Wheel spacer safety?

[lovetoski]

I was wondering about the front axle widening system that sky manufacturing offers, and checked out their website today...

http://www.sky-manufacturing.com/

Anyway...they suggest that wheel spacers aren't appropriate for a daily driver, because the nuts could come loose.

If they are torqued correctly, is this a legitimate thing to worry about, or is it just lawyers talking?

 

[NocalFJ60]

I think the general rule is spacer are not safe.Try and find a major tire or wheel business that will put spacers on for you. Think most will tell you sorry they will not put them on. You just have to decide for yourself. It seems like for the cost of buying 4 new wheels I see no real benefit to run them beside cheap alternative. I am probably over looking some other benefit.I have never ran them.

Wonder if they would increase the load on the wheel bearings and inside the axles?

I would like to hear from people with experience with them

Goodluck

 

[Tinker]

Depending on the offset of the wheel, spacers can increase the load on the wheel bearings. Having said that, Porsche uses them. But Discount Tire won't mount them unless they're stock. I'd guess there's a lawsuit or two back there somewhere.

 

[Man Jerk]

With proper care, wheel spacers will be fine. They have to be torqued right!

Install the spacers, torque to 90 ft/lbs, install the wheels and drive 5 or 10 miles. Repeat torque process untill you no longer need to tighten them. Then do the same thing with the wheels. After that, check the torque every once in a while, or after wheeling.

I'm sure sky is trying to cover their asses. I know I would.

 

[agent orange]

Just as a bit of related info, i have 1/4 inch aluminum spacers on my truck in the front, and after a good torque and retorque when i take my wheels off i have to pry them off if i want to take them off the rotors. Im sure that a one inch spacer wouldnt conform quite as much but if you kept it well torqued i bet it would seat and hold the torque really well. It just seems like a lot of hassle when there are so many good wheels with the right backspacing.

 

[dogboy2]

Doug,
I've been running 1/4" spacers on the front for 4 years now without issue. Just the simple aluminum ones.

Rule of thumb as explained by a local tire & wheel shop: if you can get 5-6 full turns of the nut on the stud, they should be fine. Torque them to spec, retorque periodically, and all should be well.

So far, no issues. Ideally I wouldn't have them, but that will have to wait until I get sick of those Rock Crawlers....

-dogboy- '87 FJ60

 

[lovetoski]

Thanks all for the replys. I want to widen my stance. Seems like the best way all around is to get custom backspaced wheels.

 

[hodag]

I ran 1/4" spacers on the front of my FJ55 for 2 years with no problems. I dont know if it would be any different on a disk brake truck. The same wheels and tires fit my FJ60 with no spacers.

Hodag

 

[agent orange]

Interestingly, my rear wheels took more retorqueing than my fronts with my 1/4 inch spacer. I think its cuz the wheel is made to seat over a circular mount like the end of an axle or a rotor, it has a lip the seats on the drum, but the actual holes for the lugs arent seated i dont think.

 

[Tapage]

I have 2" marlin wheel spacers .. all corners .. no problems in 1.5 years that I already have in my HJ-60 with 37" tires ..

 

[Exiled]

I ran All-Pro spacers for the better part of 5 years. No problems, but I don't run them anymore, got myself some steel wheels with custom backspacing instead.

 

[meigsrock]

wheel spacers

Tapage,

Do you have any problems with steering, bump steer, etc. with the wide spacers?

Is it harder to steer?

How wide are your 37's and what is your new backspacing on the rims you are running?

 

[Roswell Rat]

I'm running spacers without problem. Never had a tire shop quiz me about them, either. I wouldn't give it another thought. If you can manage to keep air in your tires or fuel in your tank, then running spacers shouldn't be any more difficult. Like the previous posts have mentioned, make sure your lugs are long enough for plenty of threads to engage the nut.

 

[Tapage]

Do you have any problems with steering, bump steer, etc. with the wide spacers?

Nop .. any bump steer issue ..

I thought with the spacers my steering pump start working more hard .. I thought for my near future a rock ram assist.

Is it harder to steer?

for the new more wide track .. ? nap is the same thing.

How wide are your 37's and what is your new backspacing on the rims you are running?

37" X 12.5 MTR in 10" wide rock crawlers stock backspacing wheels. (
)

 

[NocalFJ60]

For those that don't look in the parts section. The bolts on Team Zissou spacer sheared off and caused him to roll his 60. Glad to hear he walked away from it fine.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=173446

 

[ginericLC]

For those that don't look in the parts section. The bolts on Team Zissou spacer sheared off and caused him to roll his 60. Glad to hear he walked away from it fine.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=173446

I'm not a big fan of spacers. But typically when the studs shear like that it is because of loose nuts. Spacer or not, loose bolts will cause a stud to shear after getting hammered back and forth for a few miles. For me the problem with the spacer is I can't see the nuts to inspect them and I'm too lazy to pull the wheels off all the time to do a proper inspection.

 

[lovetoski]

For those that don't look in the parts section. The bolts on Team Zissou spacer sheared off and caused him to roll his 60. Glad to hear he walked away from it fine.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=173446

That's a scary thought. I installed 1.5" spacers, now running for 8,000 miles. I've checked the torque every 2000 miles, no change at all.

 

[Team Zissou]

Just to clarify, it was the actual lug studs on the 60 that sheared, not the spacer's studs. I last installed the spacer one year ago and used the red locktite on the threads. 2 weeks ago I replaced my brake caliper on that wheel and none of the studs had sheared (I've replaced sheared lug studs on my other 60), nor were any of the nuts loose.

Of course a proper inspection would also consist of taking the spacer off... and who knows what I would have found? I'm not a big fan of spacers, either, at this point :whoops:

I'm not a big fan of spacers. But typically when the studs shear like that it is because of loose nuts. Spacer or not, loose bolts will cause a stud to shear after getting hammered back and forth for a few miles. For me the problem with the spacer is I can't see the nuts to inspect them and I'm too lazy to pull the wheels off all the time to do a proper inspection.

 

[brokenparts]

I've been running 1.5" spacers for the last year with no issues.

 

[2badfjs]

and lets not forget this classic thread
my advice would be to install the spacer on your rims to make sure they don't look like these pics.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=168928

Q:NorcalFJ60...For those that don't look in the parts section. The bolts on Team Zissou spacer sheared off and caused him to roll his 60. Glad to hear he walked away from it fine.

maybe these were a set from the link above