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Offset rims or wheel spacers?

15K views 17 replies 7 participants last post by  eryk 
#1 ·
now i know wheel spacers crack like crazy, my buddy had them on his truck and when his cracked it actually snapped an axle bolt. however i would like some sort of off set for my truck. So what kind of off set rims should i get? can someone explain to me the offset rim measurements? or are there beefier wheel spacers? if so what would you recommend?


i drive a 2001 ram 2500 ext cab short bed 4wd and i am a frequent off roader, idk if that helps with any of those decisions though
 
#2 ·
Hey Eryk, wheel spacers or adapters can be a dangerous comprimise on a performance rig. Whether its big mud tires or stickies at the track, spacers or adapters put a lot of extra strain on the wheels studs/bolts. Avoid them if you can, and if you must, use high grade aftermarket studs with matching nuts. Hope this helps, take care, Jim G
 
#3 ·
Hey Eryk, wheel spacers or adapters can be a dangerous comprimise on a performance rig. Whether its big mud tires or stickies at the track, spacers or adapters put a lot of extra strain on the wheels studs/bolts. Avoid them if you can, and if you must, use high grade aftermarket studs with matching nuts. Hope this helps, take care, Jim G
I agree with the part where you say to use high grade aftermarket studs to match, but another option is to use spacers with high grade studs pressed in. All the pressure placed on the factory studs as at the hub and will not act any different than a low offset wheel.
Spacers are not bad if used properly.

O.P I am not sure of what spacers you are refering to that crack like crazy, but any quality spacer is made of forged 6061 billet aluminum that won't crack. Are you refering to some cheap cast spacer from pep boys?
 
#5 ·
The wheel offset is measured from the center of the wheel to the mounting surface(the part of the wheel that bolts to the hub) of the wheel. A wheel of a -0- offset would have the mounting surface centered between the inner and outer lip of the wheel. So say you have a 10" wide wheel with a -0- offset, the mounting surface would be 5" in from the edge of the wheel. Now offset(where the word comes to use...."offset") comes into play when you move the mounting surface one way or the other from the center of the wheel. Moving the mounting surface towards the outer lip (face of the wheel) is considered a positive + offset. So if the mounting surface is moved 25mm outward you would now have a 10" wide wheel with a +25mm offset. The same goes for moving the mounting surface inward. If you move the mounting surface towards the inner lip 25mm, you now have a 10" wide wheel with a -25mm offset. So depending on how you want your wheels to look (and for clearance) you select a set of wheels with the right (higher or lower) offset.
The higher the offset the more the wheels will be sunken in, the lower the offset the further the wheels will stick out.
Take the stock 20" wheels they are 20x9 +18mm offset. You cant change the offset, but you can add spacers to lower the effective offset, but lets pretend that you can buy the wheels in any offset you want.
If you wanted your wheels to stick out or be flush with the fender you would buy a lower offset wheel such as -5mm offset.

If you buy spacers without studs built in, then yes you will want to replace your studs with longer and stronger ones. The easiest and cheaper route is to buy spacers with studs already pressed in. The only thing is I belive that smallest spacer is 15mm if you go that route. I have and am running spacers like those. I know tons of people who have run those with no problems.
 
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#6 ·
One other thing to consider is the size of the spacer; up to 1/8" will not affect the lug nuts to any potential, but something like 1/4" will definately strain them. You can go to lug spacers, which normally start at 1 1/2" and they will allow you to either add wheels with a large + offset, OR if you have wheels with a very high backspacking, such as running a 14" wide wheel for a drag slick. These lug spacers are perfectly acceptable, up to a certain torque, where you'd be putting a bending moment on the axle as it's undergoing it's torsional stress and you'd snap either lugs but most likely an axle or half-shaft.
 
#7 ·
thank your for explaining off set i kind of get it now :)
i guess im just looking for a more aggressive wheel stance, something that hangs out of my fenders a little bit. so i take it i shouldnt use wheel spacers for that bc i sounds like for the spacing i want even with upgraded bolts they can break?
 
#8 ·
Ultimately the best way to do it is to buy wheels with the offset that you need, but thats not always feasible so thats when spacers come into play. Spacers are not bad as long as you use quality ones (meaning no $10 cheap pep boys crap). I have used spacers in the past when the wheels I wanted didnt come in the exact (down to the mm) offset I wanted. I have never had issues with them.
Quality (Aluminum/Magnesium Alloy ) spacers will not crack or break and will last the life of your vehicle.
Here is a pic of the spacer style that I am refering to.
 

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#11 ·
NWRQC what is the thickness of those spacers? did you have to cut or shorten your studs to fit those nuts? or were they direct bolt on? and where can I get them? thanks
I think the ones on the pic are 12mm. Optionselect (on ebay) has a ton of spacers similar to the ones above. I have/do run those and the quality is as good if not better than some of the mainstream brands.
15mm is usually the thinest that you can get with built in studs, and they go up to 2" +. The spacers are a direct bolt on item with no modification to the stock studs. You don't want to cut the stock studs. The stock studs will stick out past the edge of the thinner (15mm-22mm) spacers, but most all aftermarket wheels have reliefs cut on the back side of the wheel (where it mounts to the hub) so the tips of the stock studs fit right in there. The larger spacers will stick out past the edge of the stock studs so that wont be an issue.
 
#14 ·
So NWRQC, if you could answer this...I have a '12 1500 4wd and am having trouble finding wheels that I like that aren't backordered so I am highly conshiering using my stock rims(which I like anyways). I have the Bushwacker (non-pocket) flares, and intend to buy a 3.5" front leveling/lift spacer along with a 2.0" rear coil spacer on ebay(seller supreme.suspensions) to allow for improved clearance for some 305-60/20's. My main question for you is, would 1.25" wheel spacers be safe and how much added stress would they put on my bearings considering the wider stance and the weight of the tires? I am thinking maybe the width of the new tires would help a little bit to offset the added stress. I usually just do suspension lifts and new rims but the cost for all of that is just more than I have to spend these days. I like the idea of the coil spacers(Nightrod on here has them on his truck) Any help would be appreciated.
 
#10 ·
An example of good spacer: my boss runs a long-base Jeep with 6" lift and 35s on 18s. He has 2" spacers that are red loctited/torqued to the hub, then the wheels are torqued to the spacer. He wheels regularly and heads down to Moab whenever he can. He's put lots of miles on his rig, as well as plenty of abuse on severe trails. The spacers hold up well, when they're used in the right manner.

I would not be able to use spacers on mine because of the high-er torque that I can put down, as well as the type of driving I do (occasional auto-cross), but for most driving, there's nothing wrong with using a quality spacer.
 
#15 ·
The 1.25" spacer will work fin in your case. I would assume you're not going to be building a drag racing/rock crawling beast that puts out high torque numbers, so they'll work just fine. Also, check you local laws, there are places out there that require you to cover the entire tire width (non-pocket flares are 1.5" IIRC, at least the pre-09s were) as well as run mudflaps to minimum 1/2 tire diameter from ground.

I would be careful about a 3.5" front spacer, the most that people have been going is 2.5" and somem have been having stability issues with that. If you space them too high you start becoming unstable because the suspension is now trying to balance the weight around a much higher center of gravity. If you want to do this safely then you should really be looking at a 4" lift kit, but I do realize the added cost, so it's really your decision.
 
#17 ·
I disagree with some of these statements, I have run 1/4 spacers on my lightning drag racing for years, truck makes over 600rwhp and I have never had an issue. I have run 1" billet Aluminum spacers on 4x4 trucks for years and never had an issue. With that being said I also don't rock climb, jump or any of that other stuff. However I do have a friend who just put 1" spacers on his rock crawler jeep and has run them for years with no issue. Quality in the part you purchase is key. And making sure they are hubcentric as well.
 
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