wheel spacers pro's n con's

[johnsy86]

hey im thinking of running 2inch wheel spacers as my rear tyres r rubbing against chassie rails at full flex on my lux i kno there illegal for on road use but i wanna kno the pro's n con's of wheel spacers

[-Scott-]

Pros: cheap solution to a problem
Cons: they're nasty. There's a reason they're illegal on road.

[Tomo_89]

for the price of them you might as well just get some offset rims.. a set of offset steelies would cost about the same

[sloshy]

Cons: they're nasty

So you have used them before?

I run 3" rear and 2" front on a hilux and you wouldn't even know they are there. I have never had a issue with them or ever heard of anyone else having a problem with them. If you flip a set of rims you can't run external bead locks, that's why I run them. The only problem I could see is how many wheel nuts you have too undo if you are swapping daily tyres for an off road set.

Just about everyone I know with a decent off road rig runs them and at the end of the day they are illegal for the road but so are flipped rims

[Wooders]

Just about everyone I know with a decent off road rig runs them and at the end of the day they are illegal for the road but so are flipped rims

Just about everyone I know with a decent rig DOESN'T run them - but has correct rim/axle/tyre combinations to not require spacers

[TWISTY]

This happened to a mate on the way back from LCMP when a wheel spacer came loose. The spacer was in good condition, and done up tight when he put them on before leaving for LCMP the day before.

[dogbreath_48]

They will cause extra load on wheel bearings (possibly more than the hubs/bearings etc were designed for), on the front the increased scrub radius will make steering heavier and cause more kickback through the wheel - but so will a rim with extra offset....

[sloshy]

Just about everyone I know with a decent off road rig runs them and at the end of the day they are illegal for the road but so are flipped rims

Just about everyone I know with a decent rig DOESN'T run them - but has correct rim/axle/tyre combinations to not require spacers

What are they running 35's
put 37's or 38.5's without spacers or flipped rims.
You aren't going to clear 35's on a hilux with decent flex with out spacers or flippies.

[-Scott-]

Cons: they're nasty

So you have used them before?

No. I'm an engineer, I understand physics, and I know all the things which can go wrong with them. You may not notice the difference your spacers made, but I'll bet that somebody experienced with an equivalent model Hilux would notice when they drive it. I'm thinking heavier steering and increased kick-back. Does this ring any bells with you? Do you have a steering damper?

Done properly, for the right reasons, they work. Done by amateurs, as a cheap solution to achieve something that shouldn't be achieved, they're nasty. Your experience doesn't change that.

There is a reason they're illegal.

[sloshy]

The spacer was in good condition, and done up tight when he put them on before leaving for LCMP the day before.

Must of forgotten about that one, but like I said I've used them for over 4 years and not had one single problem, its one of those things not everyone will agree on.

[-Scott-]

What are they running 35's
put 37's or 38.5's without spacers or flipped rims.
You aren't going to clear 35's on a hilux with decent flex with out spacers or flippies.

Maybe you shouldn't be running 37s or 38.5s on a hilux? Maybe if you want to run 35s you should buy some proper rims to suit - and get it engineered while you're at it.

Cutting corners to save money is a short-sighted solution.

[sloshy]

I'm thinking heavier steering and increased kick-back. Does this ring any bells with you? Do you have a steering damper?

37" tyres stuffed that let alone some 2' spacers on the front, thats why I run hydro assist.

For the record I would never run any sort of wheel spacers on a daily driver.

[-Scott-]

I run 3" rear and 2" front on a hilux and you wouldn't even know they are there.

thats why I run hydro assist.

For the record I would never run any sort of wheel spacers on a daily driver.

Cool.

[sloshy]

Maybe you shouldn't be running 37s or 38.5s on a hilux? Maybe if you want to run 35s you should buy some proper rims to suit - and get it engineered while you're at it.

Cutting corners to save money is a short-sighted solution.

Engineered I think we are on a differant page here, my hilux is off road only it never gets driven on the street, its pretty much comp use only.

I got a GU patrol as a daily driver and would never run spacers on it.

[-Scott-]

Maybe you shouldn't be running 37s or 38.5s on a hilux? Maybe if you want to run 35s you should buy some proper rims to suit - and get it engineered while you're at it.

Cutting corners to save money is a short-sighted solution.

Engineered I think we are on a differant page here, my hilux is off road only it never gets driven on the street, its pretty much comp use only.

I got a GU patrol as a daily driver and would never run spacers on it.

I see. My apologies for the confusion.

[nastytroll]

This happened to a mate on the way back from LCMP when a wheel spacer came loose. The spacer was in good condition, and done up tight when he put them on before leaving for LCMP the day before.

Ally or steel spacers?

Alot of people have the same problems with alloy wheels.

Alot of circuit race cars, trucks ect run spacers. Done properly spacers are fine. Anyone running bigger tyres than standard should be aware of the extra load.

[johnsy86]

ok mayb some more facts its not my everyday driver its strickly funtoy only. The only road time it see's is to tracks and workshops, its a 89 lux front diff moved forward approx 35mm and associated draglinks ect, 30 splinelongfileds cromo hub gears arb lockers front n rear 2inch lift ext shacles 2inch cab lift and im running 35x13.5s i only have a problem with the rears rubbing on the chassie rails im using patrol offset 15x10s i also have a set of 15x10s suited to a lux but had the same problem when running my 33s hence why i bought the spacers i havnt used them yet as like some of u have stated im worried bout exssesive force on steering, bearings ect thats why im am asking for all your input which is greatly appreciated cheers

[Wooders]

Just about everyone I know with a decent off road rig runs them and at the end of the day they are illegal for the road but so are flipped rims

Just about everyone I know with a decent rig DOESN'T run them - but has correct rim/axle/tyre combinations to not require spacers

What are they running 35's
put 37's or 38.5's without spacers or flipped rims.
You aren't going to clear 35's on a hilux with decent flex with out spacers or flippies.

Dis I mention tyre size ...... I don't give a rats if you are talking 37, 40 or 54" - Correct axle/Rim/tyre combination is decent setup not wheel spacers & flipped rims.

Engineered I think we are on a differant page here, my hilux is off road only it never gets driven on the street, its pretty much comp use only.
I got a GU patrol as a daily driver and would never run spacers on it.

So this is your "any decent 4bee"
Glad you clarified it so nicely in your inital post.
But even for a comp rig is the CHEAP way to go and would be less popular because in most instances it would be weaker than a decent correct width aftermarket diff.

[sloshy]

So this is your "any decent 4bee"
Glad you clarified it so nicely in your initial post.
But even for a comp rig is the CHEAP way to go and would be less popular because in most instances it would be weaker than a decent correct width aftermarket diff.

Yeah buddy it is my "decent 4by"
So if you know all about this and obviously don't do anything the "cheap way" what do you recommend I should use to replace my hilux diffs with the same strength and have a 6'' wider track rear and 4'' wider track front?

Back on topic I think spacers are fine for off road use but recommend not to be use on road.

[johnsy86]

come on guys pro's n con's not baggin each other out lol

[BJ73]

I'm all against wheel spacers on road going rigs, ran em for a while, had a few dramas.
The main one being a wheel falling off one day at the spacer even though it was tightened to the shit the previous day.
I had 36 ETs on 15x8s that would rub on chassis rails of my middy, so I got some 1.5 inch spacers. Pain in the ass to install/remove on a regular basis so after said drama didn't use them.
Got some 15x10s, problem solved.
That reminds me, I've got a set of Snake racing Toyota/Nissan 6 stud 1.5 inch wheel spacers for sale, 4 good, 1 f*cked, PM if interested

[Wooders]

Yeah buddy it is my "decent 4by"
So if you know all about this and obviously don't do anything the "cheap way" what do you recommend I should use to replace my hilux diffs with the same strength and have a 6'' wider track rear and 4'' wider track front?

Back on topic I think spacers are fine for off road use but recommend not to be use on road.

BTW I'm not having a shot at your junk. It was aimed at your comment that "Just about everyone I know with a decent off road rig runs them".... Which infers that you need to have them to have a decent rig
Suggestion - Solid Axle

[TWISTY]

Ally or steel spacers?

Alloy.

[sloshy]

Suggestion - Solid Axle

Is that what everyone is using these days?
Where can I get one of those so called solid axle things from?

johnsy86, since you already bought them, give them a go if they work for you great, if you don't like them chuck them away. Best way to get a decent answer is try them yourself. As you can see some people like and some people don't. But since its a mainly off road rig I can't see a problem.

[Willy Hilux]

I streeted my 3" wheel spacers running 35 tyres on my lux heeps and never had a problem. No difference on ya wheel bearings between flipped rims and wheel spacers. The leverage point is the same if ya gained 2" flipping ya rims or running 2" spacers. The little difference id the extra weight from the spacer. Just change ya bearings more often.

[sloshy]

Ally or steel spacers?

Alloy.

I would only use steel.

[hugz]

The main one being a wheel falling off one day at the spacer even though it was tightened to the shit the previous day.

Sounds like it was over tightened maybe.

Are there any real problems with spacers that aren't also caused by rims which are offset by the same amount?

[LuxyBoy]

There's Pros to them not bloddy likely

Get an IFS rear housing to widen you track
or
If your feeling rich get one of those custom housings that have inspection holes and run the axle at a lower point in the housing to get you more clearance too

[HANCOCK]

I have ran 1.5 inch wheel spacers since last Easter and have had no problems at all have not checked them since. Its my daily driver running 35's but doesn't see to many k's and I bolt on 39.5's for the bush.

[Strange Rover]

Lots of Porsche's run wheel spacers from the factory...things like 928s in the rear, 944 turbos in the rear and lots of 911 had spacers all over the place.

Im sure other manufacturers would be running them as well.

So to say running wheelspacers is bad engineering or dangerous isnt quiet right.

Sam