Wheel spacers provide a performance boost and a mean look for your Jeep Wrangler. There seems to be a bit of a question though on the safety of this upgrade.
Especially for people that mainly use their Jeep Wranglers as their daily runners. It is not only safe to have wheel spacers on your Jeep Wrangler, but it is also quite a good idea and we are going to tell you why.
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Wheel Spacers for High Speeds
If you plan to install your daily runner with wheel spacers, chances are you will have a good terrain to push your vehicle to the limits, that is speed wise. T
he main question has been whether wheel spacers make high-speed rides jump from thrilling to dangerous. The answer is no, wheel spacers do the opposite.
Wheel spacers improve overall handling on the vehicle and this means that your car is going to be easy to handle at higher speeds. If you are using a Jeep Wrangler that is already optimized in terms of handling and balance.
spacers can be quite an addition for your high-speed adventures.
It is very important though to ensure that the wheel spacers are well installed and have the perfect specs for your Jeep Wrangler. We recommend that you employ the service of a professional mechanic for this.
We recommend that if you plan to be driving at high speeds you install hub centric wheel spacers with properly torqued bolts. That way you are guaranteed a foolproof high-speed ride.
Do wheel spacers affect MPG? (Miles per gallon)
There are dozens of factors that affect MPG, some more significantly than others. Theoretically, there should be a minute decrease in MPG if you decide to install wheel spacers.
This is because wheel spacers increase the distance between the wheels and push the wheels out resulting in them protruding the fender flare. This slightly alters the drag coefficient of the vehicle.
This theoretically has a bit of a knock on your Jeep Wrangler’s fuel efficiency but practically it is negligible. In other words, we can say having wheel spacers will not reduce the number of miles your Jeep Wrangler runs per gallon.
If fuel economy was your biggest worry when it came to wheel spacers, then you have nothing to worry about.
Do Wheel Spacers Affect Towing?
Yes, wheel spacers do affect towing. You can tow with your wheel spacers installed but we would not recommend you to do it regularly. The reason for this is because not all spacers are hub-centric.
If you are using universal wheel spacers. Most of the weight will be placed on the wheel studs and that will affect your Jeep Wrangler’s ability to tow. It might not happen overnight but with time you will notice accelerated wear and tear to your vehicle as a result of the wheel spacers.
Should you do it? Our answer is do not do it unless you have properly installed hub centric wheel spacers.
Can You Put Wheel Spacers On The Rear Only?
You can install wheel spacers only on the rear wheels of your Jeep Wrangler. There are no safety issues that you have to worry about if you do decide to install wheel spacers on the rear only.
The only thing that you might have to worry about though is a bit of snow. On a normal Jeep Wrangler, the normal front wheels will clear the snow for the back wheels.
If you have wheel spacers the wheels will not be aligned, this is not much of a problem though if you are planning to use your Jeep Wrangler for daily driving.
Understeering can also be a bit of a problem for other car models with rear wheel spacers but with the Jeep Wrangler’s power steering, you won’t struggle with that either.
Is it Typical to Install Wheel Spacers on All four Wheels?
You can install wheel spacers on all four wheels. That is how they are typically installed and sold. That is what we recommend that you do. If you can’t afford that, installing wheel spacers on just the rear will work out pretty fine.
Can You Put Wheel Spacers Without Lifting & Recommended Spacer Size?
Lifting does not affect wheel spacer fitting. You do not have to increase or reduce the lift of your Wrangler if you are planning to install wheel spacers. As long as you do not change the tire sizes then you won’t have to worry about your wheel rubbing into the fenders.
In terms of wheel spacer size, the range is quite extensive.
Depending on your budget and how you want your Jeep Wrangler to look. You can choose either 1.25-inch wheel spacers and 1.5-inch wheel spacers. As a recommendation though, we recommend that you go for the 1.5-inch wheel spacers.
The reason why smaller wheel spacers will not work with your jeep Wrangler is that your stock studs are 1.25 inches in size.
Smaller wheel spacers will interfere with the back of your wheel. If you are going for hub centric (we highly recommend you purchase these) wheel spacers then smaller sizes won’t do.
Do Rear Wheel Spacers Affect the Handling?
Yes, wheel spacers affect the handling, for the better though. By installing wheel spacers, you increase the distance between the two wheels.
This means the distance between each wheel and the chassis is increased. This gives your Jeep Wrangler a better grip. This means handling will significantly improve around corners.
In terms of handling, you are going to get one of the best driving experiences out there. If you only have wheel spacers at the rear though, you might face understeering.
Do Wheel Spacers Affect the Alignment?
When you install wheel spacers, all you are doing is increasing the wheel-to-wheel distance. If other factors like camber or caster are not lowered then you won’t have to worry about the wheel spacers affecting your alignment.
What Torque Should Wheel Spacers Be?
For your Jeep Wrangler, the recommended torque is between 85 and 100 ft. Lbs. Anything else that is outside of this range will give you problems.
Should I Use Loctite On Wheel spacers?
If your wheel spacers are torqued correctly then you won’t have to worry about using Loctite on your wheel spacers.
We recommend that you go with a professional torque though rather than using Loctite. It is much better that way and you will certainly enjoy your daily drive in your Jeep Wrangler.
How Often Should You Check & Torque Wheel Spacers?
Since you will be using your Jeep Wrangler for daily drives it is imperative that you often check the torque on your spacers.
The recommended distance you have to travel before you check for torque on your wheel spacers is 6000 miles.
But for your Jeep Wrangler, we recommend that you check after every 40000 miles. Especially if you did not use Loctite for your wheel spacers.
Does Wheel Spacers Coming Loose?
Yes, wheel spacers come loose. This does not happen as often as some people may claim it does though. If wheel spacers are the perfect fit for your Jeep Wrangler and are installed perfectly, they should never come loose. But that is not always the case.
If your wheel spacers do fall off, there are several steps you can take. If your spacer comes loose one thing that will certainly work out is shaving off your stock lugs a bit.
This must do the trick but if it doesn’t the next best thing would be to buy new ones. Make sure that when you buy new ones though you seek advice from your mechanic or any other expert.
Having wheel spacers will improve your Jeep Wrangler’s performance. The best part is you can install them by yourself.
I hope you got answers for so many questions about fitting wheel spacers to jeeps. If yo think this guide may helpful for someone else, you can share this with them. you just have to hit a share button below.
Peace!!