txjeeplover

I think I was misunderstood. I'm not opposed to the usage of the wheel spacer. It's a fine tool to address a minor spacing issue. The concern I had for you is using a 1.5" wheel spacer on a wheel that has 3.75" inches of backspacing already. The 1.5" inch spacer now gives you a total of 2.25". That places additional leverage on your bearings, spindles, and steering components. It widens your stance of course and gives the Jeep a muscular look, but there is a trade-off.

I used a similar setup on my ZJ and it resulted in multiple headaches until I changed it.

Now if I'm misunderstanding you and your new total bs is 3.75" then there is nothing wrong with that figure at all. But that tire is sticking out pretty far. Again looks great and I hope your Jeep performs the way you want it to for many years to come. But based on my experience with a similar setup: you may run into some reoccurring issues with it.

surf9

Gotcha. I understand what you mean. Do you think I should remove them and grind down the calipers instead? The wide stance is cool, but I am not attached to it if it may cause problems.

txjeeplover

I know grinding down the caliper bracket isn't an appealing idea but it may be a better route. Either way it's a tough decision and you want to be mindful of your wallet and your safety.

The setup that did it for me was a 1" spacer with 15" wheels having a 3.75" bs. Over 2 years, I replaced 4 front wheel hub bearings, all my tie rods, and 3 gear boxes. I wasn't even faced with the difficult dilemna before you. I had no clearance issue, I just wanted to widen my stance. It was an expensive lesson for me and one I hope others can avoid if possible.

jason0341

My wheels have a bs of 4.5 and on top of that I have put on some 1.5 spacers to widen my stance out some too. Bad idea? Also how could you tell when the bearings, rods, and gear boxes went out?

surf9

What about a 1/8 spacer or a 1/4? Would that be a good idea or unsafe do you think?

txjeeplover

Well you're at 3" of bs now which isn't too bad. I'm by no means an expert on this topic but my personal rule of thumb now is to not have less than 3.75" of final backspacing (the wheel's bs minus the size of any spacer). That's the minimum amount of backspacing you'll find available on aftermarket wheels and for good reason. Anything less and they risk elevated liability issues with the end-user.

If you have concerns, you can visit a reputable local tire retailer to get some guidance. I had a buddy that worked at a tire shop who explained to me why I was having all those issues on my ZJ. We removed the spacers and suddenly the issues ended.

As far how could I tell the hub bearings went out, I would jack up the front end with every other oil change, grab the tire and attempt to move it about. If the tire and wheel move with some freedom and independent of the steering knuckle then the hub bearing is bad. In one case, I removed the spindle nut and the hub fell to the ground! It's a complete sealed unit and not supposed to do that. Now if the tire and wheel move with freedom and the steering knuckle moves with them, then it could be bad ball joints. My ball joints never failed, just the $120 each hub bearings and $150 gear box.

As far as the rod and gear boxes, after the installation of the spacers, my steering became far less responsive and sloppier by the month. I replaced the tie rods hoping that would help. It did but I still wasn't comfortable with the level of control. I replaced the gear box and it felt great. But after 6-8 months it would get sloppier and less safe. After the last gear box, I removed my wheel spacers at the suggestion of my friend and voila. No more steering or front end component failures.

surf9

I just went out and got some 5/16 spacers. They are probably the smallest I can use and still clear. Thanks so much for all your input. I eventually may grind the calipers a bit, but for now this will do.

racer83l

this is currently my setup on 15" wheels..


the nitty gritty: 35" x 12.5" x 15" C load Goodyear Wangler MT/R's mounted on 15"x8"Cragar soft 8's with 4" BS. AEV Nth Degree 3.5" Premium lift

surf9

Did you have to put spacers on to make the wheels fit or did you have to grind the calipers or did they just fit?

racer83l

they rubbed the front calipers slightly.... I just let them rub.. it made sound for maybe 1/4 mile then went away.

would I do it again, yes