Are wheel spacers as terrible as everyone makes them to be??

I have a 05 tacoma with a 3" OME lift and 265/75/16 BFG AT's mounted on stock rims. I get scrubbing on my upper A-arms when turning into parking spaces or backing out. I have always understood wheel spacers to be a bad idea, for safety and wheel bearing longevity. Are they really that bad, b/c i see them run all the time, and would they help with my scrubbing?

 

they will help with your uca rubbing but may make you rub in our wheel wells, but you can always trim that.

alot of people run spacers. i have run them on my truck for a while, and i drive the shit out of my truck off road, no problems, just check them every month or so if you off road alot

 

There is also the matter of getting what you pay for. The Spidertrax spacers are popular and have a good rep. I have them too.

 

ok, yes i am no person to buy cheap junk, unless they are simple parts, something like this i would not skimp on. Any recommendations on a size to get?

 

1.25 hud centric spider trax or 1.5 inch all pro.

unless you just want to fix the uca rub then im sure you could get like a 8th inch spacer

 

I run spydertrax no problem. They wear out your bearings just as fast as any other wide wheel and twice the room for error. Anyone with basic common sense about vehicles should have no problem running them. And the 1.25 on each side may seem subtle but it looks 10 times better.

 

i am surprised that size will even rub. i met a lady with a stocker running that size. rancher lady. she said she gets zero contact.

 

I wonder how bad would i rub with the spidertrax on 265/75/16 at stock height??

 

here my opinion, "wheel spacers" got a bad name in the old days b/c people were using them improperly. to properly use wheel spacers, it is recommended that you add longer studs to make up for the lost depth of thread that the spacer is taking up. imagine people using 1/2" spacers, that's a lot of thread lost for the lugs. plus, now the wheels aren't mounted flush like they should be which can cause all kinds of vibrations and balancing issues.

"wheel adapters" on the other hand has a pretty good reputation given that you go with hub-centric adapters. the hub-centric adapters allow you to have the wheel centered on the hub as well as carry the load like it was engineered to. you don't lose any threads on the studs and you gain the clearance needed or achieve that aggressive look.

 

i run this size with no rub. im at 1.75 up front though

 

Thanks for te info guys, yeah I think just getting the tires outta the wheel wells will make it look better as well and stopping the runnbing. Also will I need ones for front and rear or just front? Never used spacers before so don't know much about em.

 

i would do all four to get a balanced look. just remember to buy hub-centric wheel adapters only. it's a little more expensive, but it's the right way to do it.

 

Yes, I will buy hub centric. I will prob go w/ spidertrax

 

Been running spider tax for 2 years with no problems other then no1 but 4wheel parts will work on my tires now. Discount tire won't even get near my truck. That's the only really frustrating part.

 

I have had a set of the spidertrax on the front of my Jeep for 3+ years w/o any problems. Check 'em every once in a while to make sure they are tight, but they have yet to be loose at all. Good stuff.

 

Spidertrax with no issues. HUB CENTRIC as everyone stated use the right part in the right way and there are no problems. If you rub the inner fenderwells, heat the offending area with a heat gun and the plastic will shrink out of the way.