Wheel spacers, offset, and wheel bearing wear...?

What would be worse for wear on bearings, bigger tires or more offset and backspacing?

Example:

I have 265/75/16 tires (which are one size bigger than stock) on 16x8 wheels with 4.5bs and 0 offset. So bigger tires on wheels with more offset and bs.

Besides obviously going back to OEM wheel with stock size tires, which one out of these two options would put less stress on the bearings?

1) Changing to smaller, stock size tires (265/70/16) on the same 16x8 4.5bs 0 offset wheel.

2) Keeping one size bigger than stock (265/75/16) tires, but mounting them on OEM wheels with proper 5.5 backspacing and 30mm offset.

I would think that more offset is worse than bigger tires, but just wanted to clarify. Thanks.

 

Spacers have nothing to do with only getting 20k out of the bearings. Either your hub is fubar, the bearings were fubar, or they were improperly installed. Anyone replacing them 10 times in 100k is batshit crazy or stupid IMO.

The statistical majority of bearing failures (50%) is directly related to either under greasing or over-greasing. http://www.timken.com/en-us/solutio...s3_Inadaquate_Grease_Lubrication_Part1of3.pdf

 

Aren't the wheel bearings on our trucks a sealed unit bearing type? How would one over or under grease a sealed bearing?

 

I thought they were sealed, at least thats was what I found in my research.



Also one more thought. Toyota TX/Baja wheels. Aparently they are same specs as FJ wheels, around 4.75bs or so compared to 5.5 of other TRD's and SR5's.

I thought both TX, TX Pro packages are mechanically same as other TRD's or even SR5's, therefore my logic tells me these trucks equiped with these wheels with more backspacing from the factory would have a good chance of suffering from the same premature wheel bearing wear as described in this thread, right?

So while some of us may speed up the wear process by mounting aftermarket wheels, others potentially inherit those problems for free from the factory? Or do these TX/TX Pro trucks come with beefier bearings, or different parts? Probably not...

Just curious...

 

such a good explanation well done hah

 

blah idk how to use forums but i meant to say that about benwa's post

 

I'll like to know more about this.

 

I'd like to go with the Toyota TRD wheels that have a 4mm offset but since my stock wheels are 30mm offsets I am concerned about bearing wear after reading this, are my concerns legit or is there something like different back spacing involved
?

 

A change from factory +30mm to a +4mm places each wheel a little over 1" out from stock. You can do the math from the post I made above and decide for yourself. Its all about trade-offs.

I have had both the front and rear bearings apart and can say that that up to now the fronts just seemed wimpy to me. On the other hand the rears have a double-row of pretty substantial ball bearings. Probably this is for loads that would be hauled. So in my mind the problem has always been the front ones,

But,

There is potentially good news for us. A new and improved front bearing has been quietly released. I'm calling it the HD bearing for now. You can read about it in another thread of mine below. IMHO get this bearing and no other if you have to do a repair. Will it allow more flexibility for different offsets? Time will tell... http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/6...aring-improved-oem-bearing-now-available.html

 

Any update on this? Are these heavy duty front bearings factory spec on 2016 tacos now?

 

Well I just had to replace my wheel bearings today…definitely going to remove my spacers when I change oil this weekend.


Stock wheel bearings made it to 138k miles but I know a couple guys who run stock setups that got to 180k.

Has anyone else decided to go back to stock backspacing/ wheels?