I'm going to be adding BJ spacers to my rig to get more downtravel, but that means more height...

would it be a good idea to add like a 1" wheel spacer to either the front or back or both to get more stability?

 

I'd say no. Stay away from wheel spacers unless you have rubbin' issue that spacers will correct.

 

Are you talking about these?
http://www.marlincrawler.com/wheelspacers.html
I'm using them in the front of my SA so the width will match the rear.
I do check them everytime I rotate my tires.

 

yeah.. those are the ones I saw.

 

:pat: Left out use'n em to match widths. That's another OK reason to use em.

 

SPACERS ON THE FRONT = BAD!!!!!

Spacers on the rear are ok. I wouldn't go over 2" personally. I will be using the 2" spacers on my rear to match my front width.

If you are trying to widen both...forget spacers and get new wheels with better backspacing.That's much more reliable.

 

Why? you might want to tell the thousands of people who use them...

 

Any different from using wheels with less backspacing?

Dont you realize that "putting more stress" on something isnt justification for making something "bad"? How about all the other modifications we have done, they put stress on things. Heavy bumpers/winches stress the front of the frame more, raised front suspension stresses axles and balljoints and steering linkages, body lifts stress the body mounts and linkages, heavier tires stress the gears and bearings, etc, etc all night long.

All of these are subjective, nothing is quanitified. The better measurement is from personal experience. According to several threads on TTORA and Pirate4x4 PBB, there have been minimal long-term effects of wheel spacers. That is why All-Pro, Marlin Crawler, Protrux, Protech, and dozens of other manufactures and retailers sell them in their catologues and on their webstores.

Just with any other modification, there are costs and benefits associated with it. If the rewards are worth the risks then the modificatio is justifiable. Its an economic decision that varies by the individual.

 

A couple things:

1. Whether one uses spacers or wheels with different backspacing to push the tires out 2", the moment arm (on all parts except the studs) will be the same, resulting in the same stresses.
2. The reason wheels spacers have a bad reputation is because people don't check the tightness of the lugnuts. The clamping force of the studs is what keeps the tires from falling off, not the studs themselves. If the lugnuts aren't tight the tires shear off the studs relatively easily. When spacers are used, especially aluminum, the lugnuts tend to loosen over time and the tire flies off on the highway.

For SAS's spacers are widely used to get the front width to match the rear width. With spacers you do run the risk of increased wear on the suspension components, but that is the consequence of off roading.

 

I am not a fan of reality by convention, but there is no reason to add them unless you are rubbing and it will solve it.

It also shifts the plane of the wheel out of the wheel bearings.

For clarity, are you talking about 2" total, or 2" per side.

 

2" total... a 1" on each side... but my rims aren't backspaced very much so maybe I'm fine without.

 

Sorry I didn't explain, but my answer would intail what robinhood mentioned about the tightness. I have heard that they have a tendency to loosen. And I think a rear tire loss would be less catastrophic compared to a front tire loss. I was looking into doing the front before I went long travel and the guys at Protrux even told me it was a bad idea.

Also, I understand that it is important to get them straight and true on the axle, to ensure proper operation. Obviously you want to tighten them down in a criss cross pattern and I would personally put some locktite on there if it is a permanent install or a daily driver.

If you do it, check em regularly and set them up right. If I had the choice I would go with backspaced rims.

Less parts = less failure the same reason you choose SA over IFS.

 

I've used three thickness's of spacers on my SAS'd rig- started w/ a set of 3/4" spaces when the truck was first built, worked OK- only had a little change in handling from no spacers. I went to a 1.5" spacer after a year or so- they were on for almost 18 months. They made a big difference in stability, but as the suspension settled, the death wobble got worse and worse. It went away completely w/out the spacers. I tried the 3/4" again, still had the wobbles- cut'm down to 3/8", and they work fine. The front end sagged almost 3-1/2 inches from my original setup, so the geometry is wrong now, and I don't feel like cutting it apart to fix it.

I did have to maintain the front wheel bearings on a regular basis w/ the 1.5" spacers. I pulled them down 3 times last year- I only put 2300 miles on the truck all year. I ran the 1.5" spacers until July this year , and had to replace the right side bearings and races last month.

Later

 

I think Crawler 976's issues are an example of why front spacers are bad news. Sounds like there is a direct link to the wobble with the spacers.

 

The death wobble is caused by bad axle geometry- but was greatly enhanced by spacers moving the scrub radius out from it's design point. With the springs settling so far down, the castor angle has changed dramaticly. I could correct it w/ a degree wedge, but the springs would prolly spit it out on the first hard trail run.....

If everything was correct, the only bad side effects would be a decrease in turning radius and extra wear on bearings.

 

I make steel shims that are much less likely to break compared to the cast aluminum ones that you usually get. And if desired, they can be made in a weld-on form, welded to the spring perch, they become part of the axle:
Axle shim info.

I've run spacers for years on my truck (front and rear) for years w/ no issues. I did experience some DW, but that was strictly due to bad caster angle caused when I dropped the front spring hanger 2.5" while running only a 2" longer shackle. Lengthening the shackle 1.5" dialed in the extra caster angle and cured the wobble.

I usually run 2 sets of wheels and like to change the spacers to match the wheel/tire setup I run. With the stock 15x6 wheels and skinny tires, I run more spacers to get the tires out as wide as possible for stability if I am going on a run where I'll need that. With my wider wheels, I run a narrower spacer to pull the wheels in so I am not too wide. As far as wheel bearings, I've seen no unusual wear on them due to the spacers. The bearing itself can't tell the difference between running a spacer vs. running a wheel that has less backspacing. Same with steering, the fartheout the wheel/tire sticks from the pivot point of the knuckle, the harder steering is going to be. I find a narrow tire sitting out farther is easier to steer than a wider tire that projects out the same distance. I do tend to check the lug nuts more often with the spacers, but have yet to notice any tendency for them to loosen nor have I broken any studs (yet).