I've been searching and not coming up with too much on this topic! I know if I bought retail the price of spacers is about the same as wheels, but I have a chance to pick up some spacers cheap!

My 31's rub on my LCA's and I kinda like my wheels..so is there a mechanical reason not to put on spacers? The spacers are actually 2", which are larger than I think I want, but I don't know if it'll be a real issue.

Would it cause more stress on parts if using spacers vs. wheels?

 

I think stock backspacing is 5.25" on stock jeep rims. 2 inch spacer would put you at 3.25" of backspacing basically on stock rims. the further out you put em, the harder it is on your wheel bearings and ball joints. typically with 31's 4.5" of backspacing will clear, while most run 4" even.

 

Some say they cause more strain on your front wheel/hub bearings, and they'll be more apt to rub on your fenders.

 

most people run 4" BS on an 8" wide rim for not only clearance but the more you center the wheel over the wheel bearing the easier it is on parts.

And if you think about it $100 per axle on spacers of $100-$120 per axle on a new set of rims with the right bs and offset...


But like ol"blue said you may rub on the flares or even the fenders and when you turn it will push the fenders in with a 2" spacer(that is far out there).. (see pictures-there is a big gap between the fender and the flare)

 

i ran them..just didnt feel safe. just the thought in the back of my head that the wheel isnt connected directly to the hub going down the freeway just didnt sit right with me. if it were a trail only rig however i would have no problem running them.

 

but as far as actually running a wheel spacer. as long as they are torqued down properly and checked for torque every now and again there is no real issue with running them.

 

Hmm.. I think I'll just keep waiting till a killer deal comes my way on some rims. All the responses have touched on things I've been thinking about already! If they weren't 2 inches I might be more comfortable about it but that just seems like a lot.

 

Are wheels this far out putting a lot of strain on the wheel bearings or are you still good?

 

ball joints are under more stress with the wider stance.

if you think thats bad however you should see my buddys xj, 8.5" IRO long arm, 37" pitbulls, american racings with 4" BS and 1 1/2" spacers.

 

These are actually a 15x8 with 4"(or -12mm) back spacing. I was just running a wide tire with little lift. but having a wheel spaced out more will do the same thing

 

So is he a balljoint replacement pro? I totally understand that the spacers are harder on the balljoints. What I don't know is how much they'll take. Judging by your buddy's though I'm thinking 31-33's on 2" probably isn't even close to what his is supporting! Sick XJ though..

 

yeah its pretty stable for how tall it is. ball joints arent to expensive. but still..haha

 

and spacers on right won't hurt anything. i knew people who autocrossed with spacers so if they stay on racing on a track, they'll stay on for us

 

this is true, its just me worrying about stupid crap. i never had an issue at all with my spacers. just properly torque them.

 

spacers do weight about 5-7lbs. so it will rub some power and mpg. i'm planning on doing an 8.8 swap and it's about 1.7" narrower than stock rear end, so i think i'm gonna run spacers. my buddy ran a set on his ZJ with stock wheels and had no problems out of'em. also keep in mind though, the narrower your stance is, the more rollover leverage you gain. not to say that you must run spacers if you lift it, but any lift requires wider tire to tire distance to maintain stability.