Wheel spacers or not with these changes?

radebaugh03

Observer
Suggestions please-- current set up on my 14 JKU are stock 255 x 75 tires with a Terra Flex spring leveling kit and wheel spacers.
I have recently added roof rack and will be carrying an additional few hundred pound of cargo. With the additional cargo and weight, I am having a Old Man Emu 2in lift installed and will then fit 34 x 10.50 tires.
To the point, should I keep wheel spacers or remove them with this set up? Thanks for the input..
J.R.

P.S. I might add that originally I had the spacers installed just for looks. I could care less about that now as ride quality, safety and handling are most important. Just want to know if there are advantages or disadvantages in using or losing these spacers with new set up.
 

Blue Baby Sound

A guy with a Jeep
You didn't mention what size spacers you have. IMO install the lift and check your clearances, use spacers if you need to.
Check the rear end links and make sure they're not too close to the tire.
Check the front for rubbing against the sway bar and frame, also the factory air dam if you still have that.

The smallest spacer you can get is 1.25", with those you'll have to trim the factory wheel bolt a little. 1.25" spacer will take the factory backspace from 6.25" to 5" which would be a good fit IMO. 1.25" might also get your scrub radius back closer to stock. I don't know the math to calculate it, maybe someone else can chime in with that.

Another consideration should be your rear axle shafts, heavy loads and larger/heavier tires tend to bend the rear flange. If $ allows that's a good upgrade.

Good luck!
 

radebaugh03

Observer
Thanks for the info. Yep, wheel spacers are 1.25 And, after further review may be going to a 285/70/17 tire instead. (once I decide on C or E sidewall.
32.6 inches dia with 11.2 width.
Have not trimmed air dam..
 

Zeiderman

Adventurer
If you go spacers, go Spidertrax only, now is not the time to cheap out. You're going to have 2 camps come up, those that use Internet mind control that tell how bad spacers are, and those that use Spiders without fail. Standby.
Me personally, have run them for almost a decade on my CJ5 without fail.

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk
 

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