Weird question about wheel spacers

It's not going to effect alignment, it's gonna put a lot of stress on bearings and wear them out quicker...premature wearing down of bearings is the reason I've thought of spacers (1"), but have quickly dismissed the idea (my rig is still my DD). Personally I think a wider track in the front looks a little goofy, but it's supposed to be sturdier and more stable (think of the difference between a Can-Am Spyder and a Reliant Robin...one takes corners quick and smooth, and the other just rolls).

could you not just get that wider stance by using a offsetting rim?

I think that'd look goofier....scratch that, I know..

The local Fire Department that I'm on has a 86 Chevy they've owned since it was brand new. It had a tool box rear bed and dually's and was dubbed the Rescue truck; had a small tank and pump, and carried all the rescue tools for a motor vehicle crash. Since they acquired it, the Department got a different Rescue, which also had the capabilities of hauling 5 more people than the Chevy, more tool space, an on-board Diesel generator, and is able to refill air packs at a fire scene.

I tell you this, because instead of getting rid of the Chevy, we replaced the tool bed for a flat bed with two seats and a 150 gallon water tank/pump and ditched the stock tires and dually's for a set of 35" M/T Baja Claws so that we can use it for grass and field fires. They custom ordered rims with different offsets and failed to put in a full width rear axle....now we have an old Chevy with front tires that still stick out wider than the rear even though the front rims are almost entirely back-spaced and the rears have almost no back-spacing....looks goofier than all get out. It's still a cool truck, also considering that it only has 18k miles on the original 454, but it just has a really goofy stance...

I can get pictures if you'd like lol!

Yes, spacers on the front would look stupid.

Most vehicles, including the Explorer, have a wider track width in the front than in the rear by design. This does give handing and stability benefits. However, the track width difference between the front and the rear isn't that big.

I think spacers in general are a bad idea, both for the increased stress they put on wheel bearings and other components, but also since they are another thing to come loose or crack. They make sense when you want to put your dream wheels on a show car/truck, but the wheels only come in a size/offset/bolt pattern that doesn't fit otherwise, and spacers makes them work.

You also aren't going to get much, if any, benefit by only adding spacers to the front. Sure, the vehicle will corner slightly better just from having a wider track, but you're going to need to do a lot of other mods to counter the body roll and soft suspension before a wider track makes much difference.

Also keep in mind that tires that stick out more have a pretty good chance of making contact with the fender sheet metal and fenderwell plastic at the upper part of wheel travel. Installing spacers with those 31" tires could wind up costing you to repair some messed up fenders.


Best bet is don't use spacers, either stick with the factory wheels or get aftermarket alloys or steelies that stick out a little more. Even better, wait until you do a lift and get gears and bigger tires, if you're planning on those, then you'll have the money you saved on spacers to put towards wheels.

5spdman said:

I think that'd look goofier....scratch that, I know..

The local Fire Department that I'm on has a 86 Chevy they've owned since it was brand new. It had a tool box rear bed and dually's and was dubbed the Rescue truck; had a small tank and pump, and carried all the rescue tools for a motor vehicle crash. Since they acquired it, the Department got a different Rescue, which also had the capabilities of hauling 5 more people than the Chevy, more tool space, an on-board Diesel generator, and is able to refill air packs at a fire scene.

I tell you this, because instead of getting rid of the Chevy, we replaced the tool bed for a flat bed with two seats and a 150 gallon water tank/pump and ditched the stock tires and dually's for a set of 35" M/T Baja Claws so that we can use it for grass and field fires. They custom ordered rims with different offsets and failed to put in a full width rear axle....now we have an old Chevy with front tires that still stick out wider than the rear even though the front rims are almost entirely back-spaced and the rears have almost no back-spacing....looks goofier than all get out. It's still a cool truck, also considering that it only has 18k miles on the original 454, but it just has a really goofy stance...

I can get pictures if you'd like lol!

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That sounds like one hell of a rig and damn right I would like to see pictures.

Thanks for the comments as well. I figured that there would be some premature wear in the front end, but wasn't sure if the potential benefit of doing spacers was worth it. I was thinking a wider stance would help drivability, but I guess the spacers are the worse way to do it (compared to the offset rims).

slaughterrt said:

That sounds like one hell of a rig and damn right I would like to see pictures.

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We're up at the station for training today, so I'll grab some pics when we go to the bay!

5spdman said:

We're up at the station for training today, so I'll grab some pics when we go to the bay!

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Awesome. Look forward to seeing it.

As promised:







The offsets are reversed from the way you're describing it, but it's the same effect...

And for a bonus (since it was nearby), our Command/Chief's 3rd gen Ex...

Given that the 150 gallon tank will weigh 1200+ lbs when full, plus the weight of the vehicle itself, the utility bed, and all the equipment, it might be better (and safer) to have dual wheels on the rear.

Even if those are Load Range E tires on there, I suggest you check the sidewall of those tires for the maximum load rating, or, if nothing else, be sure that the other station personell are aware the tires need to be fully inflated to whatever the maximum psi is, 50-80psi or so, when the tank is full.

[MENTION=127721]5spdman[/MENTION], that 80's Chebby truck looks like it is in great condition

The reason we got away from the duals when it was dedicated to field fires was that they too often got packed with mud and we lost traction severely...to aid this, we went with the 12.50 Baja Claws and also made sure things were as light as we could get them in the back (along with having the offset wheels)...the bed and boxes are aluminum and the tank/unit are a polymer material.

The tires are a load range E tire rated at around 2600lbs at 65psi cold...being we live in a highly populated but rural county, we don't get to use our trucks that often (today was our first structure fire in probably 6 months and the grass rig was used once this year I believe)...seeing as they don't get used often, we weekly check fluid levels and tire pressures.

toypaseo said:

[MENTION=127721]5spdman[/MENTION], that 80's Chebby truck looks like it is in great condition

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It really is...there's hardly any rust and it still has the original 454 with under 20000 miles...sounds like a beast too!

5spdman said:

It really is...there's hardly any rust and it still has the original 454 with under 20000 miles...sounds like a beast too!

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Those are some rocking pics. That truck is in great shape.