difference between a spindle drop & spring drop ???

[jondevil]

I've tried reading through all lowering threads & perhaps I just missed it. But I'm trying to figure out the difference(s) between the two different ways of accomplishing the same objective. And if one is " better " than the other . It seems springs are way more popular , but I have no idea why . Is the difference just a matter of the spindle kits replacing the factory spindles , while keeping the factory springs . But how is that possible if it's getting lowered 2" ( + ) ?
I must confess I have no idea what a " spindle actually does , other than it being part of the front suspension .
My story is I have a 2016 1500 crew , RWD , Hemi that I want to do the 2"/4" lowering to. I just purchased 24" trackhawk rims & am going to use 285/40-24 tires to keep the same overall diameter. ( I have factory 20's on now. Oh , and I'm going to use the Q1 shocks referenced in another thread. Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[1SloRam]

Go springs then if you don’t see the benefit in spindles.
2/4 belltech & if you’re OCD or get the 90mph death wobble, grab the IHC relocation brackets.
Spindles probably ride better, but you’re going 24’s on a truck so I’d doubt you care about the ride much. Also the QA1’s are the next step for folks with 2/4 drop that don’t like the ride, so you’re halfway there.
I’d guess springs may be easier to install and not require an alignment as bad as spindles, that’s just from experience on other brands. Some say spindles wear out front end components sooner than springs due to the chamber being off.
That’s all debates though.
My experience is that springs with help with performance aspect of driving.

 

[jondevil]

Thanks for the response , SloRam. I actually do care for the ride , but in the sense that I'd rather firmer than what I have now . To me there's to much body roll / bobbing . I'm sure it's a fine line , but I want firm w/o bone-jarring . Maybe that's not possible w/ lowering ? As far as the 24" rims , there'll still be 4.5" sidewalls ( if tiresize.com/calculator is accurate ) , so it's not like I'll be riding on the rims.
You helped clear my vision on what to expect & how best to get there & I really appreciate it. Springs it is......

 

[1SloRam]

I can honestly say when I did the 2/4 drop on 20’s and stock shocks the ride didn’t change. I bottomed out once but it was a terrible road. What I mean is it wasn’t any harsher than it was factory.
There’s very little body roll now, I felt very comfortable cornering, but I’ve always driven in a spirited manner.
At the end of the day I wished I’d done it sooner. It changed the truck in every way. For the better.

 

[MCMLXIX]

The spindle options are steel where factory is aluminum, so it changes the unsprung weight and the handling characteristics.
They also push each side out about 3/8" I think... so check for fitment of the wheels.
I have 22x9.5 et20 with 305/45R20 and they sick out past the fender …
The picture in my signature is stock height but I have been collecting parts for a 3/5 drop.

 

[jondevil]

The spindle options are steel where factory is aluminum, so it changes the unsprung weight and the handling characteristics.
They also push each side out about 3/8" I think... so check for fitment of the wheels.
I have 22x9.5 et20 with 305/45R20 and they sick out past the fender …
The picture in my signature is stock height but I have been collecting parts for a 3/5 drop.

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( Jon ) If I had any doubt , you just erased it. Springs are definitely the way to go for me. I knew about unsprung weight being handling's enemy ( I'm worried about the 24" rims for that reason ) , but the kicker is I want my tires t be at least flush & better still would be inside fenders , but I know that's not possible. So there's no way I'd use spindles knowing the effect they'd have . Thanks for the info.

 

[Wild one]

Go springs then if you don’t see the benefit in spindles.
2/4 belltech & if you’re OCD or get the 90mph death wobble, grab the IHC relocation brackets.
Spindles probably ride better, but you’re going 24’s on a truck so I’d doubt you care about the ride much. Also the QA1’s are the next step for folks with 2/4 drop that don’t like the ride, so you’re halfway there.
I’d guess springs may be easier to install and not require an alignment as bad as spindles, that’s just from experience on other brands. Some say spindles wear out front end components sooner than springs due to the chamber being off.
That’s all debates though.
My experience is that springs with help with performance aspect of driving.

Most of this is wrong.Spindles don't change the camber ,spring drops do. Spindles are way easier to install then springs,you need to basically remove the spindles to swap springs. Spindles will ride better,and don't contribute to tie rod angle changes like springs do,which leads to bump steer,which is where the truck tries to swap lanes when it hits a decent bump at 70 mph.The downsides to spindles is they are heavier then the stock spindles are,and they will move the front tires out approximately 3/8" per side. All a dropped spindle is doing is moving the point where the wheel attaches to the actual spindle up 2",they don't change your wheel alignment specs like a spring drop does,which means any decent alignment shop with access to the factory alignment specs can wheel align the truck,which isn't going to happen with a spring drop as the whole front suspension moves up,and not every shop will know what they're doing to get the front wheels back to where they point straight ahead and the camber is close enough to not wear out the inside edge of your tires.

 

[jondevil]

Now I'm really confused . Yesterday I was positive I was going to use a spring kit. Today , not so much. I'm now ( almost ) positive I'm doing the spindle kit.
My question now is why aren't spindle drops more common , even given the additional cost.
From what Wild one says , spindles are the better way to lower , it would appear. How much of a weight increase can it be , 10-20 lbs per spindle ?
Oh , and what about shocks ? do spindles use different shock applications then a spring set-up would ?
My one really big hang up on the spindles is the tires sticking out past the fenders. according to suspension super store , it's 1/2 " to 3/4" .I had myself convinced 3/8" would hardly be noticeable ,but if it does end up being 3/4" , I won't be happy. I guess there's aftermarket fender flares available .
Otoh , if I'm only going to run 285 tires , maybe it will be only the 3/8" , I'm hoping anyway.

 

[bm02tj]

Springs are cheaper than spindles

 

[jondevil]

yes I realize that. I said " why aren't spindles more popular , even given the additional cost " . from my perspective , the benefits Wild one outlined justify the additional cost .

 

[1SloRam]

Most of this is wrong.Spindles don't change the camber ,spring drops do. Spindles are way easier to install then springs,you need to basically remove the spindles to swap springs. Spindles will ride better,and don't contribute to tie rod angle changes like springs do,which leads to bump steer,which is where the truck tries to swap lanes when it hits a decent bump at 70 mph.The downsides to spindles is they are heavier then the stock spindles are,and they will move the front tires out approximately 3/8" per side. All a dropped spindle is doing is moving the point where the wheel attaches to the actual spindle up 2",they don't change your wheel alignment specs like a spring drop does,which means any decent alignment shop with access to the factory alignment specs can wheel align the truck,which isn't going to happen with a spring drop as the whole front suspension moves up,and not every shop will know what they're doing to get the front wheels back to where they point straight ahead and the camber is close enough to not wear out the inside edge of your tires.

Damn I guess I’m all wrong, got humbled there.
All I can for sure say is I went springs and I’m happy. Nothin to do with cost for me as I opted for relocation brackets which aren’t cheap. Or weren’t when I bought mine.
This got confusing fast.

 

[MCMLXIX]

Now I'm really confused . Yesterday I was positive I was going to use a spring kit. Today , not so much. I'm now ( almost ) positive I'm doing the spindle kit.
My question now is why aren't spindle drops more common , even given the additional cost.
From what Wild one says , spindles are the better way to lower , it would appear. How much of a weight increase can it be , 10-20 lbs per spindle ?
Oh , and what about shocks ? do spindles use different shock applications then a spring set-up would ?
My one really big hang up on the spindles is the tires sticking out past the fenders. according to suspension super store , it's 1/2 " to 3/4" .I had myself convinced 3/8" would hardly be noticeable ,but if it does end up being 3/4" , I won't be happy. I guess there's aftermarket fender flares available .
Otoh , if I'm only going to run 285 tires , maybe it will be only the 3/8" , I'm hoping anyway.

That wider track width can be compensated with a proper set of wheels... but your going to be spending money on 2 or 3 piece wheels to get exact specs where fractions of an inch matter.... You can also offset the weight gained over steel spindles by your wheels ... forged wheels are lighter... but all this could add up to a $1500 wheel x 4 ...

 

[Wild one]

Now I'm really confused . Yesterday I was positive I was going to use a spring kit. Today , not so much. I'm now ( almost ) positive I'm doing the spindle kit.
My question now is why aren't spindle drops more common , even given the additional cost.
From what Wild one says , spindles are the better way to lower , it would appear. How much of a weight increase can it be , 10-20 lbs per spindle ?
Oh , and what about shocks ? do spindles use different shock applications then a spring set-up would ?
My one really big hang up on the spindles is the tires sticking out past the fenders. according to suspension super store , it's 1/2 " to 3/4" .I had myself convinced 3/8" would hardly be noticeable ,but if it does end up being 3/4" , I won't be happy. I guess there's aftermarket fender flares available .
Otoh , if I'm only going to run 285 tires , maybe it will be only the 3/8" , I'm hoping anyway.

The 2 biggest reasons they aren't as popular is #1 cost and #2 is the fact the aftermarket spindles move the wheels out 3/8" per side.Your shop is full of **** about the wheels moving out 3/4" per side,unless they were meaning the overall front track width changed by 3/4" if that's what they were meaning they are correct,which is 3/8" per side. As stated you can offset the width with differant rims,or run a skinnier front tire and a wider rear tire. I run staggered tire sizes on my truck, 295/45/20's front and 305/50/20's rear on the stock Sport rims,with a 3mm spacer on the rear.

 

[jondevil]

it wasn't a local shop that told me that about the 3/4" , it was actually an online company that was mentioned in one of these lowering threads. They said 1/2" to 3/4" . so I'm not sure if they mean total or per side. I'd guess per side. That seems most logical . If that's what 3/8" looks like , that's not bad at all . Looks great , actually. I'm guessing you use the spacers for tire clearance/ prevent rubbing ? What vendor carries spacers ? I never noticed them on any of the sites I've been on looking at lowering kits. Then again I wasn't looking for them so I could have missed them somewhere.

 

[Wild one]

it wasn't a local shop that told me that about the 3/4" , it was actually an online company that was mentioned in one of these lowering threads. They said 1/2" to 3/4" . so I'm not sure if they mean total or per side. I'd guess per side. That seems most logical . If that's what 3/8" looks like , that's not bad at all . Looks great , actually. I'm guessing you use the spacers for tire clearance/ prevent rubbing ? What vendor carries spacers ? I never noticed them on any of the sites I've been on looking at lowering kits. Then again I wasn't looking for them so I could have missed them somewhere.

Spacers are on the rear,so the tires match front to rear when looking at the truck.I'd hazard a guess they meant total then.The track width between the front tires will increase 3/4" ,which is 3/8" per side

 

[jondevil]

That wider track width can be compensated with a proper set of wheels... but your going to be spending money on 2 or 3 piece wheels to get exact specs where fractions of an inch matter.... You can also offset the weight gained over steel spindles by your wheels ... forged wheels are lighter... but all this could add up to a $1500 wheel x 4 ...

Spacers are on the rear,so the tires match front to rear when looking at the truck.I'd hazard a guess they meant total then.The track width between the front tires will increase 3/4" ,which is 3/8" per side

That's good / comforting to know . I can live w/ the 3/8" . Thanks.

 

[jondevil]

That wider track width can be compensated with a proper set of wheels... but your going to be spending money on 2 or 3 piece wheels to get exact specs where fractions of an inch matter.... You can also offset the weight gained over steel spindles by your wheels ... forged wheels are lighter... but all this could add up to a $1500 wheel x 4 ...

Yikes ! 6k just for rims ? I 'll just work w/ what I have . LOL

 

[Midnight Storm]

I have the same size tires as you are getting. They’re a pretty comfy ride and are 1000x better then the stock POS Goodyears.
I’m still waiting to do the 2/4 drop. It will look so good!
Post pics when done please

 

[jondevil]

I have the same size tires as you are getting. They’re a pretty comfy ride and are 1000x better then the stock POS Goodyears.
I’m still waiting to do the 2/4 drop. It will look so good!
Post pics when done please

I have the same size tires as you are getting. They’re a pretty comfy ride and are 1000x better then the stock POS Goodyears.
I’m still waiting to do the 2/4 drop. It will look so good!
Post pics when done please

I really hope so . I'm having 2nd thoughts about 24's . I was set on 22's , but then found the 24's for just a few $$ more . Word of waring to all , it's not a show truck , LOL. It appears to have had a hard life. I bought it as a 2nd work truck for my business. Yes , I'm looking forward to my drop , as soon as I can get out of the decision purgatory of what kit to use & find a competent shop to do the work. Oh and I'm the WORST at taking pics. I'll do my best , though.

 

[Wild one]

I really hope so . I'm having 2nd thoughts about 24's . I was set on 22's , but then found the 24's for just a few $$ more . Word of waring to all , it's not a show truck , LOL. It appears to have had a hard life. I bought it as a 2nd work truck for my business. Yes , I'm looking forward to my drop , as soon as I can get out of the decision purgatory of what kit to use & find a competent shop to do the work. Oh and I'm the WORST at taking pics. I'll do my best , though.

22's are going to ride better,and are usually cheaper and easier to find.If it's a work truck,you're going to want to have a little bit of tire sidewall to keep from damaging a rim.