Foose wheels , backspacing, wheel spacers

[kpdalton]

So I have 18x9 wheels with 5.25 wheel spacing. Right now the wheels look sucked in. What the truck really needs is 4inch backspacing to have it line up just right without rubbing anything when I turn and to make it look right.

So I bought 1.25" billet wheels spacers and now its all perfect. But reading about spacers it is making me nervous how safe they are. They are more like adapters with their own lug studs, not just a spacer.

People say just check them once in awhile, like 1000 miles, make sure the torque is ok and use loctite. Thats all great except what if I'm at 800 miles and on the freeway doing 80mph and one gives out?

I would consider buyng new rims close to what I have but with the proper backspacing and sell my foose wheels. Foose doesn't make the backspacing I need from what I can see.

So can anyone suggest some rims or let me know your thoughts on the spacers? maybe I'm being a worry wart over it. Afterall, it may take me 6 months to go 1000 miles on this truck.

[wood1]

Yes, you need to check them, aluminum wheels need to be checked for torque. I check mine within the first 25 miles of install and they need some tightening.
I check again at about 100 miles.

Obviously always check before you drive long distances. I checked mine before a 250 mile trip, then when we got there checked again and they were fine. Drove home another 250 miles and I got a little out of them. The torque recommended
on mine is 100#. I would NOT use loctite.

As for the back space, go to a shop where they sell custom wheels and tell them what you want and I'd think they'd help you out if you want to buy new ones. A 4" b.s. would give you some "dish"(1 1/4" more) on the outside of the wheel.
If you have a 9" wide wheel with 5.25 b.s. then you have 3.75" ot the outside.

What year truck do you have and what is the front end?? IFS??

[NEWFISHER]

I have run wheel spacers from 1" to 2" on multiple vehicles, mostly rock crawlers and dually tow vehicles and have never had a problem. I check them like mentioned 25 to 50 miles after install and then occasionaly check them. I had used red locktight on the first set and have always used blue on the others. The off road rigs get serious abuse at speed with a ton of lateral load. The dually hauls a bunch , tows and never a problem.
Posted via Mobile Device

[kpdalton]

Originally Posted by wood1

Yes, you need to check them, aluminum wheels need to be checked for torque. I check mine within the first 25 miles of install and they need some tightening.
I check again at about 100 miles.

Obviously always check before you drive long distances. I checked mine before a 250 mile trip, then when we got there checked again and they were fine. Drove home another 250 miles and I got a little out of them. The torque recommended
on mine is 100#. I would NOT use loctite.

As for the back space, go to a shop where they sell custom wheels and tell them what you want and I'd think they'd help you out if you want to buy new ones. A 4" b.s. would give you some "dish"(1 1/4" more) on the outside of the wheel.
If you have a 9" wide wheel with 5.25 b.s. then you have 3.75" ot the outside.

What year truck do you have and what is the front end?? IFS??

its a 1950 with a mustangII front end and 87 trans am rear. The turning radius was bad until I put spacers on. The rim was rubbing a bar when I turned and now it doesn't. Also it looks much better now with the spacers. I used just a little bit of red loctite as some of the spacer manufacturers recommended it. I'm going to remove a wheel this week and just see how hard they are to come off (have an impact wrench). I will also check torque.

Problem with checking the lugs is the spacer has 5 and the wheel has 5. So I'll need to remove the wheel to check the spacer lugs. BTW, I didn't use loctite on the wheel lugs, only the spacer -to-rotor lugs.

also should mention that the fenders were widened about 2 inches but I mainly wanted the spacers for the rubbing issue.

[63 & 64 Bowties]

Originally Posted by NEWFISHER

I have run wheel spacers from 1" to 2" on multiple vehicles, mostly rock crawlers and dually tow vehicles and have never had a problem.

Me too.
My ole 69 farm truck got loaded down real heavy quite a bit. It had 2" spacer/adapters so I could get modern wheels on it.

[wood1]

kpdalton- you have too much backspace

How did you measure your wheels prior to buying them??
The b.s.(backspace) of the wheel is what your problem is. You shouldn't need any
spacers if you measure for your backspace. Go to a custom wheel/tire shop.

I have a '51 with Mll front/10 bolt rear & air-ride. Currently have 17"x7" front & 18"x8" rear alum. Artillery wheels, front is 3 3/4" b.s. & rear are 4" b.s. Was the steering issue hitting the shock?? I attached a pic. of front wheel to give you an idea, they are 17" x 7" with 3 3/4" b.s.
It's kind of a pain in the a-- when dealing with wheel fit. Some wheel sites will show you how to measure backspace. I'd suggest going to a custom shop.

An easy example is say you have a 18" x 8" with 4" b.s. Width is 8" - 4" b.s.= 4"
dish to outside. Check clearance in rear also. Always measure both sides front & rear. Your rear axle may sit more to one side than the other.

You may know some of this, just trying to help. Do you have any pictures??

[floyd]

My 55 Gmc has had 1.5" spacers on it for at least 10 years (using chrome iroc wheels),never had any issues...check them after the first 100miles... I didnt use any loctite and would only do that if they for some reason werent staying tight.

My just finished 70 chevelle has 2" spacers also...

[kpdalton]

Originally Posted by wood1

kpdalton- you have too much backspace

How did you measure your wheels prior to buying them??
The b.s.(backspace) of the wheel is what your problem is. You shouldn't need any
spacers if you measure for your backspace. Go to a custom wheel/tire shop.

I have a '51 with Mll front/10 bolt rear & air-ride. Currently have 17"x7" front & 18"x8" rear alum. Artillery wheels, front is 3 3/4" b.s. & rear are 4" b.s. Was the steering issue hitting the shock?? I attached a pic. of front wheel to give you an idea, they are 17" x 7" with 3 3/4" b.s.
It's kind of a pain in the a-- when dealing with wheel fit. Some wheel sites will show you how to measure backspace. I'd suggest going to a custom shop.

An easy example is say you have a 18" x 8" with 4" b.s. Width is 8" - 4" b.s.= 4"
dish to outside. Check clearance in rear also. Always measure both sides front & rear. Your rear axle may sit more to one side than the other.

You may know some of this, just trying to help. Do you have any pictures??

The rims on it came with the truck, I'm trying to correct the issue. The cheap way is spacers, its done and looks rides great. Issue is gone but now I'm wondering about safety.

I know the backspace the wheels need, 18x9" wheels with 4" backspace would be perfect but foose doesn't make them so I would need to go with a different brand. Do I really want to spend $1200 on rims instead of using spacers, I guess thats the issue now.

[kpdalton]

Originally Posted by floyd

My 55 Gmc has had 1.5" spacers on it for at least 10 years (using chrome iroc wheels),never had any issues...check them after the first 100miles... I didnt use any loctite and would only do that if they for some reason werent staying tight.

My just finished 70 chevelle has 2" spacers also...

Yeah for now I think I will leave the spacers and just check them now and then to be sure. If I see they are loose over and over then I will think about what to do but I think they will be fine.

[GCncsuHD]

I have had spacers on multiple trucks. Always check for proper torque, recheck after about 100mi or so of driving, then forget it until time to rotate the tires. I check the torque at every tire rotation (every other oil change) or anytime the wheels are off for any reason, I've never had one check loose, but do it as a precaution anyway. Never anti-seize or loctite the threads, doing either alters your torque spec on the lug nuts, if you use either reduce the amount you torque the lugs to by 20% since the torque spec is a "dry" rating, adding any sort of lube, yes loctite counts as a lubricant until it cures, allows you to put a higher tension on the bolt for a given torque and can cause elongation of the stud, thread deformation, or snapping the stud.

I ran 2" spacers on the rear of my 2001 2500HD that was on 38x15.5 tires for over 50k mi, and it was doing just fine when I sold it. I regularly towed 10k+ with that truck. I have 1.5" spacers on the front of my 78 K30 and 2.5" between the duals on the rear, I haven't ran it nearly as many miles, but I have hauled heavier loads with no issues.

[kpdalton]

Thanks GCncsuHD for the info. Makes sense.