Wheel Spacers

[dtruax]

I just got new tires (285/60/18 terra grapplers) but kept on the stock rims. I want a wider stance, without paying a lot of $$$ for another set of rims/tires. I've heard about wheel spacers, but dont know that much about them. Has anyone used them on their vx? how much did they cost? where did you get them, and what size did you use? it seems like 1-1.5 inches would be suitable for me, but mabye im wrong, i dont know. Thanks in advance!

[etlsport]

i dont know much about wheel spacers.. but they just dont seem like a great idea to me.. putting the weight of the vehicle farther out on the wheel studs just seems like its asking to bend them or shear them off..

[Gussie2000]

Hi Dtruax !

THe spacers you're looking can be purchased at ebay.com..amazon.com & probably at autozone.pepboys or autoparts shop.


My 1rst choice would be ebay.com there's a wide stock of spacers for reasonable prices.

Did you had to trim the front cladding ?

I'm in the market for new wheels/tires,i want those nitto but no traimming.

Post some shots to see how they looks like

[dtruax]

I did not have to do any trimming, Thank God! il post some pics tomarow, their great tires though!

[Gussie2000]

Oh great.

However if you decide to go for the spacers,don't add any set more then 1 inches width.

[dtruax]

is there a reason not to go over 1 inch? saftey? or is that a opinion? lol

[Gussie2000]

Mostly for safety reasons,you don't want any axle issues.the wider the stand the more stress you add to the axles & CV joints.

Plus it seems that your Vx is lifted;Is that right ?

If so then you had no trimming to do;My VX is stock,no lifted at all

[Ldub]

I just got new tires (285/60/18 terra grapplers) but kept on the stock rims. I want a wider stance, without paying a lot of $$$ for another set of rims/tires. I've heard about wheel spacers, but dont know that much about them. Has anyone used them on their vx? how much did they cost? where did you get them, and what size did you use? it seems like 1-1.5 inches would be suitable for me, but mabye im wrong, i dont know. Thanks in advance!

Here's my two cents on wheel spacers...:_wrench:

I worked in tire stores for over four years as a much younger man, & anyone who wanted us to install wheel spacers for whatever reason...

1. Had to supply their own spacers, lug nuts, & anything else needed

2. Had to sign a waiver releasing us from ANY & ALL responsibility...

Take that info FWIW, I wouldn't put them on anything.

Another suggestion...email Jeff (bimati) if his email addy is still listed in his profile, & ask him of his experience with wheel spacers on his VX.

[dtruax]

the only lift on my vx is that i put on calmini rear springs, i have the rest of the kit just havent put it on yet.

[Gussie2000]

Actually i can recall that i added wheels spacers,like 1/2 inch on my old GEO tracker'93 & was just fine,never had any problem,however didn't use the one that comes with lugs,i went with the one that you just place in the wheel base.

[Bieredalsace]

Many many many many (a whole Lot of ) years ago guys used to get wheel spacers from J.C.Whitney either to make their cars look tougher without buying new wider tires and/or wheels or to make the new wheels and tires fit, Because back then nobody knew about "backspacing". As a matter of fact we used to mount the stock wheels bakards (backwards) on the studs to give the car a wider stance like those "Hot Rods" we couldn't afford or the race cars we saw at the Daytona Beach track.
The spacers were either solid units with their own studs that you bolted on your drums with the stock stud bolts. This also allowed for mounting Cadillac wheels on an old VW. Don't laugh..I did it!
Or the spacers could be individual for each stud just like very thick washers. Anyway, either way wasn't the safest thing to do. Usually the stock studs ripped out because of the extra stress the wider wheels put on the brake drums (we didn't hae those fancy shmancy Dics brakes way back then.
I LMAO when I see some jackass riding around in a Honda Accord or Jeep with the wheels and tires sticking out beyond the fenders (Like the back side of the wheel is also out beyond the fenders). I've also seen the results when the car loses it's whole hub/disc assembly with the wheels attached flying across the road and the car headed to a ditch without their wheel. FAH!
Bottom line I agree don't move them ut much more than 1 /2 inch..and pray all the under frame parts are in nice taught unworn condition.

[dtruax]

from all the responses, it seems like the wheel studs seem to be the problem, NOT the spacers themselves. is there a way to buy stronger, more durable studs?

[Spyder]

You can use adapters to move them out farther.
Adapters are like spacers but they mount to your studs and the adapters have their own studs to mount your wheel to.

Adapters are usually used to change the bolt pattern but you can get them made that keeps same bolt pattern.

[dtruax]

so does that make adapters more safe to use then spacers?

[PK]

Well, as a Mechanical Engineer, there is soooo much I could say about this thread, but I will be kind and just state a few facts.

Adapters with their own studs are safer than just spacers. It takes some of the excess strain off the studs, but does nothing to help the extra strain you put on the hubs, ball joints, control arms, steering, tie rods, etc.

I have not checked the actual geometry of the VX front end, but if you move the wheel centre further away from the ball joints, you increase the stress on the ball joints by the same percentage.
Break a ball joint and have an accident, and see what your insurance says about your cover.

Then there is the problem with clearance in the wheel well as you steer the vehicle. The pivot point does not move, but the wheel is further away from the pivot. So, the wheel moves further forward, and aft, of the centre position. All of a sudden those neat fitting tyres are scrubbing the wheel wells as you turn a corner. More trimming required.

Simple solution - don't do it!!!!!!

Hope this helps.

PK

[dtruax]

wow! thanks for all your help everyone! it does help, i still cant help but wonder if anyone has ever used spacers or adapters on a VX? anyone?

[Bieredalsace]

PK gave the best answer of all....don't use spacers or adapters.
Good luck with your project.

[tom4bren]

My buddy was looking at putting some of these on his Ford.

http://www.ezaccessory.com/6_Lug_Adapter_s/46.htm

He's looking at the 8 lug though so his cost would be about $300 shipped.

I much prefer a rim with more offset so that you get a deeper dish - as opposed to a stock rim with spacers. The Proton has about 30K miles on it with the aftermarket rims (see my gallery). So far, no mechanical problems due to increased offset.

Warning tho. If you add spacers, you'll have to trim your cladding and pound out your fender wells. The spacers will cause your tires to rub.

Tom

[etlsport]

wheels with offset to push them out of the wheel wells will have a different effect than adding wheel spacers. offset wheels still transmit all their weight to the suspension at the stock point.. adding wheel spacers or adapters moves the point the weight is transmitted out away from the suspension..

the other thing is that the farther away from the hub your wheels get.. the more they travel when you turn

adapters that are bolted to the hub and have their own wheel studs would probably be OK but still not a great idea.. you have to make sure they fit absolutely properly.. and you are still adding 6 points to each wheel which could have a defect..

if you do decide to use them.. check your lugs often (including the ones that hold the spacers to the hub)

[Gussie2000]

wheels with offset to push them out of the wheel wells will have a different effect than adding wheel spacers. offset wheels still transmit all their weight to the suspension at the stock point.. adding wheel spacers or adapters moves the point the weight is transmitted out away from the suspension..

the other thing is that the farther away from the hub your wheels get.. the more they travel when you turn

adapters that are bolted to the hub and have their own wheel studs would probably be OK but still not a great idea.. you have to make sure they fit absolutely properly.. and you are still adding 6 points to each wheel which could have a defect..

if you do decide to use them.. check your lugs often (including the ones that hold the spacers to the hub)

Wise suggestion :)

[pbkid]

wow! thanks for all your help everyone! it does help, i still cant help but wonder if anyone has ever used spacers or adapters on a VX? anyone?

bimati used them but had troubles with his VX

[Spyder]

I used 2 inch and 3 inch adapters on my kit car.
I did installed new wheel bearings before the install.
Never had a problem with lugs.
You torque the adapters and then you torque the wheels to the adapters.
It did make the tires scrub near the center of the wheel wells due to the range of motion changing.

[Riff Raff]

PK gave the best answer of all....don't use spacers or adapters.
Good luck with your project.

Ditto. DON'T USE ANY KIND OF SPACERS OR WHEEL ADAPTERS -- DON'T DO IT!!!

However; you did the right thing by using your stock OEM wheels when you installed your new tires, that's why your new tires don't rub and no trimming was required. Using the stock OEM wheels (with its correct OEM offset) is truly the "SECRET" that keeps everything neatly tucked inside the front wheelwells without any rubbing and no trimming. Normally, only when aftermarket wheels (with a different offset) are used is when rubbing occurs and trimming may be required. Best advice: If you don't want rubbing and/or trimming issues, then stick with your stock OEM wheels when mounting new tires!!!

[dtruax]

So then is their any realistic way to give a vx a wider stance, without spacers, and without buying aftermarket wheels/tires???:confused:

[pbkid]

um...no offense are you going for an aggressive look or a function??

if your going for function and your plan on wheeling, most likely you will scuff up your bottoms of your cladding anyhow...when i did my trimming it was a triangle only 2x2" probably, not much compared to the chunks missing from offroading...

just saying that if your going to wheel, trimming really isnt a big deal, its probably the least of your worries...

if its aesthetic, then the only way is to change your rims...or use spacers

you can achieve a little through wider tires but not what your looking for...

[Riff Raff]

So then is their any realistic way to give a vx a wider stance, without spacers, and without buying aftermarket wheels/tires???:confused:

Matt-- I sent you an E-Mail, explaining your available options using the stock OEM 18x7 rim. Basically; keep the 285-series width, and increase the aspect ratio to either 65-series (LT285/65R18, 32.5" O.D./60 lbs) or 75-series (LT285/75R18, 35" O.D./66 lbs). Just be careful of "unsprung weight" in extremely heavy LT-series tires.

Lightweight "P-Series/P-Metric" tires are a much wiser option for the small sporty VX like the Pro-Comp A/T in P285/60R18, 31.3" O.D./43 lbs) or the awesome General Grabber AT2 in P275/65R18, 32.1" O.D./44 lbs). Riff Raff

[WiSDoM]

good choice on the general grabber at2 Riff Raff I chose 265/70/17 was the largest tire for 17" rims, but a nice tire for snow and ice

thanks man

[Riff Raff]

WISDOM-- Yes, the General Grabber AT2 in lighweight "P-Series/P-Metric" is excellent for snow and ice (and comes "pre-pinned" for studs). The Grabber AT2 is just an awesome tire at an awesome price, and probably the best all-around lightweight tire out there for our small sporty VX's!!!

I didn't realize you had 17" inch rims. For those VX'ers looking for an incredible selection of normal-style A/T tires in lightweight "P-Series/P-Metric" for the 17" rim (or any other size rim) should check-out the tire chart of the TOYO "Open Country A/T". They make a P285/70R17 (32.7" O.D./44 lbs). The tire size chart of the TOYO "Open Country A/T" is probably the most diverse on the planet. If they don't make it; then, it ain't been made!!!

Incidentally, the TOYO "Open Country A/T" in LT285/75R18 (35" O.D./66 lbs) is the only "A/T" version in this specific size tire manufactured in the world and will fit the stock OEM 18x7 rim on the 2000/2001 VX's. Yes; a very heavy tire, but a one-of-a-kind and very unique!!! Riff Raff

[kodiak]

I’ve had these on for over a year. It doesn’t matter if it’s the offset or a spacer that putts the wheel out. The stress on the ball joints is the same.

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/Spacers_800.jpg

[crotchrocket]

What size spacer is that?

[kodiak]

What size spacer is that?

They’re 1/3in thick. I got them on eBay.

[LittleBeast]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]I’ve had these on for over a year. It doesn’t matter if it’s the offset or a spacer that putts the wheel out. The stress on the ball joints is the same.

With all due respect I am going to have to totally disagree here, do not use spacers, ever, the risk of ruining your suspension components is not worth it. I do not think it is the stress on the ball joint I would be worried about, I could replace all the ball joints in a day now that I did the ball joint flip. I would be more worried about screwing up something on the lugs, etc. In my opinion the money you save by buying spacers instead of new rims and/or tires is not worth the piece of mind that you do not have some piece of metal between your wheels and the mounting surfaced that was never designed to be there. My advice in this one area is that some time spent saving some money towards what you really want is worth it instead of taking the cheap (and less safe/relable) way to widen your stance. No knock on you Kodiak, or your setup, I hope that your setup works safely for as long as you own the VX, I personally would never suggest it though.

Definitely look at your choices with the stock rims, I think you might find a tire that is close to what you are looking for.

[LittleBeast]

They’re 1/3in thick. I got them on eBay.

Oh and I hate racing stripes, ;), lol:smilewink

[kodiak]

Lol! You’re the 2nd one to say that to me, the first was my grandpa.:p No I defiantly wouldn’t use spacers if I was lifted or I had over sized tires.:rolleyes:


Oh and I hate racing stripes, ;), lol:smilewink

[crotchrocket]

Just found these in the UK http://www.bronco4x4.com/productDetails.asp?productID=564

They look quite tough!!!!