Wheel Spacers Ok?

I have 4 OEM XJ spoked wheels with 5.25" (aprox) backspacing. Rather than spend hundreds on new wheels and since I like the OEM wheels anyway I'm looking at going cheap with 1" wheel spacers to get to 4.25" backspacing.

Any issues with spacers? I'll not be doing any hardcore wheeling, might hit a trail now and then but want to clear suspension parts, etc. with the wheels. XJ currently has RC 4.5" lift but I'm looking seriously at DPG Super Ultimate Hybrid kit. Dirk tells me he runs 4.25" BS on his XJ. A touch of fender trimming will be required but I'm ok with thate, then either OEM flares or aftermarket (again $$$).

When that time comes I'll be asking for detailed instructions on how to properly trim the fenders.. I've done the search to no avail.

Thanks.

Gary

I've run them no problems, if you really like your stock wheels go ahead. Still if I recall wheel spacers are 100 bucks a pair & you can get steelies for close to 60 bucks a piece choice is yours, I ended up ditching all the spacers and trashing the stock rims for ones with better backspace....
http://www.seriousoffroadproducts.c...KEE-XJ?zenid=4a9443d1000f36952c8d786b971c2be4

Get the kind with the extra studs, not the kind that slip on over the stock studs

Talyn said:

Get the kind with the extra studs, not the kind that slip on over the stock studs

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Thanks for the tip. Will definitely keep that in mind. Might just end up with some steel wheels.. but they can't be black.. chrome preferred.

I run the RC 1.5" spacers. They are great, and well priced for what you get. Run them on the OE spoke wheels with 30x9.5R15 tires. They rubbed on the inside like crazy until I put the spacers on.

I've been running these: http://www.ezaccessory.com/Wheel_Adapter_5_Lug_4_5_To_5_Lug_4_5_p/5450-5450f.htm for about six years now...really nice quality, great prices!

With the 1" width spacers, the factory wheel studs protrude a little past the mounting surface but, the factory cast wheels have voids in them that fit over the studs nicely....as if they were made just for spacers

I run 33s and wheel mine on rocky trails with no issues.
I mounted mine with Loctite Red and have never needed to retorque them.

Hans

just make sure they are designed for "hub centric" wheels.

A lot of the cheap ones do not have the inside hub piece and rely on the studs to locate the wheel. Our wheels/unit bearings use the hub to take the stress and locate the wheels, the studs merely hold them on the jeep.

Steel wheels are cheap, and duplicolor has silver wheel paint.

DO NOT GET SHIT QUALITY SPACERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Made in china = garbage

Save yourself the headache and buy some spidertrax.

I put like 20k miles on an ebay set. Just use loctite.

87manche said:

just make sure they are designed for "hub centric" wheels.

A lot of the cheap ones do not have the inside hub piece and rely on the studs to locate the wheel. Our wheels/unit bearings use the hub to take the stress and locate the wheels, the studs merely hold them on the jeep.

Steel wheels are cheap, and duplicolor has silver wheel paint.

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Most aftermarket aluminum and just about all aftermarket steel wheels are lug centric (as most factory wheels for decades)....nothing wrong with that.

Hub centric wheels do not rely on the hub's lip to carry the load nor do lug centric wheels rely on the wheel studs to carry the load.....all they really do is locate the wheel (cone shaped lug nuts when tightened, will find their centers and locate the wheel or spacer).

Supporting the weight of the vehicle on the wheels/tires relies on the clamping force produced by tightening the lugs so that the load on the studs/lugs is in tension and not shear.
That's why it is so important to properly torque your wheel lugs.

That being said, the spacers on my Jeep are lug centric and I have had zero issues.
It all depends on how precisely they are machined.....been running some on the front of my Toyota for over 10 years and I wheel the piss out of it.....it's on 35s (that I usually run at 8 psi), 99:1 crawl ratio, locked at both ends over the rockiest Western Sierra trails so, they see a lot of stress and....daily driven as well.

Bottom line: I wouldn't worry wether they're hub or lug centric as long as the're well made and properly torqued.....yes Spider Trax hub centric spacers are nice but, I paid less for my four than I would have paid for a pair of those and they don't make a 1" spacer.

Just my 2 cents....do what's right for you.

Hans

He's trying to use his OEM wheels.

The OEM wheels are hub centric.

Can you use them with a lug centric spacer? Probably. Will it maybe do wierd things with the balance? Possibly. I can't say.

I have personally driven behind three Jeeps that the wheel spacers fell off. Many, many experienced people will not recommend or run wheel spacers. I know plenty of people run them, and I also know many of them have fallen off. If you have no choice, I guess you take your chances. If you have a choice, consider other alternatives.

i had one come loose on my van a while back. caught it before it fell off. scary though.
I have some on the rear of my heep since my front axle is wider, and they work ok, but i keep an eye on them. they are the spidertrax hubcentric ones, but they do not locate closely enough on the shafts to even matter.

87manche said:

He's trying to use his OEM wheels.

The OEM wheels are hub centric.

Can you use them with a lug centric spacer? Probably. Will it maybe do wierd things with the balance? Possibly. I can't say.

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I use them with my factory alloy wheels with no problems in the six years (and several thousands of miles) I've been running them.

It's important to periodicaly check the torque on them but, since I've been using Loctite red, I've never had one come loose or require retorquing.

Think about it, how many of us mount after market wheels that aren't hub centric....are you having balance issues with those?

Yeah, if the bolt circle on whatever wheel (or spacer) you run isn't machined in the center, you're going to have balance issues but, conical shaped lug nuts will locate the wheel (or spacer), hub centric or not once tightened down.

BTW, I'm no noob been wheeling for about 26 years.....again, just my opinion, take it for what it's worth.

Hans

My 2 cents - go with Spidertrax or Rough Country. Hub&lug centric will help with balancing (unless you don't care). Torque them proper, check torque from time to time (oil change/tire rotation; long trips; wheelin; etc.) You will not have issues with them. Install wrong and never check torque - it's anybody's ballgame.

Of course, this is if you're dead set on using stock wheels and spacers. Otherwise it was said earlier - steelies are def affordable.

If they are torqued and lock tite and installed exactly as directed, plus re-torqued after 100 miles or so, I can't see how they would just "fall off". Checking them when rotating the tires doesn't hurt either.

Planetcat said:

If they are torqued and lock tite and installed exactly as directed, plus re-torqued after 100 miles or so, I can't see how they would just "fall off". Checking them when rotating the tires doesn't hurt either.

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what torque specs would you guys recommend for the spacers? I did 90ft/lb and did locktite blue. Good tip on retorquing after 100 miles or so.

Here's the directions for the Jeep Spidertrax wheel spacers. Torque specs included. Also, FYI, they included RED loctite with their kit.

General Description
Each Spidertrax Jeep Wheel Spacer/Adapter Kit comes complete with 2 wheel spacers/adapters, 10 grade
8 wheel studs (pre-installed), 10 lug nuts, and thread locker. All Spidertrax wheel spacers/adapters are
anodized blue, which is a double anodizing process for twice the corrosion resistance. Proudly designed &
manufactured in Colorado.
To install the Spidertrax Jeep Wheel Spacer/Adapter Kit, follow these steps:
1. Remove tire as per Jeep Service Manual procedure. Remove drum/rotor retainer clip(s) if present.
2. Have another person apply brakes to prevent drum/rotor from spinning. Apply provided thread locker to
OEM wheel studs and assemble spacer/adapter to drum/rotor face by torquing provided wheel spacer
lug nuts to 90 ft-lbs as shown in Fig. 1 (DO NOT use more then one spacer/adapter per wheel
and DO NOT use an impact gun). Once installed, be sure OEM wheel studs DO NOT extend past new
wheel mounting surface of wheel spacer/adapter.
3. Install wheel to wheel spacer/adapter using existing lug nuts. Tighten lug nuts in a criss-cross pattern
to 80-90 ft-lb.
4. To ensure wheel spacer lug nuts are properly seated, after driving 50 miles remove wheel and check
wheel spacer lug nuts by torquing them at 80 ft-lb. If wheel spacer lug nuts move at all when
torqued at 80 ft-lb, go back to Step 2 and repeat installation. Otherwise, move on to Step 5.
5. Re-assemble wheel to wheel spacer/adapter using existing lug nuts. Tighten lug nuts in a criss-cross
pattern to 80-90 ft-lb.

Good luck.

Question.

When you use wheel spacers (like to clear my WJ brakes in the front) do i have to run them in the rear as well? Or can you run them just in the front?

hmm dont think any jeep has a hub centric wheel, if it did it would have a lug nut that had a flat washer on the back, rather than an acorn shaped lug nut. that way the wheel can line up on the hub rather than being forced into place by a cone shaped lug nut.