Just installed some PSS tires (which are great) and wished they stuck out a little further. Does anyone use spaces to do this? Is there any handling benefit doing this or is it just for visual? I don't know if it matters, but I have an '12 XS.

Thanks.

 

I used 17mm spacers on my rear wheels to get them closer to flush. It's a common thing to do if you want to flush up your tires or add spacing to clear bigger brake calipers, etc.
Just be sure to buy quality spacers, I've been happy w/ my Ichiba hubcentric spacers, they've stayed tight and true, no vibration whatsoever. There's a couple different types, some use new studs that mount the wheel to the spacer & you use your current wheels studs to secure the spacer. The other type uses longer studs pressed into your hubs (this requires a lot more labor and I've heard it's best to use these only for the narrower spacers).

 

Thanks blnewt. I was hoping they were a little cheaper. I need to think about it. Any difference in car performance (cornering, etc) with these spacers?

 

with spacers the inside of the tires will wear much faster than the outside.

handling doesn't change, but if done well it looks great and no one will notice you have spacers on.

 

I have heard they can put more stress on the wheel bearing, hubs and/or axles, potentially causing these parts to fail prematurely.
Widening the wheel stance will marginally improve handling.

I don't think they will wear out your inner tires faster. If you lower the car and create a lot of negative camber + put on some thick spacers then they might make a difference.

 

I've got about 8k miles on my spacers w/ perfectly even tire wear and I'm dropped pretty low. Spacers don't weigh too much so the stress on wheel bearings & hubs should be about the same as wheels w/ aggressive offsets. I'm sure there's added stress but probably not too bad if your wheels aren't heavier than OEMs

 

I believe the stress is not from the weight of the spacers, but from the fact the weight of the wheels & tires is now further out, causing different stress points than usual.

just a guess, but seems to make sense to me.

 

[quote=Roca;3482520]I believe the stress is not from the weight of the spacers, but from the fact the weight of the wheels & tires is now further out, causing different stress points than usual.

just a guess, but seems to make sense to me.[/quote

That's correct.
Think of it like holding a weight with your arm coiled, then as you extend your arm you put more more stress on your muscles.
Tom

 

This is a loaded question, if you ask on this forum a lot of people run them. You ask people in real life very few do. You ask on a Jeep forum you will find some but not a lot. I ran 1" spacers on my Jeep for 6 years. I loved them. Never had a problem with bearings but I do believe they were the reason I broke some axles, at least they help add stress. Just know when you do something like spacers will will definately add stress to bearing, axles etc. If you only keep your car 3 to 6 years you may never see ill affects. The other thing is once you put them on you need to check them and often. Make sure you own a torque wrench and tighten to specs and check them every few months or so to be safe.


Another note. I always had to take them off when I would go into Discount Tire, they would not touch my vehicle with them installed. Not a big deal to me but could be to others. I would never take my vehicle to the dealership with them on as it could give them reason to void any future warranty claims on you front and rear ends, suspension, drive shafts etc. Some dealerships will over look this but I never took the chance. Once you are flagged your screwed.

 

The stress comes from the fact that spacers change the centerline of the wheel-tire package. Wider wheels with *correct* offset do not add this same stress because the centerline hasn't changed.

Accelerated tire wear on the front may arise from the altered steering geometry changing the kingpin offset relative to the tire centerline.

This is why I prefer not to run spacers. If you choose to, bear in mind the thicker the spacer, the more pronounced these effects become- but people do it and not everyone notices detrimental impact. Said another way, YMMV.

 

Good point, I'm only running rear spacers, and another point, if you have a rear tire problem w/ a spacer you should be able to control your vehicle, if a front breaks loose it could really spell trouble

 

Furthermore I'd like to add that it's not the weight of the wheel that really factors into the added stress on the hub and lugs, but simply the lever arm change, which multiplies shear stress on the lugs. Even if the wheels were weightless, the mass of the car on top of the longer lever arm would increase stress, particularly during cornering.

Again, the thicker the spacer, the greater the stress becomes.