Wheel Bearings

I put on 2'' wheel spacers and a 6 inch lift about 3-4 months ago and just had my wheel bearings changed. My passenger side wheel bearing was practically non existent. I took off my spacers because I think that they were the reason for putting so much stress on the bearings. Do you think I am fine to put the spacers back on?

 

2" wheel spacers????? 6" lift????? I would say those wheel spacers are a definite liability and a 6" lift probably isn't helping any.. what sort of lift?

 

It's a rough country

 

Have you ever replaced your wheel bearings? The bearings in 07 weren't good when these trucks were built, so if they're original I wouldnt be too surprised. I don't think the lift would have a ton of effect on the wheel bearings, but other parts can definitely suffer. I might be wrong though.

 

I would get someone who really knows suspension to look at this. I am NOT a suspension expert; farthest thing from it, but a 6" lift on our small trucks is pushing it, if it's not done very well, and Rough Country doesn't have the greatest reputation.

 

Maximum wheel backspace should be 3.5", beyond that wheel bearings will fail quicker

 

I think they are the original

 

They upgraded the bearings for later years in the generation because they would fail pretty early. That was the first thing I did when I bought my truck with 170k miles on it.

 

I am just going to play it safe and keep my spacers off for a bit

 

Probably for the best if it's not rubbing too much!

 

You have this backwards. More backspacing means the wheel will tuck farther into the wheel well not out. It is all about the wheel mounting surface it's relationship to the center of the wheel. Positive offset/more backspacing means the wheel mounting surface is offset from the center towards the outside.

 

I dont have it backwards. 5" BS is what most stock Tacoma and 4Runner wheels are. 5" is tucked in, 3.5" BS is poked out.

 

Correct, but most people will run a 16" wheel with 4.5" back spacing a 17" with 4.75" or 4.5". Perhaps when you said max should be 3.5" I assumed you thought a wheel with a 4.5" back spacing was to much.

 

No, anything over, or some may call it under 3.5" BS is too much. As in 3.0" BS would cause more issues to wheel bearings and ball joints.

 

Minimum vs maximum lol.

 

Wheel bearings typically go out around 100-120k miles. Judging by the fact you're driving an '07 I'd wager your wheel bearings went out due to mileage/normal wear and tear rather than your lift and spacers.

 

The brand of wheel bearings you put in to replace the OEM bearings will have a lot to do with how long they last too. Lots of aftermarket junk out there for a lot less than OEM.

 

There are a few factors that play into this....

1. Is the one you replaced the original or at least OEM? NTK is the only "aftermarket" wheel bearing I trust if not going OEM. The reason for quotes around aftermarket is because NTK supplies bearings for many Japanese manufactures.

2. The spacer certainly doesn't help how much load is put on the bearing. Think of it this way...put 10lbs on a stick in your hand butted up against your hand, move it 2" away from your hand simulating wheel back space, now move it another 2" away from your hand simulating the wheel spacer. This is what your wheel bearing is going through, except under constant load and heavier load during turns and braking.

3. Weight/size of the wheels and tires. Now point number 2 is made worse considering your wheels/tires are probably (I'm just assuming here) far heavier and taller than the factory ones.

WAAAAYYYY back when I worked at Toyota of Des Moines as a tech we would replace wheel bearings fairly often on trucks like yours. The dealer would send a handful of trucks to a local offroad shop and they would install a 6" lift, 20" wheels and big tires (not sure the size anymore, but I remember them being about the same as a 3/4 ton wheel/tire so likely close to 90lbs each) and then sell them new with a warranty. This was as early as 06 they were doing this. Most of the trucks would need a wheel bearing every 15k-20k, mostly on the drivers side too. If it was less than 36k the dealer would figure out how to warranty them, outside of that.....it was on the customer.

 

So what is the most reputable wheel bearing for an 07 4x4? I'm still running the orginals (I've owned the truck since 2011) and they are going bad. I've got the humming and play when the truck is put on a jack.