Ok, Let's beat a dead horse once more please. Can you guys give me the pros & cons of wheel spacers. Do have them, Did you have them or Are you running them now. Let me hear it. The Good,The Bad and The Ugly.
WHEEL SPACERS... Pros/Cons (1 Viewer)
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reddingcruiser
Practicing for retirement
I have them and I've never had a problem. I check the torque when I rotate the tires and when I get back from a trip where serious crawlings involved.
Pro - allows for a 'wider' selection of wheels and still clear the rotors, fender wells , etc., provides a wider track and cheaper than changing out the axles. Con - Puts additional stress on wheel bearings, just something else to look after and not the best choice for a daily driver.
Pro - allows for a 'wider' selection of wheels and still clear the rotors, fender wells , etc., provides a wider track and cheaper than changing out the axles. Con - Puts additional stress on wheel bearings, just something else to look after and not the best choice for a daily driver.
Bang Bang
Age is a state of mind.
Now that the can is open, I just installed a set of 1.25" spacers on the rear of my 40. I am putting on rear flares and I don't like the look with the tires tucked under the wells. Haven't had a chance to even roll on them yet.
LC_Hamma
The Anti-Leafer
I ran the 1.25" spacers for a few years on 38" SX's. Went thru 2 sets of trunion bearings on small pattern knuckles, both sides. No problems with the wheel bearings failing. Off road rig 95% of the time.
- Thread starter
- #5
This is what I was looking for. I think this is the route I'm gonna go with.I don't want to grind my calipers, after all the work of disc brake conv. Any special brand ??
There are now what I call shims and spacers. Shims are simply a 1/4" plate with 6 holes that space the rim out enough that 3.5" backspace clears the caliper. I call them spacers when they are equipped with their own wheel studs. they are typically 1" to 3". I ran 1/4" shims on the same truck for 18 years with no problems. I have a set of 1.5" on all four wheels of a 60 for a year and a half. I got them off ebay. No issues whatsoever.
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- #7
If I run the 1/4 plate , will I need longer wheel studs?
Depend on how much thread you have after the "shim" is installed. If you can still have 7-8 turns of the wheel lug when wheel is installed, you're fine, if not longer studs are good way. Problem is to find longer studs.
I have 1.5" spacers from All-Pro and they work well for me. I have a set of 1.25" Spidertrax on my 4Runner for over 5 years now without any issues.
I have 1.5" spacers from All-Pro and they work well for me. I have a set of 1.25" Spidertrax on my 4Runner for over 5 years now without any issues.
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As far as I know, longer 12mm wheel studs don't exist.
Downey
SILVER Star
Wheel Spacers Gee Whiz Info
The center line of the tread (center line of the load) is suppose to be centered between the larger inner wheel bearing and the smaller outer wheel bearing. When you use spacers, you put the load out further onto the smaller wheel bearing. Automotive Engineers will tell you not to do this, but with today's better bearing materials and better lubricants, I'm guessing I wouldn't worry about a modest amount of shim/spacer???
The center line of the tread (center line of the load) is suppose to be centered between the larger inner wheel bearing and the smaller outer wheel bearing. When you use spacers, you put the load out further onto the smaller wheel bearing. Automotive Engineers will tell you not to do this, but with today's better bearing materials and better lubricants, I'm guessing I wouldn't worry about a modest amount of shim/spacer???
The center line of the tread (center line of the load) is suppose to be centered between the larger inner wheel bearing and the smaller outer wheel bearing. When you use spacers, you put the load out further onto the smaller wheel bearing. Automotive Engineers will tell you not to do this, but with today's better bearing materials and better lubricants, I'm guessing I wouldn't worry about a modest amount of shim/spacer???
I think its more important to have a 0 scrub radius than to have the tire centered between the bearings. But you do make a really good point for trying to make the wheel bearings last.
They will not make a difference on wear and tear on your bearings etc if you are comparing apples to apples. A wheel with 3.5 backspacing or a wheel with 4.5 backspacing and a 1 inch spacer will be the same, they center of the tire is in the same place in regards to the bearings. The further the center of the tire is pushed out either by a space or a wheel with different backspacing puts more wear on everything. So no pro or con there. If you are comparing your current wheels with and without the spacers with the spacers will cause more wear, but if they work without spacer then you would not need spacers.
You do double your number of lug nuts, it is much harder to keep them tight. Wheels you can just tighten, but with spacers, especially when new you have to take the wheel off re torque the spacer, then put the wheel on and re torque them. Trust me they will loosen up when new, they are aluminum. Even the wheels will loosen up since they are not pressed against aluminum and not steel. Might be the wheel studs in the aluminum, but they do loosen up and have to be checked often.
You do double your number of lug nuts, it is much harder to keep them tight. Wheels you can just tighten, but with spacers, especially when new you have to take the wheel off re torque the spacer, then put the wheel on and re torque them. Trust me they will loosen up when new, they are aluminum. Even the wheels will loosen up since they are not pressed against aluminum and not steel. Might be the wheel studs in the aluminum, but they do loosen up and have to be checked often.
- Thread starter
- #13
Thank You for all the info. Now my next question... Is one brand better than the other ?
The center line of the tread (center line of the load) is suppose to be centered between the larger inner wheel bearing and the smaller outer wheel bearing. When you use spacers, you put the load out further onto the smaller wheel bearing. Automotive Engineers will tell you not to do this, but with today's better bearing materials and better lubricants, I'm guessing I wouldn't worry about a modest amount of shim/spacer???
true, so the larger the tire the more backspace you can run
The larger the tire the more that center line has to be pushed out beyond the bearing, or you need wider axles, or the tires will rub on everything, especially the leaf springs. So at one point larger tires will need less backspacing to avoid rubbing.
I ran 1/4s on some drag cars up front to clear prostars. They were also DDs that saw 120 mph and 30k miles per year with no issues. The tires stores wouldnt touch the car, so I had to bring them wheels. They also made a fuss about me pulling the tires off in the parking lot when they refused to do so.
The big spacers I do not like, because I have seen plenty of them fail, Though I am sure this was due to falty installation of the lug that secures the spacer to the hub.
I have had friends run the spidertrax with no issues to fit 335/30 tires on mustangs with no issues. I would be a little leary of any lifted vehicle with the 2% chance of a failed spacer on the highway or in a turn, when there is side stress that could shear the lugs completely off and send you into a tumble.
I would much rather spend the money on a properly spaced wheel. If it were a factory steely, I would have the wheels professionally widened by someone like wheels america. Correct wheel offset is easy to calculate.
The big spacers I do not like, because I have seen plenty of them fail, Though I am sure this was due to falty installation of the lug that secures the spacer to the hub.
I have had friends run the spidertrax with no issues to fit 335/30 tires on mustangs with no issues. I would be a little leary of any lifted vehicle with the 2% chance of a failed spacer on the highway or in a turn, when there is side stress that could shear the lugs completely off and send you into a tumble.
I would much rather spend the money on a properly spaced wheel. If it were a factory steely, I would have the wheels professionally widened by someone like wheels america. Correct wheel offset is easy to calculate.
Yeah, sorry I meant less backspace. I typically run 2.75 on 33~35's, 3.25 on 31's and under
