Should I return the spacers I ordered or put them on?

I ordered RC wheel spacers 1.5 inch and I’m excited to put them on. But I have heard some nightmarish stories. Should I put them on or return them? It’s going on my stock trd off road wheel and tire set up.

 

Pros:
1. might look cool if you're in to that

Cons:
1. increases front tire wear
2. induces bump-steer because your suspension geometry is messed up
3. truck harder to control over rough terrain
4. wheel bearings and other suspension parts don't last as long
5. more paint chips from thrown rocks
6. cars behind you can't see in the rain because of your rooster tails
7. might attract a fix-it ticket in certain states

 

This all the same as if you got aftermarket wheels that had 1.5” different offset. Biggest issue I see is you have a whole other set of studs and lug nuts that could possible come loose if not done correctly.

 

Should be fine as long as they are hub centric. My old Tacoma had 1.5 spacers and I don’t think I even torqued them or lock tighted them and never had a problem, I Offroaded that truck and jumped it and what not too.

 

What exactly is “hub centric”? I mean hopefully rough country wouldn’t sell them if people wheels were falling off right?

 

So you’ve been there tried that huh? I’m sorry man. I just want them for a wider looking stance.

 

Why? You are ruining the truck, it doesn't look cool when the paint gets all jacked and you WILL pay for it down the road with bearings and other things.

If you want a little space just get slightly offset wheels. Toyota makes different offsets in the 6-lug OEM wheels

It amazes me people spend so much $$$ on these trucks and then ruin them with cheap mods

 

Automotive applications usually use the hub centric design because the support and centering of the wheel better resists impact loads from being used on typical roads. Other low-speed and low-impact applications use lug-centric designs which are less costly and strong enough for these applications. Golf carts, for example, often use lug-centric designs.

Aftermarket wheel manufacturers typically sell lug-centric attachments because the wheels will work on a wider variety of vehicles without having a specific wheel shape for a hub. Some aftermarket manufacturers provide a spacer that goes in the gap to mimic a hub-centric design. The spacer looks like a large washer that fits in the gap between the hub and wheel. It is designed to contact both the wheel and hub and acts as a means of transferring lug loads to the hub.

 

I’d only run Spidertrax or Bora spacers.

No problems with them, make sure they are torqued to spec and your fine.

I’d rather run a quality spacer and factory wheels than some shit Chinese aftermarket wheel.

 

I ran them on my last 2 Jeeps, as long as they are good quality hub-centric spacers they're OK.
I will say, I did tend to burn through front wheel bearings a bit quicker with them than without them, YMMV.

 

What is the hub bore on the RC spacers you purchased?

The Tacoma hubs are 106.1mm. Any hub bore that is larger than that is not hub centric on the Tacoma.

 

I appreciate the feed back but I guess it’s just up to me. People buy after market wheels and they stick out further than mine would with spacers? I may just hold off on installing them.

 

Who are you to tell the OP that it doesn't look cool? I think it looks awful when your rims aren't flush with your fenders.

I will agree with you on the cheap mods comment though. No way I would put any rough country garbage on my truck new or old.

OP just make sure that everything is torqued down properly and you will be just fine with your stock truck.

 

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And again I am just asking for advice so calm down if this somehow offends anyone as I don’t know yet which is why I am asking. I have a 2019 trd off road that I am in love with. If I think it is a bad idea I won’t put them on.

 

RC themselves are claiming that the spacers above are hub centric for the Tacoma, specifically, so I'm sure they'll be fine.

 

Being flush with the fenders is one thing (OK), but past the fenders will occur with 1.25" spacers and that will DESTROY the truck...which doesn't look cool.
I have owned several Tacomas and am speaking from first-hand experience

 

Not gonna lie... I read "I NEED HELP SPACERS" and expected to see something seriously brotastic, like 5inch spacers or the like.

Spacers add a potential failure point for little or no operational gains. It's entirely up to you if the feeling you get looking at it is worth the added risk. If it is then do your due diligence to mitigate the risk and make sure they're installed and maintained properly.

 

I have never understood the dislike of wheel spacers. There is no difference between a quality hub centric spacer and an aftermarket wheel with less backspacing. If they are installed with proper hardware and torqued correctly you wont have any issues.. I have used wheel spacers on nearly every car I have had for the last 20 years.. some of them being 100k cars.. It is an inexpensive mod but not really a cheap one?

 

Correct lugs for wheel spacers:


Photo below is the wrong lugs for wheel spacers:

The horror stories come from incorrect installation...your factory wheels are hub centric so you need hub centric wheel spacers and the correct lug nuts as Toyota wheels studs are not designed to carry the weight of the vehicle they are designed to provide clamping force. See photos above for clarity. So with the correct wheel spacers, correct lug nuts, some lock tite and correct installation procedure your good to go.