Wheel spacers... Pro's and Con's
- Thread starter simplyxj
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
I have never heard of one breaking but with that said it could.
Anytime you change geometry through a "spacer" you cause leveraging where the manufacturers didnt figure that in with the original design, so you have to take it for what its worth. they are used quite often and many people have succes with them.
I wouldnt tell you not to, I run them on my trail truck and have had it 10 feet off the ground jumping...... with a solid axle! and have jumped so high I have bent the axle housing- bad....
The wheel spacers didnt break and if that kind of leveraging wont break them......
the wheel bearings are greased with synthetics and I have had no issues with them either.... it is a common mod (wheel spacers) for the SAS people
Anytime you change geometry through a "spacer" you cause leveraging where the manufacturers didnt figure that in with the original design, so you have to take it for what its worth. they are used quite often and many people have succes with them.
I wouldnt tell you not to, I run them on my trail truck and have had it 10 feet off the ground jumping...... with a solid axle! and have jumped so high I have bent the axle housing- bad....
The wheel spacers didnt break and if that kind of leveraging wont break them......
the wheel bearings are greased with synthetics and I have had no issues with them either.... it is a common mod (wheel spacers) for the SAS people
- Thread starter
- #5
I was worried about the wheel bearings breaking not the spacer... But, they have not been trouble for you? Do you run them on any daily driver? The reason is to keep away from having sway or wobble with a bearing going bad. That's all I'm worried about.
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2006
- Threads
- 265
- Messages
- 9,822
- Location
- Ashland, OR
- Website
- www.jeffersonstatecruisers.com
The bearings are meant to be centered inside the tire.... (Or pretty close) If you move the tire out you get leverage on the bearings... But I have not heard of any problems with wheel spacers. You can also swap on IFS hubs (not the locking hub, the whole front hub) that will do the same thing (widen the wheel base), but you don't need a spacer then....
This would be a better choice I would think.....But if you go with spacers, take your wheels off periodically (especially at first install) to make sure the stay tight. Thats the biggest problem I've heard from them.
This is what I did. Widened the track on the front axle about 1-1/4" each side, and allowed me to re-install my nice pristine SR5 alloy IFS wheels. The locking hubs don't stick out as far too. That was 3 years and ~40K miles ago, no issues yet.
Before and after, side-by-side:
I bought a spacer kit from Front Range Off Road, but I don't think they sell it anymore. It's basically the same thing that Sky Manufacturing sells.
I run 2" spacers on my 83 mini. It's not my DD, but it does get driven to and from trail rides (up to about 400 mi) and it does get wheeled pretty hard. So problems since I put them on over a year ago. As symon623 said, be sure to torque them accurately and recheck them.
From what I have heard/resurched, planning to put a cheap set of tacoma, 9th gen. rims on my old 1st gen. IFS...................
Were talkin still using 4x4 here rigtht?
The wheels are only held on by the little aluminum ring, and the ring is only held on by the factory studs and lugs..............................
The weak link is where, if 4x4 is very important?
IOW, over-levrage the front and your over-leveraging the little aluminum ring.
Were talkin still using 4x4 here rigtht?
The wheels are only held on by the little aluminum ring, and the ring is only held on by the factory studs and lugs..............................
The weak link is where, if 4x4 is very important?
IOW, over-levrage the front and your over-leveraging the little aluminum ring.
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2006
- Threads
- 265
- Messages
- 9,822
- Location
- Ashland, OR
- Website
- www.jeffersonstatecruisers.com
Whitch "little" aluminum ring are you worried about?
I know people that have been running them for years, hard, with no problems.
I know people that have been running them for years, hard, with no problems.
Those one's
What ever the torque is to all for wheels in my, oh so humble opinon
may not allways be the case.
Four wheel, some time's ONE, 1 wheel has all the torque.
Sheet of ice on one side, burried on the other...........in gravel!
Or this..........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Wx4Ou5Ab-c
at @ 1.20 min.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2006
- Threads
- 265
- Messages
- 9,822
- Location
- Ashland, OR
- Website
- www.jeffersonstatecruisers.com
My point was that none of those are "little".... 
If you can find some evidence of a wheel spacer failing (not because it was not torqued correctly) let us know. My guess is you'll break something else before you break a spacer with torque......
There isn't much difference between those spacers and my aluminum rims..... So are aluminum rims unsafe?
If you can find some evidence of a wheel spacer failing (not because it was not torqued correctly) let us know. My guess is you'll break something else before you break a spacer with torque......
There isn't much difference between those spacers and my aluminum rims..... So are aluminum rims unsafe?
My point was that none of those are "little"....
Hmmm............1.5"!!! thats the same as my!!!!!!!........oh nevermind......
If you can find some evidence of a wheel spacer failing (not because it was not torqued correctly) let us know. My guess is you'll break something else before you break a spacer with torque......
I totaly agree with you BUT...I dont want to find out the hard way...
There isn't much difference between those spacers and my aluminum rims..... So are aluminum rims unsafe?
How many pieces are your rims in?
Cast?, Forged?, What type of surface are you mounting them to?
Do you have something the rest of us dont, an aluminum hub assembly?
I'm only puting this stuff up for speculation.
you and I both know he's gonna do what he want's
But, the way I amagine it is looking direcly down on it, sandwiched between the rim and hub, counter roatate the two...........
see what I mean, it's only aluminum and 1.5" at that.
NOTHING conects the "rim" to the "mounting surface" when that spacer is used it's not like using longer studs with a spacer, studs that pass through a spacer to the rim and then the lugnutz are used.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2006
- Threads
- 265
- Messages
- 9,822
- Location
- Ashland, OR
- Website
- www.jeffersonstatecruisers.com
The only way they are going to "counter rotate" is if the lugs are loose.
So what you're saying is you have 3 times as much chance (with aluminum rims and a spacer) for a failure as you do with just aluminum rims? I say three because you have the stock lug nuts holding the spacer on, then you have both ends of the studs from the spacer to the alum rim......
And FYI I went out and looked at my rims, there is a lot of meat around the lug nuts, but a very small amount (less than 1/2 inch) actually under them between the nut and the hub. There is however a steel (I'm assuming) sleeve to spread the force out.....
The bottom line is there is little to no chance for failure if you keep everything tight.
So what you're saying is you have 3 times as much chance (with aluminum rims and a spacer) for a failure as you do with just aluminum rims? I say three because you have the stock lug nuts holding the spacer on, then you have both ends of the studs from the spacer to the alum rim......
And FYI I went out and looked at my rims, there is a lot of meat around the lug nuts, but a very small amount (less than 1/2 inch) actually under them between the nut and the hub. There is however a steel (I'm assuming) sleeve to spread the force out.....
The bottom line is there is little to no chance for failure if you keep everything tight.