Towing and wheel spacers - any issues?

Well then you would be incorrect

 

Well say what you want but it's not a secret cast aluminum isn't as strong as billet. I learned that when screwing around with paintball crap years ago.

I got my spacers for cosmetic at this point. Put my tires out exactly where I wanted. I also got them for future plans of lift and bigger tires one day.

I personally don't see the difference between the spacers and wheels with different offset, either way the tires are farther out than designed. I know it hasn't been brought up yet but that's going to be shortly...

 

x2. I understand wheel studs are more prone to breaking off due to improper applied torque but with spacers, you've just doubled the chance for failure. There's an added failure point. Before you just had 6 wheel studs that need to be properly and evenly torqued per wheel, with spacers you have 12. All things being equal, that's still double the chance of failure.

 

How? Using an impact or torque wrench? I used to work installing tires and all I will say about that and the dipshits I worked with is there is a reason I do my own work...

 

Sorry Mike,,, I don't buy it.....thats like telling me my 10 wheel tractor attached to my tri-axle trailer now has more chance to loose a wheel compared to an 18 wheeler..... TORQUE IS TORQUE should not matter on number of matching surfaces unless someone gets lazy or should not be "touching" things they know NOTHING about...

 

Not quite the same. Bolts can fail for multiple reasons, case in point is Monkeyproof who had his studs fail due to fatigue from constantly changing wheels around. With wheel spacers, you don't have 12 lugs all holding on one wheel, you have 6 studs holding in 6 more and 2 planes of potential failure (between the hub and the spacer and between the spacer and the wheel). Whether you buy it or not, there is more opportunity for failure with wheel spacers than without.

 

I don't buy it

 

Agreed that the chances are more likely but from improper install rather than the spacers themselves. It just adds 24 more opportunities for something to fail. It only makes sense that if "something" can break and you double that "thing"... It doubles the chances of that "thing" breaking...

 

with the idea of the lugs fatiguing the spacers aren't being taken off and put back on repeatedly. also taking an exception and quoting it as the norm doesn't seem right. the two examples of why its bad sounds like one was over torqued and the other one was a guy that liked different wheels a lot... those are exceptions. how about the rest of the guys that say they are fine and had no issues that rotate tires at normal intervals only and torque them correctly?

 

Yeah, but you're in Canada, the ice will hold your wheels on year round

More or less.

No where did I exaggerate and say that an outlying case was the norm. I simply said it introduces more points for potential failure. There are obviously lots of people who run them without issue and I would 100% agree that they can be run without issue. That being said, I wouldn't put them on my vehicle and I've stated one of my reasons. The other is I don't want the added stress they put on wheel bearings or other suspension parts.

 

at least I own a Tacoma

 

I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about

 

Same thing just happened to me . Iv had the spacers and wheels on the truck for 2.5 yrs now. I do all my own work and always use torque wrench. I used 85lbs on both wheel and spacers along with lock tight with the spacers and a proper criss cross install. Only taken the wheels off once to replace brakes in the 2.5 years. Yesterday I was driving home from welding class and noticed a vibration start suddenly so I got over into the carpool lane so I could pull over on the shoulder to check and when I hit the brakes SNAP!! And my brake pedal lost pressure since the rotor was moving all around . Luckily it was a straight section and I was able to slide to a stop while watching my (285/70/17) wheel almost take out multiple cars as it cruises another mile down the freeway before coming to a stop. If you live in So Cal you know how terribly bumpy the 91 freeway is out bear the 215 and I suspect the lugs were already stressed and weakened but the bumpy freeway was the straw that broke the camels back. After talking to a friend of mine who has a long travel tacoma I learned the same thing happened to him out in the dessert and was stranded for 7 hours. He said his wheel spacer was still bolted to the wheel just like mine . I don't buy the whole ( over-under torque) issue because I know confidently mine were properly torqued. Especially mud tires in combination I think just puts to much extra leverage on the lugs than the grade they are designed for.

What are your thoughts ?

 

My thoughts, don't run spacers. Get a properly backspaced wheel. Seen this happen in person twice.

 

makes me wonder actually... it was the trucks lugs that failed