wheel spacers, good or bad idea?
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wheel spacers, good or bad idea? - 8/8/2007 6:04:33 AM
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davtak
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I was just surfing ebay last night and I came across 2 inch blazer wheel spacers for my year and others. They were 55 bucks for two. I was thinking about getting some down the road when I have some cash. I'm planning on winning at the casino next week lol. Yeah, I know, in my dreams lol. Anyway, are these a good or bad idea for a 4-wheel drive blazer. If they are, tell me. I don't want to make a mistake and break something that will cost an arm and a leg to fix. Or do I have to make special preperations to do this, or is it just bolt on and go. I'm thinking about what it would look like and I like the idea, but if I can't, I won't be dissapointed. So tell me the truth, I can handle it. Oh, and if they are a good idea and anyone has an idea where I can get them for cheaper than this, tell me that too. Thanks.
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RE: wheel spacers, good or bad idea? - 8/8/2007 6:17:00 AM
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Jigg
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They're a fine idea. I've been running them for 4 years between both blazers i've had. I actually have 2" spacers on the rear of my truck, and 1.25" spacers on the front right now.
One thing to note, a lot of people will say to go with the hubcentric spacers, since they put the load of the truck on the hub, and not the lugs (the ones you posted are lug centric). I've only run lug centric and have never had a problem with lugs snapping off (and i have 33x12.50's and wheel my truck). But it's something to think about.
$55 for the pair is a great deal, IMO... i think i paid more than that for mine.
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RE: wheel spacers, good or bad idea? - 8/8/2007 7:08:17 AM
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davtak
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Cool. Thanks Jigg. I had a feeling you would reply to this lol. Now if I put 2 inchers on both front and back, would it be out of line. You said that you have two different sizes. I want the tires to be straight in line if you know what I mean. Should I do the same or will the 2 inchers be fine all the way around. How do you think it will look with my truck. I do have sorta new tires with beefy tread on them. I think it will look more beefy and off-roadish if I do this. To tell you the truth, I got the idea from looking at your truck pic in the rotm. I like the look of the tires out further than the wells. The only thing I'll have to be careful of is trying not to curb them lol.
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RE: wheel spacers, good or bad idea? - 8/8/2007 7:41:25 AM
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Jigg
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The front track is 1.3" wider than the rear track (from the factory)... so if you want them dead even, you'd want to just put 1.25" spacers on the back, or even 1.25" spacers on the front and 2.5" spacers on the back.
One thing you'll run into with putting spacers on the front is that they'll cause you to rub if you have any bigger tires than stock (and possibly even stock... i'm not sure on that one). My 33's didn't rub before installing the spacers, but now they'll rub (very rarely) when i have the wheel turned and hit a rut at speed or something like that. For me, it's not a huge deal... i know where it's rubbing and it's not hurting the tires or the truck.
If i were you, I'd start off with the 1.25" spacers, and throw them on the rear. See how you like it, maybe it'll be enough for you. If you decide you want more width, all you need to do is buy the 2" or 2.5" spacers, put the 1.25" on the front, and the larger ones on the rear.
Are you considering a lift at all?
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RE: wheel spacers, good or bad idea? - 8/8/2007 7:50:53 AM
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swartlkk
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Is that 1.3" wider track hub to hub or centerline to hub...?
Here's my bit on spacers... There will be more force on the bearings by pushing the wheels out further. As designed (w/o spacers), the bearings are pretty darn close to the center of the wheel, meaning that the loads will be primarily radial loads (ie straight in towards the axle). When you move the wheel out, you will be creating a moment (twisting) force that isn't present in the stock arrangement. Increased wear can and should be expected. That is just the engineer in me... Had to say it.
With that said, spacers have been used for a very long time with mixed reviews. Many have had little to no trouble from their use. And I would definitely have to recommend hub-centric spacers.
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RE: wheel spacers, good or bad idea? - 8/8/2007 8:02:20 AM
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Jigg
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Those are all extremely good points Kyle. Definitely something to keep in mind when you make your decision.
For me, I see spacers no different than getting rims with different backspacing, they present the same pros and cons. Plus, with wheeling, i tend to brake my parts long before they could wear out from the spacers, lol.
But, if you don't have the space/ability to work on your truck yourself, and will have to bring it to a dealer or mechanic to get your ball joints/bearings replaced... you may want to reconsider the spacers, as they'll definitely add some premature wear.
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RE: wheel spacers, good or bad idea? - 8/8/2007 9:59:10 AM
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swartlkk
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The ZQ8 wheels will bolt up, but the backspacing is less than that of the 4wd rims. Spacers would make it worse.
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RE: wheel spacers, good or bad idea? - 8/8/2007 10:50:29 AM
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swartlkk
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Backspacing is the measurement from the inside edge of the rim to the hub mounting face.
4wd rims have around 6" backspacing while the 2wd rims are somewhere in the realm of 4" backspacing. This will move the wheel out ~2".
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RE: wheel spacers, good or bad idea? - 8/8/2007 12:20:52 PM
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davtak
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No, no lift planned. I have been always wondering looking at my blazer. The tires look like they are so far in (if you know what I mean). The lip of the fender is not real far out, but it comes out farther than the front of the tire and I am looking for just more straightness. When I took the sidesteps off, it looked kind of weird. I don't want to lift it or anything, I just want to move the tires out a little so they are even or a little further out than the fenders. Also, from looking from the back of my blazer down the side, it looks like the rear tires are pushed in further than the front tires. You can kind of tell what I'm talking about in the picture that is in my sig. Thanks for the tips Jigg. I will look for some 1.25" spacers and slap them on the back first. I am pretty sure that I want to go this direction, but am not entirely sure what it would look like. Is there anybody that is really good with photoshop or something that can give me a close proximity as to what it would look like on my blazer. And I do have stock size tires. When I bought them, I got the middle priced tire. They told me that I would get better grip, better cornering, but at the same time not giving up anything else. The cheaper ones had less grip and gave more speed. And the more expensive ones had super grip but lacked on speed and also hummed on the highway. I didn't want that. They are still stock size though. Dakota Definity in case it helps.
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RE: wheel spacers, good or bad idea? - 8/8/2007 12:35:02 PM
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otnietdehoooo
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i dont mean to steal this thread but why exactly would the 2wd have less backspacing? wouldnt you want the 4wd wheels to stick out a little more? kinda like the zr2's
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RE: wheel spacers, good or bad idea? - 8/9/2007 8:24:11 PM
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mudsliner
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i have 2 inch spaces on all 4 i got pic in my gallery if u wanna take a look
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RE: wheel spacers, good or bad idea? - 8/9/2007 8:41:08 PM
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lennyblazer
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quote:
ORIGINAL: otnietdehoooo
i dont mean to steal this thread but why exactly would the 2wd have less backspacing? wouldnt you want the 4wd wheels to stick out a little more? kinda like the zr2's
The offset is different because the 4x4 axles stick out further, at least in front, than the 2wd axles, since we have front hubs. I guess the rear is also slightly further out probably because the way the suspension and drivetrain is set up. Hope this helps.
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