1.50" Wheel Spacers?

Question

I am looking to get wheel spacers on my 2wd 1991 Toyo PU for a wider stance in the front. I've heard both good and bad things about them.

Does anyone know the true facts about them? Pro's & Con's please.

Answer 1

Don't do it. Wheel spacers for any car does three bad things.

1. The angle of the tire patch will no longer be beneath the inclination of the front strut. What happens is when you brake going around corners the clamping action of the caliper on the rotor no longer lines up with the center-line of the tire contact point causing the brakes to try to center the steering wheel while turning. You don't want surprises in the center of a corner.
2. The incorrect center-line from the top of your strut to the new incorrect center-line of the tire raises hell with wheel bearings whether their pressed into the spindles or hang on a spindle snout as in rear wheel drive cars.
3. Spacers risk tearing apart wheel centers aluminum or steel for the same reasons listed above.

A general rule of thumb: Picture looking straight at a spindle on a rear wheel drive car. The centerline of the top balljoint straight through the centerline of the botton ball joint intersects the true center of the tire patch head on due to the # of built in degrees of the spindle snout ( where the wheel bearings rotate).

Any book on basic alignment will explain more fully. The more you learn about them the faster you'll run the opposite direction.