Wheel Spacer Questions

[William Spitzer]

I searched and couldn't find the exact answer i was looking for. What are peoples general opinions of wheel spacers like this?

Does anyone have any bad first hand experience with these? Abnormal tire wear, ball joints not lasting, ect. This exact set is for sale, used less than a year for $120.

 

[brinker88]

They're more or less the same thing as running a wide, offset wheel. It WILL wear out BJ's and wheel bearings faster, and the studs are USUALLY only grade 5 and almost impossible to find locally.

I would personally never run them. I just dont like the idea of them. Plus most new sets of 4 of these are about the same price as buying a set of steel wheels with the right offset.

 

[kryptonitecb]

As mentioned above they cause excessive wear by putting the load farther away from the correct position for the truck.

My issue with spacers is that I've heard rumors of them breaking on the trail and then you are screwed unless you have a backup set. What are you trying to do with them?

 

[William Spitzer]

What are you trying to do with them?

Trying to prevent having to buy a lift for my B2 so i can fit 31/10.50's that I had on my Ranger. I'll probably just end up putting a 3 inch body lift on, since it needs new body bushings anyway. Just trying to get better tires on it before winter, my old econobox Festiva isn't gonna make it much past the first dusting of snow.

 

[kryptonitecb]

Your festiva with snow tires would fair better than an explorer with at/mt tires. And yes you should do the body lift, sticking the tires out 4" per side is bad mmk.

Sent from the road while ignoring traffic

 

[4.0B2]

I'm not scared of a quality set of spacers. I know guys that have ran them on jeeps and yota's that have ran every trail at Superlift and SMORR plus 2 of them are Daily Driver jeeps that run all the 5's. pretty much... buy quality stuff and you'll be fine. Sure it'll accelerate the wear of bearings and balljoints but... its not like it cuts their life in half. it's not that drastic.

but honestly, I'd do the washer lift and add a leaf or shackles in the rear, then trim fenders to make the tire fit.

 

[William Spitzer]

Your festiva with snow tires would fair better than an explorer with at/mt tires. And yes you should do the body lift, sticking the tires out 4" per side is bad mmk.

Sent from the road while ignoring traffic

I just can't imagine driving the Festiva in the snow, its got brand new tires on it now and it breaks loose around gentle turns when the road is only wet. I have a set of snow tires on spare steelies that i need to get studded, but after having as many problems as i have in the rain, i didnt want to sink any money in it if i could put it towards the bronco. We just live in the middle of BFE and state trucks can't get themselves in to clear the roads half the time.

but honestly, I'd do the washer lift and add a leaf or shackles in the rear, then trim fenders to make the tire fit.

I really feel like I need to put body bushings on though, the only 2 good ones left out of all of them are the very rear 2, the rest are totally rotted off. Where can you get those huge washers? My only problem with that is I would hate to cut up 2 really straight body panels.

 

[brinker88]

The james duff bushing kit comes with them.

 

[Snoranger]

I've logged close to 300K miles between 3 trucks on 1 set of Eibach adapters just like those. (FYI. those are considered adapters, not spacers.) I crossthreaded one of the studs, popped it out, matched it up at the local auto parts store, knocked the new one in, and threw the wheel back on....

Brinker, why do you say the studs are hard to find?


With that said, lift it, dont just throw spacers on.

 

[brinker88]

Brinker, why do you say the studs are hard to find?


With that said, lift it, dont just throw spacers on.

CHEAP wheel spacer studs are hard to find. I bought a set off a friend with broken studs and I STILL cant find a stud to fit them. They are a no-name brand

 

[kryptonitecb]

When it snows here every 10 years its mostly ice. Now some of it has to do with the driver. But I see more 4 door ecoboxes driving well on the street without problems than the big trucks. Last time it rained my truck wanted to slide around every turn and it was a light drizzle.

Sent from the road while ignoring traffic

 

[William Spitzer]

The james duff bushing kit comes with them.

just the regular body mount bushing kit?

I've logged close to 300K miles between 3 trucks on 1 set of Eibach adapters just like those. (FYI. those are considered adapters, not spacers.)

With that said, lift it, dont just throw spacers on.

Probably why i couldn't find any info, ha. So a 2 inch james duff body lift, and the body bushings are right at about 200 bucks. From the pictures I've seen this should clear 31's?

When it snows here every 10 years its mostly ice. Now some of it has to do with the driver. But I see more 4 door ecoboxes driving well on the street without problems than the big trucks. Last time it rained my truck wanted to slide around every turn and it was a light drizzle.

Sent from the road while ignoring traffic

I did ok with it last winter, in less than 2 inches of snow. The problem is I have about 5 miles of windy,hilly, unpaved dirt road till I get to any pavement. You can't keep it going fast enough to get up the hills, while also going slow enough to keep it out of the ditch.