JeepKiller
New member
That's like saying your car won't start but then it does start when you add coolant, oil, gas, and wiper fluid and you blame the non starting car on the wiper fluid being empty
Learned a Lesson from Wheel Spacers
- Thread starter BamaDrewski
- Start date
absalom
New member
Yours too?? I had the exact same crap with my wiper fluid. It's all good tho, rebuilt my transmission, topped off the wiper fluid, and now my truck shifts gears again.
BamaDrewski
New member
The spacers I had were the SpiderTrax hub centric spacers - allegedly the best money could buy. I went through several turns of the rotors and new pads WHILE I had the spacers on the truck. It was only after I went back to OE wheels that the issues disappeared. I think it is more about the wheel being designed for the truck.
For those who have had better luck than me with spacers - awesome. Just put this out there to see if anyone else had some of the same issues and low and behold - looks like one or two did. Thanks fellas.
IBallEngineer
New member
I was at a shop on Friday when a 2014 Lexus LS was towed in with two flat tires. The tow truck driver said the car wouldn't start. The shop owner tried to start it and it wouldn't start. So he put air in the tires, and voila!
No it's not like what you are describing because all the things he did involved the rotating mass and unsprung weight. Admittedly it's a bit of stretch to automatically assume it was the spacers, but not outside the realm of possibilities.
:hippie:
JeepKiller
New member
[MENTION=102597]IBallEngineer[/MENTION] Well of course its not IMPOSSIBLE for that to be the reason but its also not impossible that Santa is real. :shrug:
IBallEngineer
New member
It's not impossible, AND it's not unreasonable to assume it's the reason.
It's unreasonable to assume Santa is real.
:Cry:
JeepKiller
New member
[MENTION=102597]IBallEngineer[/MENTION] Dream killer... :lol:
BamaDrewski
New member
Maybe I am having a senior moment here with folks comparing this issue to empty windshield washer fluid and the such....
It's simple:
With Wheel Spacers = I had multiple rotor and vibration issues even with frequent pad changes and rotor turnings
Without Wheel Spacers = No more issues with original factory wheels back on
Now if that is not clear then I don't know of any other way to clarify it.
1985taylor1925
Senior Member
Being a scientist I want so badly to analyze this sentence. But, that would just be silly of me.
I hope santa brings me a full custom front mount turbo system for Christmas this year. I wonder how much experience his elves have with tuning??
1985taylor1925
Senior Member
I dont doubt that many people have run wheel spacers and had no issues with them. But its very possible that the spacers were CONTRIBUTING to warping your rotors. By adding space between the rotor and hub you will magnify any vibrations coming the spinning components (wheel bearings, wheels, tires out of balance, bad rotors or pads, alignment).
Now Im not saying the wheel spacers were the root cause. You could have had warped rotors to begin with. Even brand new you can get a bad rotor. You could have a sloppy wheel bearing that is allowing some vibration. Or a bad wheel/tire balance.
But, I literally had the exact same setup as you, with wheels from an 06 Tacoma, with spidertrax spacers front and back. And strangely enough, I also went through two sets of rotors in the 3ish years I ran that setup. I now run level 8zx wheels with no spacers, and EBC performance rotors and pads. So far so good. The tech I talked to at EBC told me the main cause of 3rd gens burning through rotors is the weak rear drum brakes, which makes sense. The solution: tundra brakes in the front and a rear disc conversion!
Have you seen how Rudolph runs?
JeepKiller
New member
Its more than likely that you got lemons. Only a small percentage of the people that run spacers on any vehicle (let alone 4runners) experience any problems. Like Phil said, the spacers probably amplified the vibrations of your already warped rotors.
As for the rear disc conversion... its simply not worth the effort. There isnt currently a kit for it so you have to piece it together yourself. Its overly laborious for something that will yield minimal results. TBU should give plenty of breaking power and should eliminate most of your warping problems, but no guarantee.
As for the rear disc conversion... its simply not worth the effort. There isnt currently a kit for it so you have to piece it together yourself. Its overly laborious for something that will yield minimal results. TBU should give plenty of breaking power and should eliminate most of your warping problems, but no guarantee.
mountain mike
New member
If I had to guess I would say that your spacers were not property seated on the hub. I always make sure to clean the hub very well prior to putting spacers or wheels on. I have found it is important to take some sand paper and clean the hub so that you ensure the spacer is sitting completely flush on the hub. Especially on older vehicles. Dirt and grime has a way to build up on the hub and you need to make sure you get it all off prior to installing the spacers.
1985taylor1925
Senior Member
Isnt the 98-04 Tacoma rear axle basically identical to the 3rd gen? Cause there are several disc conversion kits available for the Taco axle.
SIKHILUXSURF
New member
i run 12mm custom CNCed alcoa aluminum spacers that are hub and lug centric for the 4runner 106mm hub bore for the hubs and 111mm wheel hub bore on my wheels ( Non Oem) no issues and i run a stoptech Big Brake kit
BamaDrewski
New member
i run 12mm custom CNCed alcoa aluminum spacers that are hub and lug centric for the 4runner 106mm hub bore for the hubs and 111mm wheel hub bore on my wheels ( Non Oem) no issues and i run a stoptech Big Brake kit
HOLY SMOKES MAN! That is a BAD A$$ set-up!
JeepKiller
New member
Yea they're essentially the same, but I remember reading somewhere that people were having a good deal of problems with the taco conversion kit.
jeremyc74
Banned
What people think are warped rotors are often a result of pad material deposited on the surface of the rotor, rather than the rotor actually being warped. The pulsation you feel is the pad hitting the deposits. Usually you get this with cheap pads when you come to a stop while the rotor is still hot.
The only way I could see the spaces contributing to this is if they were somehow reducing the heat sink effect of having the wheel bolted up closer to help dissipate heat.
I'd say it's a stretch, and most like the previous issues were due to unrelated pad/rotor issues.
And if they were actually warped, I don't see how the spacer could cause any additional side load stress to the rotor. All the loading is on the hub, not the rotor.
The only way I could see the spaces contributing to this is if they were somehow reducing the heat sink effect of having the wheel bolted up closer to help dissipate heat.
I'd say it's a stretch, and most like the previous issues were due to unrelated pad/rotor issues.
And if they were actually warped, I don't see how the spacer could cause any additional side load stress to the rotor. All the loading is on the hub, not the rotor.
