Wheel spacers- steel or aluminum
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JK Newbie
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 34
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From: Madison Heights Mi
Wheel spacers- steel or aluminum
I am in the market for 1.5 spacers and would like to know what the big difference was between aluminum and steel spacers, besides the weight issue. Is one better than the other? Also, I have read that some tire shops wont work on Jeeps with spacers installed due to liability issues. I am wondering if this is so with the big tire chains, or do I have to find a smaller shop to have tires mounted with spacers. In Michigan we have Discount tire and Belle tire.---Anybody out there help me with these matters?
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 400
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From: Stuttgart, Germany
IMO there is really no difference between quality steel and alu spacers. Alu is lighter, and thats the big benifit. Given the choice, I would go for alu because of the weight savings. In all other aspects, they are pretty much the same.
As far as working on them, some places have issues with them because way back in the day, prior to quality control, spacers were not the safest things to use. Now a days, I don't really give a second though to the spacers failing and causing an accident. Granted, there is more stress on the axle, but there would be the same stress with a wheel with an offset similar to what the spacer gives you. If it really comes down to it, you can put the tire on yourself. Take the rim and tire to the shop, and get the tire mounted, take the tire home and put it on the truck yourself. In all reality, no shop should have an issue with you using quality spacers.
As far as working on them, some places have issues with them because way back in the day, prior to quality control, spacers were not the safest things to use. Now a days, I don't really give a second though to the spacers failing and causing an accident. Granted, there is more stress on the axle, but there would be the same stress with a wheel with an offset similar to what the spacer gives you. If it really comes down to it, you can put the tire on yourself. Take the rim and tire to the shop, and get the tire mounted, take the tire home and put it on the truck yourself. In all reality, no shop should have an issue with you using quality spacers.
JK Junkie
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 2,343
Likes: 1
From: The San Andreas Fault
Virtually no tire shop will work with them because they need to be periodically re-torqued for safety. The wheels have to be removed to do this.
If the lugnuts on the spacers work themselves loose, the lugs may break and/or your wheel may fall off. The liability is too great for the tire shops unless they know you will return there periodically to rotate your tires so they can re-torque the spacer lugnuts periodically and ensure that red loc-tite is used.
So, you should only run spacers if you install your own wheels because you will want to periodically re-torque the lugnuts on the spacers.
If you are going to do spacers, only use a hubcentric spacer from Spidertrax or Teraflex. It is not worth saving a couple bucks to buy from anyone else.
Personally, I have used Spidertrax wheel spacers and would not change.
If the lugnuts on the spacers work themselves loose, the lugs may break and/or your wheel may fall off. The liability is too great for the tire shops unless they know you will return there periodically to rotate your tires so they can re-torque the spacer lugnuts periodically and ensure that red loc-tite is used.
So, you should only run spacers if you install your own wheels because you will want to periodically re-torque the lugnuts on the spacers.
If you are going to do spacers, only use a hubcentric spacer from Spidertrax or Teraflex. It is not worth saving a couple bucks to buy from anyone else.
Personally, I have used Spidertrax wheel spacers and would not change.
I concur with Planman regarding shops relucatance to works with spacers and the use hubcentric spacers.
The manager of my shop took a long hard look at my Spidertrax spacers which I mounted in advance, before he would approve mounting the tires and installing the wheels on the spacers. Smaller shops around here tend to be more liberal.
There has been some debate in this forum about the importance of using hubcentric parts: spacers and wheels. All I am going to say i there is a good reason for integrating this feature at the factory.
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JK Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 148
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From: Milton, FL
I just finished machining my own set of 1.5" Ni-Chro-Moly steel wheel spacers and am very happy with the product. They do weigh a bit, but the weight is A) unsprung and B) rotating concentrically to hub so it's only acting like a really beefy axle hub. I would personally not want to mix aluminum and steel because eventually there will be corrosion between the dissimilar metals (despite the anodized coating).
You can always locktite the lug nuts.
Here's mine:
You can always locktite the lug nuts.
Here's mine:
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 148
Likes: 0
From: Milton, FL
Hold up now, Aluminum will corrode too. It just doesn't exfoliate its oxide like rust does. But you can have steels coated to prevent oxide just as easily. I wouldn't chrome or nickel plate the stuff, but you can have a black oxide coat applied (like the outside of most high speed drill bits) or parkerize the steel to give corrosion resistance.