Question for Those of You Running Wheel Spacers.

[cmcolfax]

We all know the Ranger rear axle track is narrower than the front by about 1.5"

It's even more noticable with the "fender flares" on the Sport.

For those of who are running wheel spacers, are any of you running different sizes front and rear?

If you are, what sizes? Have you run into any issues?

Pros, cons, thoughts, etc?

 

[cmcolfax]

Mods - Thanks for moving this. I appreciate it.

 

[Robertmangrum.rm]

I have been running wheel spacers on my 20 practically since new. 1.5" all the way around. I know that won't help your offset questions. I do check the torque at every tire rotation. Which i do with the 5k oil changes. I also ran 2" spacers on my 05 so I could clear some Mustang Bullet wheels. It was 2wd drive and only tooled around town. I've beat on the 20 pretty hard. Neither have yet to or ever gave me any issues. I would suggest buying hub centric and not lug centric spacers. And always, always check the torque and inspect during tire rotation.

 

[cmcolfax]

I understand, I appreciate it.

I've run spacers on a previous vehicle (not. Ranger).
Always hub centric.
And tourque to spec.
I also used blue loctite on the nuts holding the spacer to the hub.

You ran 2" all the way around on an 05?
I am thinking 2" in the rear.
But was curious about doing 1" / 1.25" / 1.5" in the front purely for the aesthetic, to make the front look "equal" to the rear.
I am running 265/75's on stock 16" wheels with the possibility of going to 285's in the future (not any time soon tho... The 265's only have about 10,000 miles on them).

 

[Robertmangrum.rm]

I understand, I appreciate it.

I've run spacers on a previous vehicle (not. Ranger).
Always hub centric.
And tourque to spec.
I also used blue loctite on the nuts holding the spacer to the hub.

You ran 2" all the way around on an 05?
I am thinking 2" in the rear.
But was curious about doing 1" / 1.25" / 1.5" in the front purely for the aesthetic, to make the front look "equal" to the rear.
I am running 265/75's on stock 16" wheels with the possibility of going to 285's in the future (not any time soon tho... The 265's only have about 10,000 miles on them).

Yes I ran them on all 4 corners. I didn't pay close attention to the track width. I was just trying to clear the offset of the Mustang rims.

 

[SenorNoob]

Pros:
Can look cooler. (Like you say more even track width)
Can be used to run different wheels without buying custom ones.

Cons:
More maintenance.
Slightly more possibility of things going wrong.

I'd call it a wash. Do what ya want. It's not like you can't take em back off if you decide it's not worth the extra work later.

 

[Jazzer]

When I put Bushwacker flares on my ‘07, I bumped all wheels out with 1-1/2” spacers. The immediate effect was much improved handling in corners due to the wider track. So there’s that.

 

[cmcolfax]

Pros:
Can look cooler. (Like you say more even track width)
Can be used to run different wheels without buying custom ones.

Cons:
More maintenance.
Slightly more possibility of things going wrong.

I'd call it a wash. Do what ya want. It's not like you can't take em back off if you decide it's not worth the extra work later.

I guess my question is what do we think about running different width spacers?

Does it matter?

I did on a GTI, but we were talking 15mm rear and 8mm front on that...

I'm thinking 2" rear and 1" / 1.25" / 1.5" front.
The goal is for them to look equal/even.



EDIT: Titan is "sold out" of 1.5" in the Ranger spec. So it will be 1" or 1.25"

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Explorer rear axle swap brought the rear wheels in line with the front wheels for me.

 

[cmcolfax]

Explorer rear axle swap brought the rear wheels in line with the front wheels for me.

That would make me

8.8 with 4.10's with a factory TracLoc.
And SportTrac springs!

Unfortunately neither the budget nor the available time to work on the Ranger allow for that.

 

[Uncle Gump]

We've all been in the time and money crunch before.

I've seen wheel spacers come undone and it's never pretty. I just don't like the additional points of failure.

I'd suggest getting wheels (even used) that have a 3.75 back space. That's really the aftermarket industry standard for aftermarket Ranger wheels. So an 8 inch wide wheel with 3.75 inch back space will get you 1 3/4 inch wider per side... 3 1/2 inches overall.

It won't fix the staggering front to rear... but i live with it. I just don't trust spacers enough to use them.

I know it doesn't answer your question... but if you "NEED" width to match... just putting them on the rear is better to me then running them on all four corners.

 

[sgtsandman]

I don't prefer spacers but if installed correctly and they aren't too big, they can be perfectly fine. Your point on the blue thread locker is a good one. While I haven't run them on a vehicle, I am using them on my utility trailer. I went from the 4.80-12 pizza cutters the trailer came with to a 20.5X8-10 tire to smooth out the ride and prevent the tires from sinking in the dirt and gravel. In order for them to clear the frame, I had to resort to spacers. I've been running those for about 15 years or so and haven't had an issue and the lug nuts holding the spacers in place have never moved.

The down side to using spacers is they put a longer moment arm on the wheel bearings and axle shafts. So, there is a potential for accelerated wheel bearing wear and bent axles. I'm not saying it will happen, only that it could happen. I'm pretty sure the spacers on the trailer are 2" and I'm still running the original bearings the trailer came with in 2007.

 

[Robertmangrum.rm]

I don't prefer spacers but if installed correctly and they aren't too big, they can be perfectly fine. Your point on the blue thread locker is a good one. While I haven't run them on a vehicle, I am using them on my utility trailer. I went from the 4.80-12 pizza cutters the trailer came with to a 20.5X8-10 tire to smooth out the ride and prevent the tires from sinking in the dirt and gravel. In order for them to clear the frame, I had to resort to spacers. I've been running those for about 15 years or so and haven't had an issue and the lug nuts holding the spacers in place have never moved.

The down side to using spacers is they put a longer moment arm on the wheel bearings and axle shafts. So, there is a potential for accelerated wheel bearing wear and bent axles. I'm not saying it will happen, only that it could happen. I'm pretty sure the spacers on the trailer are 2" and I'm still running the original bearings the trailer came with in 2007.

I have question. How would wheel spacers put any more stress on a wheel bearing, then a 0 offset wheel? Both move the center of gravity outwards. As an electrician. The math seems the same to me.

 

[SenorNoob]

I have question. How would wheel spacers put any more stress on a wheel bearing, then a 0 offset wheel? Both move the center of gravity outwards. As an electrician. The math seems the same to me.

This. That's really all a spacer does is bolt on more (or is it less?) offset.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I have question. How would wheel spacers put any more stress on a wheel bearing, then a 0 offset wheel? Both move the center of gravity outwards. As an electrician. The math seems the same to me.

Most OE wheels try to keep the front wheel bearing roughly in the center of the wheel.

Older component wheel bearings were basically in the brake rotor so the wheels could dish out more. Everything was more centered. Newer trucks have the unit wheel bearings mounted more inboard (wheel bearing bolts to knuckle and brake rotor etc bolts to wheel bearing) thus the wheels sit in more.

The rear wheel bearings are not as delicate.