Wheel Spacers

[Somethingbigandorange]

Want to hear opinions...the good, the bad, and the ugly. Many years ago when I had a Jeep most people would flip if you had wheel spacers - they’re unsafe, they break too easy, etc. I am seeing an awful lot of them on the market now, and they are obviously cheaper than new rims, so what is the consensus? Have you had them? How big? Do it again or POS?

Just FYI I have an ‘06 I5 adventure package w/285s, ext shackles and cranked keys. I would like to go 305 or 315 next go ‘round.

 

[SlcHummer]

Never ran wheel spacers myself but I think the comments here will be similar, i.e. don't run them, unsafe, etc. So why do you want the spacers? You can fit 315's on stock rigs although depending on exact tire width and having tbars cranked you may run a little bit on the sway bar at full lock. Mine rub at full lock but rarely ever notice. I've heard of people who add spacers or wheels with the wrong offset and end up rubbing against the fenders vs. the sway bar.

 

[amrg]

The wider stance helps improve stability when cornering/wheeling off grades. Plus it adds an aggressive look to the vehicle!
Generally speaking, if you want spacers get quality ones. The spacer would be built of high grade aluminum, the pressed in studs would be high strength and if you go custom ones (motorsport-tech) you can get exact hub and wheel centric ones (zero vibes). Humvee ran it on his H3 and we wheeled alot of high speed desert/dune runs and our H3s took a beating. (70 mph in the desert is a good test)
What people seem to forget is that a spacer is like a wheel, needs retorquing once in a while. People often retorque the wheel studs and ignore the spacer the wheel sits on which is why some people endup with a wheel flying down the road.
As for offset, iirc on a leveled H3 with 35s you can get away with a 28mm spacer (upfront is the limit as the tire cld hit the back of the front fender). With a body lift you can do more though.

 

[FactoryOrdered2010AlphaT]

Had to replace the stock 7-spoke wheels six months ago...couldn't find a true replacement...sort of liked a set with a +15 offset...oem was +38 I think...had to use spacers to make them work with 35x12.5's...and I wanted to push the 'stance' after staying stock for so many years anyways. It's possible to get high-quality spacers (aka not from China)...but they're still bolt-on parts than come with bolt-on part risks. Expect additional stress on other parts for changing things.

I wouldn't want to do much in the way of 'extreme articulation' off-road with this configuration having stock suspension and no lift...but...on snow/dirt I have trouble pushing this thing off the rails now, and I try a lot. Sometimes I wonder if the traction control light is burned out.


Pay attention to what others have said about bigger wheels on the i5.


For reference a well kept Alpha leveled sporting 35x12.5's will sip 12 mpg (20L/100km)