Wheel Spacers

[ohanyan1]

I have been checking out this board for a while and I am getting ready to do some mods and have a question.

I have a 2007 Titanium SE V6 and I am going to be putting on a Readylift 3/2 kit this weekend. I have noticed that many of the trucks on here have SpiderTrax 1.25" wheel spacers.

I love the look of these and contacted my local 4WD dealer to see if he carried them. After about 5 minutes on the phone, they guy basically told me that these types of spacers are horrible for the wheel bearings. He said that in his experience, it reduces the life of the bearings by 30-40%.

My question is, what do you guys think of this? Is he correct? Is is worth it to have the look at the expense of these components?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

[JeremyH]

Of course they will reduce bearing life....they are putting the load further out...away from the mounting point of the lug.

However, using a spacer is no different than using a wheel with less backspacing.

People have been using these spacers for years with good results....

 

[NCSCOTT]

Of course they will reduce bearing life....they are putting the load further out...away from the mounting point of the lug.

However, using a spacer is no different than using a wheel with less backspacing.

People have been using these spacers for years with good results....

:iagree:

I knew that was a potential problem when I installed mine. But I would think the offroad shop probably sees the worst cases since most of the vehicles are used offroad often and take some pretty hard impacts. So who is to say if the offroading or the spacers themselves, or a combination of the 2 caused the increase in wear on the bearings??? If your vehicle sees mostly normal driving and offroaded a couple times a year, whose to say how long the bearings will last. I fit that example. Will it cause more load on the bearings??? Yes. If at 100k I have to replace them so be it. That is the risk I took putting them on.

Another issue I found with installing them is some of the national tire service chains, ie.. Discount Tire, Sears, Colony Tire, Just Tires, Costco, Sams Club ect... will not mount the tires/wheels to the vehicle with the spacers installed. They say "We can not properly install them on the vehicle with the spacers installed"---Discount Tire. They will mount/balance the tires on the rims for you but will not install them on the vehicle with the spacers.

 

[jpless]

I had spacers on my 98 for a month or so, but I got the wrong kind off ebay and had awful shake. Also didn't help that the rims i put on (for which i needed the spacers) had a bent rim. Either way, the point is that when I got work done on it, affecting the wheels, the people at Midas told me that they could not warranty their service due to the spacers. However, they were happy to put them on for me (i tried putting them on after i trashed the other rims and put the stock ones back on there, but still had shake problems). I like the look of the spacers and the increased cornering stability i felt due to the larger wheelbase but my past experience has made me too skeptical to try it again, at least for now. However, if i do, i will definitely get Spidertraxx!

 

[G.I.G.]

:iagree:

I knew that was a potential problem when I installed mine. But I would think the offroad shop probably sees the worst cases since most of the vehicles are used offroad often and take some pretty hard impacts. So who is to say if the offroading or the spacers themselves, or a combination of the 2 caused the increase in wear on the bearings??? If your vehicle sees mostly normal driving and offroaded a couple times a year, whose to say how long the bearings will last. I fit that example. Will it cause more load on the bearings??? Yes. If at 100k I have to replace them so be it. That is the risk I took putting them on.

Another issue I found with installing them is some of the national tire service chains, ie.. Discount Tire, Sears, Colony Tire, Just Tires, Costco, Sams Club ect... will not mount the tires/wheels to the vehicle with the spacers installed. They say "We can not properly install them on the vehicle with the spacers installed"---Discount Tire. They will mount/balance the tires on the rims for you but will not install them on the vehicle with the spacers.

Exactly. You might decrease your wheel bearing life slightly but no more than if you were running a greater offset wheel like JeremyH mentioned. I figured the risk was worth the gain and had them installed. So far they look great and the ride is no different. It will also allow me to run 285's when I get my lift with plenty of clearance.

And ironically, I just got back from Discount Tire having my wheels balanced and rotated. I called a few weeks ago and they guy I talked to said absolutely not to touching my car. I called again this morning and they guy I talked to said it was cool, so I brought it in and asked for him specifically. So, it depends on who you talk to and at what location. If Dad says no, go ask Mom! :biggrin2: But for the most part, national chains see wheel spacers as a liability. Just be aware of that before you install the spacers and before you buy tires.