What's too much for wheel spacers?

[MattDyer94]

So I've been wanting to get a much much more aggressive look. Looking at some 285/75/16 tires. So today I was driving to class and I passed one heck of a monster! It was a white '97 or '98 Limited with at least 33" tires and some SERIOUS spacers. I'm talking like wide jeep stance. I literally yelled "SICK!" In my car when I passed it. I'm wondering how much of a spacer I can get put on without doing serious damage?

 

[4-Ripcord]

:snacker:

 

[CanukRunner]

Ive been wondering what the spacers will do too.. I want them so i can run my old 6 spoke rims on my new 231 calipers...

Im taking a structural steel class right now but its in civil

A mechanical student should know how to figure out what that 1.25 inch difference in moment will exert on the wheel bearings in a percentage number..

I can tell you there is definatly a possibility that the extra leverage could make a very big difference.

You need to know the downward force on bearing... depending on how acurate you want to get you'll need to know cos/sin to figure it out as the shocks angled.. and a whole bunch of measurements..

Best to put it in a computer program like S-Frame or the mechanical equivilent.

I soooo wish someone would figure out the new stresses on our trucks.. ( I suppose i could but im waaaay to lazy for that..lol)

Love to know what those off road bumpers do to our trucks too.

 

[BWXT]

You're better off getting wheels with less back spacing than using spacers. I believe spacers usually don't exceed 1", and I wouldn't use any that did. Regardless of which method you use to get a wider stance, the further out you go from your ball joints drawing a center line through your tire, the worse the steering issues and excess wear will be to bearings and ball joints. There's not really a threshold of good vs. bad, it will be a gradual, but exponential effect.

 

[Nelsonmd]

Ok, since i have bitten on this one before, I'll post here too. A free body diagram will demonstrate that added stress on the components. You aren't increasing the overall force, but every inch out form the hub is adding a moment to those components while keeping the forces the same, so overall internal stress is increased. You will potentially do additional wear to your bearings and ball joints.

Getting wheels with less backspacing will do the same thing as spacers, and will add stress to your LBJ's and bearings the same as spacers will, but the internal stress flows a little differently. The wheel with less backspacing is more robust, but the FBD is exactly the same for both.

 

[KidVermicious]

The wheel with less backspace also removes a point of failure over a set of spacers.

 

[CanukRunner]

Id love to see the results of your free body diagram.. ten bucks says the guys who make these never did one..lol

I just finished that course and i cant remember a damn thing...

I gues the reaction would be upwards at the wheel then downwards on the shock... the extra moment would come from the length from the wheel to the bearing..... maybee ill look at old notes... it would be cool to figure out.

The truck lists the weight of the front and rear i think.. could divide that in half... more interested in a rough percentage than anything

 

[Gerdo]

Keep in mind that the further out the front wheels are (either by less backspacing, wheel spacers, wider wheels or a combo) will cause more rubbing (typically at the rear of the front wheel wells) when turning the wheels. I have slight rubbing with Yokohama 265/75-16 tires on factory 5 star wheels and 1.25" wheel spacers.

 

[BigD91]

I'm running the spidertrax on stock suspension with BFG AT 265/75/r16. As soon as I put them on i was rubbing like hell. I would go with new wheels with less backspacing if I were you. Like stated above, the spacers are just another point of failure....