Originally posted by kilroy
I really don't know why your trying to offset your wheels, but your doing it on a vehicle that is top heavy and prone to rolling when a tire or wheel fails, and modifying it in a way that compromises safety is NOT a good idea.
Well as I see it, that's
exactly why he wants to do it. To get a wider stance to help offset the "top heavy and prone to rolling" tendency that you yourself just quoted.
His choice -- as I see it -- is to widen his stance to help mitigate a safety situation he may have to face; or take the chance of a rollover and then killing his loved ones because he heard it might fry his axle bearings to put spacers on. Lessee here, what a decision, fry my bearings or kill my wife....
I only say this to get some input from our membership. Just thought I would stir up the pot a little; since I am considering getting spacers too, and I have yet to hear about any dangerous events occuring as the result of the dozens of membership that installed big tires with less-backspaced wheels which present the very same stress on bearing offset as spacers.
I've already heard all the down-talk toward spacers but find it fascinating that I've heard none at all concerning all the dozens of installations of aftermarket wheels with non-stock backspacing, nor any horror stories concerning bearings frying once the aftermarket wheels were installed on our Explorers.
This site is dedicated to offroad, and as such assumes that more maintenance may be required on our vehicles than that needed by my neighbor's Explorer that attends the local grade-school soccer match.
My Explorer now sits 4"+ higher than a stocker, and my treadwidth is still at the stock dimension. I personally think it would be an acceptable idea to get it wider. Kilroy certainly has a point and I respect his opinion. But I would like to hear some more insight into this from others who may have already done the mod.
My current position is that I would rather replace bearings, than roll my vehicle while my eight year old son is in it.
Just my extry peso again,
[Edited by GJarrett on 09-15-2000 at 10:09 PM]