Stock 2018 TRD OR - 265/75/16 Duratracs & 1.25" Spidertrax Spacers

Hey everyone,

I have done 100+ hours of research on this topic and wanted to get some final advice from TW before pulling the trigger on my first tire upgrade for my beloved 2018 Tacoma TRD Off Road MT. There are countless threads on TW discussing this topic, and it feels like I have seen most of them several times now.

• Will 265/75/16 Goodyear Duratracs on stock TRD OR wheels rub on a stock 2018 TRD OR with 1.25" spacers?

I am fairly certain it will not rub without spacers. I know there are valid reasons against getting spacers. I finally found a shop willing to install them and, after so many months of deciding, it feels like I should go big or go home on this one. These trucks looks better with a wider stance imo, and I want to get as wide as possible without a lift.

I have read some reports of no rubbing with this setup, slight rubbing when turning hard onto a dipping road, all the way up to a "ton of rub". I can get the tires and spacers by this weekend, but am not sure if I should also order a set of .75" or 1" spacers, or how hard it is to get them off once they're stuck on there. After looking again just now at the gaps in the wheel wheels, it doesn't seem like pushing them out would cause more problems than the larger wheel size itself.

I sincerely appreciate this forum for guiding me this far in this decision, and also Discount Tire for providing me (on TW) the quote that finally made me willing to pull the trigger. Here are some recent pics of my truck in Montana and at Lake Coeur d'Alene. I love it so much and I just want the best for it.

 

Quick pointer that your stock wheels are not 0 offset, they are +25. Those 1.25” spacers will put you at closer to -7 offset.

Will it rub or not will depend mostly on your alignment. This is why some do and some don’t.

If you are not ok with potentially trimming some plastics, then skip the spacers and just order the tires.

I say send it and do some minor trimming if needed. Good luck.

 

I have those tires on my stock OR wheels (no spacers) and there is absolutely no issue, it's only a 1 inch difference (3.4%) between stock and those Duratracs.

 

Thanks man. Now that you say +25, that does sound right. I'm not sure where I got the 0 from.. All I knew was that they would fit I guess lmao

I've heard that about the alignment, but wasn't sure if it was true. I'm guessing realigning it just so that components will clear would likely cause some pretty significant handling and tire wear issues.

Thanks dude. You got any pics? They look great without the spacers, but part of me wants to know if it'll fit so badly...

If 1.25" spacers do cause the wheels to rub, how hard is it to remove the spacers from the hubs? I'm planning to have this done at Discount Tire.

 

Great pics!

I was going to run this setup on my 22 OR but with 1" bora spacers to get close to a 0 offset with stock wheels. I did a bunch of research and felt like the 1" spacer was the right fit for this truck because it would allow a wider stance without rubbing or need for mods with the size tire you mentioned.

I even bought the spacers but am getting ready to sell my wheels and will sell them soon too.

 

Thanks man! First long road trip with the truck. It was such a great time.

I've been looking into the 1" spacers quite a bit as well. The easiest/quickest to get for me right now are the 1.25" Spidertrax; there are a bunch with next-day shipping available on Amazon. The Boras seem like the best option in the 1" size. Too bad you didn't end up completing the setup, but thanks for the input.

It's hard to believe a quarter inch would make that big of a difference, but the more I think about it, for off roading especially, that extra distance may keep things more comfortable rub-wise.

 

I don't have the spacers on my Tacoma but have had them on a vehicle in the past. They're not hard to install or remove, I'd recommend a piece of wood or a piece of PVC pipe to wedge against the brake pedal and the steering wheel or seat, it's to apply the brakes and prevent the wheel from spinning as your loosening and tightening the nuts onto the spacers. Usually, the tire is touching the ground which prevents the wheel from moving when you're loosening or tightening the wheel but you don't have that with the spacers so the brakes can act in that capacity.

Thanks for asking this question because I'll probably be in the same boat soon enough. Please post your findings and pics and enjoy!

 

Update if anyone's interested:

I got the 265/75/16 Duratracs installed today at Discount Tire. They agreed to install hubcentric spacers, but I decided to have the new tires mounted first to see how things look without them.

I feel like the 1.25" spacers will fit. Maybe even 1.5", but I've never heard of anyone running this setup.

The truck feels fantastic. The manual transmission likes the additional weight, shift points are a little different but actually better and more balanced on the low end. I haven't taken it to highway speeds yet.

It looks great as is imo. I'm still interested in the spacers for cosmetic reasons, but if anything I think performance might be degraded slightly. Tempted to hit a trail tomorrow to test these things out.





Total cost out the door including installation, balancing, disposal of old tires and rebates came in under $800. I'd expected to pay north of $1200 -- shout out to Discount Tire.

 

Had that same set up . Bought and installed the spidertrax 1.25 spacer . Took it out after several days and sold it . I didn’t like it. Tacoma drives and rides different . Didn’t feel as cushy . Rides a little rough . Did rub slightly passenger side on reverse even after I took out the stock mudguard .

 

Appreciate the intel, bro. I've never run spacers before and have heard mostly negative things... The difference in ride I noticed today versus my 265/70/16 winter tires was bigger than expected. There's a lot of nuance with this stuff and I don't doubt the spacers hurt the feel of the truck..

 

@khax , You can have them install it and if you don’t like it, you can remove and sell them .

 

Looks good! $800 seems a good price too

 

Thanks dude. I've been standing in my driveway looking at it all evening lol. Discount Tire and Goodyear both have promotions going right now. I got a price match with Amazon, and took the AAA member discount as well. I didn't think they'd let me stack them all, but they were super helpful and accommodating with everything. It was like 5 discounts and no certificates (DT's extended warranty) to get to that price. They were busy but held to the 1 hour install time. I used to take all my cars to Les Schwab but I had a really good experience with DT. They didn't pay me to say this I swear lol

 

everyone has their own opinion.

about the spacers.....i ran them on my 4runner and Tacoma. and i will swear by this.....it ruins your ride quality. don't know what it is. but my Tacoma was great with my Bilstein 6112. i installed 1.5" spacers and the truck got super stiff and rough. i was embarased to give my dad a ride in it. took off the spacers off the next day and the truck drove great. so i am against spacers ever since then.




about the tires fitting......i keep saying that most trucks are different. most will fit the 265-75-16 with no issues. but a odd ball here and there will rub.

like people said, it all depends on your alignment.

 

So I’m not alone. Got rid of mine too . Same observations.

 

My intuitive aversion to them was always due to the increased distance between the inside edge of the tires, and the suspension components. I'm a tall dude, and I know how much of a difference there is when you push a weight-bearing component outward. It's like when two similarly-fit dudes, one 5'8" and the other 6'6" try to bench or curl the same weight. You increase the distance between the joint and the weight, and the level of exertion needed to move it increases. I had not, however, considered that this would push the Tacoma's suspension compenents into a kind of rigid stasis in order to compensate, compromising overall ride quality.

This makes sense to me, and in all of the threads I've read I've never had anyone really bring the ride-quality factor to my attention. I appreciate both of your guys' input. It seemed to me that the main issue would be with longevity of suspension components and axles. They look so good with a wide stance, but I also like how the truck rides since I got the tires put on today. The improvement over the winter tires is awesome; it feels more like a truck.

I just went and grabbed a pizza and it's cold now because I stood out in my driveway looking at the truck on its new tires for so long lmaoooo

 

Couple more pics of 265/75/r16 Goodyear Duratrac on stock TRD OR wheels for anyone who is interested. Ride quality has greatly improved. You really feel that there is an extra inch of rubber. I've thrown it around some corners like I used to, and once the back end kind of throws itself out and comes back to equilibrium, there's a little bit of bounce-back that you can feel down low. It's hard to explain but it's kinda nice lol. The first few gears work better with the added weight and wheel diameter. Just in my time driving it around town, the speeds at which you can cruise in 1st or 2nd are much more practical for going through parking lots, etc. I feel that it will improve off-road capabilities in this same way. I haven't put into into 4Hi or 4Lo yet.

I took it to 75MPH today for the first time, and it felt amazing. A nicer ride than the 265/70/16 winter tires for sure. The added height is subtle, but you can tell the truck feels bigger when you're driving it. Absolutely in love with this thing right now.

I know the Duratracs supposedly get louder as the miles on em increase, but there is absolutely no issue with road noise and tbh I'm kind of annoyed at all of the folks acting as if that was a major issue with these tires. It makes me wonder what a true mud tire actually sounds like if these are so aggressive looking, yet quiet.

 

Starts to get louder on mine around 20t miles . My verdict/ I still love mine. It’s my second set on my 2017 . Planning to get same tires once these wears out . I guess I’ll have a year more 2 more to go

 

Looks good, although I'd definitely have to disagree on the tires making the performance better. My truck lugged bad with stock gears in 2nd gear at parking lot speed, and the larger tires made that significantly worse.

As for spacers, I would not go down that path. The TRD Sema wheels are 7" wide and +4 offset. With the same size tires, but on an OR rim with a 1 or 1.25" spacer, you will be even further out at around 0 offset or -7 offset, respectively. The Semas rubbed with that size tire in some conditions (mostly turning right and hitting a bump). The OR wheel with a spacer will be worse. You can certainly try, but you're going to lose money and you definitely will rub in some instances. I would leave that alone and just leave it how you have it. If you do decide to pursue those, they are not difficult to remove at all. Either use an impact wrench to zip the spacer's nuts off, or lodge a rod down on the brake pedal to hold the brakes which would allow you to get the nuts off with a breaker bar, ratchet, or similar.

 

The thing I like in particular is the fact that it slowed 1st down slightly. The stock gearing for first (and especially reverse) is just a little too fast for certain things. I like moving slower in 1st while having the ability to rev it up to 4-5k if I need to. One of the things I dislike most about the MT is how often I'm unnecessarily working the clutch in tight parking lots (pedestrians, people backing out, etc). It feels easier to just stick in in first and let it idle now. I've heard conflicting reports, but my clutch is often super loud when pushing it all the way down at low speed in first. It's like a metal clunk. I almost took the truck back in 2021 when I bought it, but I found several people online describing the same situation, and claiming that it's normal. I haven't had any issues with the clutch (55k miles now), but I have a subconscious aversion to fully engaging the clutch in first while slowing down in certain situations. It's hard to explain and I'm not quite sure why it happens, but I can feel when it will.

Another thing I've always disliked with this specific MT is trying to roll through the occasional stop sign; the truck doesn't like shifting into 1st while it's moving at all, but I'll lug badly in 2nd gear if I put it there after coming to a partial stop going a few miles per hour. Second gear definitely isn't super useful in parking lots or low speed situations typically, but it's easier to cruise in 25mph zones in 2nd now than it was previously. Just gotta rev it a little higher instead of thinking about shifting to 3rd around 28-30mph.

I appreciate the advice man, you got a nice looking truck as well. I'm gonna hold off on the spacers for the time being. Truck looks great the way it is, and the ride feels cushy in a good way imo. Can't wait to take it off road.