What is your experience with wheel spacers?

N

nissanh

Senior Member
I've heard with wheel spacers the truck starts vibrating at high speeds etc., Is this true? Have you experienced any difficulties with the spacers?

I am planning 1.5 inch spacers all around.

Please advice.
Thanks
 
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nissanh said:
I've heard with wheel spacers the truck starts vibrating at high speeds etc., Is this true? Have you experienced any difficulties with the spacers?

I am planning 1.5 inch spacers all around.

Please advice.
Thanks
Click to expand...

it very well could vibrate. and thanks for bringing this up. I have that exact problem. as my speed increases i get a vibration in the steering wheel. I made the assumetion that it was because of a tire out of balance or something, but everything is new, and the newest ad on was 1.5 inch wheel spacers. :ybrick: if there is any flaw in the machiening of a spacer it could very well vibrate getting worse as speed and tire size increase.
thanks man. im gonna take mine off and see if that helps
 
Hi,

I saw 4 used spacers 1.5 inch for $60 with free shipping on ebay! That's a great deal but I wonder why the owner returned it to the seller.

Let me know how it goes without the spacers.

Thanks!
 
Think quality. You may get what you pay for. I bought/run Spidertrax spacers.
True, they only sell 1.25". I think THE key is to get hub centric spacers. Since Toyota's wheels are hub centric, the spacers center on the hubs and have a stepped flange to center the wheels.

*Fact: Spacers can amplify bump steer, increase steering force and vibrations.
*My experiences: Nothing negative.
*The down side can be: Tire shops sometimes won't work on vehicles with spacers. They have to be removed before removing the drums/rotors. Also another step to repairing CVs.

I use red loc-tite and torque them to 90 ft/lbs. I also check them once in a while. (I check them with my torque wrench set to 85 ft/lbs. This allows me to check torque without breaking the loc-tite.)

In all, I'm keeping mine.
 
I'm running Spidertrax and have no issues with vibration. The only down side is it's another 6 lugs to remove before you do any rotor, CV, etc maintenance.
 
If you want a good deal, check out the clearance area of the site. Sometimes they have blemished(anodizing) spacers for $10 cheaper.
 
while i dont run spacers on my 4runner, i do run them on my truck and have had zero ill affects. i am running a set of trail gear 1" spacers up front and a set of all pro 1.25 spacers in the rear(i need to swap them around but have been too lazy)
 
I have 1.25" All Pro spacers up front. Honestly, I can't imagine why you would need larger unless you were running an insanely backspaced wheel. Like Gerdo said make absolute positive you get hub centric spacers other wise you're ride will be like crap and you run the risk of shearing lug nuts. Bump-steer may increase as well but, unless you feel some sort of death wobble, it's usually normal.
 
I ran 1 inch spacers on my 1st gen. They killed my tie rod ends almost immediately, and another set less than a year later. They also magnified the smallest tire balance troubles, leading to lots of unpredictable shimmy on the freeway.

Lots of folks use them with no trouble at all, but I wasn't a fan. I haven't had any trouble since I pitched them in favor of a set of rims with better backspace.
 
I'm running 1.25" Spidertrax front & rear on my 98. No issues at all, and I was concerned about vibration before buying. Like Gerdo said, make sure you get Hub-Centric spacers, and they should fit on there like a glove. Also, don't use an impact gun when installing or removing tires/wheels. (The impact will rip a stud off or weaken the studs, since 90 ft/lbs is the max.)
 
Remember that pushing your tires out (with spacers or wheels with less backspacing) can cause/increase rubbing the fenders when turning. Pushing the tires out increases the arc and usually rubs around the pinch weld. I had no rubbing before the spacers but rubbed a few spots after (265/75-16 Yokohama).
 
Gerdo said:
Remember that pushing your tires out (with spacers or wheels with less backspacing) can cause/increase rubbing the fenders when turning. Pushing the tires out increases the arc and usually rubs around the pinch weld. I had no rubbing before the spacers but rubbed a few spots after (265/75-16 Yokohama).
Click to expand...
I installed 1.25" spacers and have 3" lift. Tire rubs on the drivers side only, on the clip with the screw that holds the mud flap to the fender. Not much, just a little. Any experience or issues with trimming this?
 
Leasebeast4r said:
I installed 1.25" spacers and have 3" lift. Tire rubs on the drivers side only, on the clip with the screw that holds the mud flap to the fender. Not much, just a little. Any experience or issues with trimming this?
Click to expand...

4years old thread. I wouldn`t expect him to reply.
 
I am using hub centric billeted aluminum 5/16" spacers for two years now without issue. However, my buddy with a shop still does not trust them. I bought them off of Ebay for a very reasonable price.
 
I've used wheel spacers on both of my previous 3rd gens with disastrous results.

First, my wife left me to become a nun in Africa. Second, the roof on my house caved in during a storm. And finally, I'm very gassy...like seriously all the time.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 
I decided against them once I saw photos of failed spacers. I decided to get wheels backspaced at 3.5" to make up for that 1"
 
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