ANOTHER wheel spacer question???

[TOYOTA 09]

Hey guys!!! Lots of info out there on wheel spacers but most of the info I’m reading talks about 1.5” spacers and up! I know gun centric is best but I want to only widen my stance 1/4” or 6mm. I can find any “hub centric” bolt on spacers that thin. Only thing I’m finding are the kind that just slip on over existing studs. My question is at such a small spacer width, will it be safe to run 1/4” slip on spacers with the stock lug bolts and nuts? Should I get longer studs? I was read somewhere that as long i I could get 6-8 rotations on my lug nuts and torq to spec I should be fine...thoughts?!

And yes I know it’s better to achieve this while a different backspaced and offset wheel...but I don’t have that option right now! Thanks for the help!

 

[Jetboy]

No. Slip on spacers will not work with OEM wheels and studs. The studs are probably long enough to get 8 or 10 threads engaged, but the wheel will not bolt up in the center of the rotating assembly without the centering ring. And it'll likely cause a significant imbalance and not be very fun to drive. I'd just keep them at the stock offset.

I run a set of 1" custom spacers, but I also machined my OEM wheels to clear the studs. Otherwise you'll need a minimum of 1.25" spacers to clear the studs or shorter studs in the rear. If you don't have some experience machining aluminum, I wouldn't recommend DIY machining of your OEM wheels. OTOH - replacing studs is pretty easy, so if you really want 1" spacers, it only requires replacing the rear ones, and I'd do that instead with slightly shorter ones and use bolt on spacers.

As far as question #2 - wider spacers are going to do exactly what you'd guess. They'll cause greater offset, more wear on everything, and most likely cause issues with rubbing on the front tires. Turn your front tires all the way and then look underneath. Imagine the tire moved further out and you can get an idea of whether you think it'll rub on either the front bumper or the firewall area. If you want a functional wider track, then you want one of the long travel suspension options that widens the track via longer control arms.

(The "stanced" look with spacers is... well - I actually don't really understand why anyone does it. It makes the vehicle worse at everything. But you do you.)

 

[AggieOE]

Slide on spacers, No. Bolt on spacers, sure.

As long as quality parts are used (spacer & bolts), there is no increase in wear on your powertrain and suspension as compared to a different offset wheel that sits more flush with or outside of the fender. To my understanding, the physics are still the same as a new wheel. The increase in stress is on the spacer and bolts which is why those should be of the highest quality.

 

[Davidsmith7]

On my 15 limited would I have to change the studs to run 1” spacers? Is it safe to run shorter studs?

 

[Jetboy]

On my 15 limited would I have to change the studs to run 1” spacers? Is it safe to run shorter studs?

The stock limited 20" wheels would work fine with 1" spacers. All 4Runners have the same studs. The Limited OEM wheels have recesses in between where the mounting surface areas are around the holes for the lug nuts. So they clear the longer studs even though the longer studs protrude further than the surface of the spacer. Kinda hard to explain, but pretty obvious if you look at the back side of your Limited wheels.

I don't have a handy picture of a limited wheel - but here's a different OEM wheel. You can see how there are pockets where the longer studs would otherwise interfere. That's how Limited wheels are.

 

[Thebeastlives]

I run 1.5 inch spacers front and rear on my 2018 Trd 4 runner with stock rims for 2 years with zero issues. I offroad in the desert all the time with this setup.