kansaskid

what are your guy's and gals thoughts on wheel spacers and do they serve any real purpose other than wasting money?

i will be using my jeep as my DD and doing some light to moderate trail riding/ off roading with it. nothing crazy like mud runs or anything. just playing around and having a good time, and turning heads.

mhockey9090

Plenty of people run them and they serve a purpose. For those who want to run larger tires, such as 35x12.5 on their stock rims will need spacers to fit them. For people who have aftermarket rims and bump up to larger tires like 37s and 40s can also use spacers to be able to fit those instead of having to buy new rims with less backspacing.

If you don't want to run spacers then your option is to buy rims with the correct backspacing to fit the tire you're wanting to run.

kansaskid

so if i have 33's on stock 18 inch wheel, do they serve any real purpose?

casamtb

I have 275/70 coopers On stock 18 rims and needed spacers to clear with a level kit And still have to trim air dam a bit.

nthinuf

Perhaps your actual question is "Does the wider stance given by wheel adapters have any negative effects?"

It makes your jeep look cooler. A wider stance can help in some situations offroad, or to help counteract added height from a lift. As already noted, they help keep larger tires from rubbing. The negatives might be things like fender coverage laws, which vary by state. More wear and tear on some components. The cost. They need to be installed correctly and then maintained.

For you, it sounds like they would serve no real purpose.

crawldad

better bang for the buck instead of wheel spacers...

quick disconnects for your anti-sway bars, so your jeep can do what that one just above in casamtb's profile picture is doing. dont forget to reconnect them when you go back to the highways tho...

but there are plenty of things you can do to enjoy the sport without spending big $$$

go through the basics of 4x4 offroading, you will need a jack, winch or come-along of some sort etc.
something to put your tires back at highway psi since off roading you will be running 15-18psi or so

learn all the rules to stay safe and relaxed and enjoying yourself

p.s. never go alone. never ever.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stor...hip-death.html

kansaskid

ive got 275/70r18 bfgoodrich ko2s and a 3 inch lift, and i dont think i have any rubbing issues at the moment, but i do plan on making my own disconnects here in the future. it is kind of a back burner issue since it is snowy and frozen here in iowa right now...

kansaskid

i think you might be on to something that i didnt even realize i was asking. has anybody here ever been in a situation where you couldnt go somewhere because of wheel spacers? ive heard and seen that 6 inches left or right can make a difference on a trail line, so i would assume that the same sorta thing could be said about wheel spacers too

jchappies

Another thing to consider in some national chain and local tire shops won't touch your Jeep if it has spacers. You will need to remove\install the tire yourself for service.
If you go to a particular place check with them first.

ShutterBug

If you ask my wife, she'll say most of the things I get for my Jeep are a waste of money. LOL!