swineball

Howdy. I've spent considerable time on 4x4wire, customtacos, tacomaterritory, and of course yotatech, as I am prepping for suspension and body lifts to ride 33's on my 2000 Xtra Cab TRD. I have two simple questions, however, that if some experienced wheelers could take a minute to answer concisely, it would be most appreciated:

First, can someone please summarize the performance differences and implications of preload spacers versus topload spacers. I understand the placement, but it seems that both will cause the same amount of stress on the CV's as the diff and lower control arms will arrive at the same location/angle (while on road). The real difference, it seems, is the manipulation of the shock-coil assembly itself by the preload spacer, which (I assume) extends the shock consistently, allowing for less available droop. Considering this, are longer shocks recommended with preload spacers? Or will this be asking for serious CV problems with too much droop while offroad?

A topload spacer, then appears to be essentially a frame boost, not messing with the mechanical properties of the stock coil assembly. Obviously this will also raise the CV angles, but no more than preload (on road), correct?

Effectively, which is better overall (in your opinion)?

Question 2: What does it take to break a quality AAL. I hear this mentioned through the forums (as well as eventual sagging), but is it only at extreme, aggressive articulation where this occurs? Is it a function of metal fatigue or simply overload, or both? Obviously there are better options, but I'll be taking only maybe 3 or 4 trips a year (to Paragon, nonetheless), and the optimum setups are a bit out of my pocket's reach right now. Still if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right if at all possible. Thank you in advance for your help.