POLYAIR, FOX Adjustable Shock Absorbers & Struts with Fitting Position Front Axle

Height adjustable struts let you set the lift height rather than accepting whatever a fixed strut delivers.

One part number covers a range, so the same strut can give you 25mm or 40mm, or two inches through to three, depending on where it is set. That flexibility matters because the right lift for a vehicle depends on what it carries and where it is driven.

How Height Adjustable Struts Work

A strut carries the coil spring on a seat, and the position of that seat decides how much the assembly raises the vehicle.

On an adjustable strut, that seat can be located in more than one position. Circlip designs use machined grooves in the strut body with the seat located by a circlip, giving a set number of fixed positions. Threaded designs use a collar wound up or down the body, which allows any height within the range rather than fixed steps.

Either way, the adjustment happens with the strut out of the vehicle and the spring compressed, which means it is a workshop job rather than something changed on the track.

Most are supplied as assembled struts, arriving with the spring already fitted and set to a nominated height. That turns installation into a bolt-in and removes the spring compressor from the equation entirely.

Choosing a Lift Height From the Strut's Adjustment Range

Ranges vary by application, with common options covering 25 to 40mm, 35 to 40mm, 50mm through to 75mm, two inch to three inch spans, and wider ranges from standard height up to 2.5 inches.

More lift is not automatically better, and the right setting comes down to a few practical questions.

What size tyres are you planning to run on it? Clearance for a larger tyre is the most common reason for lift, and the setting only needs to give you enough to avoid contact at full lock and full compression.

What does the vehicle carry day to day? A heavy bull bar, winch, dual battery and long range tank all push the front down, and a vehicle set at the top of its range while empty can sit considerably lower once it is loaded.

Where does the vehicle actually get driven most of the time? A touring vehicle mostly on sealed roads gains little from maximum lift, while a vehicle regularly on rough tracks benefits from the clearance.

The adjustment range exists so the height can be changed later. Starting conservatively and revisiting it once the vehicle is fully built is more sensible than setting maximum lift on day one.

Road Legal Lift Heights and Adjustable Struts in Australia

Worth understanding before choosing a setting, because it affects compliance as well as handling.

A 50mm increase in ride height is the generally accepted benchmark for a road legal lift in Australia. That figure comes from a combination of suspension and tyre increase, and the specific rules vary between states, which is why the same build can be treated differently across borders.

A 50mm lift is enough for a size or two larger tyre and a useful gain in clearance, without the consequences that come with going further. Beyond that, steering geometry, suspension travel, pinion angles and handling all start moving away from what the manufacturer designed, and the vehicle usually needs additional correction components to bring them back.

Requirements change, so checking the current rules for your state before committing to a height is worth the few minutes. Our Service Centres deal with this daily and can tell you where a given setting leaves you.

What Raising a Strut Changes Beyond Ground Clearance

Lifting a vehicle does more than raise it, and knowing what else moves helps you choose sensibly.

Ground clearance is the obvious gain, along with improved approach, departure and rampover angles, and room for larger tyres.

What also changes is the geometry, because camber and caster move as the arms swing through a different part of their arc, which is why an alignment is not optional afterward and why some vehicles need upper control arms with correction built in. On a vehicle with independent front suspension, CV angles increase, which is what a differential drop kit addresses on larger lifts.

The centre of gravity rises as well, so a lifted vehicle leans more and is more prone to vehicle sway than it was standard. That is manageable at moderate heights and becomes a genuine handling consideration at larger ones.

None of that argues against lifting a vehicle. It argues for choosing a height deliberately rather than taking the maximum available.

Using Adjustable Struts to Level a Low Front End

This is the use case people overlook, and adjustable struts handle it better than anything else.

A dual cab or wagon with a steel bull bar, a winch and a driving light bar carries real weight ahead of the front axle. That weight compresses the front springs, so the vehicle sits nose down, the headlights point at the road rather than down it, and the front suspension has already used part of its travel before you set off.

A fixed lift strut gives you one answer to that. An adjustable strut lets you set the front height to match the accessories actually fitted, which means the vehicle sits level with the load it carries rather than level empty and nose down loaded.

The same applies in reverse when the build changes. If accessories are removed or the build changes, the height can be reset rather than the struts replaced.

Who Height Adjustable Struts Suit

Touring 4WDs carrying weight benefit most, since the front end load is what determines the correct setting and that load is specific to each build.

Vehicles in the middle of a build are the other clear case. If the bull bar is fitted and the winch is coming later, an adjustable strut can be set now and corrected once everything is on.

Workshop and fleet vehicles running the same platform in different configurations get value from one part number covering several heights rather than stocking multiple fixed struts.

Anyone weighing up compliance benefits too, since the ability to set a height precisely is more useful than a fixed lift that lands wherever it lands.

If a vehicle is standard, stays standard and runs factory tyres, a fixed strut at the correct height is simpler and does the job.

Vehicle Fitment and Assembled Struts

Fitment is specific and it goes beyond make and model.

Body style matters, since a dual cab, single cab, cab chassis and wagon on the same platform carry different weights over the front axle and often use different struts. Year ranges matter, because manufacturers revise front ends mid model. Engine configuration can matter too, as a six cylinder sits heavier over the front than a four.

Check whether the listing is for the strut alone or a complete assembly. An assembled strut arrives with the spring fitted and set, ready to bolt in. A bare strut needs the existing spring transferred, which means a spring compressor and the safety considerations that come with it.

Spring rate is worth confirming alongside the strut itself. A strut set for 40mm of lift with a spring rated for a standard front end will not deliver that height once a bull bar goes on.

Fitting Adjustable Struts and the Alignment After

Front struts carry a compressed coil spring, and that energy makes correct equipment non negotiable. Where an assembly is supplied pre-built, that risk is removed.

The height is normally set before installation rather than after, so confirming the setting against what the vehicle actually carries is worth doing before the job starts.

A wheel alignment afterward is mandatory rather than optional. Lifting the front changes camber and caster immediately, and driving on the old settings will wear a set of tyres quickly and leave the steering feeling wrong.

Our Click and Fit service covers installation through the network, and includes a 4WD wheel alignment along with a free suspension check after 1,000km of driving. That follow up matters on a lift, since springs settle slightly and the initial alignment is worth confirming once they have.

Fulcrum has been working on suspension since 1976, with 16 Service Centres across Australia and 200+ authorised workshops.

Maintenance and Checks After Fitting Adjustable Struts

A lifted vehicle works its suspension differently, and a few checks keep it right.

Have the alignment rechecked after the first few thousand kilometres, since new springs settle and the numbers move.

Check clearances after any change to tyres or accessories, particularly at full lock and full compression where contact shows up first.

Inspect the struts, bushes and mounts at regular services, and look for uneven tyre wear as the early sign that geometry has drifted.

If the vehicle's load changes significantly, whether that is a canopy going on or a tray coming off, the strut height can be revisited rather than left at a setting chosen for a different build.

Find Height Adjustable Struts for Your Vehicle

Select your vehicle to see the height adjustable struts available for it, with the lift range each one offers. Book fitting through Click and Fit, or talk to your nearest Service Centre about which height suits what your vehicle carries and where it is driven. Everything we supply is backed by our warranty, a fitment guarantee and the support of a nationwide workshop network.