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pop quiz Jeepers. What do ya think about wheel spacers? For the most part a wider ride is more stable and safer. Plus I think big tires sticking out just looks cool. Obviously I'm not the only one. Problem is I've heard a lot of negative feedback on them. Some believe they are dangerous. I wouldn't put a cheap Chinese knock off on my new jk. Would there be any harm with a spidertrax 1.5 even 1.75" spacer on it? My end goal will be 35" on 3" lift.
I run 1.5' spacers. They are not Spidertrax, but they have held up for about 5 years now. No issues whatsoever.
I think they're fine to run, as long as you keep them tight. One problem is you can't tell if a nut has loosened without taking the wheel off but i still wouldn't hesitate to run them. Maybe put some locktight on the hub bolts. I would however choose some that i know are good, either a well known brand or ones with good reviews.
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What about the issue of putting extra torque on the bearing due to moving the weight of the wheel and tire further away from the center line?
I don't think it is any different than changing the off set of the wheel
Said that extra load is bad for wheel bearing and shorten life. I guess offset wheel is better than spacer, at least it is more easier to check nut torque etc
1.5 - 1.75 spacers don't put too much stress on the bearings. I have seen 45mm spacers for sale, but it set up an account with a bearing suplier with those. As long as you buy billet spacers, your good to go. When I fitted my spacers, I set the torque wrench 20Nm higher (IIR 110Nm) and used stud lock on the threads. Stud lock is a more permanent set than thread lock. I've checked them a few time since fitting, nothing has moved nor loosened. I'm running 1" spacers with offset modular rims & 10.50 tyres, so have around 3.5" - 4" extra track.
I've been told that if you are going to use spacers, you need to get hub-centric ones so that the weight of the vehicle is supported there instead of on the wheel studs. A friend of mine told me he sheared his studs off on the highway when he was using the non hub-centric ones.