Wheel spacers

[SharkyMark]

Installed 285/75/16 on the stock 16X7 rims of my 2011 Ranger.
They rub a bit on the sway (stabilizer) bar. I would like to put some wheel spacers on to give it a wider stance and eliminate the chafing.

I can find https://nsor.com/trail-gear-tg140002-2-kit.html or

Trail Gear Wheel Spacer Kit, 1.50

Jeep Aluminum Wheel Spacers These bolt-on wheel spacers are designed to give you a little more width without changing out your axle for a wider one. 3/4ﾠ Features safety graded studs and matching nuts for proper fit. Spacers are 1.25" and 1.5&qu

nsor.com

The difference is 5x4.5 and the other is 5x5.5 ? does that represent distance between lugs?

 

[rubydist]

The 4.5 v. 5.5 refers to the diameter of the bolt circle. So, the short answer is those spacers will not work for you. You need 5x4.5 - 5x4.5. I would also suggest not as thick as 1.5" but if you go less you will likely need to shorten the lug bolts.

 

[600$04Ranger]

I'm running 1 1/2" spacers I bought from a company called supreme suspension in California. Only reason I went with spacers was the rims that came with my truck are from a 90 something Jeep Grand Cherokee. There was barely any clearance between the brake caliper and the rim and when I bought new tires the weights were coming in contact with the caliper and got knocked off. The rims have a positive offset and the spacers were the easiest and cheapest way to add clearance for the adhesive wheel weights. I use red loctite on the mounting nuts and have had no problems with looseness. Make sure you get a good quality spacer and not just the lowest price one. Gave the truck a nice stance without looking silly. One negative is the added strain on hubs and suspension which could necessitate more frequent replacement of those parts.

 

[cbxer55]

I'm running 12.5 inch rims on the back of my Lightning. I have to run 1.5 spacers to clear everything, since they are widened factory rims. And all the width increase is on the inside.

I use billet parts made by WheelAdapter.com. I would never use cast spacers, as there have been instances of them disintegrating. They used to have some for the Ranger on their ste, don't see them any more. But they do make custom parts, and would likely still be able to make them if requested. They're expensive, but they're billet. I wouldn't use anything else.

Contact

 

[SharkyMark]

Thank you all for the info.
Since I bought 5 tires (one for a spare) I think that new wheels may be a better option financially. Spacers will be about 400 after shipping and new rims with a different offset (to get the same effect) will cost 600, so for a bit more I could have some new wheels and be able to mount the spare.

 

[don4331]

Just remember when you buy wheel, the are supposed to have 70.5mm center bore.

While Ranger hubs are lug centric, you still aren't supposed to put the weight of the vehicle on the bolt threads (its supposed to be from rim to hub).​

​

@600$04Ranger
Using my Mustang rims which have a +30mm positive offset and by my using 30mm spacers, I am putting the load back exactly where the Ford engineers intended it to be. So, the Mustang rims are no harder on hubs and other suspension items than the stock parts. My driving on other hand may be...

All of the big 3 have used spacers on front of duallys so they can run the same rims on all 4 corners for precisely that reason.

 

[SharkyMark]

Thank you for that Don.

 

[franklin2]

Non-stock offset rims and spacers mess with what they call the"scrub radius". They set the suspension up so when you turn the steering wheel while sitting still, the bottom contact patch of the tire spins in a circle on the pavement with very little tire rotation. Once you mess with the offset, that changes the scrub radius and the tire will actually rotate forward or backward as you turn the wheel.

 

[600$04Ranger]

Another thing to consider is that some shops, at least here in Oregon, have policies against spacers because of liability and I think because they aren't O.D.O.T. approved. I took my truck to a Les Schwab to have my wheels balanced after installing the spacers and mentioned the fact that I had recently installed spacers to add clearance for the weights they sometimes mount on the inside of the rim. I was told they couldn't work on my truck but could bring the wheels in separate and get them balanced. Went to another Les Schwab location and didn't mention the spacers. While I was waiting in their lobby an employee comes in rolling one of my wheels and I was thinking he was about to tell me he saw the spacers and wouldn't do the balance but instead he was asking if I was alright with weights on the outside of the rim. When I was paying he said he also torqued my spacers with no mention of the liability concern.

 

[600$04Ranger]

Just remember when you buy wheel, the are supposed to have 70.5mm center bore.

While Ranger hubs are lug centric, you still aren't supposed to put the weight of the vehicle on the bolt threads (its supposed to be from rim to hub).​

​

@600$04Ranger
Using my Mustang rims which have a +30mm positive offset and by my using 30mm spacers, I am putting the load back exactly where the Ford engineers intended it to be. So, the Mustang rims are no harder on hubs and other suspension items than the stock parts. My driving on other hand may be...

All of the big 3 have used spacers on front of duallys so they can run the same rims on all 4 corners for precisely that reason.

Interesting! Never considered what the stock setup vs. the actual difference depending on the aftermarket rims offset combined with spacers. Have to look that up and do the math. I might be closer to spec than I thought

 

[don4331]

Interesting! Never considered what the stock setup vs. the actual difference depending on the aftermarket rims offset combined with spacers. Have to look that up and do the math. I might be closer to spec than I thought

If you don't want to do the math you, as @franklin2 says you can just have someone steer the truck from lock to lock (In 2wd, with brakes off, but maybe parking brake on) - if wheel doesn't turn, it's pretty close to stock. If wheel turns it isn't you're off. Then, if you really need to know you can do the math.

Note: Changing to larger tires moves the tires contact point out which which why some of the stock rims have 0, some 6mm and some 12mm - it goes with the expected tires to keep the scrub radius to a minimum.