing the complaint.

Two inch spacers will effect front end geometry, for sure. In stock trim and at manufactured weight, the wheel parallelism is centered so that both bounce and jounce changes toe equally, toe in on compression and toe out on rebound. When spacers are added it positions the steering box higher changing the center bias so that the rate of toe change is no longer equal. Now, there is less toe in on compression, but more toe out on rebound. We compensate by readjusting the at rest toe, but nothing can compensate for the bias shift without relocating the steering box. Nobody does this because it really does not matter so much. Your experience of 4 sets of tires in 100K miles is not so abnormal. Depending on the tires you are buying, the tire pressure you use and your driving style, it is a bit high. I would re-access those points above.

Also don't forget you added some good weight way out front. That winch has to be what 130-140lbs. The bumper that it sits in is probably another 125lbs over stock if not more. So another 250lbs easy hanging out front as far as can be isn't helping the situation. Tire wear does seem excessive to me but that may depend on the tires you are using.