Wheel spacers good or bad idea?

I'm considering a set of 1 1/4" wheel spacers for my 2023 TRD Sport Manual.

Going way back, spacers were an iffy proposition as manufacturing and materials were not that great. But that was then.

I'm looking at a set of Spidertrax 1.25" center-mount, 6 on 5.5" bolt circle, 6061T6 aluminum spacers from Tacoma Lifestyle.

https://www.tacomalifestyle.com/pro...25-thick-wheel-spacers?variant=42833721360627



Any thoughts on if today's spacers are a good idea or not?

 

considering the structural nature, i would prefer to see solid steel spacers...

 

This has been covered so many times on this forum, but I also know just how bad the search function is here on TW. But alas spacers are never a good idea, just one that many people do for variety of reasons. Spidertrax is a good manufacturer.

They also may make your tires rub in some locations on the truck - others will post just where, but it depends upon your tire size and wheel offset.

 

I've run the same Spidertrax 1.25" for >70k miles (~116k on the truck) and have towed close to max weight. This style is hub centric which are better than the iffy spacers of yesteryear that you reference. Correct installation is key.. properly torque using red lock-tite then check the torque again after a few hundred miles.

Unfortunately due to annual vehicle inspections I remove them each year and re-install.. because I trust my work more than some stranger (and the rears have to be removed to check the brakes.)

 

Agreed, no problem with spacers like the ones you linked to, those are fine. Bora is another good brand as well, which they have some sizes Spidertrax does not (1-inch for example).
The ones to avoid are the unbranded / off-branded ones you'll find scattered all over Ebay & Amazon (usually made of softer aluminum and with lower-grade studs, there have also been some reports of them being machined off-center too). I've had Bora 1" on mine for several years now... Have hauled many loads (to include heavy loads of firewood, and also plywood), been through many off road trails with them too. No issues.

As noted above, they become an extra item to take off to remove the brake rotor or drum... Although if you have an impact, it's but maybe 10-15 extra seconds for each one (of course you still have to put them back on, which agreed, you want to make sure all the surfaces are properly clean, and the nuts torqued to spec).

 

Never a 'good idea'.

It introduces an additional failure point. Simple as that.
The bigger the spacer, the greater the load.

Materials are better than they used to be. But this does not negate the above.

Spacers are simply banned in many countries due to past failures.

 

Any kind of spacer is a bad idea, wheel, suspension, body...they're looks oriented with no functionality.

 

What is your intended purpose? Wider stance for looks or UCA clearance to fit wider tires?

Mfg quality-wise, the Spidertrax spacers are going to be more trustworthy than 90% of the chineseium aftermarket wheels out there.

 

What countries have banned spacers?

 

Follow the directions on install and try not to take them off and on a lot and you'll be fine.
Had my Spidertrax on for 3 years with no problems.
Including hard wheeling.

 

I don’t know if spacers themselves are banned, but in Deutschland you can’t even change tire size or rims unless they are manufacturer approved AND listed on the registration document. Zulassung is the name and it is much more detailed than the registration we are required to carry and show a Police office.

 

So how did this Ford Raptor get registered?

 

I ran Bora .75 spacers for 5 years and over 100k miles and never had a problem. I stopped using the loctite because it would dry rock hard onto the studs and gum them up. They never came loose, never backed off torque, never caused any problems whatsoever. I literally forgot they were on there most of the time.

The whole worry about the 6 nuts coming loose is completely overblown. If you can't get 6 lugnuts tight then your wheel was going to come off anyway

Send it

 

Are you saying the Raptor has wheel spacers or tries/rims not specified by the manufacturer? Don’t know the specifics.

It’s coming up to six years since I left so I don’t know if the Raptor is sold in the EU. Many US vehicles are brought to Deutschland by US military personal and sometimes left/sold to the Deutsch. My understanding the buyer must jump through a lot of hoops to get it in compliance with EU law. So many hoops that few want to try it. Even having the modifications signed off by an engineer. Others are just directly imported and have to go through the same process. Much like if you were to import to the US a vehicle that is not sold here by the dealers, almost an impossible task. Some are just display vehicles, similar to historic vehicles here in the US.

Even saw some vehicles in other countries with State side plates I assumed were stolen vehicles. I considered asking those people how they were driving in Europa with Illinois plates. Decided not to for my safety.

US military personnel's vehicles while stationed there are exempt from compliance with most of the standards.

Deutschland registered vehicles have to go through safety and smog inspections every two years. Most of that is brakes and frame rot. I had to take my EU vehicle through the process twice. My snow tires had rims that were not Mercedes rims so I had to get the paperwork from the tire dealer which he neglected to give me upon the sale. The manufacturer of the rims had previously had them certified as compliant with whatever standards applied for my individual vehicle.

I suspect that if you were to pass the two year inspection and then be pulled over for a modification that was not included you would be facing some major legal troubles. They do not need probable cause to stop you. There are regular road blocks that can be setup anywhere within a community. In these stops they may stop every vehicle or every five or whatever number they wish. In my travels this was the most troubling.

 

Didn’t realize that post got that long. A quick check on Wikipedia shows the Raptor is sold in the EU.

 

Australia for one...

- I had to say 'many' didn't I??

NZ perhaps? (Not sure).

Now I owe you research... but I can't look now!

 

Spidertrax or Bora are the two recommended brands.

 

You’re telling me no hoons be running spacers? They all say “no spacas, you gotta get the proper offset there mate”

 

I run spidertrax zero issue. Jeeps run them all the time and no issue same with the car scene.

 

Its for Ford guys who have small pepes, dont be that guy