Wheel spacers or not?

[tbrainer]

1st time poster, long time listener here….. so I would like to pose the question, but I think I know my answer…… I have a 21 JLU sport with a 2.5” metalcloak lift, axel trussed, front c’s gusseted, 37s, and new gears. Wife wanted more aggressive look on the tires so we added 1.75 spydertrax wheel spacers.
Now I’m questioning the wheel spacers and how that will effect the wear of the steering and suspension parts. The benefit they provided was it helped stabilize the jeep at highway speeds.
What are the thoughts out there on wheel spacers and are they more destructive than beneficial especially when wheeling?

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[azwjowner]

Yes, you know the answer. They increase your scrub radius so more of the tread scrapes when turning, amplify the tendency of bumps to the tires to jostle the steering, and drastically increase wear on the ball joints and wheel bearings. (Same with a low offset wheel). However, these negatives can be worth it for certain use cases. You just need to make peace with replacing things much sooner. Some people wear out the stock ball joints at 30k miles with 37s, for example. Those same ball joints would probably last 200k on your stock tires and rims.

 

[Old Dogger]

Welcome to the Forum, from Cave Creek AZ.
It sounds like you are saying that you are running 37’s, on stock 7.5” wide Rims. That in itself, is not ideal. But you are at approx. a 4.5 back spacing with stock wheels and the 1.75 adapters. That part is O.K., and is what most run with bigger tires. But it will wear out your ball joints and hub bearings faster with that Back spacing and heavy 37’s.

 

[tbrainer]

Welcome to the Forum, from Cave Creek AZ.
It sounds like you are saying that you are running 37’s, on stock 7.5” wide Rims. That in itself, is not ideal. But you are at approx. a 4.5 back spacing with stock wheels and the 1.75 adapters. That part is O.K., and is what most run with bigger tires. But it will wear out your ball joints and hub bearings faster with that Back spacing and heavy 37’s.

I do have aftermarket wheels that are 17x9 with a 4.5" BS. I don't think that really matters much with the spacer question other than, the tires fit properly on the rims without excessive bulging and therefore are not causing any rubbing issues as of yet without the spacers. Again, I added them to help with the highway speeds and my wife wanted the wider stance/look. I think 13.5" tires may be a better option in the long run if it is for looks.

 

[Old Dogger]

I do have aftermarket wheels that are 17x9 with a 4.5" BS. I don't think that really matters much with the spacer question other than, the tires fit properly on the rims without excessive bulging and therefore are not causing any rubbing issues as of yet without the spacers. Again, I added them to help with the highway speeds and my wife wanted the wider stance/look. I think 13.5" tires may be a better option in the long run if it is for looks.

Great, then you have a good fit tire to Rim, and without additional body rubbing. The added spacers are not needed, and will give you additional wear on your ball joints, and wheel hub bearings. Plus you will have a scrub Radius issue. I recommend that you remove those wheel spacers! Your call..

 

[Steph1]

I would seek some 17x9 inch wheels with a -6 offset or 17x8.5 with 0 offest which both represent 4.75 inches of backspacing. More agressive than that and wear and tear takes a hit due to leverage. Nothing wrong with spacers if installed correctly and inspected regularly, but 1.75 inch is very agressive and do affect longevity of parts.

 

[tbrainer]

Spacer are off!! I appreciate the input and definitely will look at wheel options Steph1 recommended.

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