To buy or not to buy wheel spacers and why

That's definitely not the experience I've had at any location in AZ...I went in there with a 3 inch lift and they put larger than stock tires on without any gripe. None of the Discounts I've seen do alignment services either, I thought they were strictly tires. Maybe there is a subsidiary of theirs in your area, but they still do business as Discount Tire.

 

I have 1.25" wheel spacers and have purchased tires from discount tire and had them warrantied with no issues.

 

I've 1" spacers from these guys for a few years now ,, these same spacers I had on 2nd gen and they fit the same on our 3rd gen ,, no issues at all

http://motorsport-tech.com/bora.html

 

1.5" spacers here, no issues at all. If I don't opt for aftermarket wheels w/back spacing
I put on spacers...every time. I like the wider stance much better.

Purchased from - wheelersoffroad

 

Hell no.

 

It's a 2wd, there's your problem. And that's not a BORA or spidertrax spacer. Probably some eBay special with cheese grade studs

 

Not mine; thank god.

There was a member on here that had a name brand spacer and he had the lugs sheer off on the highway. No thanks. (I'm trying to find the thread)

EDIT:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-rectified-prerunner-build.155157/page-179

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/wheel-spacers-be-smart-with-them.314604/

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/tire-fell-off-going-down-road-wheel-spacer-failure-1054227/

 

See my changes above..threw a few more in there for reading..

 

What is the advantage to using spacers other than the obvious, being looks.

 

Loose lug nuts and non/centric will can do the same thing

 

Buying the proper wheels always helps too

 

I thought this member was running with a sheared stud and this was the result? I didn't think it had anything to do with the spacer itself

 

The stock wheels are specified with a given offset so that when they are mounted, the truck weight rests on the center of the bearings.

This is because bearings are designed to operate while a force is exerted perpendicular to their axle.

Some people install aftermarket wheels without paying attention to the wheel's offset value. If the offset is not the same, the bearings will be loaded at an angle an incure undue stress on one side, which they are not designed to do. No alignment is going to change that.
Some wider aftermarket wheels are just fine because they have the same offset as stock. The amount they stick out should be the same as they stick in if things are still centered on the bearing.

It has always puzzled me why some people would ignore the offset. The concept is fairly simple to understand. But regardless, they will pick a set of wheels because "it looks pretty", disregarding the "it works pretty shitty" mechanics of incorrect offset.

Wheel spacers cause the same problem in essence, only worse. They are a guarantee of incorrect offset.

I get that you think "it's pretty" and all and you're after looks. Spotting wheel spacers is how I spot an idiot. That's how it looks to me.

 

+1

 

Try that with a 1st gen.

My uncle had 2" spacers on his 3500 dually and was hit in a curve. Took out the axle. Tore driveshaft from trans. Bent one rim. 18k worth of damage, spacers are still fine.

 

Posts like these is how I spot an idiot

 

I always wondered about this. My question is: why does toyota sell their TRD Pro wheels with a different offset for the same truck? e.g., the SEMA 17 inch wheels and the new TRD Pro 16 inch wheels.

How does this work, and how does it affect things?

 

I'm not going to spend my life worrying about a $50 wheel bearing. If I have to replace them every 30k, so be it.

 

since when does discount tire/americas tire do alignments?

 

Make them stick out more, get a little wider tire in maybe?