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Old Feb 8, 2020 | 02:24 AM
  #1  
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Wheel Spacers

Some mixed feelings on these. As long as the fit and quality is good, can they be bad for your truck?
I am just thinking that one of the few things I wanted to add to my truck were some small spacers as they change the entire look of the truck, in a good way I think.
So if they're not going to cause problems down the road, what brands do you guys suggest? I'm looking for nothing more than 1.5", and I have a 15' F150 Lariat.
 
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Old Feb 8, 2020 | 06:01 AM
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Good spacers are not cheap and cheap spacers are not good. If I was to add spacers I would only trust Bora or wheeladapters.com hubcentric spacers.
Make sure to check for recommended spacer thickness. Some of the thinner spacers require trimming the stock lug studs. I wouldn't go with any that required trimming, but some people do. Something else to ponder on... a good set of spacers may cost about half as much as some new wheels with less offset, that stick out further.
 
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Old Feb 8, 2020 | 06:55 AM
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Old Feb 8, 2020 | 09:17 AM
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Originally Posted by NASSTY
... a good set of spacers may cost about half as much as some new wheels with less offset, that stick out further.
You can get a set of used spacers (BORA) for around $225 in the 1.5" range. Then when you upgrade wheels sell then for the same amount.
I bought a used set a while back for slightly more than that, never used them (they look almost brand new) and am about to sell them.
 
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Old Feb 8, 2020 | 03:56 PM
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Thanks guys. I'll keep doing some research before I make a decision. I just want to be 100% sure that it will be worth it in the end to push out my wheels an 1 1/2" lol.
 
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Old Feb 8, 2020 | 05:36 PM
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Not a fan.
Puts more stress on wheel bearings, throws crap all over the sides of the truck.
JMO
 
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Old Feb 8, 2020 | 06:22 PM
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Originally Posted by grm61
Not a fan.
Puts more stress on wheel bearings, throws crap all over the sides of the truck.
JMO
Thanks. That's what I'm looking for is the pros and cons. I'm thinking I might just wait and get a nice set of wheels and tires instead.
 
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Old Feb 9, 2020 | 06:14 PM
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Originally Posted by grm61
Not a fan.
Puts more stress on wheel bearings, throws crap all over the sides of the truck.
JMO
And when used on the front end it screws up your wheel alignment and steering geometry.
 
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Old Feb 9, 2020 | 07:06 PM
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Originally Posted by PupnDuck
And when used on the front end it screws up your wheel alignment and steering geometry.
Will a new set of wheels with slightly different offset cause the same problems?
 
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Old Feb 9, 2020 | 08:35 PM
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Originally Posted by PupnDuck
And when used on the front end it screws up your wheel alignment and steering geometry.
How's that?
 
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Old Feb 9, 2020 | 08:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Colu41
Will a new set of wheels with slightly different offset cause the same problems?
Yes, a change to negative offset will cause the same type of leverage force.
 
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Old Feb 10, 2020 | 01:10 PM
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Originally Posted by scott91370
How's that?
The front suspension has a property called "scrub radius". When front wheels are viewed from the front and an imaginary line is drawn down thru the suspension - from the top of a strut or through the upper and lower ball joints, etc. and then to the ground, the distance between where that line meets the ground and the center of the tire's contact patch is the scrub radius. That measurement changes as you turn the wheels. It does a couple of things; it exerts a leverage on the wheel which is the resistance you feel as you turn while moving. It also affects the toe setting. Normally your front wheels have a toe-in setting - the center of the front of the tires are closer than the rear of the tire. When you accelerate or brake the toe setting changes due to forces on the suspension. Increasing the scrub radius without re-aligning the front wheels can make the vehicle squirrely under hard acceleration and braking. It can also make the vehicle tend to follow every little groove in the road.
Some of these problems can be somewhat corrected by a really good alignment shop willing to give it a try. Of course there's no practical way to minimize the increased load on the wheel bearings. Going to a wheel with an increased offset in order to move the center of the tire back closer to the rotor mounting surface defeats the OP's goal of having the wheel stick out further.
 
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