Should I remove my wheel spacers?

[mojowrangler]

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My concern about wheel spacers started with a comment I saw from someone on Facebook that "wheel spacers are dangerous". After some research on my particular situation, I think the "dangerous" part is entirely situation dependent and I don't feel like I'm in any kind of imminent danger because I have wheel spacers. Not that it makes me feel any better, but I probably can find 20 other things I'm more worried about failing first and causing safety issues. But this got me thinking about whether I should leave my wheel spacers on since I don't believe I "need" them now that I have a different set of wheels and tires.

Potentially relevant info:

• I have a 1997 Jeep Wrangler with a 3.5" suspension lift, 1" body lift, Dana 44 axles, Jeep TJ Moab wheels (5" backspace, 0.5" positive/inward offset), 286/75R16 KO3 tires (32.8" diameter), and 1.25" spidertrax wheel spacers.
• The vehicle is used primarily for wheeling (not an everyday driver).
• The +0.5" offset and 1.25" spacers give me an effective negative/outward offset of 0.75". I could leave the vehicle in this configuration or remove the spacers, reducing the wheel width/stance by 2.5". I believe the tires will still clear with steering maxed out and the spacers removed, but I would have to test to be certain.
• I don't care as much about the looks as I do about safety and strain on vehicle.
• I believe the only advantage to keeping the spacers on would be increased width for cornering and off-camber situations. I believe the advantages to removing them would be less strain on the vehicle, less parts/failure-points, and narrower tire-to-tire-width for tighter trail situations. However, it is difficult to quantify these advantages/disadvantages, so I'm likely to just leave the wheel spacers on for now.

Less relevant info:

• The wheel spacers are from the previous owner. I purchased the vehicle with a different set of wheels (17" WER wheels with 35X12.50R17 KM3 tires with near full tread life). I might still need to put the spacers back on if I decide to use the "old" set of wheels and 35" tires (e.g., to take advantage of the tread life during warmer months). I'm not certain, and would need to test (steering clearance). However, I'm leaning toward keeping the 285/75R16 (32.8") tires on Moab wheels in the long run (noticeable increase in performance, presumably due to tire diameter, rotational weight, and 4.1 axle gearing). I might end up just keeping the new Moab wheels and 32.8" KO3s year-round - not enough experience with the new set yet and still deciding.
• I'm dreading if/when I have to remove the spacers because they are likely "frozen on". I had to use penetrating oil overnight, then a breaker bar to free up the lug nuts when I first replaced the wheels. I'm not sure if they were over-torqued or had just not been removed in years. Given the relatively new tires (within a couple years), I assume they were at least a little over-torqued without any anti-seize compound used. I assume the spacers have been on much longer without ever being removed and likely had some kind of Loctite thread locker compound applied. From previous owner documentation, I suspect the spacers were installed around 2009 (impossible to know if they've ever been taken off since then). If I do take the spacers off, I assume I'll have to use some combination of penetrating oil, heat, and breaker bar (and hoping nothing more extreme that involves cutting, drilling, etc.!).

I thought I'd ask here if folks had a stronger opinion to leave the spacers on or take them off in my particular situation (or maybe there's some other consideration that I didn't think of). I'm leaning toward leaving them on "for now", but eventually taking them off.

 

[Irun]

Since they're just spacers, and not adapters, why not just remove them and try turning the tires to full lock? This will give you a good baseline to start from. In terms of removing the spacers, it's possible the lug nuts were difficult to remove because someone used a thread locking compound. This is common practice, and recommended, when installing spacers or adapters.

 

[Wildman]

Part of the whole wheel spacers are dangerous comes from using "CHEAP" wheel spacers that many do instead of buying quality ones like from Spidertrax or other quality companies.

https://www.spidertrax.com/products/1987-96-Wrangler-YJ

What color are your spacers? That might help determine if the ones you have are quality products or not.

 

[mojowrangler]

Part of the whole wheel spacers are dangerous comes from using "CHEAP" wheel spacers that many do instead of buying quality ones like from Spidertrax or other quality companies.

https://www.spidertrax.com/products/1987-96-Wrangler-YJ

What color are your spacers? That might help determine if the ones you have are quality products or not.

They are blue. I thought I took pics with the wheels off but couldn't find them. I attached a pic with the wheel on just to show the color. The part number I have is WHS-002.

 

[Wildman]

They are blue. I thought I took pics with the wheels off but couldn't find them. I attached a pic with the wheel on just to show the color. The part number I have is WHS-002.

View attachment 575372

The good news here is that the OP used quality wheel spacers.

So with that information I'd say there isn't a reason to remove them due to fear of them being cheap spacers. Now you need to figure out if you need them for steering clearance or not. Running them increases the wear on your ball joints plus other issues with steering.

 

[mojowrangler]

Since they're just spacers, and not adapters, why not just remove them and try turning the tires to full lock? This will give you a good baseline to start from. In terms of removing the spacers, it's possible the lug nuts were difficult to remove because someone used a thread locking compound. This is common practice, and recommended, when installing spacers or adapters.

I will probably remove and test sometime. Just looking for info on keeping versus removing them in general. If the only value is steering clearance, then I'll remove them if I don't need them for the wheels/tires I have. I assume some people install them for other reasons related to the wider stance - besides just looks.

 

[mojowrangler]

The good news here is that the OP used quality wheel spacers.

View attachment 575373

So with that information I'd say there isn't a reason to remove them due to fear of them being cheap spacers. Now you need to figure out if you need them for steering clearance or not. Running them increases the wear on your ball joints plus other issues with steering.

I'm tempted to pull them if steering clearance is ok and I am not seeing any compelling reason to keep them on

 

[JMT]

My concern for this started with a comment I saw from someone on Facebook that "wheel spacers are dangerous". After some research on my particular situation, I think the "dangerous" part is entirely situation dependent and I don't feel like I'm in any kind of imminent danger because I have wheel spacers. Not that it makes me feel any better, but I probably can find 20 other things I'm more worried about failing first and causing safety issues. But this got me thinking about whether I should leave my wheel spacers on since I don't believe I "need" them now that I have a different set of wheels and tires.

Potentially relevant info:

• I have a 1997 Jeep Wrangler with a 3.5" suspension lift, 1" body lift, Dana 44 axles, Jeep TJ Moab wheels (5" backspace, 0.5" positive/inward offset), 286/75R16 KO3 tires (32.8" diameter), and 1.25" spidertrax wheel spacers.
• The vehicle is used primarily for wheeling (not an everyday driver).
• The +0.5" offset and 1.25" spacers give me an effective negative/outward offset of 0.75". I could leave the vehicle in this configuration or remove the spacers, reducing the wheel width/stance by 2.5". I believe the tires will still clear with steering maxed out and the spacers removed, but I would have to test to be certain.
• I don't care as much about the looks as I do about safety and strain on vehicle.
• I believe the only advantage to keeping the spacers on would be increased width for cornering and off-camber situations. I believe the advantages to removing them would be less strain on the vehicle, less parts/failure-points, and narrower tire-to-tire-width for tighter trail situations. However, it is difficult to quantify these advantages/disadvantages, so I'm likely to just leave the wheel spacers on for now.

Less relevant info:

• The wheel spacers are from the previous owner. I purchased the vehicle with a different set of wheels (17" WER wheels with 35X12.50R17 KM3 tires with near full tread life). I might still need to put the spacers back on if I decide to use the "old" set of wheels and 35" tires (e.g., to take advantage of the tread life during warmer months). I'm not certain, and would need to test (steering clearance). However, I'm leaning toward keeping the 285/75R16 (32.8") tires on Moab wheels in the long run (noticeable increase in performance, presumably due to tire diameter, rotational weight, and 4.1 axle gearing). I might end up just keeping the new Moab wheels and 32.8" KO3s year-round - not enough experience with the new set yet and still deciding.
• I'm dreading if/when I have to remove the spacers because they are likely "frozen on". I had to use penetrating oil overnight, then a breaker bar to free up the lug nuts when I first replaced the wheels. I'm not sure if they were over-torqued or had just not been removed in years. Given the relatively new tires (within a couple years), I assume they were at least a little over-torqued without any anti-seize compound used. I assume the spacers have been on much longer without ever being removed and likely had some kind of Loctite thread locker compound applied. From previous owner documentation, I suspect the spacers were installed around 2009 (impossible to know if they've ever been taken off since then). If I do take the spacers off, I assume I'll have to use some combination of penetrating oil, heat, and breaker bar (and hoping nothing more extreme that involves cutting, drilling, etc.!).

I thought I'd ask here if folks had a stronger opinion to leave the spacers on or take them off in my particular situation (or maybe there's some other consideration that I didn't think of). I'm leaning toward leaving them on "for now", but eventually taking them off.

That was a bit over the top.

You want anywhere from 3.75-4” backspace.

Wheel spacers are not inherently dangerous.

That’s all you need to know.

 

[jjvw]

Bolt on wheel spacers attach the same way the wheels attach.

 

[AndyG]

You should never remove wheel spacers when driving.

Or wheels. Trust me, I know.

 

[mjonesjr84]

Spacers are fine IF they are good quality. If they are adapters, at 1.25" the wheel studs got cut off to clear the wheel after they were put on. If you take them off, you probably won't have enough stud to properly secure the wheel and will need to press them out and press new ones in.

Since the ones you have seem to be of good quality, I would make sure they are locktighted on and roll on. The 2.5" of extra width will add a lot of side to side stability to the narrow TJ.

 

[mojowrangler]

Spacers are fine IF they are good quality. If they are adapters, at 1.25" the wheel studs got cut off to clear the wheel after they were put on. If you take them off, you probably won't have enough stud to properly secure the wheel and will need to press them out and press new ones in.

Since the ones you have seem to be of good quality, I would make sure they are locktighted on and roll on. The 2.5" of extra width will add a lot of side to side stability to the narrow TJ.

That's good to know on the wheel stud length. I wouldn't have thought to look for this. If I do take them off I'll check the stud length. I'll need to find out what they are supposed to be.

I'm not sure how I would know if they used loctite to secure the spacer bolts, but I imagine this would be evident if I use a torque wrench to tighten and discover any of them were loose. I'll need to look up the torque settings, assuming they are different/tighter than the wheel lugs (which I set to 100 foot pounds).

I'm still on the fence about taking them off. If there isn't a "significant" safety issue or strain on parts, I can see where increased stability in tire width would be an advantage in cornering and off-camber situations.

I realize there's not likely a clear "right or wrong" answer to this, but I appreciate the info to better understand the trade-offs. This is liley a micro-optimization that in the end will make little difference whether I leave the spacers on or take them off. But I thought I'd try to understand the trade-offs best I can for now so the decision is more explainable and less arbitrary.

Thanks!

 

[jjvw]

That's good to know on the wheel stud length. I wouldn't have thought to look for this. If I do take them off I'll check the stud length. I'll need to find out what they are supposed to be.

I'm not sure how I would know if they used loctite to secure the spacer bolts, but I imagine this would be evident if I use a torque wrench to tighten and discover any of them were loose. I'll need to look up the torque settings, assuming they are different/tighter than the wheel lugs (which I set to 100 foot pounds).

I'm still on the fence about taking them off. If there isn't a "significant" safety issue or strain on parts, I can see where increased stability in tire width would be an advantage in cornering and off-camber situations.

I realize there's not likely a clear "right or wrong" answer to this, but I appreciate the info to better understand the trade-offs. This is liley a micro-optimization that in the end will make little difference whether I leave the spacers on or take them off. But I thought I'd try to understand the trade-offs best I can for now so the decision is more explainable and less arbitrary.

Thanks!

If you want to confirm that the spacers are attached with a thread locker, then you will need to remove the spacer nuts and put thread locker on yourself.

 

[mjonesjr84]

That's good to know on the wheel stud length. I wouldn't have thought to look for this. If I do take them off I'll check the stud length. I'll need to find out what they are supposed to be.

I'm not sure how I would know if they used loctite to secure the spacer bolts, but I imagine this would be evident if I use a torque wrench to tighten and discover any of them were loose. I'll need to look up the torque settings, assuming they are different/tighter than the wheel lugs (which I set to 100 foot pounds).

I'm still on the fence about taking them off. If there isn't a "significant" safety issue or strain on parts, I can see where increased stability in tire width would be an advantage in cornering and off-camber situations.

I realize there's not likely a clear "right or wrong" answer to this, but I appreciate the info to better understand the trade-offs. This is liley a micro-optimization that in the end will make little difference whether I leave the spacers on or take them off. But I thought I'd try to understand the trade-offs best I can for now so the decision is more explainable and less arbitrary.

Thanks!

I know this because I had 1.25" adapters to put on when I went with the 5x5 bolt pattern wheels. I didn't want to cut the studs, so I went with 1.5" adapters instead.

If you want to confirm that the spacers are attached with a thread locker, then you will need to remove the spacer nuts and put thread locker on yourself.

This ^^^^. Never trust what a previous owner did.

 

[Marklar1983]

Bolt on wheel spacers attach the same way the wheels attach.

True, but they move the contact patch of the tire further away from the axis of the knuckle. That significantly increases the forces the hub, knuckle, and ball joints experience.

That said, I’ve been running 1” adapters for 2 years without an issue. So no, they’re not inherently dangerous. But like any Jeep modification, it’s good to have a clear understanding of what you’re doing.

 

[mjonesjr84]

True, but they move the contact patch of the tire further away from the axis of the knuckle. That significantly increases the forces the hub, knuckle, and ball joints experience.

That said, I’ve been running 1” adapters for 2 years without an issue. So no, they’re not inherently dangerous. But like any Jeep modification, it’s good to have a clear understanding of what you’re doing.

This is true too because of the leverages being moved out. If you are running something bigger than 1.5", I think you have to worry about these leverages more.

My brother is running a set of 1" spacers on his Silverado 3500 dually between the duals so he could get a wider and heavier rated tire on the back. He regularly hauls a CGVW of 32k pounds (truck, steel bed, & gooseneck crawler hauler w/ a very heavy JK) over the 45k mile life of the truck and has had zero issues.

 

[jjvw]

True, but they move the contact patch of the tire further away from the axis of the knuckle. That significantly increases the forces the hub, knuckle, and ball joints experience.

...

None of that is any different than a different wheel with the same backspacing without a spacer.

These are JK wheels with 6" backspacing. However, as installed on mine they are like any other 4" backspaced wheel of the same width.

 

[Wildman]

That's good to know on the wheel stud length. I wouldn't have thought to look for this. If I do take them off I'll check the stud length. I'll need to find out what they are supposed to be.

I'm not sure how I would know if they used loctite to secure the spacer bolts, but I imagine this would be evident if I use a torque wrench to tighten and discover any of them were loose. I'll need to look up the torque settings, assuming they are different/tighter than the wheel lugs (which I set to 100 foot pounds).

I'm still on the fence about taking them off. If there isn't a "significant" safety issue or strain on parts, I can see where increased stability in tire width would be an advantage in cornering and off-camber situations.

I realize there's not likely a clear "right or wrong" answer to this, but I appreciate the info to better understand the trade-offs. This is liley a micro-optimization that in the end will make little difference whether I leave the spacers on or take them off. But I thought I'd try to understand the trade-offs best I can for now so the decision is more explainable and less arbitrary.

Thanks!

Here are the directions on how to install & then check your lug nuts on your spacers.

 

[Ashim]

My own experience has been that the only negative of wheel spacers is the added work of removal and re-installation for any maintenance, such as brakes, hub bearings and u-joints.

 

[mojowrangler]

Here are the directions on how to install & then check your lug nuts on your spacers.

View attachment 575493

Thanks. This jogged my memory to go back and look through the docs I have. I actually have a similar set of these instructions. Here's what I had (attached).