Wheel spacer for everyday use?

Boxer_Dog · **Posted:** Sun Jan 13, 2008 6:34 pm

I have a 05 liberty with a rusty's 2.5" lift stock wheels and 245/75R16 tires. I think the added track the wheel spacers give would look good. Anyone on here running wheel spacers? And are they safe to run on a daily driver? Do thay add any stress to the ball joint or other suspension parts?

snowsport · **Joined:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 11:52 pm **Posts:** 1211

Yep, there's a few of us with wheel spacers. I have Spidertrax 1 1/4" spacers on the rear only. They've been on for about 3 1/2 years or so, no problems. Make sure you get hub centric spacers if you do get them.

tommudd · **Posted:** Sun Jan 13, 2008 8:03 pm

Lots of people run them I did for a short time and they did fine. Lots of people over on the Rubicon forum run them. Just make sure you get good ones, some of the ones on EBay should stay on Ebay

callaway · **Posted:** Sun Jan 13, 2008 8:14 pm

i have the spidertrax on front and back and have no issues

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

Yeah a lot of people run them, I am just scared they will snap one day. Otherwise I would have gotten a set long time ago. I drive pretty aggressive, so I am afraid to put too much pressure on them while turning corners, don't want to have cross eyed wheels syndrome!

Yes, they do look GREAT! KJ is one of the best vehicles that carry spacers, probably because of the fender flares. Good luck, and be careful.

2006 KJ · **Posted:** Sun Jan 13, 2008 8:42 pm

i have spidertrax and driver aggressively as well and never has any type of problem. they're def. safe (spidertrax at least) for any driving you do.. on or off road. very happy with mine!

Dje Ryu · **Posted:** Sun Jan 13, 2008 10:28 pm

You may have to do a bit of fender well trimming to avoid rubbing issues. I have a Rusty's lift also and my tires barely stuff inside the wells as it is.

JPaul · **Posted:** Sun Jan 13, 2008 10:48 pm

snowsport wrote:

Yep, there's a few of us with wheel spacers. I have Spidertrax 1 1/4" spacers on the rear only. They've been on for about 3 1/2 years or so, no problems. Make sure you get hub centric spacers if you do get them.

I don't feel that is necessarily true, the need to get hubcentric spacers. I checked mine when I was trying to get come cherokee wheels to mount up. I noticed the ring on the hub that people think makes it hubcentric had corrosion on it all the way around. at no point did the stock wheels physically touch that ring. If it were truly hubcentric there would have been a contact pattern on the hub. I also checked buy holding the wheel tight to the hub without it being tightened down and it moves around side to side (or up or down depending on how you move it), another sign that it's not hubcentric.

From my understanding, a wheel/hub setup us hubcentric if the wheel snugly fits onto the lip of the "hub ring" or whatever it's called and the lateral (vertical shearing) load is placed on the ring instead of the lugs. Lug centric means the lugs not only clamp the wheel on but also support 100% of the load and provide all of the alignment. Hub centric the lugs only hold the wheel agaisnt the hub, and the raised ring on the hub supports the load and provides all of the alignment, the lugs do not do any of the aligning.

Now, I have the stock aluminum wheels, so perhaps the steel wheels are truly hubcentric. But the aluminum wheels are not, the only function the raised rign on the hub has that fits into the opening of the wheel, is to help with initial alignment when installing the wheel, and possibly as a backup incase the lugs come loose. But from my understanding, it is not truly hubcentric.

qbracken · **Posted:** Mon Jan 14, 2008 4:15 am

I have Spidertrax 1 1/4 in. spacers on my stock '06 LTD and they look great. I do, however, experience minor rubbing issues on the front pinch welds when at full turn, and I get some rubbing on the rear inner flare when the rear wheels are at full flex... Hopefully that will go away when/if I get a lift kit...

myjeepwalks · **Posted:** Tue Jan 15, 2008 2:20 am

I have them with no rubbing issues except for the fog light door area. Still need to modify that more. Spider trax are high quality slim to no chance they would ever snap or break as long as they are installed properly. :wink:

RespectMyLibertay · **Posted:** Tue Jan 15, 2008 2:40 am

After I installed 2nd generation JBA a-arms, my 245/75 M/Ts rubbed on them when turned full lock, as well as on my front swaybar. This was on stock aluminum 16" 2003 Limited wheels. I got four Spidertrax 1.25" spacers to solve the real problem (a-arm rubbing), which of course they did, while giving the Jeep more stability. They also fixed rubbing on the sway-bar in front and the upper inner body of the rear end where the inner lugs of my M/Ts would always rub away my undercoating (near fuel lines if you've taken of your rear driver's side inner fender well liner). I haven't driven the KJ without them on since, and they definitely give an aggressive stance to our KJs. I can honestly say I trust Spidertrax wheel spacers more than Mopar balljoints :roll:

but I ain't lying...

jeepzilla · **Posted:** Sat Jan 19, 2008 1:46 am

Hey all.. everyone on here who has the spidertrax 1 1/4 in. so I logged on to spidertrax web site an didn't find any listed for the KJ's... so which ones is everyone using.. I definatly want to get some, but just need to know whic hones are the right ones...

03CDKJ · **Posted:** Sat Jan 19, 2008 10:54 am

This has everything you need

http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/vie ... spidertrax

Pote · **Posted:** Sat Jan 19, 2008 12:49 pm

you didn't look very hard.

http://www.spidertrax.com/s.nl/it.A/id.1134/.f

Quote:

1987-06 Wrangler

These 1.25" 5 on 4.5" 6061T6 aluminum spacers are an easy way of spacing out front and rear Jeep XJ, YJ, TJ, ZJ, and KJ axles. Each kit comes with 2 wheel spacers, 10 standard wheel studs (pre-installed), 10 lugnuts, and Loctite. The wheel spacers are anodized in dark blue, which is a double anodizing process for twice the corrosion resistance. In addition, each wheel spacer is wheel and hub centric for a perfect fit. Proudly made in the USA.

jeepzilla · **Posted:** Sat Jan 19, 2008 5:24 pm

AAHH thats where I got lost when I was looking. I didn't know that the KJ B.C is the same as a wranglers... I'm definatly a newbie to the Jeep world, I was ( still am just don't own ) Dodge man. Dakota's I know Liberty's I'm hoping to learn from you great folks...

Katmandu · **Posted:** Sat Jan 19, 2008 6:09 pm

How did the spacers effect your Liberty's handling ?

Did the increased track reduce body roll ?

qbracken · **Posted:** Sat Jan 19, 2008 8:31 pm

Body-roll may have been reduced a tad, but other than that, no noticeable differences, other than the rubbing i get now...

Pote · **Posted:** Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:32 pm

Quote:

other than the rubbing i get now...

LOL...many a man has paid a lot more than $200 to get some rubbing. Oh wait....this is the KJ forum. :oops:

Katmandu · **Posted:** Sun Jan 20, 2008 7:44 am

Pote wrote:

Quote:

other than the rubbing i get now...

LOL...many a man has paid a lot more than $200 to get some rubbing. Oh wait....this is the KJ forum. :oops:

blacksmoke · **Posted:** Mon Jan 28, 2008 11:15 pm

The most CAPITAL thing to do when putting spacers: torque your nuts!!! I made the mistake last summer to simply hand-torque it with a 2" wrench, which doesn't provide the 80+pounds/inch needed. This of course apply even more on the left side of the vehicule, because by definition the rotation of the tire is counterclockwise:
in my case I had the left rear tire wanting to go another direction while accelerating on the highway, which cause the Jeep to change lane without me touching the steering wheel!!! Luckily there where nobody around me, and I managed to stop safely...
Next day I went to Sears and bought a 12" wrench with torque calibration: I'm sure you know the rest of the story!

Bottom line: safe as anything else, when properly installed. And putting a 1.25" spacer does make the stand and the stability much better.

Wheel spacer for everyday use?

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