yeah go ahead and laugh, I'm new to this kinda thing, so I was wondering, apart from the good looking "tires out of the car" look, is there anything beneficial about spacers beyond cosmetics?

 

Don't feel bad, I'm new and I don't have any idea eather. I'm just pretending I know right now so my wife will let me buy more stuff while I learn.

 

If you mean front coil spacers, that is to lift the front end up so when you throw a better bumper and a winch that your Jeep doesn't sag...

If you mean a Budget Boost spacers, that is so you can clear bigger tires which would lift your Jeep so you can clear nasty rocks and the like

If you mean wheel spacers, that is when you put on an extra wide tire, without the proper backspacing(still unclear on details of backspacing) your tire doesn't rub...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I hope this helps...

 

I actually didn't know there's more than one spacer, I actually meant the wheel spacer, thanks man

 

you don't NEED them for larger tires. just make sure your rims have the appropriate backspacing. for the JK 4.5" is appropriate for MOST applications.

 

You guys missed the obvious explanation: Spacers are for spacing!

To answer the "Cons" question in addition to what's already been posted:

1) Back "in the day" some wheel spacers were considered unsafe, but nowadays brand-name manufacturers (like Spidertrax) have a really good reputation for durable, quality products.

2) Depending on how tight-@ssed your state laws are with regard to vehicle appearance/dimensions, wheel spacers may push your tires out past the fenders to an "illegal" degree.

 

One con is, and this might just be in my case, I had 1.25" spaces on my TJ and it wore the wheel bearings out to the point that they sounded like a ratchet! I had a good friend at a Jeep delaership at the time and they replaced the whole outter hub assebly since the TJ's did not have serviceable hub bearings.

By the way, does anyone know if our JKs have serviceable wheel bearings?

 

Spacers shouldn't wear out any parts any quicker than a wheel that is that much wider. Its just like haveing a wheel with the correct back spacing and being alittle wider.

 

Not true. There is a lot more leverage on the studs when using a spacer and then bolting a wheel onto the spacer as opposed to just bolting the wheel straight to the studs themselves.

 

The big con of spacers is that they are "For off-road use only" and a lot of states have laws prohibiting them.

The pros are a wider track for stability on and off-road and you can remove them for inspections. Most cops aren't going see your spacers, and you can remove them once a year. If you just get a wheel with less backspacing and you live in say, NJ, your tires may still stick out past the flares and they won't pass you for inspection.