Spacers

[jbourgette]

I have been looking at a inexpensive upgrade to my '03 Toyota Tacoma. I have been told to space out my current tires with 1.5" spacers. I am new to automotive work and am just looking to start to make my truck look a little better. What are your thoughts?

 

[85CUCV]

That subject is being covered as we speak in the General vehicle section. http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22079

I run 1.5" on the rear of my K5 without problems. I'm not sold on them. I re-torque every time I rotate the tires. They have never loosened.

 

[xcmountain80]

I run 1" on my 4Runner and re-torq, well they never actually comes loose but I torq em anyway. I need just a little more width and the 1" did well.

Aaron

 

[cowboy4x4]

when buying spacers make sure you get hub centric and not lug centric.

 

[Storz]

when buying spacers make sure you get hub centric and not lug centric.

That makes all the differences right there, I ran hubcentric on an E30 BMW with no problems, a friend of mine runs a very expensive set of balanced spacers on his 911 track car

 

[hoser]

when buying spacers make sure you get hub centric and not lug centric.

That is not always possible on many 4WD vehicles with the way the hub sticks out.

 

[Snagger]

I had 30mm spacer on my Land Rover. Though the wheel covered the nuts so they could never come off, the nuts did loosen every 100 or so miles, so the wheel would have to come off for the spacer to be re-tightened. I tried using thread lock, still with no great improvement, so I got rid of them. The implications of wobbling spacers and wheels shearing the hubs' studs doesn't bear thinking about. I'll never trust spacers again.

 

[1speed]

I ran 1 1/4" spacers on my Jeep for a while with 33" tires and they never came loose. I used Blue Loctite when I installed them.

 

[TeriAnn]

when buying spacers make sure you get hub centric and not lug centric.

Why? Land Rover wheels are lug centric & not hub centric. If I forget to tell a shop balancing my tyres to mount it on the machine by its lugs they always come back and tell me my wheels (Discovery I steel wheels) are out of round. Never a problem if they mount the wheels to the machine by its lugs.

I've been thinking of a set to bring my wheels out just a little to get additional clearance for longer shocks. Moving the centres of my wheels cost a lot more and if I bend a custom wheel I would need to buy a new wheel then have the centres moved. It seems like spacers might be the long term economy solution.

 

[Antichrist]

I've been running spacers on the front for about 6 years or so. Never had the lug nuts loosen. I got mine from Rovertym, who don't make them any more last I checked.