I'm contemplating whether or not to go with 31 or 32" mudders for my TJ. I have a 2" spring spacer lift. I understand from my previous post that if I go with 32" tires on the stock wheels I may experience clearance issues. Would it be a bad idea to consider a 1.75" wheel spacer with the 32s?? I've seen them in 4WD and Quadratec's catalogs. Will using the spacers cause any other issues?
Wheel spacers: Good or bad??
- Thread starter Jason4x4
- Start date
Bounty__Hunter
Super Moderator
Slightly quicker wear in the unit bearings, that's about it. Won't be any different than changing to wheels with 1.75" less backspacing.
Sparky-Watts
Banned
Not much, unless you plan on welding two rims together to make a wheel spacer!:lol: :lol: Dang, I still can't believe someone was going to do that!:lol:
Bounty__Hunter
Super Moderator
Steel wheels, yes, aluminum, no. Many jeepers like thier OEM AL wheels and want to keep them.
jfrabat
New member
Just my 2 cents (and keep in mind I am currently runing 31s), but if you are going to upgrade, I would go to 33s and do it right. It is considered that the minimum tire size for hitting the trails is 33", so I would just go in that direction (I dont think you will see too much difference between 31 and 32, as the jeep would only actually be lifted 0.5"), and run a setup that will allow for such a tire. 1" Body lift could be the way to go if you do not have any lift on your rig at this time... And if you go the NHL way, it is inexpensive if you do it yourself.
Felipe
Felipe
I have a 2" RE Econo lift (i.e., spring spacers w/ 'long travel' shocks) right now. And I have OE Rubicon springs, which I guess technically gives me an extra .5", so in effect I have about 2.5" of suspension lift right now. I'm also interested (after putting the stocker to use a few times at Paragon a couple weekends ago 
) in a high clearance transfer case skid plate, but it sounds like theres quite a bit of work involved in getting one of those to work...
I definitely need some more aggressive tires though. I think that would give me the most "bang for the buck" at this point.
) in a high clearance transfer case skid plate, but it sounds like theres quite a bit of work involved in getting one of those to work...I definitely need some more aggressive tires though. I think that would give me the most "bang for the buck" at this point.
Jeepr
New member
I don't like wheel spacers. I have never used them, but have seen them loosen up. To tighten them, you need to take the wheel off. But it is a cheaper way to get extra back spacing, just not my cup of tea. I personally don't think the wear would be any more than a set of wheels with less backspacing.
Green97TJ
New member
What do you mean by "true 31""?
TwistedCU
New member
They actually measure 31", while most "31 inch" tires actually measue 30.5", 30.7", etc. You're average 32" tire will actually measure 31.5-31.7", etc.
jfrabat
New member
It is? There's going to be a lot of people, like me, disappointed to hear that
Well, that's what I have read on the magazines and some internet articles... Of course, you can do offroading with ANY size tires, but according to the articles I have read, 33" will give you enough clearance to tackle most obstacles while maintaining a good balance on the rig.
Felipe
TwistedCU
New member
Based on what I've done and seen in my XJ and my current YJ (both on 31's at one point), not on what I've read, this is simply not true. The most difficult trails I have seen will eat a jeep on 33's... period. I have done greens blues and some black trails on 31's. Trails I have passed up because they looked too rough for my Jeep ended up claiming oil pans and rocker panels on the guys Jeeps that went ahead on 33's.
Sparky-Watts
Banned
I can't see that an extra 1/2 to 1" of clearance is going to make or break the completion of any given trail. There are almost always other ways to compensate for that extra 1", whether it be through another line, more momentum, etc.
jfrabat
New member
I am not too familiar with the conversion side of it, but when I was back at home, I used to do a lot of offroading with my old Nissan (wheels and tires were metric, so I dont know the equivalent), but I remember when I increased my tire size by 10 cm (which is about 3" I guess) it made a whole lot of difference. So I do think bigger wheels WILL make a difference. I do agree with you that it is not the ONLY factor, and that other things have to be take into consideration (like armor under the car, especially for oil pans, diffs, etc.), driving, route taken, and a lot of other stuff. But a couple of inches kept my NIssan rig from rubbing in places I used to rub before all the time.
Felipe
Felipe
TwistedCU
New member
Well back to the original question in the thread, he is considering 32's over 31's. Making this 1" jump in tire size (1/2" of overall clearance gain) would require him to get spacers or different wheels, would cost him more in fuel economy loss, and would rob more power from the stock drivetrain.
My point is that jump (at least to me) is not worth it.
back to the thread derailment:
Yes, any extra clearance is desirable for off road. My point is that most guys, in order to jump to 33's, should really be re-gearing, replacing wheels, etc. TO me, it's not worth it to gain 1" of clearance. If you're going to do all that you might as well go bigger than 33's.
Now I might consider a pizza cutter 33" for my LJ. I have 3.73 gears and a 33x9.50 BFG AT might be a great alternative. If I could do that without regearing great, but if I have to reagear my axles for bigger tires, I want more than 1" of clearance to do so.
My point is that jump (at least to me) is not worth it.
back to the thread derailment:
Yes, any extra clearance is desirable for off road. My point is that most guys, in order to jump to 33's, should really be re-gearing, replacing wheels, etc. TO me, it's not worth it to gain 1" of clearance. If you're going to do all that you might as well go bigger than 33's.
Now I might consider a pizza cutter 33" for my LJ. I have 3.73 gears and a 33x9.50 BFG AT might be a great alternative. If I could do that without regearing great, but if I have to reagear my axles for bigger tires, I want more than 1" of clearance to do so.
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