Wheel spacers or Wider wheels ?
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Hi friends, Need your expert opinion on above subject. Most of you are aware that I have recently lifted my Landcruiser. Few of DO members suggested to use wheel spacers to have a better stability of car. Another option would be using wider wheels. I need your expert opinion on which one is better, spacers or wider wheel :-\ ?
Purely my opinion
Option 1: If you have money, put offset wider wheels and new tires. You also need to then search for fender flares else it will look odd, draw back might be slight loss of power and also wheel bearings will wear out faster than normal
Option 2: Just put some wheel spacers, drawback i heard is it will reduce your wheel bearing life. For a 2″ lift I think you can widen it by about 1-1.5″
spacers might be a cheaper option provided that they are of a reputable brand to insure safety.
they also need to be hub-centric/wheel-centric to minimize any vibrations at the wheels.
this type of fitting also reduces stress on the hub bolts, preventing the bolts from breaking under heavy loads in extreme driving conditions, as all the load will be directly transfered to the center of the hub instead.on the other hand, wheels might be a more expensive option, but they do give you peace of mind with less hassle in fitting and balancing, and a stronger more reliable OEM approach. wheels are also slightly more complicated in terms of achieving the desired wheel base width, as some calculations need to be done for wheel centre offsetting and overall wheel width. moreover the centre hub of most after-market wheels will be wider in diameter than the hub centre of your vehicle, to facilitate multi vehicle application. in this case an adequate shim/spacer of the exact reducing measurements must be fabricated or sometimes readily available at the tyre shop.
either way you go, your steering and road feel will not be the same anymore and will be affected somehow negatively, as you will get more side to side movement at the steering wheel due to increased opposing road forces at both front wheels. but it wont be too drastic as long as you dont utilize too much spacing…
hope this helps..
cheers
quote anandrajant:Hi friends, Need your expert opinion on above subject. Most of you are aware that I have recently lifted my Landcruiser. Few of DO members suggested to use wheel spacers to have a better stability of car. Another option would be using wider wheels. I need your expert opinion on which one is better, spacers or wider wheel :-\ ?Nothing to do. Waste of time, energy, money etc. Just drive as it is.
quote khshareef:quote anandrajant:Hi friends, Need your expert opinion on above subject. Most of you are aware that I have recently lifted my Landcruiser. Few of DO members suggested to use wheel spacers to have a better stability of car. Another option would be using wider wheels. I need your expert opinion on which one is better, spacers or wider wheel :-\ ?Nothing to do. Waste of time, energy, money etc. Just drive as it is.
I agree with Humayoon.
As Joe said both will affect your driving and handling negatively.
No need for spacers or wide wheels, just drive…a bit more carefully on dunes and ridges.
quote khshareef:quote anandrajant:Hi friends, Need your expert opinion on above subject. Most of you are aware that I have recently lifted my Landcruiser. Few of DO members suggested to use wheel spacers to have a better stability of car. Another option would be using wider wheels. I need your expert opinion on which one is better, spacers or wider wheel :-\ ?Nothing to do. Waste of time, energy, money etc. Just drive as it is.
with all due respect to ur expertise, and IMHO,
it is a rule of thumb and for safety reasons that one must widen the wheel-base of the vehicle, once the centre of gravity is shifted upwards after performing any sort of body or suspension lift. this procedure brings back the lateral forces acting on the vehicle, close enough to factory settings. it will also provide a more stable and safer cornering and manoeuvring on and off road.cheers
quote joe.zeinoun:quote khshareef:quote anandrajant:Hi friends, Need your expert opinion on above subject. Most of you are aware that I have recently lifted my Landcruiser. Few of DO members suggested to use wheel spacers to have a better stability of car. Another option would be using wider wheels. I need your expert opinion on which one is better, spacers or wider wheel :-\ ?Nothing to do. Waste of time, energy, money etc. Just drive as it is.
with all due respect to ur expertise, and IMHO,
it is a rule of thumb and for safety reasons that one must widen the wheel-base of the vehicle, once the centre of gravity is shifted upwards after performing any sort of body or suspension lift. this procedure brings back the lateral forces acting on the vehicle, close enough to factory settings. it will also provide a more stable and safer cornering and manoeuvring on and off road.cheers
To get centre of gravity we will put wheel spacer ir bigger tyres but there will be loss of torque power. So for this we have to go for trd exhaust or manifold header but again this spoil engine and warranty from manufacturer. Finally kist will go on. At the end nothing to achieve. Just lifting and djid plate will do job for land cruiser
again a small clarification on the matter at hand…
once a vehicle is lifted, it will automatically suffer from a shift upward in centre of gravity.
this will destabilize the vehicle laterally and make it prone to sway and tip-over; the higher the lift the greater the risk.
to compensate for this disadvantage one must widen the wheel-base of the vehicle while maintaining the same tyre diameter size, so as not to face any loss in torque and power. this could be achieved by either fitting spacers to the wheels or changing the wheels to wider ones with more negative offset. wider wheels with negative offset can still accommodate same tyre size as oem, as long as it doesnt exceed the recommended tyre rim-width fitting margins.
for example and as stated by manufacturer, a BFG all-terrain TA KO tyre of 285/75/16 size, can fit on a wheel ranging in width between 7.5″-9″ (inches)…cheers
Once you start modifying, it’s hard to stop 😀 mainly cause doing one mod, it requires another one, and it takes a lot of time and free funds to accomplish a safe project
actually all was said, just another way of putting it:
start by driving more carefully, especially at turns on highways and side sloping in desert.
your car will tend to incline more for obvious reasons.
Get used to it, or, if you dont like it’s behavior, below next steps:
1. longer bump-stops and wider tyres with wider wheels (carefully choosing wheels offset)
if tyres are rubbing the fenders:
2. trimming fenders and installing wider fender flares (or altering the fenders to widen them using heat and some brute force)
if you dont like the bouncy behavior, then you need
2. stiffer suspension
if you feel loss of power/torque, then you need
3. higher ratio differentials, chip-tuning, ECU re-mapping, performance air filters, headers, cat-backs, and so on…some facts:
I didnt feel any change after lifting my car a bit
There is a probability that you won’t feel any difference in driving as well, it’s just 5cm less probability of getting stuck on a ridge or in soft sand
The spacers will be the weak points, especially with the big weight of the LC
The suspension and powertrain moving details will be more prone to wear, due to longer travel (arms, shafts, rods, axles, etc…)Cheerz
:thanks: a lot for all your recommendations and guidance. Unfortunately I can’t make out a conclusion 😕 , I will continue my research and will not do anything immediately. Also lets hope to see more comments from DO members 🙂
Ha ha u asked for opinion, you know everyone has his own personal one 🙂
quote anandrajant:Hi friends, Need your expert opinion on above subject. Most of you are aware that I have recently lifted my Landcruiser. Few of DO members suggested to use wheel spacers to have a better stability of car. Another option would be using wider wheels. I need your expert opinion on which one is better, spacers or wider wheel :-\ ?Hi Anand,
I’m pretty new to Desert Driving. But, have used a lifted pre-2008 Landcruiser extensively at Oil & Gas project sites. Although you LC looks very different from the pre-2008 models, the engineering effort that goes into a Toyota is unmatched and it should still be stable after a small lift. And I have seen your vehicle at a previous drive. Personally, I don’t think you’ve lifted it too much to cause discomfort during driving. I didn’t even recognise it as a lifted vehicle.
If you don’t feel excessive body roll or imbalance, I would personally recommend that you don’t need to do any more modifications.
Personally, I would never modify a Japanese/Korean/German vehicle.
My two cents (or should I say my 25 fils? 🙂 )
Regards,
Sreejith
quote Sreejith Chengazhassery:quote anandrajant:Hi friends, Need your expert opinion on above subject. Most of you are aware that I have recently lifted my Landcruiser. Few of DO members suggested to use wheel spacers to have a better stability of car. Another option would be using wider wheels. I need your expert opinion on which one is better, spacers or wider wheel :-\ ?Hi Anand,
I’m pretty new to Desert Driving. But, have used a lifted pre-2008 Landcruiser extensively at Oil & Gas project sites. Although you LC looks very different from the pre-2008 models, the engineering effort that goes into a Toyota is unmatched and it should still be stable after a small lift. And I have seen your vehicle at a previous drive. Personally, I don’t think you’ve lifted it too much to cause discomfort during driving. I didn’t even recognise it as a lifted vehicle.
If you don’t feel excessive body roll or imbalance, I would personally recommend that you don’t need to do any more modifications.
Personally, I would never modify a Japanese/Korean/German vehicle.
My two cents (or should I say my 25 fils? 🙂 )
Regards,
SreejithHi Sreejith
Thanks a lot for the comments. I think you have seen my car before lifting.May be next time we join for a drive you can have a look and let me know your view, would appreciate it :thanks:
quote joe.zeinoun:again a small clarification on the matter at hand…
once a vehicle is lifted, it will automatically suffer from a shift upward in centre of gravity.
this will destabilize the vehicle laterally and make it prone to sway and tip-over; the higher the lift the greater the risk.
to compensate for this disadvantage one must widen the wheel-base of the vehicle while maintaining the same tyre diameter size, so as not to face any loss in torque and power. this could be achieved by either fitting spacers to the wheels or changing the wheels to wider ones with more negative offset. wider wheels with negative offset can still accommodate same tyre size as oem, as long as it doesnt exceed the recommended tyre rim-width fitting margins.
for example and as stated by manufacturer, a BFG all-terrain TA KO tyre of 285/75/16 size, can fit on a wheel ranging in width between 7.5″-9″ (inches)…cheers
Hi Anand,
I’m with Joe on this one as he concisely states above. This is my experience and suggestion but ultimately it is a personal decision. Drive your car. See how it feels, then make a decision.
As you can see everyone has their own advice but its your opinion that matters most. Once you start modifications its hard to know where to stop. Wider wheels with greater off spacing will possibly mean some modification will be needed to your wheel arches and so on ………
I lifted mine and put wheel spacers. This did not feel as good as stock stability so I changed wheels to wider from 7 to 9.5 incg with 4.25 offset as opposed to 6 and now it handles amazingly. Literally hang sideways off crests.
Just listen to yourself ultimately from gaining experience of how your beast handles. If you feel you need more stability go for it… 😀
quote DuncanField:quote joe.zeinoun:again a small clarification on the matter at hand…
once a vehicle is lifted, it will automatically suffer from a shift upward in centre of gravity.
this will destabilize the vehicle laterally and make it prone to sway and tip-over; the higher the lift the greater the risk.
to compensate for this disadvantage one must widen the wheel-base of the vehicle while maintaining the same tyre diameter size, so as not to face any loss in torque and power. this could be achieved by either fitting spacers to the wheels or changing the wheels to wider ones with more negative offset. wider wheels with negative offset can still accommodate same tyre size as oem, as long as it doesnt exceed the recommended tyre rim-width fitting margins.
for example and as stated by manufacturer, a BFG all-terrain TA KO tyre of 285/75/16 size, can fit on a wheel ranging in width between 7.5″-9″ (inches)…cheers
Hi Anand,
I’m with Joe on this one as he concisely states above. This is my experience and suggestion but ultimately it is a personal decision. Drive your car. See how it feels, then make a decision.
As you can see everyone has their own advice but its your opinion that matters most. Once you start modifications its hard to know where to stop. Wider wheels with greater off spacing will possibly mean some modification will be needed to your wheel arches and so on ………
I lifted mine and put wheel spacers. This did not feel as good as stock stability so I changed wheels to wider from 7 to 9.5 incg with 4.25 offset as opposed to 6 and now it handles amazingly. Literally hang sideways off crests.
Just listen to yourself ultimately from gaining experience of how your beast handles. If you feel you need more stability go for it… 😀
:thanks: a lot Duncan, really appreciated. Yes I will see how is it going in coming weeks. My issue is I cant make that judgment on stability may be because of lack of experience. I might request few experienced marshals to test drive my car during the drive to give their opinion. Most of my online research ended up in for a wider wheel even though it is an expensive option. Let me wait for few more weeks and then decide.
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