Raised Springs with Fitting Position Front and Rear, Front Axle

Raised springs lift a vehicle by being taller and firmer than the factory item, carrying the same weight at a greater height.

The lift itself is the obvious part of that. The load rating is the part that decides whether you actually get it.

What Raised Springs Do

A raised coil spring, sometimes listed as a lift spring, is wound to sit taller under load than the original, so the vehicle settles higher once its weight is on the springs.

That gains ground clearance under the diffs and sills, improves approach, departure and rampover angles, and creates room for a larger tyre.

Less obviously, a raised spring restores suspension travel. A vehicle carrying permanent accessory weight sits on compressed springs with part of its travel already used, and a correctly rated raised spring gives that travel back rather than simply jacking the body up.

Raised springs also resist the sag that comes with a loaded vehicle. A standard spring under a bull bar, winch and dual battery drops the front and keeps it there, which is both a handling problem and a tyre wear one.

Raised Spring Load Ratings and Why They Matter Most

This is where most raised spring purchases go wrong, and it is worth understanding properly.

Raised springs are specified by the load they are designed to carry, not just by the lift they deliver. Front springs are typically banded by constant accessory weight, with ratings running from 0 to 50kg, 50 to 100kg, and 100 to 250kg. Rear springs are banded by load carried, running from 0 to 100kg through 100 to 300kg, 300 to 500kg and beyond.

The rating is the weight you are permanently adding, not the weight of the vehicle. A bare 4WD sits in the lowest band. The same vehicle with a steel bull bar, a winch, driving lights and a second battery is well into the next one.

Get the rating too low and the vehicle sits at its advertised lift empty and sags back to near standard once it is loaded. Get it too high and the vehicle rides harshly and sits nose up when it is unladen, because the spring is never seeing the load it was wound for.

Work out what the vehicle actually carries before choosing. Weigh the accessories if you can, and be honest about what is permanent versus what goes on for a trip.

The rear is the same exercise with different numbers. A canopy, drawers, a water tank, a fridge and a full load of gear adds up far faster than people estimate.

Raised Springs Alone Are Not a Lift Kit

Worth being direct about, because it is the most common misunderstanding on this category.

Fitting raised springs to standard shock absorbers gives you a vehicle that sits higher and does not control itself any better. The spring now allows more travel than the shock was designed to damp, which produces a floating, unsettled ride and shortens the life of the shocks considerably.

Standard shocks also become limited by their length. On a raised vehicle a factory shock can reach full extension before the suspension does, which turns the shock into a droop stop and destroys it.

Springs and shocks work as a matched pair. A complete lift kit supplies both along with the correction components the new geometry needs, which is why raised springs on their own suit a vehicle that is only replacing springs rather than one being lifted from standard.

If the vehicle is going up in height for the first time, the shocks need to go with it.

Comfort and Heavy Duty Raised Spring Options

Within the same lift height, springs are offered in different characters.

Comfort rated raised springs use a softer rate within the band, prioritising ride quality for a vehicle that carries its accessories permanently but is not loaded to capacity. These suit touring vehicles and daily driven 4WDs.

Heavy duty raised springs sit at the firmer end, built for sustained load from a tray, canopy or constant towing. They hold height under weight at the cost of a firmer ride when empty.

Progressive rate raised springs try to cover both, with unevenly spaced coils giving a softer initial response and a rising rate as the suspension loads up. On a vehicle that alternates between empty and fully laden, that behaviour is genuinely useful.

Which character suits comes down to how often the vehicle is actually loaded rather than how much it can carry.

How Much Lift Raised Springs Give

The figure quoted is what the spring delivers at its rated load, which is why two people fitting the same spring report different results.

A 50mm raised spring fitted to a vehicle carrying the weight it was rated for gives close to 50mm. The same spring on a bare vehicle gives more, and on an overloaded one gives less.

Springs also settle over their first few weeks. A new spring will sit slightly higher for the first few hundred kilometres before taking its set, so measuring the day it is fitted gives an optimistic number.

Front and rear are usually different figures as well, since the two ends carry different weights and are lifted separately. A vehicle that ends up nose high or tail high usually has mismatched ratings rather than a faulty spring.

Road Legal Lift Heights for Raised Springs in Australia

Worth checking before choosing a height, since suspension modifications are regulated here.

A 50mm increase is the generally accepted benchmark for a road legal lift, and the specific rules vary between states and territories. Beyond that figure, certification requirements can apply and they differ depending on where the vehicle is registered.

Total lift matters rather than suspension lift alone, so a taller tyre adds to whatever the springs deliver.

Checking your state's current requirements before committing is worth the few minutes, and our Service Centres deal with this daily.

What Else Changes When Raised Springs Go In

Lifting moves more than the body, and these are the follow-on items worth budgeting for.

Caster and camber both move as the arms swing through a different part of their arc, which is why correction bushes or arms are often needed and why an alignment is mandatory afterwards.

The driveline angles change along with everything else. On a solid axle the pinion angle rotates with the housing, and on an independent front end the CV joints work at steeper angles, which is what a differential drop addresses on larger lifts.

Brake lines, ABS wiring and the panhard rod all become relevant. Lines can run short at full droop, and the panhard rod pulls the axle sideways once the vehicle is raised.

The centre of gravity rises, so a lifted vehicle leans more and is more susceptible to vehicle sway than it was standard.

None of that is an argument against lifting. It is an argument for choosing the height deliberately and allowing for what else needs doing.

Choosing Raised Springs for Your Build

Start with the accessory weight rather than the lift figure, since the rating is what determines whether you get the height you paid for.

Confirm front and rear separately, because each end carries different weight and is rated independently.

Decide between comfort and heavy duty by how often the vehicle actually runs loaded rather than by its maximum capacity.

Check what the shocks already on the vehicle can handle. Springs raising the vehicle beyond what the existing dampers can control is the most common reason a lift feels worse than standard.

And check the tyre size you plan to run, since clearance at full lock and full compression is what decides whether the lift is enough.

Fitting Raised Springs and Rechecking After They Settle

Coil springs under compression hold serious stored energy, which is why spring work belongs in a workshop rather than a driveway.

Fit springs in pairs across an axle without exception, since a raised spring working against a standard one leaves the vehicle leaning and wearing tyres unevenly.

Have a wheel alignment done afterwards, because ride height changes camber and toe immediately.

Then have it checked again after the springs have settled. Our Click and Fit service includes a 4WD wheel alignment along with a free suspension check after 1,000km, which is roughly when a new spring has taken its set and the initial alignment is worth confirming.

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

Find Raised Springs for Your Vehicle

Select your vehicle to see the raised coil springs available for it, and check the load rating each one is designed around before ordering. Talk to your nearest Service Centre if you are unsure which band suits what your vehicle carries. Every part carries our warranty and a fitment guarantee, backed by workshops right across the country.