Wheel spacers... Good or bad idea?

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Permalink Reply by Sonof40 on March 16, 2015 at 10:30am

If "looks" is what you're going for, go for it. As far as mechanics and off-road prowess I would not.

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Permalink Reply by PhoS on March 16, 2015 at 12:10pm

It's a cheap and easy way to get a nicer stance or to make space for bigger tires. From the mechanical standpoint you are increasing loads/stress on wheel bearings and other steering components which will accelerate wear. I have yet to see anyone do any real analysis on what that means. A great many of people run them successfully and I think you will likely be fine. Personally, i'd stick 1.5" maximum but that's just me. On the FJ and particular when you start spacing out the tires the tire will be closer to the body mount when turned and you will likely need to do the chop if you go with anything much larger than stock rubber. 

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Permalink Reply by savage707ron on March 16, 2015 at 1:06pm

With spacers you also lose your turning radius. Most people go with 1.25" spacers from spidertrax but there are also other reputable brands.

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Permalink Reply by tsy87 on March 16, 2015 at 1:08pm

It's a popular mod. A lot of mods will increase the wear on your wheel bearings so I wouldn't say thats a strict negative for wheel spacers. That said, wheel spacers do create a new potential failure point but from what I've seen online, if you stick with name brands and follow proper installation (torque specs specifically) you should be fine. 

You can also look into spidertrax which are another popular option.

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Permalink Reply by opg4759 on March 16, 2015 at 2:18pm

If you do plan to run wheel spacers make sure you use blue loctite on the lug nuts between the spacer and the wheel and use a torque wrench and ensure they are torques to the manufacture spec of 85 ft-lbs DO NOT do it by feel. Do not use loctite on the lug nuts between the wheel and the spacer and again torque to 85 ft-lbs. Then drive for 50 to 100 miles and then pull each tire off and check that the lug nuts on the spacers are still at 85 ft-lbs, re-install your wheels and drive another 50 - 100 miles and torque the wheel lug nuts again to 85 ft-lbs.

This may seem excessive but it is necessary to ensure proper seating of the lug nuts and that you don't start loosing up down the road with could cause failure.

I am running 1.5" trailgear spacers on my FJ60.

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Permalink Reply by Daniel Perez on March 17, 2015 at 7:05am

Thanks for the answers all.  I don't plan on doing any crazy offroading but do plan on hitting some nice offroad fireroads up in the sierra this summer so I think I should be ok.  I'll just go with the size recommended.  I'd just be using them anyway til I wear my tires out enough to buy some better, wider tires.

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Permalink Reply by Scootin_Houten on March 17, 2015 at 9:00am

I've known a few people to run spacers and enjoy them, but with anything else, a weak point is exposed or shown. Does anyone know of any issues running a spacer larger than 1.25", such as rubbing?

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Permalink Reply by tsy87 on March 17, 2015 at 9:26am

I would imagine you would need a body mount chop. It's hard to say though, there are so many factors to consider... wheel backspacing, tire size, lift, even manufacturer tolerances can impact the amount or lack of rubbing. 

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Permalink Reply by magicthechemist on March 17, 2015 at 9:45pm

I had spidertrax for about 5 years on my FJ - no issues except one very annoying thing - whenever I got into mud my door handles were getting dirty.

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Permalink Reply by David on March 18, 2015 at 2:25pm

Just from what I went through (I know all vehicles are different).  But, when I purchased the Allpro 1.5" wheels spacer (w/recommended hardware) with the stock setup I had no issues.

When I ran 285/70's on stock wheels with a Pro-Comp 3" it cleared fine (even without the lift (for street driving)).  But, when I introduced the 1.5" wheel spacer that caused it to rub (needed a minor chop).

I've been running the spacers for awhile now (till this day) and haven't had any issues (knock on wood). I just followed the instructions and used blue locktite.

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