wheel spacer adapters

[gonzalo medina]

I finally got the rims I wanted but the offset is two inches off. Everyone loves them and say they look fine but I want them to be perfect could I put 2'' spacers without problems? seen some on ebay for our five lug pattern will they work?

[GT-Racer]

2 inches seems like alot, wait for more replies.

[flyboy2610]

I would be concerned about excess strain on the wheel studs. Something about the idea just strikes me as being risky.

[72hiboy4x4]

your lug nuts won't be long enough. you must have at least one full thread showing on the lugs when tightened to specs to be safe.
if you were to change the lugs, the leverage assserted on them by the wheels would shear them off in a short while.
as an alternative, there are a few places that will take your wheels and take them apart and make the backspace exactly to your specs. I just can't remember the name right now. national wheel, northern wheel ........something like that??

[fordman]

i thought offsets came with off set studs of the same pattern as your vechile and solved the problem of extra stress on your orignal lugs. i could be wrong. and 2" does sound like alot.

[rjewkes]

I don't trust spacers. One crack in them or loss of a single stud and your done for.

[gonzalo medina]

These are actually interesting they have five holes to collect your original lug pattern and have the grooves to allow nuts to enter securely and you bolt your rim to separate set of studs that looked pretty cool. These have been used for alot of sport cars and seen the 5x5.5 lug alvailable I wouldn't trust securing the nuts with only a few threads either but really look safe but can't get pictures right now.

[boosted12a]

as far as the levrage, i dont see a problem, it would be the same as if they had the correct offset. just make sure you get them from a repuatble company. i cant remember the exact site but gill racing makes exelent adapters, they can be made any size/pattern you wnat. i beleave they usualy run around 350 for a set of 4. i figure if they can withstant racing abuse, they will be fine on the streets

[roachrider]

It seems to me like people are talking about two different products here.

First, you've got wheel spacers. Those are chunks of metal with holes drilled in them. You sandwich them between the wheel and the WMS and consequently have less thread engagement on the studs. These are normally a max of 1/2" thick because the thicker they are, the less stud you're getting ahold of with the lug nut.

The second kind is more commonly called wheel adapters. They have holes and you bolt them to your existing studs. Then, they have their own studs in them that you bolt your wheel to. As a result, you still get full stud engagement. These are generally 1"-3" thick. They have to be at least as thick as your current studs in order to cover them up and provide a flat surface to bolt the wheel to.

You're not putting any more stress on the wheel bearings than you would with a pair of greater offset wheels since distance from the wheel bearing to the contact patch(weight transfer from truck to ground) moves the same distance with either option(think leverage). You're putting a very small amount more stress on the inner studs as the lever that's being applied to them lengthens the length of the adapter you install. I've never seen them break, however, I've only seen a half dozen sets installed...not really enough for a statistically significant conclusion. With that said, I've used a 3" set on my Jeep before I made my current rear axle.

The only thing you really MUST DO is pull the wheels off and retorque the inner studs holding the adapters on a few times. You would normally do it for the wheel anyway. However, I've seen a couple people get lazy and never retorque the inner set. When the wheel finally was removed, the inner nuts were way undertorqued.

One note. A while ago, there was a kind of cross between these two. They were generally 1"-3" thick like the wheel adapters but had stud extensions that screwed onto your existing studs. You then slipped a hunk of steel with holes in it over the whole 3"+ long stud. DON'T USE THESE. They put a huge amount of stress on the studs. This is where the thick adapters got their bad reputation.

I've attached a picture of each of the modern varieties.

Hope that made helps somebody

[fordman]

ok i was thinking of adapters not spacers.

[roachrider]

Hmmm...I thought I had attached a picture...

[heep70]

You did .

[rjewkes]

ok thing is it would be a spacer to go 5'x5.5" Ford To 5"x5.5" Ford. if the the inside of the tire is not rubbing on anything. And the outside aint rubbing either nothing to worry about.

However you cuold find a tire&rim shop tha'll swap you, or will adjust the offset.

Maybe an experienced welder can even fix it for you. Ask around.

[Jake11]

I have seen them come loose on cars and seen a PU loose a wheel.
I have used them myself before with no prob's. I think you have to
keep an eye on them. Make sure the stay tight. JMO

[Jake11]

I seen a guy put two sets on before. Don't do that.
Tried the rubber coil spacers, but they keep breaking in half.