Bolt on wheel spacers, yay or nay??

[Root_Drum_Co]

Im thinking about getting some wheel spacers to help get my wheels out closer to flush with my fenders. Ive never had any experience with them so i wanted to see what yall thought. Have any of yall on here tried them? Good experience or no? I have a 69 gmc shortbed stepper with 15x8 blazer rallies. I just want a little more width without having to drop the $$$ for 15x10’s right now.

So spacers...yay or nay?

Thanks guys!!!

[jimijam00]

nah. never liked the poser look of pushing skinnies out.

[c1971]

I have been running a set on rear of my 89 suburban all summer. I live in Pa, been to Myrtle beach SC, Ocean City MD, and a lot of places in between. All seems good. I would not recommend buying cheep Chinese, buy Alcoa aluminum and USA made.
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['68OrangeSunshine]

I voted Nay.
I liked the look of some ''late model'' ['99 -2000] GM factory wheels and they were dirt cheap. $75 for four rims in 16'' diameter. Then I got the pricing on some wheel adapters, ~$95 a wheel [x 4].
I would have also had to have a machinist mill out the inside diameters to fit my Warn hubs in front.
Also the application was a '67 K/10 Suburban. Heavy body and 4 wheel drive. I live in Arizona, so it's no carshow poser. It can get rough out there.
Too many small parts to go wrong when you least need trouble.
I had to pass. Would've looked cool, but 'looks' is what it ain't about for me.

[CG]

In the past I would have said no. There are some good quality spacers out there today though and running them is very common on cars and trucks. If you think it will make things look better in your eye I say go for it. Just get the good ones, stay out of the Harbor Freight spacer aisle =)

[Bigdav160]

While functionally they should work.
My problem is they'll change the scrub radius and put extra leverage and stress on the wheel bearings

[Root_Drum_Co]

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

I voted Nay.
I liked the look of some ''late model'' ['99 -2000] GM factory wheels and they were dirt cheap. $75 for four rims in 16'' diameter. Then I got the pricing on some wheel adapters, ~$95 a wheel [x 4].
I would have also had to have a machinist mill out the inside diameters to fit my Warn hubs in front.
Also the application was a '67 K/10 Suburban. Heavy body and 4 wheel drive. I live in Arizona, so it's no carshow poser. It can get rough out there.
Too many small parts to go wrong when you least need trouble.
I had to pass. Would've looked cool, but 'looks' is what it ain't about for me.

Thanks for the advice, to you and everybody. And you make a good point about having to get them machined. All the ones ive been finding were either 25mm to large of a hub bore, or 20-15mm too small. Some have a hub centric lip sticking up, some didnt. So having to have them “adjusted” was kinda looking like a possibility. Might just have to spring for the 15x10 wheels. Im still scouring facebook marketplace and craigslist for some. It just sucks having a 6 lug, theres not nearly as many used sets floating around out there as there are 5 lug. And im not doing a 5 lug swap, before someone recommends it, simply dont have the funds. One day though...one day!

[weq92f]

.
I'm thinking your truck looks fine the way it is! In fact, it looks better than fine, it looks great!!

It would have a different, maybe better to some eyes, look with the spacers but currently you are sitting pretty nicely as is Sir.

That said, I'm running spacers on my narrow rear '67 to bring the rears out a bit.

Hth,

-klb

[RustyPile]

The following DOES NOT apply to 100% of the cases, but it does happen enough that I avoid recommending wheel spacers just to accomplish "the look".. Keep in mind that old adage --- You can have it cheap, good, and fast.. Pick any 2 as you can't have all three.. From reading your original post you want it cheap and fast???? The question begs to be asked--- Why would you not want a good job????

When you add those spacers, you'll increase the load/leverage on wheel bearings and axle bearings - leading to premature failure... You'll change the scrub radius on the front tires - leading to alignment issues and increased tire wear.. When you come here and ask for a solution to those problems, the correct answer will be -------


Drum roll please...

Remove those spacers....

[TBONE1964]

Just remember, the farther the center of the tire is to the center of the axle bearing, the more the load center on the bearing gets shifted and will result in pre mature bearing failure.

My thought is to get a tire and wheel combo that requires no wheel spacers and has small amount of offset.

[TBONE1964]

Originally Posted by TBONE1964

Just remember, the farther the center of the tire is to the center of the axle bearing, the more the load center on the bearing gets shifted and will result in pre mature bearing failure.

My thought is to get a tire and wheel combo that requires no wheel spacers and has small amount of offset.

EDIT: I failed to read the above comments concerning my statement. As far as bearing failure is concerned. I agree

[RustyPile]

Originally Posted by TBONE1964

EDIT: I failed to read the above comments concerning my statement. As far as bearing failure is concerned. I agree

TBONE--no need to edit or apologize.. You posted just one minute after I did.. Not enough time to even see my post, much less read it.. The important thing is we're on the same page.. You know what they say... "Great Minds think alike..

[CG]

Funny how sometimes you get hung for cutting your dash and somedays its your truck do what you want.

This is the first time Ive heard outrage (exaggerating lol) about spacers. With all the crazy tire and wheel combos on cars and trucks these days I see spacers and adaptors all the time. Obviously you don't want to go overboard with them. But if you are just looking for a little move why not.


yes I know a cut dash isn't a "safety" thing =)

[RustyPile]

Originally Posted by CG

Funny how sometimes you get hung for cutting your dash and somedays its your truck do what you want.

This is the first time Ive heard outrage (exaggerating lol) about spacers. With all the crazy tire and wheel combos on cars and trucks these days I see spacers and adaptors all the time. Obviously you don't want to go overboard with them. But if you are just looking for a little move why not.


yes I know a cut dash isn't a "safety" thing =)

I guess having raced high powered race cars for years, I have a vested interest in safety. Part of my shop's business was building race chassis.. I did not want any liability issues to surface...

Installing longer lugs and using spacers to move the wheel out a small amount might not make a big difference in strength or bearing load, but those forces will certainly increase.. But those God awful "adapters that allow a five lug wheel to fit a 6 lug axle/hub should be outlawed and illegal to produce.. But I read all the time about some dufus doing something stupid behind the wheel near a crowd of onlookers.. Something fails, a wheel/tire comes off, a ball joint fails, or an axle breaks and people get hurt..

I do not gamble when it comes to safety.. I'd much rather err on the side of safety..

[Root_Drum_Co]

Originally Posted by RustyPile

The following DOES NOT apply to 100% of the cases, but it does happen enough that I avoid recommending wheel spacers just to accomplish "the look".. Keep in mind that old adage --- You can have it cheap, good, and fast.. Pick any 2 as you can't have all three.. From reading your original post you want it cheap and fast???? The question begs to be asked--- Why would you not want a good job????

When you add those spacers, you'll increase the load/leverage on wheel bearings and axle bearings - leading to premature failure... You'll change the scrub radius on the front tires - leading to alignment issues and increased tire wear.. When you come here and ask for a solution to those problems, the correct answer will be -------


Drum roll please...

Remove those spacers....

This is exactly why I posted about this on here, to hear logic and reason to talk me out of it if they’re not the best idea. I had my doubts s and ive seen the pictures of cars/trucks with a wheel broken off b/c of spacers so i just wanted some, in my opinion, “professional “ advice from guys that know more than me.

Ive had my heart set on the 15x10 look from the get-go when i bought the truck in 2011, so i think im just gonna go that route when the money is right. Spacers were just gonna be a way to cheat, but after talking to you guys and thinking about it... its not worth it. Thanks again to all of you guys, i know i can always count on this board to steer me right!

[Root_Drum_Co]

P.s. heres what im gonna do for now,

Before and after (photoshopped)

Paint my blazer rallies and pop some center caps on. Caps are already ordered from Ebay, late 80’s 6 lug chevy caps

I posted these pics in another thread already, but im so proud of my photoshopping, hete they are again lol

Thanks again guys!!!

[HO455]

I have to say in my opinion your wheels are perfect as far as offset. Any further and your sticking out. Which in my world is a high school automotive styling mistake, (Who else remembers 10" Craggers on a Camaro in 1977) and not to mention it causes the truck to get dirty faster as the tire throws dirt up and the fender isn't there to catch it so it lands on the side of the vehicle.
If you were to still wanting to move the wheel out I have run 3/8-1/2 inch spacers in the past without problems. I made them to be hub centric and to fit the bolt pattern with very little play. In addition I ran longer studs to keep things secure.

[Root_Drum_Co]

Thanks HO455! Yea, I didn’t even think about the dirt slinging aspect, you make a good point.

[HO455]

You are welcome. Its more than just plain old dirt. Many years ago I had L-60's and pizza cutters on my GTO and on one long weekend road trip I ended up driving through a huge white lake of stuff leaking out of a dozen or more of 5 gallon cans that had fallen off a truck. The light of day reveled the car was covered with white spatter, like some Pollock painting. Fortunately it turned out to be drywall mud and not paint and I was able to remove it fairly easily.

[Root_Drum_Co]

Yea, that sounds terrible. Glad it came off ok it sounds like!

Well i think im sticking to the new plan. I got my 15x8 blazer rallies painted black today and my center caps should be here tursday or Wednesday. I’ll post a pic when im done, but heres the type of caps i ordered and my painted wheels...

[Root_Drum_Co]

Finally got my center caps in the snail mail and put em on, so heres what im gonna roll with for a while.

[CG]

Looks great, nicely done!

[HO455]

Looks great!

[Root_Drum_Co]

Thanks guys!