2015 build (1 Viewer)

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Sliders are here! These things are heavy.

Things are moving slow due to many other projects, but I’m getting there. Skids are next, then bumper, and finally lift kit once everything is installed
 
I like the look of those sliders. Who makes them?

I also run spacers on my GX in stock wheels but only 0.75” so my wheels don’t stick out. They are just perfectly flush.

Also post pics of your 40 when you get a chance.
 
I like the look of those sliders. Who makes them?

I also run spacers on my GX in stock wheels but only 0.75” so my wheels don’t stick out. They are just perfectly flush.

Also post pics of your 40 when you get a chance.

They’re RSG sliders. Saw them on Qball’s gx and liked the wide step. The steps are wider than the factory steps and the rear kick out is huge. Actually I probably would have been happy with the straight non kick out sliders, but the extra foot room is nice when you use the roof rack a lot. I might get some spacers to bring the wheels flush
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Here’s pics of one of my other money pits. I have other pics posted in the 40 section where I normally hang out. I love the 40, but it’s nice driving something comfortable for a change and doesn’t require constant maintenance.
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Update on the sliders. They work great, but I need to put some type of mud flaps or cut the OEM trim to put back on. Just going through a couple of mud puddles covers the steps in mud. I also added some grip tape along the edge, because when the sliders are wet they get very slippery.

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Update on the sliders. They work great, but I need to put some type of mud flaps or cut the OEM trim to put back on. Just going through a couple of mud puddles covers the steps in mud. I also added some grip tape along the edge, because when the sliders are wet they get very slippery.

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Not sure if you'd want to, but the spray on bedliner in a rattle can found at your big box hardware store comes out with texture. It's almost gritty and does provide a bit of grip. It won't matter if it's caked in mud, but if just wet it does provide a bit more traction than powdercoat does alone.
 
Not sure if you'd want to, but the spray on bedliner in a rattle can found at your big box hardware store comes out with texture. It's almost gritty and does provide a bit of grip. It won't matter if it's caked in mud, but if just wet it does provide a bit more traction than powdercoat does alone.
I coated my sliders in bedliner and my wife and kids didn't like it because it hurt their feet when barefoot and tore up my wife's shoes when she wore anything with a leather sole. So I put on some adhesive-backed neoprene from Amazon (Amazon product ASIN B01KBQPRMI). Over a year later and it is still holding on great. It is easy to cut to shape, soft enough for bare feet, and provides great traction (even when wet). Once it gets too torn up I will replace it, but so far I haven't had to do that. If I was doing it over again I wouldn't have bothered with the bedliner and would have just used this material on top of powder coat or rattle can paint.
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I thought about using Bed liner for the grippy texture but didn’t have enough time to put it on so for now it’s got a couple coats of rustoleum hammered paint and some grip tape. So far seems to be working ok but it’s only been a week. The neoprene is a great idea, I may give that a try if the grip tape wears out.
 
So far the grip tape has been working for me! My wife likes it as it helps her get a little purchase on the slider for stepping up into the vehicle since my sliders don't stick out very far.
 
Decided to try out some spidertrax wheel spacers today

Before
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After

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I’m getting some slight rubbing at full lock on the fronts, gonna need to modify the liners
 
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Looks good! Maybe a photo from a few feet back to see the whole vehicle and it's stance.
Oh, and don't forget to re-torque your lugs after rolling a few miles!
 
Personally, I'm a huge opponent of any wheel spacers, get the wheels with right backspacing and drive worry free. Seen too many mishap/failures with those things. It is not worth your safety or your families safety.

Care to share some documented failures of the Spidertrax? I haven't been able to find a single one. Not every spacer is created equal.
 
I have to agree with Qball. I can't share any specific documentation, but being an engineer, just the idea of having a intermediary device between one's wheels and hub, rubs me the wrong way. And that's not even going into the extra burden it places on the wheel bearings and spindle.

If one really wanted to spend the money, just do a long arm kit! Then you'd get more suspension travel also!

Just my two cents worth.
 
Care to share some documented failures of the Spidertrax? I haven't been able to find a single one. Not every spacer is created equal.


While not all wheel spacers are created equal wheel spacers are wheel spacers, a LOT of the failures aren't even product related. Spacers themselves/block of aluminum doesn't go bad, but studs tend to. Also they will not tell you their product has failed and even if they do fail they will first point to your installation and then the label "For Offroad Use Only"!

Question:
1. Have you torqued the spacer nuts and wheel nuts during install? Usually, people do fine with this one.
2. Have you retorqued the spacer nuts and wheel nuts after 50-100 miles?
3. Will you retorque the spacer nuts and wheel nuts before each offroad trip?
4. Will you retorque the spacer nuts and wheel nuts after each offroad trip?

Here is a tough one: what is the proper torque spec based on the vehicle weight and tire size? Heavier the vehicle and bigger the tires the more torque you will need however at what point the spacer's bolts would be considered over torqued? You will NOT get any answers because they don't want any liability so they are always labeled for offroad use only.....AKA you are on your own. The thought of the wheel coming off while cruising at 80MPH gives me nightmares and try to do any trail repair on the axle will be a complete nightmare with spacers! Hope you bring 1/2 inch breaker bar(they should have locktite) and wheel studs on your offroad trips.

With the extra torque, big tires, extra weight for trips and actually going offroad you better also think about replacing all the studs....yes all 48 of them at some point in time.

But hey, it's your rig, your safety and your nightmare to deal with. They are quite shiny though. :meh:
 
Personally, I'm a huge opponent of any wheel spacers, get the wheels with right backspacing and drive worry free. Seen too many mishap/failures with those things. It is not worth your safety or your families safety.


Actually I agree with you. I would prefer no spacers and go with offset wheels, and in the future I’ll probably go that route. This is an interim solution to see if I really want a wider stance, I figure if I didn’t like it I could always sell them or go back to stock. I’ve only had them on for a few days so I’m still debating their effectiveness.

I have heard of wheel spacer failures, but then I’ve also heard of a lot of aftermarket wheel failures too, so either way there’s some risk. I like staying with OEM wheels because they’re probably better made than any aftermarket wheel out there. Many of the problems I was seeing was due to either stripped or broken wheel studs and/or vibrations. That is one of the reasons I went with spidertrax vs a knockoff brand. Wheel studs are grade 10.9 and I’m hoping American made means better quality control. We’ll see how well that turns out. And I was careful to follow the torque specs on the instructions.

I did consider wheel bearing and ball joint life. However that problem exists whether I go with offset wheels or spacers, the wheel bearings don’t know the difference. Looking at the design of the spindle it’s already offset, so the additional 1” does increase the stress, but it’s not like stock is centered about the neutral axis to begin with. I’d estimate it increases the moment arm about 20%.
 
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Aside from wheel spacers, here’s the other project I just finished. I built this a little while ago, but finally got around to finishing it.

First an anchor system, I.e a couple strips of strut mounted to the floor. Also some high tech insulation to eliminate noise.

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Base is 3/4” plywood

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Homemade Fridge slide installed.
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Drawer installed

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And carpet and paint to cover all my mistakes

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Final shot

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It’s a quick and dirty build using mostly leftover materials because I wanted to try it out this setup before dropping a bunch of $$$ on better materials. Total cost is somewhere around $150-$200, the majority of that cost being the 36” full extension slide. The rest of it is misc hardware.

I’ve been using it for a few months now and I like it, but there are a few things I’d probably change in the next version. Next time I think I’d skip the full length drawer and go with a short drawer with trap door storage behind it. For one, once you go longer than 24” the drawer slides get really expensive. Most of the time I don’t need access to everything in the drawer so having such a large drawer just adds a lot of weight. A lot of items that don’t need quick access like tools and straps could be stored behind the drawer. I may add a sliding cover on top of the drawer o it could be used as a temporary table.
 
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I’ve also heard of a lot of aftermarket wheel failures too, so either way there’s some risk. I like staying with OEM wheels because they’re probably better made than any aftermarket wheel out there. Many of the problems I was seeing was due to either stripped or broken wheel studs and/or vibrations. That is one of the reasons I went with spidertrax vs a knockoff brand. Wheel studs are grade 10.9 and I’m hoping American made means better quality control. We’ll see how well that turns out. And I was careful to follow the torque specs on the instructions.

I did consider wheel bearing and ball joint life. However that problem exists whether I go with offset wheels or spacers, the wheel bearings don’t know the difference. Looking at the design of the spindle it’s already offset, so the additional 1” does increase the stress, but it’s not like stock is centered about the neutral axis to begin with. I’d estimate it increases the moment arm about 20%.

Since everyone is throwing around their credentials, I happen to be a mechanical engineer as well and agree with you on a lot of counts. I have seen far more aftermarket wheels fail (especially cheap cast ones) than good spacers that are properly installed. Also the fact of adding stress to the wheel bearings is such a myth. The loads are no different than wheels with negative offset. Fair points on the stress on the studs, but the same could be said for OEM studs as well with negative offset wheels. Don't think adding cheap wheels with a negative offset makes you any less immune to failure than properly installed hubcentric spacers.
 

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