Jump to content

Wheel spacers?

jayvh1
 Share

Recommended Posts

Rock1500 Senior Enthusiast

Rock1500

Posted
Posted

I want to get the BDS lift and on the website they said you can't use OEM rims. Would it be possible to use spacers to get to still use the OEM tires? Would there be an issue? From what I could read with the BDS suspensions the front whiles will be sticking out more than the rear and I'll still be needing spacers to compensate for that.

 

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

jimmyboy8301 Senior Enthusiast

jimmyboy8301

Posted
Posted

BDS and Zone widens the front track 1.5" and BORA spacers are probably the best out there. I've had them on 2 trucks so far

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  • Like 1
2017gmcsierraslt Enthusiast

2017gmcsierraslt

Posted
Posted

BDS and Zone widens the front track 1.5" and BORA spacers are probably the best out there. I've had them on 2 trucks so far

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is that 1.5" per side or the overall of both tires combined?

Thanks

jimmyboy8301 Senior Enthusiast

jimmyboy8301

Posted
Posted

Is that 1.5" per side or the overall of both tires combined?

Thanks

1.5" PER side. Each cv spacer is 1.5"

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  • Like 1
  • 2 months later...
gastonhector Enthusiast

gastonhector

Posted
Posted

Hi I have interesting in Install wheel spacer for my Chevy CC, I have 285/65/18 with original Wheel , I think install 1,25" what do you recommend 1,25" or 1,5"?

pewterliftedz Enthusiast

pewterliftedz

Posted
Posted

Hi I have interesting in Install wheel spacer for my Chevy CC, I have 285/65/18 with original Wheel , I think install 1,25" what do you recommend 1,25" or 1,5"?

The problem is anything under 1.5" will most likely require you to trim your wheel studs.

  • Like 1
Thomcat Senior Enthusiast

Thomcat

Posted
Posted

Should be related to the centerline of the wheel/tire assembly, not the wheel/tire center of gravity (they are not necessarily the same).

They are definitely not the same once you install a spacer.. The wheel has an uneven mass across it's width which is compensated by placing the vertical plane of the mounting not necessarily in the center plane of the width, but at the center of gravity. Wider wheels with no spacers - no problems other than possible wheel well interference, wheels will still be in balance. But install a spacer to compensate for interference or center the tire, thicker the spacer, the more stress on the bearing, simple Physics.

  • Like 1
bgweed Enthusiast

bgweed

Posted
Posted

They are definitely not the same once you install a spacer.. The wheel has an uneven mass across it's width which is compensated by placing the vertical plane of the mounting not necessarily in the center plane of the width, but at the center of gravity. Wider wheels with no spacers - no problems other than possible wheel well interference, wheels will still be in balance. But install a spacer to compensate for interference or center the tire, thicker the spacer, the more stress on the bearing, simple Physics.

 

My post was saying that focusing on the wheel's center of gravity is not correct. The center of gravity could be the same before or after a spacer, depending on the design of the wheel. However, this isn't the issue.

 

The stock wheel's offset is chosen based on the location of the wheel bearing to locate the wheel such that the wheel's vertical supporting force directly opposes the force from the weight of the vehicle, preventing a moment (axial torque) on the bearing.

 

It's also not correct to say that using a spacer to re-center the wheel will put more stress on a bearing. If I started with a +26 stock wheel, then installed a +50 offset wheel with a 1" spacer, the relationship from wheel centerline to bearing centerline has not changed and there will NOT be more stress on the bearing.

 

If you want to kill a bearing, get a huge negative offset and/or a big wheel spacer, which puts the supporting force further outboard than the force of vehicle weight. Now the forces are not opposed, so you have a moment on the bearing.

  • Like 1
  • 3 years later...
Matt Joens New Member

Matt Joens

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hi everyone. First time poster here...I was looking for some info/opinions on wheel spacers. I have a stock 2018 Z71 that I'm looking at adding wheel spacers. I only want to bump my wheels out an inch or so. From what I can tell here, BORA is the preferred brand. I'm curious as to why? A wheel spacer seems like a VERY simple part and BORA spacers would cost me ~$250 for all 4 wheels when I can get other brands for less than half of that. Can someone fill me in on what makes BORA so much better?

 

Also, I really don't want anything to do with trimming my lugs. Is that inevitable with 1" spacers?

 

-Matt

Edited by Matt Joens
Luster Senior Enthusiast

Luster

Posted
Posted (edited)
8 hours ago, Matt Joens said:

Hi everyone. First time poster here...I was looking for some info/opinions on wheel spacers. I have a stock 2018 Z71 that I'm looking at adding wheel spacers. I only want to bump my wheels out an inch or so. From what I can tell here, BORA is the preferred brand. I'm curious as to why? A wheel spacer seems like a VERY simple part and BORA spacers would cost me ~$250 for all 4 wheels when I can get other brands for less than half of that. Can someone fill me in on what makes BORA so much better?

 

Also, I really don't want anything to do with trimming my lugs. Is that inevitable with 1" spacers?

 

-Matt

Matt, it's not only that wheel spacers are a simple part, but a VERY important part when it comes to safety.  Bora makes the highest quality billet aluminum, hubcentric spacers on the market, they also come with the highest quality case hardened lug bolts.  Hubcentric is essential because the load of the wheel is centered on the hub rather than the studs.  This also means you will have no vibration from the wheel being just slightly off center, as it could be with non-hubcentric spacers.  Read some Amazon reviews of the cheap Chinese-made wheel spacers and you'll understand.  Stories of lugs breaking, wheels falling off, trucks being wrecked, front suspensions being ruined.  Bora is the trusted brand, indeed the "Cadillac" of spacers. You can buy spacers for half the price of Bora, but is it worth the risk?  Nope.

 

As far as trimming lugs, it depends on your wheels.  Factory wheels have a 1/2 - 3/4" indent on the back side which provides a place for the lugs to reside, but the spacers have to be at least 1-1/2" thick.  Aftermarket wheels without the indents require 1-3/4" spacers.

Edited by Luster
Grumpy Bear Senior Enthusiast

Grumpy Bear

Posted
Posted
On 2/27/2017 at 10:09 AM, Thomcat said:

OEM geometry places the center of gravity of the tire/wheel assembly in the same vertical plane as the center of the wheel bearing/CV joint. Should be no problem If the correct width spacer maintains that alignment for a wider tire. Using a spacer without going to a wider tire will place the CG further outboard and stress the bearing proportional to the offset from the CG.

And then there is scrub radius. A line drawn through the ball joints to the ground should be pretty close to the center of the tires contact patch or a little inboard. Little being the key word. This geometry works WITH camber and castor in articulating the tire in a way that keeps things working properly. Close your eyes and imagine what happens with spacers and large differences in tire height and wheel offset. Alteration of the track width also has a marked effect on the ackerman effect. 

 

Danger Will Robinson! 

 

  danger GIF

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Forum Statistics

    250.5k
    Total Topics
    2.7m
    Total Posts

  • Member Statistics

    342,915
    Total Members
    8,960
    Most Online
    ChristopherDobson
    Newest Member
    ChristopherDobson
    Joined

  • Who's Online   5 Members, 0 Anonymous, 1,321 Guests (See full list)

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • ChristopherDobson
      Vehicle Payments

      By ChristopherDobson · Posted

      Monthly payment is only part of the equation. With today's prices and interest rates, I'd look at the total monthly cost: payment, insurance, registration, fuel, maintenance, and expected repairs. A vehicle that fits comfortably into your budget is usually the better choice than stretching for a higher trim. I've also kept my vehicles longer over the past few years. New cars have gotten expensive enough that driving one for 10+ years, while staying on top of maintenance, often ends up being the most cost-effective approach.
    • Grumpy Bear
      OCI, not when but why?

      By Grumpy Bear · Posted

      10 Ford and Chevy engines proven to reach 300,000 miles   You may note a common 3K OCI on this list of gas motors. I skipped over the diesels. Dh'O. 
    • jake111
      Gasser Subforum Has Been Quiet - - So, Regenerative Braking and Using L10

      By jake111 · Posted

      Thanks newdude!  By the time manual selection is needed, I'm probably too much of a control-freak to depend on the transmission sensing braking to activate automatic downshifting.  I would be anticipating the situation and already be manually downshifting.   This truck replaced a 2004.5 LLY diesel with the Allison 5-speed.  Putting it in T/H made noticeable differences (when the torque converter locked, upshift points, downshift behavior).  On this 2024 gasser with the 10L1000 I haven't been able to detect much, if any, difference.  Ok, I can never tell now when the torque converter locks up.  But I also don't notice differences in shifting.  For downhills, I've probably already manually downshifted by then anyway.  Since it's also more awkward (than the 2004.5) to engage/disengage I don't even bother.  Or maybe it doesn't really matter with just a 3k lb. camper in the bed?   Thanks also for the list of reasons the charging system might select various voltages.  However, what I am seeing doesn't fall into any of those categories.  It very definitely, and very consistently, rises after coasting/braking.  Maybe not immediately, but not very long after coasting/braking.  Very consistently drops voltage when no longer coasting/braking.  It might also be interacting with the camper battery charging (I might disconnect the camper and see if it changes the charging behavior).  I also need to recheck turning on headlights for when I want to force it to charge the camper.   Another JR, in June I converted the camper to LiFePO4.  Since it's not a good idea to try to charge lithiums directly using truck, I installed a Victron Orion XS DC-DC charger (which BTW is AMAZING!!).  Being cheap, I only had to buy that one item (besides the battery, of course) to do the conversion.  The camper OEM 120v battery charger (only 19 years old and works perfectly) and the truck feed the input to the DC-DC charger (not at the same time).  But I didn't want the camper charger feeding back to the truck so I kept the old separator.  I considered replacing the separator with a 30amp diode but that means more work and might add another 1/2 volt drop.  One thing that surprised me was the voltage drop over the long 10awg wire run, so I can only charge smoothly at 8 amps (because the DC-DC charger is completely configurable).  Another reason I don't want an added voltage drop with the diode.  I might also be a little lazy but all this work is being done under the sink with a small cabinet opening.    
    • davester
      cam upgrade in CA

      By davester · Posted

      apparently CA smog is (or at least was)  checking that the vehicle is using the oem and/or a ca smog approved tune, so I expect you'll fail inspection doing it.
    • davester
      Possible lifter tick after DOD delete

      By davester · Posted

      yes, leaking exhaust will mess up o2 sensor readings, which in turn messes up fuel trims.

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...