I had a first hand experience with an adapter sheering off at 65-70mph on I-95. My rim shot up through my fender and I almost destroyed my old truck. LUCKILY I was in the slow lane and was able to steer clear of traffic behind me, but NEVER again will I run them.

 

I had a first hand experience with an adapter sheering off at 65-70mph on I-95.

Just out of curiosity, what kind of wheels were you running and on what kind of vehicle? Not that it's really pertinent, just curious.

 

I have run solid aluminum wheel spacers on 3 vehicles before and for the last 2 years on my Rado. Never once had a problem. The shearing thing is the biggest concern I guess. But as far as im concerned its no different then a wheel with very little backspacing.

Porsche run spacers from the factory in some of their applications help fit wider wheel wheels and increase track on some of their different applications.

I posted about this before and linked the website this info from porsche came from and there has been other threads about this topic in the past.

...

Here are some OEM porsche wheel spacers for sale...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/pors...911-used-parts-sale-wanted/488953-fs-porsche-oem-factory-5mm-wheel-spacers.html

If porsche runs them then I think my mildy used off-road Colly will be ok. Yes Im sure the OEM Porsche spacers are amazing quality, but they are still spacers lol

 

Thin spacers with proper lug length should be fine. It's the lug adapters that can be a concern. They are often very thick to clear the stock lugs then have more holes drilled for the new lug pattern. On a light VW with light weight wheels it may not be that bad. On a truck running 50+ lb 20" wheels/tires, I don't trust them.

 

i use wheel spacers all the time on the race cars, aluminum and steel.

if they can work on 800+ hp applications you are safe running them on a street car or truck.

as with anything, you get what you pay for, dont cheap out

 

Many thanks for the info!

I don't see adapters in my future but it's nice to know spacers aren't a serious issue. I've been pondering some mid-90s Z71 wheels and gathering information. Someone who's done it in the past said they ran 1.5"spacers up front. That seemed a bit much to me (in my admittedly VERY limited experience) and seemed it might lead to the type of issues The Old Man always mentioned when discussing spacers, etc.

 

i would like to run like either...1/4 or 1/2
I just want a little wider stance....

 

People have shearing problems when they over torque the lugs creating more stress than intended on the spacer.

 

I know it would be easy to do using an air wrench, what about just by hand?

 

I always use an impact on the low setting to snug them up, then finish tightening with a torque wrench.

 

Anyone running H3 wheels with spacers up front to help avoid rubbing problems with 265/75/16 tires? I've also been planning a lift, and it appears that if I lift my truck with TA crank/BJ flip in the front and AAL in the rear and want to run H3 wheels, 2 things will happen, the front will have a narrower track than the rear due to the angle of the suspension, and the tires will rub in the front. Seems like a 3/4" or 1" spacer would solve both issues. Anyone?
Thanks!
Gary
08 Canyon Z85 4x4 Extended Cab

 

Please stop by and introduce yourself in the new members section!

 

Ive got 1.0 and 2.5in spacers on my S10 and ive had zero problems so far..

I torqued them with a torque wrench to the recommend lb-ft and used some threadlock on them

 

I've used some 1/4" spacers with no problems. Even jumping through a ditch

 

Think of the whhel flange mounting area as a lever prying on the wheel studs.(That is what happens with all the forces acting on the tire from just about any concievable direction, sterering forces/ going through a turn/hitting a curb to name but a few)
Now add a spacer, thus increasing the length of the lever which creates a mechanical advantage.
Same reason that our wives/girl friends don't jog in high heels.
Spacers are all right on a trail rig at low speeds, but wheel seperation at highway speeds is not something pleasant to think about.

 

Negitive offset wheels have the SAME effect as your talking about

 

True, everything is a tradeoff. You are trying to get the offset centered that it is as close to the centre of the inner and outer bearing race as possible. However there are all kinds of parameters that compete for this space within the wheel well.

 

spacers and adapters are an easy way to ask for troubble that you dont need.

its your truck tho.

 

Ok, I did some reading, research and applied a little basic physics. Lets dispel some myths. Let's examine the forces acting on a stud shall we. There is the axial force acting along the axis of the bolt, due to the preload (or torque) applied when tightening the stud.
Cornering forces which try to pry the wheel away from the hub also contribute to this axial force.
There is also force on the stud due to the weight of the vehicle, this acts perpendicular to the axis of the bolt, downward.
There is also a force on the stud due to acceleration. This acts perpendicular to the axis of the bolt, but more or less tangential to the rotation of the wheel.
These last two forces contribute to a net shear force in the stud.
None of these forces are a bending force, prying force, or moment. So, adding a spacer would not change the net forces in the bolt, just the location at which the shear forces are acting.
There's an article here: Bolt Science - Wheel Stud Failures noting that the majority of wheel failures can be attributed to fatigue, mainly as a result of loose or overtightened wheel studs. As the forces described above are constantly changing direction due to the rotation of the wheel, the studs are prone to fatigue failure.
Loose studs can come about by not retorquing the studs after a short period of driving. Adding a spacer adds one additional interface in the assembly. It's my opinion that this additional interface adds to the probability of the assembly interface relaxing or shifting after the initial tightening, resulting in under tightened studs, resulting in damage, and an eventual fatigue failure.

Long story short, it becomes more important to check and properly re-torque wheels after a short period of use if you are using spacers. If this is done, there should be no ill effect.

My 2-cents. If I can get the H3 wheels I had in mind, I'll try some spacers and let you know if I have any problems.

Regards,
Gary

 

All I can add is 30 years experience on this. No major wheel manufacturer advocates the use of spacers. Never met a reputable dealer or mechanic that would install them. Have a wheel separation on the highway and hope your insurance company doesn't find out, they will use any excuse to avoid paying a claim.The article quoted is on highway tractors with 10 or more lugs, we have 6. They have 40 percent more lugs in the event of failure. There testing was done on stock rims with no additional leverage factors added due to spacers. When using a spacer,other than removing the wheel how do you verify torque on the originals, other than as previously mentioned... removing the wheels and checking. Just as alloy wheels have different thermal cycling rates than the iron hubs they are attached to making periodic torque checks required. The aluminum wheel spacers add to this burden. Our wheels fit to our wheels very precisely, the centre hole sitting on the axle flange bears most, if not all the load. Even if the new spacers have this hub centric fitting, it is a soft lip of aluminun now supporting the wheel. And important consideration if heavy loads are in your future or rough use. All these forces multiply when bigger heavier wheels are used. Wheel studs are generally a high grade. Higher grade bolts have greater clamping forces than lower grade bolts, the price is reduced shear capiacity. Generally lower grade bolts bend before they break. I have never seen a wheel stud bend and give you notice that failure is iminent... They just snap without warning. On big tired trucks, spacers are more suited for off road.
As a final check, call your insurance company and tell them you want to run wheel spacers and see what they say.

 

I agree to the above but (and again I have run 1" spacers hard for almost 2 years now...) its not possible to retorque the spacers after 50-100 miles after install without removing the tires of course. So i recommend to install everthing and torque to spec. Then drive 50-75 miles and remove the wheels and retorque the spacers then put wheels back on. THEN after another 75 miles or so retorque just the wheels this time. Done and Done

 

i dont see a problem with running them I have 1.5" spacers and no problems. just check your torque. Most aftermarket wheels are not hub centric. like was said no different then using a wheel with more offset, just more lugs to torque. six lugs are better than five

 

I hear no problems a lot, it should be no problems yet. If spacer were that easy, the wheel manufacturers would offeer them so their product would fit a wider range of vehicles. Anyhow just one mans opinion.

 

I ran 2.25 and 2.5 adapters on my S10 to get Corvette wheels to fit and never had a problem. Hell, when the truck was hit one of the wheels came in contact with the frame and bent the fuck out of the wheel and the spacer was fine and held up. I also have a set of 1.25 on the rear of my Blazer without any issues.

I think alot of the problems comes from over tightening

 

Yeah I was thinking of getting some spacers to run some 4G Camaro wheels on my 1G Dime, but I'd need like 2" spacers. So think I will stick with what I have!

 

Wheels spacers can be safe. Just like anything other mod. However, Material(not cast for sure)Design/thickness/installation/maintenance have to be considered..
The problem here is some halfwit reads he can bolt the rim of his choice on his ride, but never considers the implications.
Back in the day when 4x4 trucks were generally all leaf sprung. Big tires were catching on. Blocks were a cheap way to raise the rear, but were deemed unsafe for the front axle due to the different dynamics a front axle encountered. Also a catastrophic failure of a block would render the vehicle unsteerable. But the same halfwits could never be convinced of this. There was a large effort put for by the communities media of the day,the major 4wd magazines not to feature trucks lifted by this method. Eventually it caught on for the most part.
The judgement call everyone should make before a modification is; Do I fully understand all the potential ramifications of this modification. And would I allow someone I love to drive it. For me, it has alway been; Would I allow my children to ride in it.
If you can't, you shouldn't be touching it.

 

Wheels spacers can be safe. Just like anything other mod. However, Material(not cast for sure)Design/thickness/installation/maintenance have to be considered..
The problem here is some halfwit reads he can bolt the rim of his choice on his ride, but never considers the implications.

I have a simple saying that sums your thoughts up:

You can lead an idiot to knowledge but you can't make him think.

Feel free to use as necessary.:lol::thumbup:

FWIW, it's the implications that convinced me to stray from my plan of using the full size Z71s. After the initial machining the test wheel needed some tweaking but the lug nuts never did seat to my satisfaction and I could not see a solution that would let me sleep at night. Plus I'm not about to ask my BiL to use all of his free time at work tweaking my wheels then arrange to meet up and test fit them, etc.

That's why I ordered Soft 8s this morning.

 

good for you mang.

good for you.

 

Thanks and I see you found a new ride as well...:thumbup:

 

what...that old thing?

:lmaop:

 

How long until you get the pics shopped with your drop and wheels?:lol:

 

good idea there!