My "NEW" 1990 FJ62

[Maddmatt]

What's the matter with the wheels? I kind of like them.

Also, spacers properly designed and mounted (and check your lug torque from time to time) are absolutely no problem. I've seen them handle tremendous loads over very high miles with no problems.

But you knew that Nice find on the 62, I sure miss mine.

 

[AndrewP]

Cool.

I too, just got an FJ62. I got it for my son to drive, and I have to say, that's it's grown on me. Nice work on the lift, I have the same one my 60 and it changes the character of the ride completely. It's held up well too.

Your new wheels are fine, in fact they look pretty sharp. But, since we are now at the being critical stage, turn those white walls inside! Everyone knows chicks want to see the black walls. J/K, run whatever side you want, it's your truck.

For mechanical reasons, I too am not a spacer fan, but if running the spacer gets you back to a normal steering axis, they are OK, just check them very frequently especially if you wheel it. If they are pushing the center line of the tire out from stock, they do increase the load on the knuckle bearings so keep that R&R up to date.

My FJ62 is making my FJ60 look like an economy car. What's your fuel mileage like? I'm about 10 in town and 14 on long highway runs.

Check out the 3FE list on Yahoo. Lots of good tech there about the 3FE and the A440 transmission. Hint-install a tranny cooler as your next project.

 

[ntsqd]

[hijack]

spacers are bad, blah, blah.


as long as the spacers aren't the antiquated, "add a longer stud" type, then they'll be fine. There we're a slew of failures that have nothing to do with modern design spacers.

the ones that are being sold right now by spidertrax, etc use a very strong machined spacer like these:

These type are VERY high quality, built on a CNC mill, and really do NOT stress your bearings out noticably at all.

Obviously if you have a huge tire (40" plus) with a crazy offset and take it off some sweet jumps, then yeah, you might have a problem, but 30-35" tires on a cruiser? bah!

This is a considered Engineering opinion?

Mine is this: So long as the spacers combined with the offset of the wheel do not appreciably change the Scrub Radius from stock then the wheel bearings etc. will not see much change in load or life span.

On the spacers themselves: They are made from aluminum. Aluminum has a set fatigue life. The higher the stress, the shorter the life span. These are a highly stressed part. Using them introduces another failure mode in a rather critical area.
Metal has a grain not unlike wood. Parts that are very highly stressed will have drawings that specify the grain direction to optimize the strength of the part. Billet parts deeply cut that grain resulting in a part that is not as strong as if it were made from a forging or even a well designed and produced casting.
Forget about concentricity if hub-centric wheels are being used, even if they have the appropriate features to make you think that they maintain this. The spacer mfg only has control of one side of the join, it is pretty much impossible to make the fit consistently tight enough to guarantee concentricity.

Aluminum's Modulus of Elasticity is nowhere near as high as steel. It is a bolted joint, it will flex. It is a double bolted joint with an aluminum piece in the middle, it will flex even more.
Those "antiquated" spacers failed because idiots thought that they could use ridiculously thick spacers. The outer limit for that type of spacer is 1/2" and it is exceptionally rare to see a properly made one that is more than 3/8" thick.

Perhaps I am making mountains out of mole holes, but my Engineering education sees the problems with this type of spacer and wants nothing to do with them. So long as those who do wish to use them understand what the possible pitfalls are then I really don't care if they do use them, but to go blindly down that path because everyone on Pirate says it's OK really irritates me.
[/hijack]

 

[SAR_Squid79]

Did you get rid of the Tacoma?

NOOOOOOO SIR!

I just didn't want to have to drive the Tacoma every day any more. Now if I'm wrenching on the Tacoma, or if something on it breaks, I have somehing else to drive.

 

[Grim Reaper]

Mmmmmm . . . No.

1. I really like these wheels.
   
2. The tires I just spent $1000 on are for 17" wheels, and the outlaws are 15" - meaning that I'd have to buy ANOTHER set of tires to go back to the other wheels that I don't like, and then HOPE to be able to recoup a fraction of the expenses by selling these tires and wheels that I do like - just because you think spacers are bad for some reason.
   
3. I already bought spacers from Marlin Crawler - they were $180 for 2 sets (not $250), and will be here tomorrow.

This ain't my 1st rodeo, cowboy. If you like those outlaws so much, I'll sell them to YOU! :elkgrin:

15" x 8" Outlaw Wheels for sale - set of 4​

Wanna hear my loosing a 35inch bfg off a really lanky 75 Jimmy at 65mph with my kids in the truck becasue of a spacer story? You should see what a 90lb wheel/tire rolling 40+mph does after hitting a curb bouncing 20ft in the air and then slamming into the passenger door of a Ford Ranger (it totaled the truck with $1800+ in damage). Never again will I run a spacer.

You can buy Eagle 589's in a 17.

If they were 15x7 IFS versions I'd be all over them. I run them on my 4Runner. I run Eagle 589's on my Suburban.

 

[davegonz]

By the way - I hope to be able to pick up one of the Tie Rod kits from either Cruiser Outfitters of Man-A-Fre this week. The Cruiser Outfitters kit is a little cheaper, but Man-A-Fre says that theirs is OEM Japanese parts. . . any recommendations there?

Man-A-Fre Tie Rod End Kits

Cruiser Outfitters 60 Series TRE Kit

Jamie,

Go with Kurt at Cruiser Outfitters. He knows his stuff and is an Expo member.

 

[Sloan]

Is there any way that you can tell me what those wheels weigh each? I might be really interested and could pick up.

 

[SAR_Squid79]

Is there any way that you can tell me what those wheels weigh each? I might be really interested and could pick up.

I could estimate that they wiegh about 30 - 35 lbs each, but I have long since thrown away the shipping invoices. Sorry.

 

[SAR_Squid79]

Took a few poser pics yesterday. Technically it's Off-Road . . . off pavement, anyway...

​

 

[SAR_Squid79]

Some more poser pics:
...The week before I left her to come to Afghanistan

​

 

[Dave Bennett]

Nice!!! :Wow1::drool::Wow1::drool::Wow1:

 

[SAR_Squid79]

THANKS! It's coming along.

...she's getting a new stereo, some custom sliders, and a tire carrier when I get home!

Also needs knuckle rebuild, some electrical demon exorcisms, and A/C service.

 

[Willman]

Nice mods!!

The lift and tires make her shine!

:drool:

 

[SAR_Squid79]

Took my Cruiser out to Anza Borrego today. This marked the 1st time I've put her in 4WD since I've owned her . . . obviously this was her first time off road. She did well. I've never wheeled an open/open vehicle before. It's wierd. I definitely took it for granted haveing a rear locker all these years...