Wheel Spacers

[hardbound]

2000 F-350 DRW 4x4. Looking to go from a stock LT 235 85R16 to a 285 75R16 requires using a 2" wheel spacer in rear to get clearance between tires. Anyone know how makes a good quality wheel spacer.

 

[laserjock]

If you ask towcat, his reply I believe is generally don't do it.

 

[snicklas]

Agreed,

Buy tires that fit, and leave the spacers off. They affect you load carrying capabilities, move the load center away from the bearings causing excessive bearing wear, and are just a generally bad idea. You do not want the sidewalls to touch under full load, so the space needs to be there. my suggestion is get the proper sized tire for the truck........ its a dually, not a mud truck.............

 

[hardbound]

thanks guys was on the fence about the wheel spacers for same reason you stated.

 

[kcwright1979]

if your so inclined you could always run a super single tire on the rear

 

[hardbound]

Where I find one of those to look at.

 

[kcwright1979]

just Google super singles f350 should be a good start

 

[snicklas]

A super single bring a whole new list of issues to the game.

I know in a recent thread about lowering a dually, that IDIoit showed a picture of a truck he once had that was lowered, but had a super single. He said the super single was a bad idea towing because of the size of the tire and sidewall flex, it mad the rear very "squishy" when towing.

I think the biggest question to answer is what do you plan on doing with this truck? That can help us point you in the right direction..........

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Buy tires that fit, and leave the spacers off. They affect you load carrying capabilities, move the load center away from the bearings causing excessive bearing wear, and are just a generally bad idea.

And against that we have the testimonial of DslDogCatcher who's been using spacers on his SRW axle to make it accept dual wheels for i don't remember how many years without a single issue, and I believe you have first hand knowledge of the 5th wheel he pulls with that truck. And keep in mind what he runs are the "bad" kind of wheel spacers, they move both inner and outer wheel outboard whole 3" and as a result the pair's load plane ends up darn near on top of the outer hub bearing...

The in-between spacers ain't a big deal as your inner wheel remains in its factory location, it's only the outer wheel that moves outboard by 2". As a result the combined load plane for the pair shifts only an inch outboard, that's pretty much nothing for a Sterling axle unless you overload it day in and day out. There's probably literally a container ship load of oil-field trucks that run in-between spacers so they can fit larger tires so they don't sink quite as bad, and you've probably seen how heavy they can get loaded...

To answer the OP, you want a spacers that is both hub-centric (fits on the hub tight as an OEM wheel) and wheel-centric (has a pilot lip on the end to properly center the outer wheel). Being made of steel is probably a good idea as well. To my knowledge there is only one company who makes such things, and they are not cheap, like $350 for the pair IIRC. They had some sizes on sale last summer for like $250, still kicking myself in the butt for not grabbing a pair back then...

 

[hardbound]

I googled IIRC and could not find anything. Do you happen to know the full name of that company?

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Fred Goeske is your man, Wheel Adapter is his company. His products are a bit on the expensive side, but they appear well thought-out and well-made. If you order from him, let us know how you like the spacers...

 

[hardbound]

thanks