3rd Gen wheels on a 1st Gen

First post but a longtime lurker. I have the opportunity to purchase some 2016 sr5 16x7 wheels. I have seen second gen wheels put on 1st gens but not 3rd gen wheels. As I understand there is no size difference between 2nd and 3rd gen wheels, am I right on this? I also understand that to put 2nd gen wheels on I need wheel spacers due to increased backspacing. This brings my main question, are there any major downsides to having 1" spacers if I get a good name one like spidertrax or Bora? Do I need them on all 4 wheels or just the fronts? Will 1" spacers require the studs to be shortened as I read may need to be done on wheelers off roads website? Oh and I'm running the stock p265 70 r16 tires and I dont plan to go up anytime soon.

 

Not sure about 1" spacers but 1.25" require no shortening of the studs and that's what most people get - spydertrax only comes in 1.25". Any additional wear and tear on your wheel bearings has yet to be quantified in a scientific test so anyone saying "I put spacers on and my wheel bearing was shot a month later," can't blame the spacer due to lack of scientific evidence. Obviously they load the bearing with a greater moment, but no ones done a study on it that I've seen. Plus a lot of wheels are 3.5" backspaced so 1.25" out with a spacer from a 4.5" backspaced 2nd gen wheel isn't going to much different than an aftermarket wheel as far as the bearing is concerned. Just torque the open nuts and drive 5 miles, then check torque again. No loc-tite required as per the owner or Bora, which makes sense if you don't loc-tite your studs without spacers when you put your lug nuts on. Then just check torque when doing tire rotations. Boom. Done. Had them for a couple years and they never budged from 70 ft-lbs as per Bora's spec.

Your tire size will determine if you need spacers or not as well, even with aftermarket wheels. I am not 100% certain you'll need spacers with that size tire.

 

in an older thread a tech savvy member actually run some computer tests between wheel spacers and wheels with the equivalent amount less bs. it was shown theres virtually no difference to bearing load (which is common sense so idk why ppl blame spacers)). thats even taking into account the warping of the materials under load.

 

If I was rich I could afford a Porsche with two or three piece wheels. That's basically what a spacer is with a one piece wheel. Pro drifters use 4-5" spacers although I don't think they give af about their bearings lol.

 

i have an 07 4runner and an 02 tacoma trd, both with stock wheels. the 4runner wheels definitely require spacers to run on the tacoma, as you say due to the backspacing issues with the caliper and steering knuckle.

i don't think it matters which brand spacers you use; all that matters is that they are hub-centric. you just want the wheel sitting on the hub, not the studs. (which means the weight of the truck is sitting on the hub, not the studs)

regarding 1", i don't see why you would need to shorten the studs. i have 1.25" spacers and there are no issues with the studs. i would recommend going with 1.25" just to make sure you have enough clearance.

 

The weight of the vehicle never rests on the little hub rings on spacers unless the clamping force of the lug nuts on the studs is removed. If that happens the wheel isn't staying on. The rings are just convenient to hang the wheel on when mounting them. Conical acorn style lug nuts center the wheel if tightened in a cross cross pattern regardless of what style spacer / hub they're going on. The only way the rings that fit inside the hubs would support any weight would be if you had to press fit the wheels on, which is probably not the optimal way to put wheels on

That stuff gets put out there a lot, not sure where it started.

I had FJ steelies on the truck when I bought it - wonder what the backspacing was? 4.5"?

 

Love those

My favorite !

 

I thought about blacking them out. Thoughts?

 

I think black is played out

 

Already got the black trim, I say go for it!

 

Well im gonna meet the guy about them tomorrow. It sounds like I may not have to run spacers if I keep my 265 75 r16 tires, but I'm comfortable getting them if I have to. Thanks