Wheel Adapters - Safe Use??

[NCtrail4R]

Want to increase tire size, but the offset on the stock wheels means I either have to ditch them and get some steel wheels, or use a wheel adapter/spacer to get the offset on the stockers. Will probably need a 1" adapter to make it all work out.

Like the stock wheels and would like to keep them, but wanted to get some feedback on the use of adapters. Have heard that bad things can happen if they loosen up. Can you just locktite and torque the adapter in place at the hub and then keep an eye on the lugnuts or is there another way to run them safely?

The adapters I'm talking about look similar to this...

http://www.ezaccessory.com/Wheel_Adapter_6_Lug_5_5_To_6_Lug_5_5_p/6550-6550t.htm

 

[HenryJ]

I just check the torque during a tire rotation. No special treatment. 8 years with no problems. 1.25" front and 3" rear. 5995# loaded.

 

[rjcj-8]

Just keep an eye on them when first installed and yeah go ahead and use some locktite on them. I use red locktite to mount the spacers to the hub.

I have had problems with mine but it was end user error. Not using locktite when mounting the spacer and having it work lose or pulling a wheel off and not torquing it down properly when putting it back on. When torquing down the lug nuts to mount the wheel make sure that it is off the ground or does not have much weight on it.

I think that is the same place I got my adapters for my trailer to run 5 on 5.5 and have not had any problems with them.

 

[ujoint]

I stay away from Aluminum for spacers. It's easier to spin a stud in the spacer if someone hits it with an impact.

 

[Fergie]

I used 1.25" wheels spacer on my WJ.

I was never concerned about safety, or additional wear and tear, because I maintained them properly.

Buy good quality aluminum spacers, or, buy some steel ones if you can find them.

I used Trail-Gear spacers and would do so again if there was the need.

However, consider this; spacers were $170 to my door for all four...if you look around, you can find the wheels you want for that price or less.

 

[redthies]

Personaly I would try to avoid using them. Having had a wheel come off at highway speed while towing was enough for me. This event was 100% the fault of Destination Toyota in Vancouver BC. They did not torque the lug nuts correctly after axleshaft replacement. If you do all your own service work and do not leave it to others to use loctite etc you might be ok. As stated above, for the cost of a set of quality spacers you can buy a set of wheels with the correct backspacing! This is always the better option.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

A properly installed set of quality wheel spacers should give you trouble free service. However keep in mind that in some states (Utah for example) the use of wheel spacers is illegal and you can be cited or at a minimum fail the safety inspection. Check your local laws to verify.

 

[ntsqd]

A simple spacer of something less than 1/2" is one thing. Assuming appropriate wheel mounting stud/bolt length is available I've no issue with these. Using them will alter the wheel bearing life span, but depending on the size and placement of those bearings it may range from significant to insignificant.

I see the design of those with offset studs as a massive bunch of stress risers and there is no way to design them so that they will not have these stresses. I don't use them and I do not even consider them to be an option. 100's of folks can point to their successful use, but all it takes is one failure for there to be a disaster. I do not like risking the odds or the potential result for a purely cosmetic consideration.

 

[the dude]

I have 1.5" wheel spacers on the rear of my Cruiser and have ran them with success for the last 5 years. I have never had a torque issue with them loosening off. I am 6800lbs with a full floater and 38x14.5 tires and I have about 100000KM on them.

However, with the combination of a big tire and the spacer, I believe in the longer run you will definitely see the effects of the added stress on bearings, axles, spindles and axle housings. There is just more deflection the further away you get from the original flange. I change front and rear wheel bearings once a year, more for the inspection of other parts then worn out bearings, but I feel it is good practice.

Because of this (and two bent axle housings) I am moving away from the spacers and going with proper width axles. But there is a HUGE cost to doing this as compared to the $100 dollar spacers.

I think it is an OK solution for most but there may be consequences to doing it.

 

[tacollie]

I ran 1.25" front and rear on my Tacoma problem free for 50k miles.

 

[Fergie]

Personaly I would try to avoid using them. Having had a wheel come off at highway speed while towing was enough for me. This event was 100% the fault of Destination Toyota in Vancouver BC. They did not torque the lug nuts correctly after axleshaft replacement. If you do all your own service work and do not leave it to others to use loctite etc you might be ok. As stated above, for the cost of a set of quality spacers you can buy a set of wheels with the correct backspacing! This is always the better option.

Correct me if I am reading this incorrectly, but if the issue was the lug nuts not being torqued properly, then this could very well have happened to a plain old wheel as well...spacers had nothing to do with it.

For the OP and anyone else, the spacer vs. backspacing debate was hashed out here:
Wheel Spacers vs. Backspacing

 

[Stumpalump]

A few years back Ford ,Chevy and Dodge all used 8 on 6.5" rims on their 8 lug vehicles.The nightmare stories about spacers come from putting a Chevy spacer on a Ford axel. Ford uses a centering ring to hold the rim centered but the typical Chevy Dodge spacer is not cut out to fit the Fords. This keeps the spacer from seating all the way against the ford hub flange. It works loose and has a catastrophic result. Spacers got a bad reputation from them and also the from the spacers that are just an aluminum plate with holes drilled in them to slip over the studs.
Spydertrax makes the best aluminum spacers today and they don't offer an 8 lug. They only fit some vehicles but they have a great reputation and the 5 on 5.5 set I use for off road use have held up perfectly.Remember to use red lock-tight on the nuts that hold them on and use a torque wrench.http://www.spidertrax.com/products/wheel-spacer

 

[inked33]

i have ran them on my dodge for 2yrs now with no problems other then just recently needing to replace my front wheel bearings. i check the torque every tire rotation as said earlier.

 

[redthies]

Correct me if I am reading this incorrectly, but if the issue was the lug nuts not being torqued properly, then this could very well have happened to a plain old wheel as well...spacers had nothing to do with it.

I sit corrected... ( I don't stand at the computer!). The main issue for me was the wheel nuts stayed torqued, but the spacer nuts didn't and there was no way of visually checking this. The. A@&$):&s at the stealership refused to reimburse me for the $1800 bucks to fix my truck. They claimed that the spacers were the cause of all issues and failures. To say nothing of what could have come of a 37" MT rolling down the on-coming traffic lane at 60mph. Just lucky that all of the traffic coming at us could get out of the way without hitting the Redwoods at the road edge!!!

 

[ntsqd]

Comes back to what I said earlier. Can have a 100 seeming successes, but all it takes is one failure.