Wheel Spacers or Not

[LilRamie]

Hi all, I'm contemplating adding wheel spacers to give my truck a wider stance aesthetically and was wondering whats the general consesus with there use? What are the negatives associated with using them and positives? Like load/hauling effects, speed/power implications etc.

Second part of my question is that I'm hoping to find a recommendation or better yet a link for good ones to consider purchasing. Currently in the stock size 5x139.7 I'm only finding ones of generic quality rather than from one of the reputable companies that make them with published metal grades etc.

Your feedback is appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[N1ck]

From what I've read, go with Bora spacers, they seem to be reputable.

 

[R.L.K.]

YOU May GET MORE FEEDBACK On THIS Subject IN THE LIFTED catagory ... with that said you'll find more people against spacers than not . I'm not against them but there are certain things you must comply with to maintain safe and reliable operations .
#1 go with high quality HUB AND WHEEL CENTRIC wheel spacers BORA is an excellent choice as N1ck mentioned .
#2 and this is equally as important as a quality spacer you MUST INSTALL THEM PROPERLY , proper installation is a process , first Torque them to max torque per your owners manual with a calibrated torque wrench ( 130 or 140 foot lbs I think) don't just get em as tight as you can . Next begins the process , you MUST TQ CHECK THEM UNTIL THE MAX TQ. HAS STABILIZED.! This is where most people go wrong . Tq check them after the initial install at say 3-4 hundred miles a tank of gas or so , keep note of any lug nut that moves , you likely will have more that move than don't , now go a couple tanks maybe 3 tq check again , continue this process until all nuts have stabilized , it's not uncommon for this to take 3-5 times . It's a pain because you have to jack up and remove tires and get creative on how to hold from moving while tq checking , just don't get lazy , make sure you tq check until stabilized . Once they've all stabilized you only need to mess with them when ever a tire is off for any reason , during rotations or break job whatever
... I've Had 1.5" and 2" spacers on multiple vehicle's some as much as 60k miles on my spacers with zero issues . I've heard a ton of horror stories and most are due to laziness of not going through the proper torquing process .. with all that said there's no arguing that they do put more strain on your hub bearings due to the weight of your vehicle being dispersed more out board instead of center of the Hub . I've done quite a bit of hauling 4 wheelers and pulling boats and a **** ton of firewood with mine , I never had wheel brg or hub issues , if you do a lot of heavy loaded long hauls and such you may want to reconsider 2"s . I use the hell out of my trucks and I never had issues . Consider this if you go with less than 1.5" spacers you will likely have to trim some of your studs off to keep them from hitting your wheel when you mount them . 2" don't seem like much but 2" is a very , very wide stance ...
Hope this helps

 

[xrsman]

I have BORA 1.5" adaptors on my truck and they've been great!

 

[LilRamie]

YOU May GET MORE FEEDBACK On THIS Subject IN THE LIFTED catagory ... with that said you'll find more people against spacers than not . I'm not against them but there are certain things you must comply with to maintain safe and reliable operations .
#1 go with high quality HUB AND WHEEL CENTRIC wheel spacers BORA is an excellent choice as N1ck mentioned .
#2 and this is equally as important as a quality spacer you MUST INSTALL THEM PROPERLY , proper installation is a process , first Torque them to max torque per your owners manual with a calibrated torque wrench ( 130 or 140 foot lbs I think) don't just get em as tight as you can . Next begins the process , you MUST TQ CHECK THEM UNTIL THE MAX TQ. HAS STABILIZED.! This is where most people go wrong . Tq check them after the initial install at say 3-4 hundred miles a tank of gas or so , keep note of any lug nut that moves , you likely will have more that move than don't , now go a couple tanks maybe 3 tq check again , continue this process until all nuts have stabilized , it's not uncommon for this to take 3-5 times . It's a pain because you have to jack up and remove tires and get creative on how to hold from moving while tq checking , just don't get lazy , make sure you tq check until stabilized . Once they've all stabilized you only need to mess with them when ever a tire is off for any reason , during rotations or break job whatever
... I've Had 1.5" and 2" spacers on multiple vehicle's some as much as 60k miles on my spacers with zero issues . I've heard a ton of horror stories and most are due to laziness of not going through the proper torquing process .. with all that said there's no arguing that they do put more strain on your hub bearings due to the weight of your vehicle being dispersed more out board instead of center of the Hub . I've done quite a bit of hauling 4 wheelers and pulling boats and a **** ton of firewood with mine , I never had wheel brg or hub issues , if you do a lot of heavy loaded long hauls and such you may want to reconsider 2"s . I use the hell out of my trucks and I never had issues . Consider this if you go with less than 1.5" spacers you will likely have to trim some of your studs off to keep them from hitting your wheel when you mount them . 2" don't seem like much but 2" is a very , very wide stance ...
Hope this helps

Yes, I had heard you need to recheck them and not just the initial tighten and forget about em type deal that some neglect and do but never really seen it outlined as you took the time to type up, so Thanks for that.

I did have one thought relating to the install/tightness and that is would using permanent threadlock (locktite's red not blue) be a good idea? I mean if you set it then it 'should' not be an issue however if you check it and retorque it you effectively crack that bond if you happen to overtighten while checking... Thoughts?

 

[R.L.K.]

That's exactly why you don't use threadlocker on your wheels or spacers . You really don't loose tq on these , what your doing is seating them to where the dynamic pressures of normal driving conditions bending & flexing and bouncing doesn't complete the seating process for you , because when driving pressures continue seating unfortunately the lug nuts are not turning to the right @ the same time . That's why you tq. Initially then drive some , tq again and so on . Just a few thousandths of an inch of flexing over time will cause the spacers to become loose enough to cause some violent vibrations . Don't forget what these lugs and spacers are mounted in very close proximity to ( your brakes ) which get very HOT , due to heat and expansion rates of different materials and diff grades of materials you can loose some tightness from temperatures alone . These factors are why it's imperative to complete the seating process !

I like the wide stance spacers and wide wheels with negative offset give , you just have to install them properly or you will create problems ..

 

[LilRamie]

Great info thanks again. I'm liking these fine forums

 

[BlownGP]

I bought mine from here.
RimSpacer.com For the Right Fit The First Time – RimSpacer.com Shipping Included in US

They have been on over a year and I've only tightened them a few times and they always stay tight.

 

[LilRamie]

Wow those bora's are pricy unless I've just not found a good site to buy them from. The best deal I can find on a set of 2" for my truck is a just over $300 shipped. That's a bit steep for a set of spacers IMHO. I wasn't expecting the fleabay 100 dollar special for a decent set but was hoping for like 200 or so.

BlownGP, how did you come to find rimspacer? Do you know of others / found a thread that have also had success with them?

 

[BlownGP]

BlownGP, how did you come to find rimspacer? Do you know of others / found a thread that have also had success with them?

Ebay.

But I e-mailed them since I needed a custom bolt pattern to fit my rims.
Told the bolt pattern I needed and width. Had it within the week.
Great customer service

$140 shipped

 

[LilRamie]

Any of you have any issues with rub during turns with having the wider stance created by these spacers. I assume not but figured it better to ask since I was considering the 2 inchers...

 

[BlownGP]

I don't and I'm stock height.

 

[LilRamie]

Ended up just replacing the OE rims to a larger offset instead of the spacers, thanks for the info anyway guys - educational as always!

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